What is Torah Observant Apostolic?

by Pastor CW Mayberry

We call ourselves, Torah Observant Apostolics  but who or what are we really?

We are a growing group of individuals who desire to search out the truth of the word of God and return to it. We seek to follow the path of faith that God Himself delivered to mankind through his Prophets and Apostles.

We do our best to walk as Yeshua walked (1 John 2:6).

Yeshua kept the Sabbath. He kept the feast days. He did not participate in any pagan traditions.

Yeshua taught from the Torah.

The writers of scripture did not do it from their flesh. They are the men who recorded the scriptures as they were moved upon by the Creator Himself

Anyone attempting to return to the old paths or original ways must come to grips with a few hard realities.

Number one is that you are going to have to unlearn a lot of things you learned elsewhere and be open to receiving new teaching that may be like nothing you’ve ever heard before.

You must search out and test everything for yourself. You must verify everything you were taught in the denomination you are coming out of as well as those things being taught by those you are now receiving instruction from.

A “Right” Name Doesn’t Always Guarantee a Right Doctrine

Unfortunately, the world is filled with teachers who have little knowledge of the scriptures, and more importantly, little experience with the God of the scriptures.

On your journey to truth you may encounter groups of various names. They may call themselves Hebrew Roots, Messianic, Messianic Jews, Hebrew Israelites, Sabbath keepers, Covenant Apostolics, etc. The name really matters very little. What does matter is what is being taught by these people. Sometimes they are spot on. Other times, unfortunately, they are in grave error.

This is why you must learn to read the word of God for yourself. It may be difficult if you have never done so before, but you must pick up the book read it for yourself.

Don’t rely on man, even a bishop or priest, to tell you what is in the Bible. See it with your own eyes.

What Version of the Bible Should You Use?

What version should I begin with? That’s a very common question we get from new believers as well as seasoned saints.

The simple answer is, use the version that you will read! Find a version that will work for you, that you can understand and comprehend fairly well. We should all be reading from at least three different versions but one will do to begin with.

Prayer is Essential to Your Spiritual Growth

If any of this is going to make sense to you and, more importantly, impact you, a good prayer life is essential.

You must learn to pray. I’m not going to attempt to teach you to pray here and now but you can join our on-line prayer group by request. We also have several videos on prayer on our YouTube channel.

You can also request our “Powerful Prayer: A Bible Study” on our FREE PDF page located on our site.

Why prayer? because God is a spirit and prayer is spiritual communication.

Prayer is not all that complicated or mysterious. Every human being who has ever found themselves in a desperate situation has learned to pray, “Oh God if you’re really there”, I’m sure you know someone who has prayed that prayer, perhaps yourself. It’s just a matter of opening your mouth and speaking what’s on your heart.

And the result? Truth must flow from Yehovah directly to you. Those things you hear in prayer and see in the scripture should be confirmed by scripture and those with whom you maintain close fellowship.

Understand that it will require instruction from someone who has already been where you desire to go but always hold that group or individual’s teaching up in comparison to the word of God.

If it does not agree, try to reconcile the discrepancy. If it cannot be reconciled, then it’s time to move on.

What Makes a Good Bible Teacher?

Within any group of people there will be differing opinions about any given subject including the word of God. The question is this, is this subject critical to my salvation and the salvation of those who will hear it in the future? If the difference of opinions is over a non-negotiable doctrine, then it’s time to move on.

Your own conscience is also important. Allow it to guide you but understand, others may not have the same convictions that you do. Discuss it with your Bible teacher or pastor. Again though, if it is a salvation issue, discuss it and study it out.

Often we have to undo a lot of false teaching when we come to this truth. What you think you know about salvation, holiness, and other important things of God may not be what the Bible really teaches.

Don’t walk away because of different opinions or understanding of scripture. Accept that you might not be accurate. Ask questions. Be teachable. Hear what they have to say first. If they are good Bible teachers, truly anointed by God, they will be able to support everything they teach with scripture – and not just one verse, but multiple verses.

Beware the Crowd Pleasers and Ear Ticklers

I’m going to be very blunt with you at this point, the overwhelming majority of those who teach on social media have very little idea of what they are saying. They have limited biblical knowledge at best and what knowledge they do have is frequently tainted by doctrines of men that they brought with them from the various churches and religious systems.

They are crowd pleasers, ear ticklers. They all benefit in some way by building a following – more often than not, monetarily.

They will not teach the truth about difficult subjects but offer instead a way to ignore those subjects. They will turn very often to the argument of “law verses grace”. Every commandment they do not wish to obey is “ done away with”. Anything that does not agree with their theological pallet is “not necessary under the new covenant.

The fact of the matter is that grace was in use long before Yeshua. Noah found grace in the eyes of Yehovah, Israel found grace due to the intercession of Moses at Mt Sinai. Grace is not a New Testament concept.

Smooth talkers are not necessarily solid Bible teachers and knowing Bible verses is not an indication of spiritual maturity or depth. Look for substance. Look for teachers who point you back to the word again and again.

Look for Engagement and Feedback

There is another consideration you should bear in mind. These “ministries” are not offering you any kind of interaction. They are making no effort to give of their time to you as a individual. They post static videos and do not afford you the opportunity to ask questions in a one-on-one or even a group environment. You may be able to comment and they might answer – but usually the won’t.

Bottom line, they are not attempting to make a real personal connection. You a just a number, you are just another face in the crowd. Look for a body that offers fellowship – even in online services. Look for a body that encourages questions and comments. Look for a pastor who will respond to your emails and pick up the phone when you call.

Torah Observant Apostolics Raise Up Disciples

Let me be plain with you, it is the responsibility of every believer to both learn and communicate what they have learned. In some ways we who claim to be of the body of Messiah must make a consistent effort to teach others the same way that they were taught.

We all have different talents, abilities, and callings but Yehovah has given all of us a gift we must offer the world around us.

And we have to keep in mind that those we are teaching will also have to unlearn a lot of things they learned in the church.

For an individual to claim to be a member of the body of Christ and not even attempt to live as He lived is absolutely unthinkable. It is a lie.

Torah Observant Apostolics of Baton Rouge meets every Sabbath at our Baton Rouge locations as well as online (TOA OnLIFE). We host an interactive online service with believers all over the world. We also have prayer even Tuesday evening that you can join either in person in Baton Rouge or online.

If you are interested in joining us, subscribe to our newsletter and service notifications below or send us a message from our Contact page. If you would like access to our many free resources, you can request them on our FREE PDF page.

We would love for you to join us.