Our Shabbat Service

Service Highlights:

1)     Messianic praise and worship:   Featuring music by Paul Wilbur, Jonathan Settel, Joel Chernoff, Ted Pearce, Marty Goetz, Barry and Batya Segal, and others.    

2)     Davidic Dancing:  As started by King David in ancient times, we’re a congregation that encourages dancing before the Lord.  We worship with tambourines, banners, blowing the shofar, musical instruments, clapping, hands raised to the Lord, and most of all, it is the JOY OF THE LORD, which is our strength.
 
3)     Traditional Hebraic worship:   Ancient prayers of Israel, many of which were the same prayers of Yeshua and his first followers, as found in the “siddur” or Jewish prayer book.

4)     Torah Service:   The Torah is processed with rejoicing, dancing, and musical praise.  The “Parasha” or weekly Torah “portion” is read from the Torah in Hebrew and translated into English.  

5)     Message from the Rabbi:   Our Rabbi gives a message every week, often based in the weekly Torah portion.   Every message is taught from both the Old and the New Testaments, and is oriented in helping us to understand Yeshua and to grow in our relationship with Him as our Savior and God.

6)     Kiddush / Hamotzi:  When Yeshua gave thanks, he often blessed the bread and the wine, these are the prayers He said.  

7)     Oneg :   A joyful time of awesome food, drinks and fellowship. 

OUR  APPROACH  TO WORSHIP : 

When we are passionate about God, He is passionate for us.  This is how we approach our services at Temple New Jerusalem.  Our Shabbat Services are a “mo-ed” or “meeting” with God.   (Lev. 23:2). One of the most important commands in the bible, even one of the ten commandments, is to keep the Shabbat.  So we take it seriously.   But it wouldn’t mean anything if we didn’t have the presence of God.  

At Temple New Jerusalem, we aren’t interested in religion or religious experiences.   We are not a denomination, nor part of some religious hierarchy or agenda of man.  The New Covenant is all about having a relationship with God.   God is revealed to us by faith, not by law.   TNJ is a place to get to know Yeshua, and to know Him better.  Yeshua was a Jew who was born in Israel and who lived according to the Torah of Moses.  At New Jerusalem, we make sure that people get to know Yeshua within His own culture and people - the Jews.   But most importantly, the bible says that God is a Spirit.   So, we worship Him in the Spirit, because there is no other way to know Yeshua except through His “Ruakh HaKodesh” (Holy Spirit).   So we approach Shabbat as an encounter with God, thru His Holy Spirit, that is present with us when we make Him the focus of everything we are doing. 

He gave us the Shabbat as a special day to do no work and to focus all faculties only upon Him.  Shabbat is the Kingdom of God.  Yeshua is the King.  The 7th day, the day of rest, was given to us to represent the Kingdom.   A time to be with the King.   We enter His rest.   We cease from our labors.   We no longer have to "toil with sweat" to make our food come forth from the earth.  (Gen 3:19).  Just seek Him and only Him.  Come hungry.  Thirsty.    He satisfies us.  As David said in Psalm 23, “He anoints my head with oil, my cup overflows”.   Shabbat is time to get filled to overflowing with God’s river of oil.  

The “Shekhina”  or “abiding presence” of the Lord sits in the midst of the Temple.   The “Temple” is the body of believers.  He inhabits our praises.  He teaches us.  He blesses our fellowship.  He instructs our children in His ways.  He is Adon HaShabbat, Lord of the Sabbath.  He is the vine and we are the branches.  His fruit comes forth in abundance, so long as we continue to draw from the vine.   See you at Temple New Jerusalem to meeet with the Lord on Shabbat!

Shalom in Yeshua,

Rabbi Michael Stepakoff

 

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