Shalom y'all!

[Neubill]

Peace unto you, my friends!
Shalom aleichem!

Talking about myself isn't easy, but here goes...

Both of my parents have Jewish roots but neither were religious. All Jewish boys have a Bris (the Jewish circumcision thing, but we won't talk about that...), and that was the extent of my Jewish upbringing. When it came to faith, my parents raised me without any, and I was left to discover Truth on my own.

While my Jewish friends in school had Bar-Mitzvah ceremonies at the age of 13, I was not one of them. Instead of a Bar-Mitzvah, my Mom gave me a Bible. Little did she know that it was the best thing she could have given me, because I read it nearly every night. I read what Christians call The Old Testament all the time and the concept of One God was instilled in me at an early age. Then I would try reading The New Testament, but the words didn't make sense to me.

I spent a lot of time trying to understand the words of Jesus. People said He was The Jewish Messiah, but it didn't seem like it when I would read the words of Paul. Growing up, the Old Testament was as clear as crystal, while the New Testament was as clear as mud. However, I knew there was something about Jesus because billions of people couldn't be wrong about Him.

After 18 years of searching for dynamic and philosophical truth, I prayed to God and basically said, "God, lead me to Truth." I cracked open my Bible and the verse that jumped out at me was, "Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?" (1 Cor 3:16) I knew the Truth was out there somewhere waiting for me and I was convinced that I would find it in a Church instead of a traditional synagogue.

Growing up, I had three questions:

What is this 'Trinity' that people keep talking about and why is it a mystery?
Why do Christians no longer honor the Fourth Commandment?
Why are certain things prohibited by God in the Old Testament but are now acceptable in the New Testament?


The church I would join would be the one that would have the answers to these questions.

My next step was by divine design. After spending time in several churches, I ended up attending my very first Apostolic service in Bellflower, CA on Easter Sunday in '96 and the visitors were Bro. & Sis Urshan (of blessed memory) and the love of God was in that church building. I knew I'd found a house of prayer where people worship in Spirit and Truth.

I was given a Bible study there and the answer to my question about the Trinity was revealed: there is no Trinity because Jesus IS the trinity! I found the answer to my first question and I figured I'd get the answers to the other two somewhere in the immediate future. My friends said, "You've joined a 'Jesus Only' church." I replied, "No, I've joined a 'Jesus Everything!' church!" I lost friends because of it, but Scripture said it would happen.

Shortly after, I was baptized in the Name of Jesus for the remission of sins, and I emerged from the baptistery with stammering lips, filled with the Holy Ghost! That was 12 years ago and the Bellflower church is my home, a place where I have family.

After baptism, The Bible was suddenly a new and exciting book for me. I started seeing Jesus as the ultimate Jewish man. He kept the commandments, obeyed The Law of God perfectly, observed all of the Feasts of The LORD, and taught His disciples to do the same. After removing myself from my 20th/21st Century mindset and looking at the Apostolic Writings in their original 1st Century context, the 'hard sayings' of Jesus weren't so hard to understand anymore.

One of the most misunderstood people in the Apostolic Writings is the Apostle Paul. When he talks about people who choose to be 'under The Law,' he is not talking about people who observe The Law. Instead, I perceive him to be referring to people who choose to earn salvation through observing The Law instead of placing their trust and belief in the atoning work Jesus performed at Calvary.

There's more to tell, but it's hard to talk about me. I'll add more, LORD willing...

May the Grace and Peace of Yeshua, our Messiah, be upon my Apostolic brothers and sisters! Shalom!

[Brother Price]

Shalom and welcome my brother in the name of Yeshua the Messiah!

Baruch HaShem Adonia Yehsua HaMeshiach!

[The Mrs]

Welcome Nuebill! :meetya

So glad you have joined us here. It sounds like you'll be bringing some meat to the table around here! :gaga

[Neubill]

Thanks for the welcome!

Welcome Nuebill! :meetya

So glad you have joined us here. It sounds like you'll be bringing some meat to the table around here! :gaga

Strictly kosher, of course... :smilie_spam

...and thanks for your hospitality!

[Cindy]

Welcome brother.

[Neubill]

Man, it's hard to talk about yourself. Anyway, here's more.

They say the life of a new convert is tough in the beginning. I'm told it's even tougher for Muslims and Jews. It was tough for me.

In the summer of '98, I was a new convert (a point of contention, but that's for another thread...), and barely knowledgeable about the Apostolic beliefs and lifestyle when Jesus chose to remove my precious wife of nine years from this earth and bring her home into His Arms. We were in church on a Sunday morning and she was with The LORD that Sunday night. She was a Leukemia survivor and Jesus gave her eight years longer than the doctors gave her. She was a Trinitarian Pentecostal Pastor's Kid and we discovered Apostolic Truth together. She loved Jesus, was great at so many things, and wow could she cook! Now she's helping to prepare The Marriage Supper of The Lamb.

We had no kids together. Though I knew in my heart that she was where she wanted to be, it didn't make my life easier. I was at the lowest point in my life, with rejection from family and friends for not only being a Believer, but being an Apostolic; rejection from my wife's family because I was a living reminder that their daughter/sister was gone, and since they couldn't blame G-d, they blamed me; the icing on the cake was the remaining medical bills from prior years treatments to the tune of $20,000. But I still had my Messiah. He was my only hope and I told Him so.

Then The Master started making things happen for me. First, He put my heart back together. Then He took care of the debt. After that, He made things happen which revealed to me that I needed to love my wife's family from a distance. G-d dealt with the Present and would reveal the path I would travel in the next ten years, from '98-'08.

While retaining my Apostolic identity (I'm a Oneness Acts 2:38 Believer to the core), G-d transformed me into the Jew that He has desired for me to be from the beginning: a Jew of the Messianic/Nazarene (that's what they call us in Israel) sect. The Apostles were of this sect. My life has not been the same since.

2000 years ago, The Good News was given to the Jew first and then to the Greek. Sadly, people stopped giving it to the Jews. It seems like everywhere I go, I run into Jews. It became clear to me that the best way I can love my Jewish family and friends is to share The Master with them instead of keeping Him all to myself. It's my passion to give to my Jewish brethren the Good News of Jesus and the Acts 2:38 message of salvation.

G-d wants to restore His original 1st Century Apostolic Messianic Body of believers. The original body of believers were Messianic Jews. G-d's restoration is taking place as we speak. Online Judaica sites are thriving because their customer base has doubled from Believers who are buying mezuzahs, talits, and shofars. Christians are awakening to the Jewish roots of the faith because they're recognizing Jesus is not just The Savior, He's The Jewish Messiah! The growing Hebrew Roots Movement in the body of Christ testifies to this.

Jesus was a Jewish man who lived in a Jewish land amongst Jewish people immersed in Jewish culture who worshiped a Jewish God. Even the Hebrew name of Jesus is thoroughly Jewish. It is Yeshua, which means, 'ADONAI saves.' Our faith is Jewish and our G-d is Jewish.

It's my mission in life to tell my Jewish brothers that Jesus is Jewish and so is the Acts 2:38 gospel message.

I'm not a pot-stirrer, nor am I a Judaizer. I didn't join the AFF to provoke anybody, only the thoughts and minds of my Apostolic brethren.

Shalom uv'racha b'shem Yeshua Mishikheinu!
Peace and blessings in the Name of Yeshua, Our Messiah!

[Raven]

Welcome and Shalom Neubill! Enjoyed the words of your introduction.
Raven

[DanielR]

Man, it's hard to talk about yourself. Anyway, here's more.

For it being hard to talk about yourself, it comes to you quite easily:tic:happydance

It's great to have you here and I look forward to reading more of your posts.:meetya:welcome

[Neubill]

I would be remiss if I failed to mention that after G-d put my heart back together after losing my wife, He placed a beautiful woman in my life who started out as a friend, and it wasn't long before we enjoined in Holy Matrimony. She's been my best friend for eight years now and we have a precious 4-year old girl together.

When an ugly guy like me can be blessed to have not one but two beautiful spiritual women in my life, it just goes to show that G-d is still in the miracle working business. :bliss

[The Mrs]

It sounds like you have travelled a rough road. I applaud your perseverance in such a difficult time, under such difficult circumstances. I wish you well on your continued journey!

Also, you may want to check out our Deep Waters section of the forum found in The Sanctuary. There are many intellectual subjects found there that you may enjoy giving input on. :thumbsup

Again, welcome!

[Neubill]

Also, you may want to check out our Deep Waters section of the forum found in The Sanctuary. There are many intellectual subjects found there that you may enjoy giving input on. :thumbsup

Thanks for the recommend!

Please don't get me wrong, I'm really uncomfortable writing about myself, but I'd like to include something in my profile and there isn't a dedicated space for it (not that I'm complaining or anything...) there, so I'll include it here. It's just something else about little ol' me.

Being Jewish, our family observes the weekly Sabbath. When I became a Believer, I didn't stop being Jewish; my Jewishness was enhanced. When I became an Apostolic, my Jewishness made a quantum leap.

After two years of being an Apostolic, I pretty much got my fill of high-energy services. I'm not knocking them, as I like a hand-clapping, foot-stomping Holy Ghost service, but there is something about a solemn assembly that one finds in a synagogue. Though I had the Church, I needed the synagogue. I knew that the only happy medium was a Messianic synagogue; a traditional synagogue was not (and willl never be) part of the solution.

Upon my first visit to a Messianic synagogue, I was shocked to discover that Messianics are Trinitarians! It's unfortunate, but it's just a way to curry favor from the mainstream church body. This did not deter me from attending.

In 2005, I attended a Messianic synagogue which had less than 30 regulars. The rabbi knows I'm Apostolic, and though he is a STAUNCH Trinitarian, we get along just fine. We went to Israel together and he discovered that Oneness people are OK!

He chose to have me be the primary Torah reader (Hebrew, not English...), which is a position called the Gabbai. Check my profile, and you will see a few pictures of the only Oneness Believer who is the Gabbai in a Trinitarian Messianic synagogue! I also teach the Aleph Bet (the Hebrew Alpha Bet) when service ends and am the instructor for young people who are preparing for bar/bat mitzvahs.

The congregation has grown, with 45 at the last Shabbat service. As Apostolics, we are accustomed to the power of the Holy Ghost, and while Messianics acknowledge the power, the rabbi tends to unplug the power cord from the source on Shabbat, but he's starting to see what God likes to do through the servitude of Holy Ghost filled Apostolics.

One particular Shabbat service, a lady came to visit. At the end of service, she asked to speak to my wife and mom privately. During the conversation, she told my wife that she was demon possessed and wanted help. Then the demons showed up. A person in the leadership (real tough lady, too) got FREAKED OUT when the demons showed up. I happened to be passing by and my wife got my attention. While the other members of the congregation ran to get the rabbi, my wife and I proceeded to cast the demons out, commanding them to leave in Jesus' Name. When the rabbi got the full story and saw the outcome, he got a little indignant at first because he wasn't involved, but then said, "Maybe it's a GOOD thing to have some Pentecostals in the synagogue."

A week ago, a regular was suffering terribly from a migraine that she woke up with that day. The rabbi prayed for her while everyone affirmed in silence. Nearly an hour later, her migraine was worse and a sister was trying to use acupressure to provide some relief. She proceeded to tell me that she was in a horrible car accident (struck at 40 mph while parked) back in '86 and has not been the same since, with migraines occurring every 2-4 days, and no medication was able to help her. She asked me, "Is this something that I will never be able to recover from?" I was quickened by the Holy Ghost in that instant and I said to her, "Yes, that's something that you CAN be affected by for the rest of your life. I also know that it's something that you CAN be free from with ONE prayer. (At that moment, the Holy Ghost took over because I don't remember much except for what people told me.) I was told that I said and did the following: "I speak HEALING to you, b'shem Yeshua Mishikheinu (In the Name of Jesus Our Messiah; no oil, just two fingers on her forehead) and by the power of the Holy Ghost, all pain and discomfort is loosed from your body." People had been talking pretty loudly until that happened and then it got real quiet. She told me later that she felt better than she had in days, and I told her I'd be praying for her during the week. She came back the following week with a victory report, saying that the pain tried to come back but she rebuked it and it didn't come back! It's made the rabbi uncomfortable because he's in charge of the prayer and such, and what I did was out of order (Paul tells us that things should be done in order...), but he's face to face with the reality that G-d is using a couple of Apostolics for His service.

So, either we'll get kicked out or G-d will use us to bring Apostolic Truth to this Messianic synagogue. We're prepared for the former, but praying for the latter. This synagogue is full of Messianic Jews, and some Gentiles. Pray that G-d will use Bill & Carolyn Holman to bring Apostolic Truth to the Messianics in Orange County. California, that is...

One other thing: we go to an Apostolic church on Sundays, the same one I was birthed into back in '96. I taught Sunday School last year, and my wife and mom teach it this year. As you can see, I spend my weekends glorifying and building up the Kingdom of G-d. We covet your prayers...

[bethola]

That is incredible! I have only "studied" the Jewish Culture. Actually, I have a book that teaches how to BECOME Jewish in 2 years! LOL But, my feeling is this...I can't be Jewish...because I wasn't BORN Jewish. It's a quirk I have.

ANYWAY! I have a question. You said that the Messianic Jews are Trinity. How can that be? I thought that "Hear O Israel the Lord our G-d is One Lord" meant they believed in One God "only". I was incorrect, huh?

Beth in KY

[jediwill83]

Wow!......feeling the HolyGhost when I read this! Brother Bill....will be praying for u guys!.....my doctor that delivered me and taught me violin was Jewish....does that give me partial credit? :-D

[jediwill83]

Met a man who was of the Messianic Jewish faith one day while while eating with my parents. It was pretty cool cause we talked for almost 2 hours.....and also helped me get extra credit in one of my classes at JCM cause he gave me the information I needed concerning OT hospitality traditions particularly the significance of annointing the head with oil.Good stuff...hehe.

[Neubill]

That is incredible! I have only "studied" the Jewish Culture. Actually, I have a book that teaches how to BECOME Jewish in 2 years! LOL But, my feeling is this...I can't be Jewish...because I wasn't BORN Jewish. It's a quirk I have.

ANYWAY! I have a question. You said that the Messianic Jews are Trinity. How can that be? I thought that "Hear O Israel the Lord our G-d is One Lord" meant they believed in One God "only". I was incorrect, huh?

Beth in KY

"How can that be?" Indeed.

The Messianics are Trinitarian and use the typical scriptural 'evidence' that Trinitarians use ("Let 'us' make man in 'our' own image;" "Let 'us' go down and confound their speech," Jesus prayed to the Father, etc.) but they also present two Hebrew words which they claim as pointing to a G-d who exists as a unity.

1) The word "One" in 'the LORD our G-d is One LORD.' The word in Hebrew is 'echad' (pronounced eh-KHah´d), which is not an absolute one, but a compound one.

An absolute one is 'yachad,' as in a sheet of paper.
A compound one is 'echad' as in a ream of paper.

2) The other is the name 'Elohim,' the name we see translated as 'God.' A Hebrew word in the masculine plural tense will have two particular Hebrew letters (yud and mem sofit, in that order) at the end of it. 'Elohim' ends with a yud and mem sofit.

When the rabbi confronted me with this, I explained that the Jewish people never had knowledge of G-d existing as a being with a plural identity, and if that's our heritage, why are we departing from it? I also pointed out that when G-d said "Let us...,' He was talking to the Angels. Then I said, G-d is singular in His identity and plural in his Attributes and Majesty.

Finally, I asked Him, "Why is it that we struggle with the idea that G-d can simultaneously occupy a throne in Heaven and the Mercy Seat in the Temple, but that He can't also occupy a body of flesh and blood? He replied, "So G-d is schizophrenic?" I said, "No, He's Omnipresent." He ended the conversation by saying, "Let's talk some more about this." He never has since.

By the way, you've been grafted into the Olive Tree of Israel. In G-d's Eyes, there's no difference between the Jew and the Greek, so you're just as Jewish as me.

[Neubill]

Wow!......feeling the HolyGhost when I read this! Brother Bill....will be praying for u guys!.....my doctor that delivered me and taught me violin was Jewish....does that give me partial credit? :-D

Partial credit given if your doctor circumcised you on the eight day... ;)

A Jewish violin teacher? That's the best kind!

[jediwill83]

Hehe...I wouldnt know about it being 8 days.I think I blocked the whole traumatic experiance from memory.Im curious....what is your perspective on endtime prophecy?

[Neubill]

Im curious....what is your perspective on endtime prophecy?

Not a very good one, compared to the scholars around here, but I believe in a return by our Messiah Yeshua. Though I don't know when, I'm living like The Master is going to return in the next eight minutes.

[jediwill83]

Ok....in the parable of the prodigal son....when the son comes back to his father...when the father mentions that his son had been dead ....is that a referral to a type of shunning practice? Or was there a practice like that then?

[bethola]

"How can that be?" Indeed.

The Messianics are Trinitarian and use the typical scriptural 'evidence' that Trinitarians use ("Let 'us' make man in 'our' own image;" "Let 'us' go down and confound their speech," Jesus prayed to the Father, etc.) but they also present two Hebrew words which they claim as pointing to a G-d who exists as a unity.

1) The word "One" in 'the LORD our G-d is One LORD.' The word in Hebrew is 'echad' (pronounced eh-KHah´d), which is not an absolute one, but a compound one.

An absolute one is 'yachad,' as in a sheet of paper.
A compound one is 'echad' as in a ream of paper.

2) The other is the name 'Elohim,' the name we see translated as 'God.' A Hebrew word in the masculine plural tense will have two particular Hebrew letters (yud and mem sofit, in that order) at the end of it. 'Elohim' ends with a yud and mem sofit.

When the rabbi confronted me with this, I explained that the Jewish people never had knowledge of G-d existing as a being with a plural identity, and if that's our heritage, why are we departing from it? I also pointed out that when G-d said "Let us...,' He was talking to the Angels. Then I said, G-d is singular in His identity and plural in his Attributes and Majesty.

Finally, I asked Him, "Why is it that we struggle with the idea that G-d can simultaneously occupy a throne in Heaven and the Mercy Seat in the Temple, but that He can't also occupy a body of flesh and blood? He replied, "So G-d is schizophrenic?" I said, "No, He's Omnipresent." He ended the conversation by saying, "Let's talk some more about this." He never has since.

By the way, you've been grafted into the Olive Tree of Israel. In G-d's Eyes, there's no difference between the Jew and the Greek, so you're just as Jewish as me.

Thanks! That is really interesting and INFORMATIVE!! I actually started to learn Hebrew at one time, but, since my "little" brother made a 98 average in Hebrew when he was in Seminary....I rely on HIM! That's lazy, I know!

I still don't think I'm as Jewish as you, sorry....my quirk again! LOL But, I do have quite the collection of mezzuzahs and menorahs. Oh, and a Sabbat Candle and prayer shawl and yamulkah (sp?) I think my spelling is OFF tonight, but, I'm tired and too lazy to look the spelling up.

Thanks again for the "lesson". I may actually use that sometime!

Good Evening!

Beth

[Neubill]

Ok....in the parable of the prodigal son....when the son comes back to his father...when the father mentions that his son had been dead ....is that a referral to a type of shunning practice? Or was there a practice like that then?

A 1st Century shunning practice. Hmmm....

Have you found anything that supports something like that existing in the 1st Century? I have not, as of yet... but I am as interested to know as you are.

[jediwill83]

Havent found any yet....just read where in modern day about some people who shunned their children when they converted to christianity to the point of having funerals for them.Didnt know if it had earlier roots or not.Sorry for all the interrogation.:-)

[jendouc]

What a beautiful testimony!!! Thank you so much for sharing it!