Doctrinal Statement?
We find that, as we study, our understanding keeps deepening so quickly that any fixed statement we try to build becomes quickly obsolete. There are many steps to the Temple, and we want to get all the way there instead of "camping out" on the ones that seem most comfortable along the way. We do, however, aim to believe and put into practice every aspect of the Bible as it applies to each individual, remembering that every interpretation must agree with the Torah. (Isaiah 8:20)

Our Emphases
1. YAHSHUA IN HIS TRUE HEBRAIC CONTEXT:
He is the Messiah, which means He is anointed by another. He said He could do nothing but what He saw the Father doing. He is our only way back into relationship with the Father--our Kinsman-Redeemer. As the Word of Yahweh, everything He said and did showed us exactly what the Father is like. He is the perfect representative of Yahweh, once in the flesh, and now dwelling in the heavenlies. He is exalted as our "Head", the first-born part of the "one new man" that Yahweh is creating to restore His image as it was lost in Adam. Yahshua broke the ground and blazed the trail so that we could do as He said: "Follow Me." Part of this means observing the Sabbath and obeying the commandments that He kept perfectly. His "yoke"--His way of interpreting the Torah's demands--is "easy" and "light"--the very thing Yahweh had said at Mount Sinai: they are not out of our reach; they can be right in your heart and on your tongue.

2. YAHWEH'S CALENDAR
We meet on the Sabbath and observe all the Biblical Festivals, which all bespeak some aspect of Yahshua's life and mission. We have forsaken the holidays (e.g., December 25 and SUNday) that were added to make the Gospel more palatable to pagans. Such mixtures are forbidden by Torah and the prophets. We also reckon the months according to the New Moon as actually sighted by the Karaites in Jerusalem, rather than by a calendar designed for the interim period when sightings from the Land might not be possible.

3. COMMUNITY:
While the curse of "not being a people" still remained over Ephraim (see Hosea chjapter 1), only a few years after Yahshua's death, the curse of "no mercy" came to an end for the scattered Northern Kingdom. Since then, individuals have been able to come back into covenant with Yahweh. But now that the other sentence has run its course, Israel is called to again become one people--a body that works together toward our common goal rather only having a personal relationship with Yahshua. There is to be a leadership structure as in an army. We are called to help each member determine where he or she fits into the process of "harvesting grain" and putting away self by becoming "one bread" that is much more useful and satisfying to the Father. The ministry gifts listed in Ephesians 4 correlate perfectly with each of these steps.

4. HOLINESS:
While we do not wish to place too heavy a burden on those "returning to Yahweh from among the Gentiles" (Acts 15), thus avoiding the error of Rehoboam which was the catalyst for the division of the Kingdom, we nonetheless wish to also follow the implied command in Acts 15 to teach "Moses" (the Torah) each Sabbath. We do not wish to "boil newcomers in their mother's milk" (which Paul says is the basic physical practices mandated by the Torah), knowing that it takes time to make the transition back from so many pagan practices. But we also wish to take the high road wherever possible and uphold the highest standard, whether in terms of what we eat, what we celebrate, or what we call our Creator. We also seek to use Hebrew terminology even where it is not mandatory, as a reminder that we are indeed "coming out from among" the Gentiles and becoming a set-apart nation with the pure language on our tongues.

5. BRINGING THE NORTHERN TRIBES OF ISRAEL BACK TO THEIR ROOTS
We see ourselves as somewhat of a "teachers' college" building well-grounded messengers of the restoration of the whole house of Israel. Yahweh told Ezekiel that the way to accomplish this was to confront the Northern Kingdom in particular with the plan of the Temple. Therefore much of our teaching focuses on learning the deeper spiritual meaning behind each aspect of the physical Temple.

6. YAHWEH'S NAME:
Many prophets said that a major element in Ephraim's restoration would be a knowledge of Yahweh's Name. Over the centuries, through both deliberate subterfuge and well-meaning but misplaced piety, Yahweh's name has been replaced with the not just euphemisms but also the names of outright pagan deities, often in an attempt to communicate a concept to people who were not familiar with the Elohim of Israel. In our day, He is allowing the widespread use of His name to be restored in both Judah and Israel. This is all the more reason to avoid profaning it (making it common). We do make use of divine titles (such as Elohim or Adonai) as used in Scripture, but not as a substitute where the use of His true Name is warranted.

Beth Lechem is a member of the
Union of Two-House Messianic Congregations, whose goal is to proclaim the reunification of the two houses of Israel through the Messiah Yahshua.
Click here for link.

We currently meet on
Erev Shabbat (Friday evening) at 7:30
and Shabbat (Saturday) at 10:30 a.m.
near Columbia, South Carolina
E-mail us for more information about location.