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| Questions and Quizzes Our site viewers are welcome to submit questions on any Scriptural subject to Yahshua Ohr HaOlam. Questions may be submitted by e-mail or regular mail. Your question may be selected for inclusion in our Questions and Quizzes column. All questions must bear the name and address of the one submitting the question. All names will be held confidential and questioners will be identified only by their initials and state, province or nation. We welcome all sincere inquires by people of goodwill. For personal replies please enclose an SASE and allow two to four weeks for a reply. Thank you and May Almighty Yahweh bless you as you seek to learn more of His truth. What is leaven? How do you define it? C.S. Wis. Dear sister C.S.: In Luke 12:1 Yahshua, in the presence of a large crowd, cautioned his talmudim (disciples) to: "...Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy." Hypocrisy can encompass many sins, but we believe in this case, Yahshua was concerned with one sin in particular, and that was the teaching, or religious doctrine of the Pharisees. This is borne out in MattithYahu (Matthew) 16:6, 12. 6: And Yahshua said to them, Mind! And beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees." They understood exactly what the leaven was in verse 12: Then they understood that He did not say beware of the leaven of bread, BUT OF THE TEACHING, of the Pharisees and the Sadducees. The most dangerous leaven is false teaching or false doctrine. We are told that we must "try the spirits," when receiving teaching on Scriptural matters — in other words we must be modern day Bereans and compare teachings to the scrutiny of Yahweh's Word. One verse in particular comes to mind that serves as an acid test for modern day "ministers." That verse is in YeshaYahu (Isaiah) 8:20 To the Torah and to the witness (prophets)! If they do not speak according to this Word, it is because they have no daybreak. (Other versions read '...because there is no light in them.') While the above Scriptural test is by no means the sole test that we can apply to those claiming to be priests, ministers or rabbis, it should be apparent that it "rules out" virtually every one of today's "no-law" preachers. Thank you for your question and May Almighty Yahweh bless you as you seek to learn more of His ways. Do you baptize people and if so do you feel that baptism is necessary? W.G. Pa. Dear W.G.: First we would refer you to Point 24 in our Statement of Doctrine which reads as follows: 24. That believers should be immersed in water (Mikvah), as was Messiah Yahshua: MattithYahu (Matthew) 3:11-17. We believe this means complete immersion, one time, backwards (symbolizing a burial of our old nature) in the Name of Yahshua: Acts 2:38; 22:16. (Exceptions are made for those with serious physical disabilities, health problems or other limitations). The ancient Israelites, including members of the Qumran Community practiced what is called a "Mikvah." A mikvah was essentially a shallow well or pool with steps leading down and back out. Before entering the temple, a worshipper would don a special garments, step down into the mikvah, completely immerse themselves, then walk up and out. Unlike Immersion in the Name of Yahshua, the mikvah could be repeated week after week. (We believe that baptism or more correctly immersion, need be performed only once, although there might be some instances where a repentant believer may want to renew his vows to Yahweh. Immersion symbolizes washing away the sins of our past life. This idea is in harmony with the Scriptures. Wayyiqra (Leviticus 16:28-30 conveys the idea that a physical cleansing by water is required as a step of faith by the believer — WATER CLEANSES. In Acts, Kefa (Peter) commanded new believers to: "Repent and let each one of you be immersed in the Name of Yahshua Messiah for the forgiveness of sins. And you shall receive the gift of the Set-Apart Spirit." Notice the order of things: first, repentance. Repentance is followed by submitting to the physical act of immersion IN THE NAME OF YAHSHUA. After this, the believers were eligible to receive the Ruach HaKodesh (Set-Apart Spirit). Kefa said that we are immersed as a sign that we have forsaken our sins. However, Yahshua Messiah had no sin. We believe He submitted to immersion as an example to us. Can we refuse to follow His example? Thank you for your question and May Almighty Yahweh bless you. If you have not been properly immersed, or would like to renew your immersion vows, contact Yahshua Ohr HaOlam to arrange for immersion counseling. A Scriptural Quiz How's your Scripture IQ? Take this test and find out. The correct answers will be sent on request by e-mail or by regular mail to anyone who sends an SASE. There are 10 questions, each is worth 10 points. This quiz deals with The Tribes of Israel. Which Tribe is symbolized by: 1. A ship? 2. An ass? 3. A young lion? 4. A fruit laden branch? 5. A wolf? 6. How many times are the tribes listed in Scripture? 7. Which tribe is usually listed first? 8. Which tribe is listed first in the Brit Chadasha (New Testament)? 9. The words, "As thy days so shall thy strength be," were addressed to what tribe? 10. What key Scripture (Book and Chapter) describes the reunification of Israel and Judah? |
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