Purpose

To encourage and educate each other in love for the purpose of gaining the confidence of understanding and the knowledge, through the searching of Scriptures, of YHWH's [God's] Mystery, who is Yeshua HaMoshiach [Jesus Christ], in whom are hidden all of the treasures of knowledge and wisdom.

Colossians 2:2-3, Acts 17:11.

Statements of Belief

That we might have unity among us, and that we all speak the same thing as regards the foundation of our faith, and that with integrity we present our witness of Yeshua/Jesus, the Messiah, as those who walk in His light, let it be hereby established that the Torah-Observant Followers website, herein known as TOFY, holds that...

1. All Scripture is given by the Ruach Elohim [Breath/Spirit of God], and is to be used for doctrine, for reproof, for correction and for instruction in righteousness, so that man can be competent and able equipped to do the work that God has planned for him. 2 Timothy 3:16-17.

2. YHWH [the LORD] is our Elohim. He is echad [One]. He alone is YHWH. Deuteronomy 6:4.

3. The nature of YHWH is a compound unity expressed in the aspects of Abba [God, the Father], Yeshua [Salvation, Jesus, the Son, Messiah] and the Ruach HaKodesh [the Holy Spirit/Breath] in this age. Matthew 28:19.

4. YHWH and His Word (Yeshua/Jesus) are eternal, that is: He, His Word and His Will has always been and will always be the same. Malachi 3:6, Hebrews 13:8, Matthew 5:18; 24:35, John 1:1.

5. The Shabbat [Sabbath], the seventh day of the week, is the created holy day of YHWH, which He gave to mankind and covenanted with His people as a sign forever. Exodus 31:16, Genesis 2:2-3, Isaiah 58:13-14, Matthew 12:8.

6. Yeshua of Natzeret [Nazareth] is the Messiah of Israel, the Savior of the world, the King of kings and Lord of lords. He is YHWH who appeared among mankind in the flesh, and now is glorified with all power in Heaven and in Earth, at the right hand of Abba. John 1:12-14, 18.

7. Yeshua/Jesus is the ultimate and final Pesach Tso'n [Passover Lamb] required for the removal of sins. He died by execution stake (stagion) on a tree (xulon) and rose from the dead three days afterward. Everyone who repents of their sins, and trusts that Yeshua/Jesus is the Messiah, who died as our Pesach Tso'n and rose again, their sins are forgiven and they come into a renewed covenant with YHWH through Him, and therefore become inheritors of all the promises YHWH made with Abraham and Israel. Isaiah 53, Romans 10:9-11, 1 Corinthians 5:7.

8. The Brit Chadashah [Renewed Covenant] through Yeshua/Jesus brings with it a new creation of the human spirit. The Torah [Law/Teaching] of YHWH is planted inside so that the Ruach HaKodesh [Holy Spirit] may indwell there. An external immersion in water (mikveh) is performed to declare that this has taken place. Jeremiah 31:31-34, Ezekiel 39:29.

9. Those that have had a mikveh kharatah (baptism of repentance) and believe that Yeshua/Jesus is the Messiah are given the various enablements (gifts) of Ruach HaKodesh by asking YHWH and obeying His commandments. The Promise of Abba, an extra endowment of power and boldness for witnessing, is a mikveh ruachanee (spiritual baptism) by the Ruach HaKodesh. Each follower should seek to be filled with the various enablements of the Ruach, who gives them as He wishes. Mark 1:4, Isaiah 28:11-12, Luke 11:13, Acts 1:4-5, 1 Cor 12: 1-13, Eph 1:13.

10. The people of YHWH are a holy Miqra [Called Out/Ekklesia] assembly, which is not of the world, in order to gather and celebrate Him at His appointed holy Feasts, and to shine as lights of truth in the darkness, and to be a royal priesthood which praises His Name. Exodus 19:6, Leviticus 23, Matthew 16:18, 1 Peter 2:9.

11. The goals of the people of YHWH of this website are:

• to be followers of Yeshua/Jesus the Messiah, until we mature into the example He left us. Ephesians 4:13.
• to present ourselves as the talmidim [disciples] of Yeshua/Jesus by being full of love for one another, living in the Spirit, and showing the Pree shel Ruach [Fruit of the Spirit]. John 13:34-35, Galatians 5:22-25.
• to create an atmosphere that will allow those who are not believers of Yeshua or are questioning their faith to become one with Him. 1 Corinthians 6:17.
• to be holy (separate from the world) as our Abba is holy and separate ourselves from the world. Therefore, we are to learn and act on those things which make us holy in His sight. Leviticus 11:44-45, Ezra 10:11, Ephesians 5:27.
• to be righteous (right decision making) and godly (forgiving) in this world. Titus 2:12.
• to be clean, first in our conscious inner man, and then also in our outward walk accordingly as we live by faith, grow in the Ruach [Spirit] and our understanding of the Word. Psalm 51:10, Romans 1:17, 1 Thessalonians 4:7.
• to delight in YHWH's Torah and meditate on it day and night. Psalm 1:2.

12. For we also strive to not:

• bear the fruits of darkness, but rather to expose them. Ephesians 5:11.
• walk in idleness. 2 Thessalonians 3:6.
• do the things that would make us appear as being void of godliness. 2 Timothy 3:1-5.
• be under any counsel of a godless (wicked, רשׁעים) person. Psalm 1:1.
• love nothing that is of the world, including the creation of anything that could be put in the place of YWHW (i.e., idols). 1 John 15-17, 5:21.

13. The promise of a continually faithful trust in Yeshua/Jesus, while walking according to the will of Elohim, is resurrection from the dead, eternal life and ruling with Yeshua forever in the place where His Kingdom will rule. He will yet rule in Jerusalem/Zion, and finally in New Jerusalem in the New Creation forever. Revelation 19-22.

14. Yeshua/Jesus will judge all mankind of all acts ever committed and words ever said. He will decide the sentence for punishment, and all those not meeting His standard will be sent away from His presence, into outer darkness and eternal punishment of the sin. Matthew 25:31-46, Revelation 20.

15. The final plan for the Israel of God is to bring the remnant of the faithful Jewish people, and the remnant of those believers who were formerly Gentiles, but recovered from the world by faith, back together and united into one holy people under one Shepherd, namely Yeshua, the Messiah, thus completing the tearing down of the wall of partition. This is a necessary part of the restoration of all things spoken by the prophets. Hosea 1-2, John 17, Romans 9:26, Ephesians 2, Acts 3:21.

Points of Order

1. HEBREW, GREEK, AND ENGLISH NAMES: Our use of the Hebraic names of our Messiah, Heavenly Father, and Holy Spirit are not to be understood as the only names to be used. To do so would further cause dissention in the Assembly of the Messiah. The name Yeshua, means "salvation". Psalms 132:16.

2. THE NAME OF THE FATHER: Throughout this website you will see the name of our Creator written in many different ways, including YHWH, YHVH, Yahweh, Eeoowah, and a few others.  Each way is to be considered correct, since the original way of pronouncing His name is unknown to the modern world.  The priests of centuries past did not want to draw any where near to violating the 2^nd Commandment by mistreating our Father's name, and therefore would use HaShem (the Name) or Adonai (My Lord) as alternatives.  Modern Jewish people will also use G-d or Gd to represent the English equivalent of the name, God.  Any way of writing the name, or an alternative, is to be allowed as long as it is with the highest respect, and not to be used flippantly, thus keeping with the 2^nd Commandment.

3. THE NAME AS AUTHORITY: The idea of '"name" in Hebrew is that of "authority" without referring to the sound of the syllables. Use of a name means use of the authority behind the name. Therefore, it is more important to know by what authority something is done, rather than the spoken syllables. When the Messiah said that He came in His Father's Name, He was referring to the Father's Authority, not the syllables of YHWH.

4. THE TORAH: The Torah may refer to either the Five Books of Moses (Torah), the entire Tanakh (Hebrew Scriptures) or the whole Bible, depending on usage. The Torah in our usage never refers to the Gematra, Tosefta or the Midrash. We do not consider the Gematra or any other commentary on the Scriptures as the Word of God. The Torah is given for our protection, not for our perfection. We do not judge the practice of minor, ambiguous or unlearned parts of Torah. Contrary to what some people may, the instructions, or precepts, that we follow in the Tanakh are not followed for the purpose of salvation. We follow them in obedience to YHWH. Salvation only comes through faith in Yeshua because of the grace of YHWH.

4. TRADITIONS OF MEN: We believe that there have been MANY man-made traditions created, either from Pagan origins or from Pharisaic origins. In order to correctly follow what the Bible teaches, one must strip away all of these and go back to accounts of the Prophets and the Apostles.

5. HISTORICAL LATITUDE: We also believe that one must look at the culture and the history of when the Bible (Tanakh and Brit Chadashah) was written to fully understand the idioms, references, and examples given therein. New discoveries are being revealed by YHWH each year that opens our eyes wider to the cultural context of when the individual books and letters were written, as well as revealing to the world that the Bible is more than a history book or story book.  

 Updated 12-28-2006.