It is true that God enjoys it when Gentiles observe isolated commandments from the Sinai covenant: there is a rich blessing to be found in tithing, keeping Shabbat, worship dance, etc. It is true that understanding the Jewish roots of Christianity makes Christianity more meaningful and cohesive. And it is true that being Yeshua's disciple means understanding and in part adopting his lifestyle. We are happy to visit churches and talk about these things. We are happy to work with churches that like Jewish stuff.

But we ourselves are a truly Jewish community. Someone who wants Jewish things apart from Jewish culture will not understand us. Someone who loves Jewish things but not Jewish people will not empathize with us.

The phrase "Hebrew Christian" is used to refer to people of Jewish lineage who have not retained their Jewish heritage and are participating in a Gentile church. That's not us, and we pray that Adonai will awaken Hebrew Christians to their covenantal responsibilities as Jews whose ancestors stood at Mount Sinai.

We are not a "deliverance ministry"

There are many wonderful ministries that focus on helping people receive God's aid in breaking free from past fears, pains, addictions, or prejudices. We do see such healing in our lives--anyone growing closer to God will encounter it! But deliverance from severe problems is not our focus and if you are too bound by your past to help extend the Kingdom of God over other peoples' lives then please, for your sake as well as ours, ignore us and find one of these other ministries. We welcome people with big problems and know ways to work with God in fixing problems, yet we also recognize that some problems are better aided by other existing ministries. If the spiritual struggle to advance goodness is a metaphorical battlefield, then our community is part of the front line, not a rear hospital.

We are not a political organization

God does call some people to politics. However, and similar to the previous point, there are many ministries that focus on politics and we are not one of them. As explained above, we do not expect holiness to follow from legislation.

We are not an evangelistic organization

Instead of proclaiming the scriptural basis of Yeshua's messiahship with tracts or on street corners, we demonstrate its powerful effects. Instead of pursuing notoriety in marketing and publicity we pursue a reputation of lives visibly increased in holiness, integrity, and mercy. We rejoice not in questionable professions of faith but in demonstrable progress in discipleship.

We are not cozy and comfortable

We do offer the assurance that people humbly worshipping and obeying God are cared for by God. But we also have seen that human evil and spiritual evil are dangerous, and flare up to resist true spiritual progress. The prophets compared a person following God to metal being refined, not to jewels on display.

We are not bench warmers

Places that focus on high expectations will encourage people with high expectations to thrive. Places with low expectations will encourage people with low expectations to thrive. We are not legalistic about enforcing our expectations for participation in our community. Yet we make no apologies when people who ignore participation feel guilty. (We do have two non-negotiable standards: don't hurt others and support our vision. If you intentionally break those rules we may ask you to find a new spiritual home.)