I Left the Pew: Why I Walked Away from Church for Messianic Judaism?
Welcome to the opening chapter of a series dedicated to exploring the real, unvarnished transitioning out of traditional Christianity. Through this series, we dive into the theological shifts, lifestyle changes, and emotional hurdles of rediscovering the faith. If you are feeling lost on your own journey right now, may these words bring you clarity.
Today, when meeting other Messianic believers, the common question that arises, is, “How did your journey start,” or “When did you wake up?” This awakening is often triggered by an inner feeling of emptiness, lack of opportunities for growth, or revelation of scripture that differs from church doctrine. This article focuses on the latter, the pew doctrine that teaches, erroneously that the church has replaced Israel (Replacement theology).
15 years ago, I found myself in an unfamiliar place. A place of internal conflict. Conflicted over whether what I have been taught was the truth or error. For the first time in 13 years, I dared to walk back on what I accepted as conviction. I read a book by a teacher of my evangelical church of the end times, which I decided was erroneous. Within the thread of this erroneous piece of work, I found a morsel of truth, an anomaly if you will. The fact that Israel is and will always be GOD’s people. You can imagine my excitement at this revelation and the backlash that would ensue for challenging pew doctrine.
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My first step was to bring this to the attention of leaders who I called friends, thinking they would surely hear me out. No response, no explanation, the message was clear; Do not ruffle feathers. This led to major revelations; I would not be receiving any scriptural help, and I needed to start a Bible study group that would dig deeper than the surface fluff presented from the pulpit on Sunday mornings. Well, this study group investigated what the church did not, the Tanakh. Oh, what morsels of truth started to appear? It was too good to be true, church leaders started showing up, unannounced to investigate our study group. While they had nothing to say because we were simply studying the scriptures, (which they did not understand, nor could they explain) we were labeled as dissentious. With a burning desire to grow and connect with GOD, no support and being ‘cut off’, where would I go from here? Like many of you who are reading this, the decision is to risk it all and leave. Your reason is that your faith is more than a system of lies and frailty.
I left the church, moved to another state and read the Bible on my own, without the influence of pastors and evangelists. GOD blessed it, HE provided downloads and opened a path for me to walk on. I met people and congregations along the way. Each, a marker in the road that served its purpose of refining me and bringing me closer to living how GOD wants me to live. As you read the ensuing articles, you will see that we all share the same journey in the sense that we come to know more and do better. The process continues, bringing you to better observance of our Creator. Today, my family and I observe shabbat, the moedim, eat kosher (not just clean), wear tzitzit, nail mezuzot to our doors and observe the Torah with faith in Yeshua. We are absolutely thrilled and delighted in our new way of life. Now, we meet with several families who share the same journey and have the same beliefs.
You are not alone. What’s next? Join me on this journey.
Live streams or congregations I recommend:
Beth Yeshua International. A good place to start your journey. Features a Jewish Rabbi who believes in Yeshua.
MTOI. A deeper sense of community. Features a Jewish teacher who believes in Yeshua.
