Our Beliefs
Is Yahshua the same as Jesus Christ?
Yes. We understand Yahshua to be the original Hebrew
name of the Messiah. Jesus is an inaccurate English
version of an inaccurate Greek version of that Hebrew name.
We see that just as His name has been changed over the centuries,
so also many vital aspects of His teaching have been obscured
by centuries of man's traditions. For us the restoration
of His original name goes along with the recovery of the
whole truth about His life and message.
Do you follow the Bible, or some other writings?
We regard the Scriptures, both Old and New Testaments
together, as God's Word, and we do not believe He will speak
to us now contrary to how He spoke then. The teachers in
the Community base their instruction on the Bible, and not
on theological commentaries, psychology
texts, or self-help guides.
Do you say that you are the only ones?
We are absolutely convinced that our beliefs are the truth,
our practices are the way, and our culture is the life that
the Creator wants to fill the earth. Of course, we do not
endorse beliefs and practices that are contrary to ours.
In former times, every group, especially every religion,
openly professed such confidence in their convictions. In
this era of multiculturalism, however, it is generally accepted
that everyone has equal access to God and to the truth regardless
of what they believe or practice. And so it seems arrogant
for any group to say, "We have the truth." But we do not
believe that the path to God is a bunch of mutually contradictory
beliefs and lifestyles. We believe that God is One and that
He has one standard for His people, which is recorded in
the Bible.
As disciples, we are devoted to learning what this standard
is and putting it into practice. We believe all of God's
people will desire to do this, also. They will be gathered
as one people and will seek to obey that one standard. While
we do expect to grow in our understanding of what that standard
is, we do not expect that there will be more than one standard
or more than one people of God.
How does a person join your group?
Joining the Community is not merely a matter of changing
your address. And there is certainly a lot more to it than
just accepting a set of religious ideas, or even getting
your name on a membership roll. First of all, you need to
hear the message we proclaim about our Master. It would
also be good for you to visit one of our Communities and
see the life that results from that message. If what we
say and what you see causes you to realize your need for
our Master to save you, if you are ready to trust Him with
your life, then you would publicly declare your intentions.
When we recognize faith in you, we will take you to the
water and baptize you for the forgiveness of your sins,
and you will receive the Holy Spirit. That is how you join
our group. The Holy Spirit makes you a member of Messiah's
Body on earth. You will then have a new life - not just
a mystical "new life in Christ" that is substantially the
same as your old life, but an actual new life - with new
friends, an new job, a new hairstyle, a new address, and
most importantly, a new Master, who will direct every aspect
of your life.
Why do you say there are righteous people who don't believe
in Christ? Doesn't the Bible say, "There is none righteous,
no, not one"?
In comparison with the righteousness of the Eternal God,
there is no one who measures up. However, God makes a distinction
between those people who daily live to do what is right
according to their consciences and those who give their
consciences little or no heed. He calls the first group
righteous and has a place prepared for them in eternity
(Matthew 25:34-40). Those who refuse to do what they know
to be right are what He calls wicked and they too have a
place prepared for them in eternity (Matthew 25:41-46).
People the Bible calls righteous because of their deeds
include Abel (1 John 3:12), Noah (Genesis 6:9; 7:1), Lot
(1 Peter 2:7-8), Job (Job 1:1,8), and Cornelius (Acts 10:22,34,35).
None of these men were of the "seed of Abraham," or made
the sin offerings required by the Law of Moses, or had entered
the New Covenant by the blood of Messiah.
How is a person saved?
Romans 10:13 says, "Everyone who calls on the name of
the Lord will be saved." So, if you call on His name you
will be saved. But, of course, no one would call on Him
unless they had put their trust in Him, as the next sentence
in Romans 10:14 says, "How, then, can they call on the one
they have not believed in?" And Romans 10:14 says further,
"And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not
heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to
them?" There is no scriptural basis for anyone to get saved
by reading a tract, or even the Bible. A real, live, flesh-and-blood
preacher must proclaim the message, for as Romans 10:17
says, "Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message..."
But Romans 10:15 makes it clear that not just any preacher
is adequate for the job, for it says, "And how can they
preach unless they are sent?" And God will not send those
who are concerned about the opinion of men, but only those
who will speak His unadulterated message, as our Master
made clear in John 7:18, "He who speaks on his own does
so to gain honor for himself, but he who works for the honor
of the one who sent him is a man of truth; there is nothing
false about him." That unadulterated message consists of
the word of Messiah, Himself, as Romans 10:17 says, "Consequently,
faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is
heard through the word of Christ." This is the road to salvation,
pure and simple: a man, sent by God, not interested in his
own glory, proclaims the very words of Messiah, explaining
what He requires of those who wish to follow Him. The hearer
accepts the message, puts his entire trust in the One whose
words were preached to him, and calls upon Him for salvation.
- For more information, read more about salvation.
Are you saved by grace through faith, or do you have to
do something to be saved?
No one is saved by his own efforts, but we do not see
how someone can have faith in the Son of God and not do
what He said. Faith in Yahshua means trusting in His power
to save us. If we surrender to Him and call on His name
in the waters of baptism, He gives us the power to obey
Him - to forsake houses, lands, family ties, and even our
own personal welfare. That is why the Scriptures speak of
"obeying" the Gospel (2 Thessalonians 1:6-8, Acts 5:32 and
Hebrews 5:9). He calls us to rid ourselves of things that
would hinder us from loving the way He loved. Any "salvation"
that doesn't produce the "works" of simple obedience and
loving others is exposed as a fraud by the Apostle James
when He says, "Faith without works is dead." (James 2:26)
If you are forgiven and saved by grace, why do you have
to live in community?
Although eternal life is a free gift, our loving Creator
only gives it to those who are willing to do His will and
live entirely for Him (Hebrews 5:9; Acts 5:32; 2 Corinthians
5:15). This is the meaning of repentance, not just to quit
stealing and fornicating, or even to stop smoking and drinking,
but to no longer live for oneself in any way. This complete
surrender of self-life leaves a person needy and vulnerable,
absolutely incompatible with the self-centered society of
this present evil age. Community creates a place where love's
demands are endless, where the message of the cross becomes
practical, making possible selfless people willing to love
those around them. The needy vulnerable ones find over and
over again the reality of God's love coming to them through
their brothers and sisters, all the while they are giving
out the same. It is only in true community that we are able
to become just like our Master and Teacher, Yahshua.
Do you say that a person has to give up everything to
have eternal life?
Yes, we do, because that is what our Master said, and
we are not ashamed of His words (Mark 8:38). Someone asked
Him, "Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?"
(Mark 10:17). After finding out that the man had a high
moral standard, Yahshua answered, "One thing you lack: go
and sell all you possess, and give to the poor, and you
shall have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me" (Mark
10:21). When a disciple remarked (Mark 10:28), "Behold,
we have left everything and followed You," our Master replied,
"Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house
or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or
farms, for My sake and for the gospel's sake, but that he
shall receive a hundred times as much now in the present
age, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children
and farms, along with persecutions; and in the age to come,
eternal life" (Mark 10:29-30).
So, you see, eternal life results from a gospel that people
actually leave possessions and relationships for. Obeying
such a message leaves a person with no doubt that he is
repenting from his selfish, sinful existence, because he
gives up his own life and everything he has. Giving up all
is the normal outcome of obeying the gospel, for it brings
you out of the kingdom of darkness where everyone lives
for self (like the Prince of Darkness does) and into the
Kingdom of God where you live no longer for yourself, "but
for Him who died and rose again on your behalf" (2 Corinthians
5:15). Only a person who loves living under the evil one's
rule (1 John 5:19) would refuse our Master's gracious offer
of eternal life, as Yahshua Himself said: "He who loves
his life loses it; and he who hates his life in this world
shall keep it to life eternal" (John 12:25).
What do you mean by saying there are Three Eternal Destinies?
Every human being will spend eternity in one of three
places. Most Christians have been told about a heavenly
reward for those who believed in the Savior, and an eternal
punishment for everyone else. But few have noticed the many
Biblical passages that speak of an eternal reward for those
who do what is right. Very simply, there is a place where
the good people will be rewarded, a place where the bad
people will suffer their punishment, and a place where disciples
will help the Creator govern and care for the good people.
All human beings fall into one of three categories: they
are either wicked, righteous, or holy. A place has been
prepared where each category will spend eternity. These
places are their eternal destinies.
Not all those in the first category are alike. Some wicked
people wallow in moral degradation, and are known as the
filthy. Other wicked people seem to have high standards,
yet they manipulate and exploit their fellow man for their own benefit. These
are called the unjust. All the wicked
have this in common, though: they willfully disobey their
consciences and harm other people in pursuit of their own
selfish desires. When they are raised from the dead and
judged for how they lived their lives, their place in eternity
will be in a vast ocean of fire and burning sulfur - a second,
unending death.
Those in the second category, known as the righteous,
choose to listen to their consciences. They usually do what
they know is right, and when they fail, they are
full of remorse and struggle to make up for their errors.
These righteous people will also be raised from the dead
and judged according to their deeds. They will be awarded
a second, unending life. They will populate earth, and then
the universe, with nation upon nation of undying human beings.
The third category is made up of people who were not satisfied
with their lives, whether they were on the path of the wicked
or the path of the righteous. When these people heard how
they could start all over in a new life, devoted to their
Creator as disciples of Messiah Yahshua, they thought it
was good news. They forsook their old lives and became part
of a special people - the holy - reserved and dedicated
only to doing the will of their Creator. The death of Messiah
Yahshua paid for their sins, and their eternal destiny was
settled without having to wait to be judged for all their
deeds. They will spend eternity as part of the Holy City,
ruling over all the nations of the universe.
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