Yeshua did not create leadership functions for His New Covenant Community. Why reinvent what was already functioning well? There were already leadership functions in the 1st c. synagogues. Instead, what the Bible shows us is that there are certain functions declared to be gifts from Yeshua to the New Covenant community/synagogues - Apostles, Prophets, Pastors, Teachers, Evangelists. But did you know these functions were already established in synagogues? They operated alongside the President, Superintendent, Preacher, elders, deacons! Ready for an amazing change of perspective?

Pastor Jay completes his introduction to the Leadership Gifts of Ephesians 4:11. In this message Pastor Jay looks at the main purpose for the gifts (equipping and edifying), how long these gifts would be found in the Body (Surprise! They are not just for the 1st c.) and how these gifts relate to Jesus as the Head of His Body.

Apostles, Prophets, Pastors, Teachers, Evangelists - according to Paul in Ephesians 4, they truly are God's gifts to the church! Here's the shocker...Yeshua/Jesus didn't invent these leadership functions. They were already present in synagogue life! But what are they and how are they supposed to function? Pastor Jay begins a series on the Jewish foundation of these gifts (and others within the synagogue) to help us understand them and offer a well-deserved corrective to some errant practices today. This series is an overview of Ephesians 4 and why these leadership functions are crucial to the church!

It's amazing how Yeshua is AL OVER scripture! But is it really? He is God's Word, after all. We see Yeshua and the Gospel of our salvation in Exodus 6, the four proclamations of Passover: "I will bring your out...I will free you...I will redeem you with an outstretched arm...I will take you." But did you know we see the beginning of Yeshua's life prophesied in Exodus 3? You can find direct parallels between the burning bush account in Exodus 3 and the birth narratives in Matthew and Luke. Curious? Take a listen!

As Yeshua moves through the Last Passover with His disciples, He gives them a very specific warning. He quotes Zechariah the prophet's words to Israel that the Lord's Shepherd will be struck and God's sheep will be scattered. With this remez (a rabbinic way of speaking or referring to an entire section of scripture without quoting the entire piece), Yeshua warns His disciples about what is about to befall them and why. The question to be answered is, "Will they indeed desert or deny Him?" Knowing what happens during Yeshua's arrest, let's not be too hard on Peter and the rest of the disciples. If we're put into the same situations, what will our response be?

Many think of Chanukah as that "other" winter holiday in conjunction with Christmas. Many Christians have no idea what Chanukah is about. Well, listen up as Pastor Jay shares the story that brought about Chanukah and how it is a great feast for Christians to celebrate.

As Yeshua sat down to celebrate Passover with His disciples, He began to reveal to them the depths of a celebration that the Jews had practiced for over 1500 years. And now, the meaning that God had embedded in it could finally be revealed! Redemption. But what does redemption mean? Take a listen as Pastor Jay unfolds the various acts of redemption that Yeshua's death brings us. After this, you will see Passover or Communion in a whole new light, and probably with tears in your eyes in gratitude to the Lord.

Thanksgiving is a a very Torah-type Feast if you can believe it! Thanking the Lord for all He is and all He has done for us is a very Biblical/Torah way to live...and not just one day. Pastor Jay examines the principle of turning our Thanksgiving celebration into a thank-offering to the Lord.

The Passover is upon Yeshua and the disciples. In this section, lots of preparations are being made - preparations for the meal, for Judas' betrayal, and the trauma upon the disciples yet to come. As we see illustrate by this section, God does a lot of preparing, not the least of which is preparing us for eternity to come. Take a listen!

Yes, this is a familiar account from Matthew, Mark, and John. But let's take a fresh look at it with some 1st c. Jewish background. Pastor Jay looks at this account from 3 perspectives - the Woman's, the Disciples', and from Yeshua's. What is being said here and what can we learn? How are WE able to love on Yeshua lavishly in a way that will make us memorable to the Lord?