Restoration: Returning the Torah of God to the Disciples of Jesus

I can highly reccomend this book as an introduction to Torah for believers in Yeshua.After several years of investigating and being convicted by the Lord in relation to Sabbaths and festivals etc.I feel the expression of my faith in Yeshua is best expressed in this Biblical lifestyle.After a "lifetime " in evangelical christianity it's been hard to re train and un learn wrong teaching.This book serves as a reference for us and a help when we want to explain to others what is our scriptural basis for the change which has taken place in our lives. It can also be a base for discussion groups for those who are seeking truth. SARAH Spain

This book is, obviously, written in support of a very controversial view, which you may or may not agree with. Even if you disagree, however, you will find a lot of meaningful insights in here that are simply not taught in traditional Christianity. My favorite example is the biblical festivals, which are outlined in this book. It still blows my mind what a deep connection there is between God's festivals, instituted in Leviticus 23, and our Messiah's life. One could argue that every major event of Yeshua's [Jesus's] life (birth, death, resurrection, sending of the Holy Spirit) took place on the very day of a festival with a connected meaning! While the author includes plenty of Scripture along with other writings to support his view, his overall approach is not to try to explain every little verse (usually Pauline) that traditional Christianity uses against Torah. Instead, he paints a picture of Torah life in which we can see our beloved Messiah in every stroke of the brush. If you are looking for a detailed exegesis, this is probably not the book for you. Hope Egan's book "Holy Cow! Does God Care about What We Eat?" actually includes an appendix with writings by Lancaster that show more completely why several specific NT Scriptures were not intended to abolish the dietary laws or Torah -- that book may be more helpful if you are wondering about some specific passages. In support of Lancaster's view, however, I have noticed that everyone who speaks against it relies almost exclusively on the writings of Paul. Let's keep in mind that the Torah itself was given by God, not by men! If we tried to rely on Yeshua's own words, we would find scarce support for abolishing the Torah. Better yet, go back even further. What is the concept of Messiah based on? It is based on the Torah and the Prophets -- the Hebrew Scriptures. As the last chapter poignantly points out, God taught in the Torah that any prophet performing signs and wonders who teaches against Torah is a FALSE prophet. That means that when devout Jews reject Jesus, it is often because we misrepresent Him as teaching against the Torah. You MUST keep these things in mind before skipping to the end of the Bible and using Paul's writings to bash Torah. You must also learn to recognize the meanings of euphemisms that were used in the NT (such as "yoke", "under Law", and "circumcision"), and to distinguish when Yeshua or Paul refer to the oral Torah versus the written Torah. All of these things are discussed in the book. The most striking thing I have noticed, however, is that those who speak against this view use phrases such as "scary implications." When I first contemplated following Torah, it scared me to death and seemed like a huge burden. When the Spirit finally got through to me, I realized something very important: The Torah, correctly interpreted by our Master, is not a burden at all. My justification before God has already been accomplished, so I have no need to be anxious about it. Li

With all the attacks recently on Jesus and Christianity in the media, it is about time that we as Christians take a hard look at our faith. Unfortunately we are stuck in a rut so to speak and are in need of change. Lancaster's book is an excellent place to start. It challenges long help beliefs about God's law and commandments. This is not legalism. No one is advocating that you can earn your salvation through works. Rather this book is a call to return to the authentic faith of Jesus and His early disciples. In my opinion this book is revolutionary.

I've been a serious student of Scripture for about 8 years. After reading this book, I must confess that it is the most Biblically sound book I've ever read in my life. It challenges the foundations of Christian theology. I guarantee that you will not be able to create a Scriptural argument against the theology presented in Lancaster's book - try it and see for yourself. A discussion of Church history is found near the beginning the book, showing the regression of Christianity over the years. It explains in depth how Christianity was simply a sect of Torah-keeping individuals who also possessed faith in Messiah Yeshua. Eventually, through persecutions from both the state and the non-believing Jews, this `Messianic' sect was pushed in another direction; many of the "church fathers" forsook parts of Torah, and a new religion developed, called "Christianity." "The writings of the Apostles assume the believers to be a sect within the larger religion of Judaism. Jesus was actually a Jewish teacher of Torah. He kept the Torah, taught the Torah, and lived by the Torah. He taught His disciples to keep the Torah in imitation of Him. ... He did not institute a new religion, nor did He cancel the Torah. Instead, He sought to bring restoration to the ancient faith of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. His followers, the Apostles and the believers, also remained within the parameters of normative, first-century Jewish expression. They met daily in the Temple. They congregated in synagogues. They proclaimed the Scriptures of Israel. They kept the biblical festivals, the Sabbaths, the dietary laws and the whole of Torah as best they were able. When non-Jews began to enter the faith through the ministry of Paul of Tarsus, they too congregated in synagogues and embraced the standards of biblical Judaism. They understood themselves to be `grafted in' (Rom. 11:17) to Israel and made citizens of the larger `commonwealth of Israel' (Eph. 2:12-13)." (p. 14) Torah is foundational to all of the New Testament writings, and without it the writings have no support on which to base their arguments. In regard to the separation of the Covenants, Lancaster writes: "It is not quite correct to equate the Torah and the old covenant because there is Torah in the new covenant too. Nevertheless, it is correct to think of the Torah as God's covenant with Israel. According to Jeremiah, Paul and the writer of Hebrews, the newness or oldness of the covenant depends on where one stands in regard to Messiah. Old Covenant: The attempt to keep the Torah according to the covenant at Sinai without realization of Messiah, resulting in condemnation. New Covenant: The writing of the Torah on our hearts through the realization of Messiah according to the covenant in Jeremiah 31, resulting in salvation." (p. 33) The `law of love' is often believed to be different from and superior to Torah. Concerning this Lancaster says, "So what is real love? The commandments are acts of r

This is one of the most important books of this generation. We have become separated from the roots of our faith. And this tragedy has resulted in serious misinterpretations of the Word of God. There are many false teachings about who Jesus was and how he lived and what he taught. It is time to embrace the truth of our faith. Christianity is Jewish. What we have today is a much watered down "roman" version of the true faith. If you are interested in TRUTH and want to get closer to who Jesus(Yeshua) really is......I urge you to read this book.