'HEBREW ROOTS' and "YESHUA ONLY" MOVEMENTS - DANGEROUS??

Below is a very interesting testimony from a lady who was deeply involved in these movements.

Like me, you have probably come across Christian groups telling us Gentile Christians that we need to get back to the Torah and observe the Jewish Sabbath and Feast Days, etc. This is often called the "Hebrew Roots" movement - and some of it is fine - simply learning more about Jewish culture and traditions, etc. But then there is the very real danger of LEGALISM. To me, the entire thrust of the movement ends up going right against the New Testament - in fact, right against true Christianity. I think it can become very dangerous. -The bondage of the Law again.

And then there are the people who claim that we MUST call Jesus by the name "Yeshua" - even though the apostle Paul simply called Him by the Greek word 'Iesous'. They say that unless we use "Yeshua" we are totally "off". Well - I believe the facts completely overturn this theory. I don't mind people calling Jesus 'Yeshua' if they wish - but to make a "doctrine" out of it is extreme error in my view. However, it is amazing the number of people who are being caught up in all this - as though it were the "great answer" to all our problems! (It's not).

Below is the testimony of a woman who was deeply involved:

"I wanted to share with you why I feel that the Hebrew Roots Movement & Sacred Name Movement is just as dangerous as the The Latter Rain Doctrine. Coming out of both I feel confident in saying so. I grew up in the Assembly of God church, one that did not teach Latter Rain/Dominion poison. After my husband and I were married (he grew up Baptist) we began searching for something deeper ( I think that is how you get sucked into Latter Rain etc., you feel like there just has to be something more, sadly the Word of God is not enough). We began attending a non-denominational church which would turn out to be one of many disastrous church experiences.

This church was heavy Dominionist and were really into the "shepherding" thing so that they knew everything about everyone and would use it as a form of control. This was our first experience with the prophetic movement and we were drawn in by it. After leaving there because of the control issues (we did not notice the theology was twisted because we were deceived) we continued on in the prophetic circles including attending Bill Hamon's church when we were able to travel there and reading everything we could from all the big NAR's. Well after about 10 years of this running after new revelation (we had a huge box of tapes with personal prophecies!) we became really disallusioned with the hypocrisy, lawlessness and cheap grace attitudes. We decided to leave the Apostolic/Prophetic church that we were attending. This did not sit well with the "Apostle". In these types of churches you do not leave unless you are "sent out" by the Apostle, which never happens by the way.

After leaving we were contacted by a couple that had left a few months before we had. Before visiting with them, I remember really clearing going to my bookshelf and taking a book off the shelf that was a study on Galatians, I know now the Lord was trying to warn me but sadly I put the book back without taking a look at it. Well we began to meet with this couple and we shared our frustrations about the lawlessness, etc. that we had left (at the time I did not know anything about Latter Rain and how it was connected to the Prophetic/Apostolic movement, it would have explained so much).

They gave us a book by Lew White called Fossilized Customs. The book has some facts but much twisted truth. We took the bait though. The whole book is about how the name Jesus is supposedly pagan along with a lot of other extreme ideas! Thus Sacred Name. These people believe that you can only use the name Yahweh when referring to God, the Father and Yeshua (some use Yahushua) all else is pagan and Satan has deceived all Christians into using the name Jesus and that Jesus really means Zeus! And this has been revealed to only the remnant (notice the Gnostic elitism) which is funny because they pride themselves on staying away from anything remotely Greek!

Well this began a four year journey with these people. We backed off a bit of the Sacred name only but began studying many Jewish writings. You must understand that this was all very gradual and the leader of this group was very skilled at studying things and presenting it to us.

Sadly to say we drifted more and more from the New Testament, the new covenant and the cross of Christ. That is the danger of the Hebrew Roots movement. You want so desperately to return to the Word of God but in the end it takes you away from it in it's entirety. The leader began planting seeds such as" the New Testament was not totally flawless since it had been written in Greek there were many different texts and some may not be accurate". He began to pick and choose and before we ended up leaving he had pretty much thrown out Galatians and John because it did not reconcile to his theology! He taught that the Virgin birth was just a doctored up Catholic version of the Word. He taught that Jesus was Joseph and Mary's natural born son even though he could not prove this scripturely. That is why he brought into question the accuracy of the translations.

You are probably saying "how could you stay?" All I can say is that deception does not happen over night it is gradual, we became emotionally tied to these people and looked to them as a mother and father (I think that is why many stay in abusive churches).

We participated in the feasts of the Bible and of course we observed Sabbath religiously every Saturday (what got me is that instead of us resting we had to go to the leader's home early that morning to hear hours of his twisted teaching!). He began to teach that we became righteous through the law and that was why Yeshua came to show us how to keep the law. He actually began to teach that we needed to keep as much of the Law of Moses that we could and it was lawlessness not to do so. In essence you basically had to convert to Judaism even though we literally did not.

We started to get a clue about a year before we actually cut all ties and we started to question him about some of the laws in the Old Covenant and how we were uncomfortable with some about slavery for instance, of course he came up with some justification about it. Around this time he began making references to having more than one wife. My husband and I were really uncomfortable with these continuous comments and so one day we confronted him (his wife was not present and by the way it was obvious this journey was taking it's toll on her as well by this time.) He told us he was one of those that could love more than one woman! (There is double standard because it is unthinkable for a woman to have more than one husband in their eyes!). We told him "what about the words of Jesus (in the beginning God made male and female, etc.) but what was obvious to us was not to him. If it wasn't in "Torah" then it didn't count!

Well that was it, I cried all weekend and we just began to think about everything and the path that we had been on and how far we had strayed from the gospel and it was heartbreaking! I take full responsibility for allowing myself to be deceived but I must say that man really messed with my mind! He was skilled in twisting scripture and to this day I still struggle with some things. I almost lost my faith in God because of my involvement with these people. My husband came through a little easier than myself.

I have to say there are many sects within the Hebrew Roots movement and not all believe what I have shared. But the core belief is that the church has strayed from it's Hebrew roots and that God is restoring this revelation (the same theme of the Latter Rain) but only to a select few and the rest of the church is pagan. Because of this belief you begin to cut yourself off from the Body of Christ and before you know it you are isolated. You are no longer the salt of the world. You do not witness or share the gospel anymore because you don't believe the gospel anymore!

The very thing that you think is bringing you closer to God (returning to His word) takes you further away because it is a twisted perception of the Word of God. My heart goes out to anyone caught up in this deception because it leaves you so confused. I praise God that he opened our eyes to this and for His grace and mercy and for the blood of Jesus which is our true Redeemer!"