About Us
Questions about Yahweh's Restoration Ministry, its beliefs, approach, and general ministry distinctives.
Questions in This Topic
What do you call yourselves? Do you identify with a specific faith or denomination? +
The Bible does not provide a specific denomination or label for New Testament believers. Many in this walk use the term "Messianic" to describe their beliefs, which refers to a believer in Messiah. While there's nothing wrong with this label, it is very broad and carries with it many different beliefs. Many within the Messianics mix Christianity and Judaism together and believe this is the truth. The problem, though, is that both Christianity and Judaism have added their own man-made traditions and deviated from Scripture. For this reason, YRM does not identify itself with either. We simply say that we're followers of Yahshua.
If you don't care for "Messianic" as a label, there are a few other terms you might consider: the Way (based on Acts 9:2 and 24:14); inward or spiritual Jew (based on Romans 2:28-29); Israel, spiritual Israel, or Israel of Yahweh (Galatians 6:16), saint (Revelation 14:12), Nazarene (based on Acts 24:5); However, as you might find, there are certainly undesirable connotations with these terms. Historically, the followers of Yahshua were probably simply viewed as another form of Judaism, similarly to Pharisees, Sadducees, Essenes, etc. It's also important to note that as the church grew, it deviates from its Jewish or Hebraic foundation to a more Greco-Roman philosophy to appease its growing gentile base.
Please give a brief history of Yahweh's Restoration Ministry as well as your goals. +
As with the apostolic assembly in the New Testament, we have no connections to nominal worship that arose in the third century. Most of our members became interested in the teachings of this ministry when they learned that scripturally there was more to worship and practice than what they had believed. Our desire is to return to those original teachings and beliefs held by our Savior and His disciples. To do that we must re-focus on the foundation of Scripture just as they did. The Bible used by the Messiah Yahshua and His disciples was the Old Testament. Our contemporary
roots trace to the religious reawakening that was sparked in the 1840s, that gave rise to today's major Sabbath-keeping groups. And again in the 1930s. The question at that later time among those who kept the seventh-day Sabbath was, what name is proper for baptism. This led to a full-scale investigation of the sacred Names. From there they became convicted through much study that the seven annual observances or Feasts are also still in effect for the believer in the New Testament, among other key Bible truths. YRM continues these pursuits to restore what has been lost through time.
Are physical exercise and sports permitted on the Sabbath? +
We do not believe that exercise and sports are permitted on the Sabbath.
The Sabbath is first and foremost a day of rest The word "Sabbath" comes from the Hebrew primitive root shabath and means, "..to repose, i.e. desist from exertion." Since exercise and sports causes a person to exert themselves physically, this activity would violate the Sabbath command.
We find a secondary reason from Isaiah 58:13: "If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of Yahweh, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words:" We believe doing our own pleasure prohibits activities such as exercise and sports, in addition to other worldly and personal activities that don't focus on the Word. The Sabbath is a day not to focus on the mundane or the world, but on Yahweh's Word.
For the above reasons we would caution against any activity that causes exertion or may be seen as our own pleasure apart from Yahweh's Word.