Did the church gather on the first day of the week?

Growing up in church, I heard the following verses being used (along with a few others) repeatedly to show that Sunday was the day when Christians gather to worship. 

Acts 20: 7-8

Now on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul, ready to depart the next day, spoke to them and continued his message until midnight.8 There were many lamps in the upper room where they were gathered together. 

Seems pretty cut and dry huh? It looks like the disciples were gathering together on Sunday to break bread. Might we even dare to say that they were having communion? But is that really what is happening? That is certainly what is taught in most churches and even in the footnotes of many Bibles. 

Hanukkah for believers in Messiah Yeshua

Hanukkah is not one of the seven Feasts of YHVH found in Leviticus 23. It is an 8 day celebration honoring the rededication of the temple following the victory of the Maccabbees over the Seleucid Empire ruled by Antiochus IV Epiphanes in the 2nd century BCE.

The story about the oil lasting eight days is an example of Jewish legend being added hundreds of years afterwards. Hannukah is eight days long

Discovering the Hebraic context of the Bible

What treasure might we dig up when we examine scripture through the Hebraic lens of the culture that it was written in?

Let's look at a few examples of passages of the New Testament that come to life when we dig a little deeper into the Hebraic Roots. 

Luke 8:43-48

And a woman having an issue of blood twelve years, which had spent all her living upon physicians, neither could be healed of any, Came behind him, and touched the border of his garment: and immediately her issue of blood stanched. And Jesus said, Who touched me? When all denied, Peter and they that were with him said, Master, the multitude throng thee and press thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me? And Jesus said, Somebody hath touched me: for I perceive that virtue is gone out of me. And when the woman saw that she was not hid, she came trembling, and falling down before him, she declared unto him before all the people for what cause she had touched him, and how she was healed immediately. And he said unto her, Daughter, be of good comfort: thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace.

The Name of God

What is the significance of God's name as revealed to Moses at the burning bush?

Let's dig in and see what we can find.

Exodus 3:14-15
And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And He said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” Moreover God said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: ‘YHVH, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. This is My name forever, and this is My memorial to all generations.’

The term "the LORD" in Hebrew is YHVH (you-heh-vav-heh) 

It is often translated "Jehovah" but there was no J in Hebrew. There are varying translations of this name, but the most popular are; Yahweh, Yehovah, Yahveh, and Yahuah

The Commander of the army of YHVH and the Kinsman Redeemer

Who is the Commander (Captain) of YHVH’s Army? Where is His army?

Joshua 5:13-15

13 And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, a Man stood opposite him with His sword drawn in His hand. And Joshua went to Him and said to Him, “Are You for us or for our adversaries?” 14 So He said, “No, but as Commander of the army of YHVH I have now come.” and Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped, and said to Him, “What does my Lord say to His servant?” 15 Then the Commander of YHVH’s army said to Joshua, “Take your sandal off your foot, for the place where you stand is holy.” And Joshua did so.

Where else have we heard “take your sandal off your feet” and what is the connection?

Receiving God's Seed

I will begin with several passages of scripture from which we will inquire as to what God is telling us though His Word.

Acts 17:11

These (the Bereans) were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the Word with all readiness of mind and searched the Scriptures daily to see whether those things were so.

Galatians 3:16

Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, “And to seeds,” as of many, but only one, “And to your Seed,” who is Messiah.

What is the New Covenant?

This is a brief introductory study of the New Covenant. This study is not exhaustive by any means.

What is a Covenant?

Covenant is a word we use today, but fail to grasp its full meaning. Many think of it as a promise, but a covenant is far more. It is a total commitment, and absolute requirement, to do or not do something, even at the cost of one's life. 

Commitment, in terms of life or death, is difficult for us to comprehend, but a covenant is exactly that, and is exactly what we are to do with God.

The very nature of covenant is the bond between the parities of the covenant, each saying "Everything I have is yours." In making covenant with Him we are to give everything we have to Him, then He gives us all His love, blessings, power, and eternal life. If He is not LORD of all, He is not LORD at all.

Moved by the Spirit

The Move of the Holy Spirit in the Last Days
And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit on all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: And also on the servants and on the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit. Joel 2:28-29

We see see in Joel chapter 2 verses 28-29 that it is prophesied in the last days that God (YHVH) would pour out His Holy Spirit (Ruach haKodesh). We will seek to briefly examine this passage as well as related passages to see the greater picture of just what this pouring out of God’s Holy Spirit (Ruach haKodesh) is and what it might look like in the lives of those called by God (YHVH) in these, the last days.

Let us begin by examining the words here in there original Hebrew to get a broader understanding of what is being told to us. The Hebrew word for Holy Spirit is “Ruach haKodesh" - Kodesh meaning "holy" or "Set-Apart”.

Letting the Bible interpret itself

The Bible can really come to life, and amazing things can be discovered, when we let the Bible interpret itself, rather than leaning to our own understandings and dogma. The Bereans searched the scriptures (Acts 17) to confirm what Paul was telling them was the truth. What scriptures did the Bereans have? The Old Testament. So that is how we should also confirm the contents of the New Testament. Here is an example from the book of 1 John.

1 John 1:5-10

This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice