STAFF WRITER
Torah, YHVH, Shofar and Yeshua. These words might not sound familiar to most people in Tooele County, but to the members of the Brit Ammi Messianic Congregation of Tooele, these are words they understand and have a deep respect for.
The small Brit Ammi Messianic Congregation is led by ordained Messianic Rabbi Jim Land. The congregation has about 20 members and meets Saturdays at 2:30 p.m. in a building off Main Street, behind the old Mantes building.
Brit Ammi stands for Covenant People, Land said, and the group is different from Orthodox Jews.
“We believe whom you call Jesus, is our Messiah,” he said. “Orthodox Jews don’t.”
We as a group would eventually like to have a synagogue, but they aren’t large enough right now, Land said.
The congregation believes in the Torah, the Hebrew word for Bible, he said. The Torah consists of Genesis through Revelation and the organization believes the five books of Moses to be the traditional Torah.
Although Torah translated into English means “law,” there is no word for law in Hebrew.
“The Torah is God’s teaching and instructions for how to live your life,” Land said.
The YHVH is the Hebrew word for God.
Shofar, a trumpet, is significant because it is used to begin the congregation’s services.
Yeshua means Messiah. Yeshua is also Yahweh, which means Father, Land said.
“We believe the Father and the Son are one, not two separate people,” he said. “We believe when Yeshua returns he will gather believers from the four corners of the Earth and we will all dwell in the promised land.”
The promised land will consist of Israel, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Libya and the surrounding countries, he said.
“This land was given by Yahweh to Israel, and when he gathers us back, that is where he will gather us,” he said. Land served as a Southern Baptist preacher for 16 years at Grantsville First Baptist Church. He “crossed over” to become a Jew in 1998. Five years earlier, Land was given a vision that he and his wife Doris would be “instrumental in the restoration of the two houses,” — the house of Judah and the house of Israel.
“You are either born in the house of Judah, therefore being a Jew, or you’re grafted into the house of Israel,” Land said. “All believers become part of the house of Israel.”
Part of the congregation’s mission and goal is to bring Jew and non-Jew together, he said.
“We reach out to the Jewish people to recognize their Messiah and minister to those who do recognize the Messiah,” he said. “We want to see Jewish and non-Jewish people, instead of fighting about the Messiah, to realize he is the Messiah and for us to dwell together.”
It was in 1998, that Land said YHVH revealed the truth to him and he “crossed over” to follow his Hebraic roots.
In 2004, Land was ordained as a messianic rabbi in Morganton, N.C., under the covering of God’s Appointed Times Ministries.
Land dedicates time to helping members of his congregation understand their Hebrew roots.
“In Jeremiah 31:31, YHVH tells us he will make a new covenant with Israel and Judah,” Land said. “He never said he will make a new covenant with the Gentile.”
According to Land this means you must be a Jew to have a covenant with the Lord.
“You must be born a Jew to be part of Judah, or you cross over to be adopted into Israel,” he said. “When you cross over you are grafted into Israel.”
The congregation meets on Saturdays, because the Father instructs them to rest on the seventh day.
“We observe the Sabbath from sunset Friday to sunset Saturday, as directed of Father,” Doris, Land’s wife, said.
In addition, the congregation believes the teachings of Yahweh are applicable to today and they are instructed to keep them in order to receive the full measure of blessings. They also believe they are saved by grace through faith, rather than saved by keeping the commandments. Feast days (the moadim) are also special and never a burden.
Land said their teachings come from the Hebrews and their services do include some of the Hebrew language.
“We do the majority of our service in English,” Land said. “However, we do some in Hebrew.”
They believe the entirety of the Bible to be the progressive word from YHVH to man, Land said.
At Saturday’s service, the Praise Team, a group of women who lead the congregation in singing and dancing during their weekly services, performed a tambourine dance for their praise period. They were dressed in temple colors — gold, red, blue and purple.
“Blue symbolizes the Messiah,” Doris said. “Red is the blood of Messiah; purple is the royal robe of Yeshua; and gold is the royalty color. Most of the temple was adorned in gold.”
Doris is the Praise Team leader and she is the one who receives word on what music they are going to praise at the service.
“The Father leads me to select the music,” she said. “We choose the praise dance accordingly.”
The praise team meets about three times a month to practice, she said. The Brit Ammi Messianic Congregation will be hosting a Passover Seder on April 18, beginning at 7:30 p.m., which will be open to the public.
For more information about the Passover Seder or the Brit Ammi Messianic Congregation contact Jim Land at 843-5444.
apalmer@tooeletranscript.com