Tell us about your : Church Service

[Behold]

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In my Messianic Church Home, in Netanya, Israel.

The Service is like this..

We do a lot of praise and worship.
We dont use backing tracks, we only use live instruments and voices.

We do have some Israeli Flags in the sanctuary, , numerous Shofar's, .....2 or 3 Golden Ark of the Covenant's,.... at least one full size Ephod, and a Huge Golden Torah that is rolled out and read..., as well as various versions of the English NT and Hebrew NT that are in the pews, Pulpit, and on the stage, etc.

Also, people who can't speak Hebrew but want to go to the "Main" Hebrew morning service, (usually these are Christian Tourists).. wear available wi-fi headphones that are located on all the pews... and they hear a translator translating the service.
And, during the Main service...we have more than one give a pastoral message to the congregation, vs, just the usual 1.

Services are about 2+ hrs and about half way in, we all take a break and some stay in the sanctuary and some go into the fellowship hall and are offered some milk or coffee or both.... and you are offered some apples and honey also. The Apples and honey are also offered to anyone in the sanctuary, at this time.
The apples are all cut into small squares or halves and you get what you want. (We dont make you peel them...).
The warm golden honey is in small clear container(s) that pour it out.

Once The fellowship time ends ... the congregation all go back to the Main sanctuary to hear more preaching, or maybe some worship, or maybe just some Bible reading.
Sometimes its all of this, or it can be that its all just praise and worship right until the end of the service.

We try to keep the Lord's time with his Saints very FREE, so that you can feel at Home, as that's what it is, actually.
It a place where God's redeemed can come together, relax, worship, learn, ... and it feels like home, and we can all enjoy the Lord as a family., together as one.

Here is my Shofar
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Edited March 11 by Behold

[Jerry]

If you're a messianic Jew, why do you have pics of a Catholic/Babylonian Jesus with long hair? The OT teaches men (or at least the priests, of which type was fulfilled in Jesus) were to cut their hair every 30 days, AND Jesus obeyed and fulfilled the Law. Plus, 1 Corinthians 11 is still in my Bible, and in one of Paul's letters!

[Behold]

On 3/11/2024 at 4:42 PM, Jerry said:

If you're a messianic Jew, why do you have pics of a Catholic/Babylonian Jesus with long hair? The OT teaches men (or at least the priests, of which type was fulfilled in Jesus) were to cut their hair every 30 days, AND Jesus obeyed and fulfilled the Law. Plus, 1 Corinthians 11 is still in my Bible, and in one of Paul's letters!

@Jerry, Its just a painting that i've enjoyed for a long time.

Im not a Catholic.  And ive spent years highlighting the "cult of Mary", as a heretical and  offensive  cult.

I can Thread about it, but, THIS THREAD,  is not related to the "cult of Mary"... So, lets leave it at that...

Also, Ive owned KJV "table top bibles" that had a famous painting of a  long haired Jesus on the cover.

So....I think its important to remember to keep the main thing the main thing,  and not let what does not matter, matter to you so much @Jerry

This Thread i posted is a very friendly Thread,  and if you would like to tell me and the members here about your church, as that is the actual TOPIC of the Thread, then that would be great.

If not, thats fine,   And let me show you the literal Painting that caused you to become upset...., as the "alt" that you see.... is so tiny, that you can't actually see the painting as i know it to be.  ..... I tried to create it larger, but this site's  software that uploads,  would not allow it to be any larger..

I'll also post an additional painting for you, and for anyone else who enjoy paints, art, creativity... ect.  And this 2ns one shows Jesus being comforted by an Angelic being,  on His way to the Cross. (This happened).

And no, this is not the real Jesus in the 2  paintings im going to show you.. They, are  painted by artists who love Jesus  ( and Jesus does not mind).

And  remember, @Jerry, .. its just 2 paintings..... so, enjoy them if you can with the understanding that they are both created to honor The Lord.

 

Edited March 13 by Behold

[HappyChristian]

Our church services revolve around Jesus. We sing, hubs or son preaches (we do have one other man who teaches once a month as well). We fellowship with each other. We are very thankful when our pianist is able to be there (she has major health issues), as it helps us sound better when we sing. lol. One day, as we grow, we will hopefully add more instruments.  

We have a specific order in which we do things, because the Bible says to let all things be done decently and in order. However, it is not ritualistic nor formalistic. We recently had a visitor (who's been twice) who was excited to find a church in the area that meets on Wed night and is friendly. He's planning to return Wed night and bring a friend.

The area in which we live is full of folks who believe they are spiritual, but are not "religious" (their word). It is a hard area to reach  because of this, as so many are satisfied with their own ideas of church and Christ. So when we get a visitor who is happy to return and to bring folks, we rejoice.

Thursday is Pi Day (3.14), so we are having a pie fellowship after the service Wednesday night. Pizza pie and dessert pies will be there. We strongly believe in first fellowshipping around the Word and then fellowshipping with each other, to edify one another.

[Jerry]

Jesus does not mind?

Sorry, the Bible commands us not to make images of God/Jesus - so yes, God does mind if you promote idolatry. I know it’s off topic - but I feel very strongly against the promoting of any kind of sin. Someone who creates idols/images of Jesus in disobedience to His Word doesn’t love Him very much… I won’t say any more about that in respect to the overall theme of this thread, but just because you accept something doesn’t make it right. You should be contending for ALL the Word of God, not picking and choosing which parts you like.

[Behold]

On 3/12/2024 at 9:05 PM, Jerry said:

Jesus does not mind?

Sorry, the Bible commands us not to make images of God/Jesus 

 

God is actually pleased when we use our talents to give Him glory.

So, its not a issue to paint or sculpt anything that is related to the bible..

But if you worship it, then that's an issue., as that is when it become a "graven image and an idol".

So, all of this is related to the person, not the item.

A person, and i know some, can worship Trees and Sky and Earth, and that is not because the Trees, Sky, and Earth, are "Graven images"... @Jerry.

Understand?

So, a beautiful painting of Jesus or a Sculpture of Jesus, is not an issue.. Its the person's relationship to it...

 

Let me show you the difference between my lovely painting and a cult that DOES worship Images....

See this PHOTO?   That is a cult, and that heretic is worshiping a PLASTIC Idol.

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[Jerry]

1 hour ago, Behold said:

God is actually pleased when we use our talents to give Him glory.

So, its not a issue to paint or sculpt anything that is related to the bible..

But if you worship it, then that's an issue., as that is when it become a "graven image and an idol".

Actually God says don’t make any images, pictures, or idols of God at all because we do not know what He looks like. He doesn’t say it’s ok to make images if you don’t worship them - that’s just basically slapping a Jesus sticker on your disobedience and calling it christian.

Exodus 20:3-5
Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;

(The context is no image of God.)

Numbers 33:52
Then ye shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you, and destroy all their pictures, and destroy all their molten images, and quite pluck down all their high places:
(Pictures of false gods or the true God.)

Deuteronomy 4:14-19
And the LORD commanded me at that time to teach you statutes and judgments, that ye might do them in the land whither ye go over to possess it. Take ye therefore good heed unto yourselves; for ye saw no manner of similitude on the day that the LORD spake unto you in Horeb out of the midst of the fire: Lest ye corrupt yourselves, and make you a graven image, the similitude of any figure, the likeness of male or female, The likeness of any beast that is on the earth, the likeness of any winged fowl that flieth in the air, The likeness of any thing that creepeth on the ground, the likeness of any fish that is in the waters beneath the earth: And lest thou lift up thine eyes unto heaven, and when thou seest the sun, and the moon, and the stars, even all the host of heaven, shouldest be driven to worship them, and serve them, which the LORD thy God hath divided unto all nations under the whole heaven.

(No images of God - including as a likeness of a man - hm, Jesus… - because we do not know what He looks like. Also, a physical representation of any kind cannot do God justice, who is a spirit.)

Acts 17:29
Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device.

(There goes your theory - God is not something you can picture with art or can be represented by graven images. Your picture is someone’s artistic representation of Jesus.)