HumbleDisciple

Directions Website Contact the place of worship

HumbleDisciple Calling believers back to the whole Word of God. Walking in truth, love, and obedience through Yeshua.

Someone told me, “All Saints Day is Christian. Jesus owns 365 days a year, not 364.” He also claimed Halloween was a Chr...
25/10/2026

Someone told me, “All Saints Day is Christian. Jesus owns 365 days a year, not 364.” He also claimed Halloween was a Christian tradition the world stole.

I agree every day belongs to Yehovah. But does that settle what He wants us to celebrate?

All Hallows' Eve is the vigil before All Saints' Day, a feast the Western Church established to honour departed saints and martyrs. Scripture tells us to remember faithful believers (Heb 13:7). But where are we told to establish a feast venerating departed saints or to seek their intercession? Scripture points us to Yeshua as our mediator (1 Tim 2:5). Yehovah also gave His own appointed times (Lev 23). It troubles me that His feasts are often dismissed while church traditions are defended.

And why 1 November? An earlier Roman commemoration was held in May. Later the feast was fixed on 1 November, alongside the much older Celtic festival of Samhain. Of all the dates available, that one? We cannot prove why, but knowing what some church leaders openly encouraged, I find the overlap hard to ignore.

In AD 601, Pope Gregory I instructed missionaries to turn pagan temples into churches and reshape pagan feasting into Christian celebrations. His letter survives, and it shows that such adaptation was encouraged.

At Sinai, Aaron built an altar before the golden calf and proclaimed, “Tomorrow will be a feast to Adonai” (Ex 32:5, TLV). He used Yehovah's name. Yet Yehovah condemned it. That was idolatry, and I am not saying handing out sweets is the same. But can we really miss the warning?

Yehovah warned against borrowing the nations' worship practices (Deut 12:30–31). Yeshua rebuked traditions that set aside God's commandments (Mark 7:6–13). Not every human tradition does that. But they make me examine what we bring into worship, however old the tradition.

Who gave the church authority to take existing religious practices, give them a Christian identity and assume Yehovah would accept them? That is the issue of syncretism I cannot ignore.

There is something deeply personal about remembering the Sabbath day because Yehovah asked us to. Work will always be th...
24/10/2026

There is something deeply personal about remembering the Sabbath day because Yehovah asked us to. Work will always be there. There are things we could finish, money we could earn, plans we could make. Yet we stop. We let His command shape our week, even when it costs us something.

“Remember Yom Shabbat, to keep it holy” (Exodus 20:8). Yehovah connects this command to creation itself. He made the heavens and the earth in six days, rested on the seventh, and blessed that day. When we keep it, we acknowledge His authority over the time He has given us. We trust that His wisdom is good, including when the world around us carries on as though this day were no different from any other.

In Exodus 31:13, Yehovah called the Sabbath a sign between Himself and Israel, so they would know that He is the One who makes them holy. And in Isaiah 56:6–7, He welcomes foreigners who join themselves to Him, love His name, keep His Sabbath and hold fast to His covenant. That passage means a great deal to me as someone from the nations who has been brought near through Messiah.

Yeshua kept the Sabbath. Luke 4:16 tells us that going to the synagogue on Shabbat was His custom. He also healed on this day and taught that doing good belongs within it (Matthew 12:12). Following Him should deepen our love for the Father’s instructions and our care for the people around us.

Keeping Shabbat does not earn our salvation. We receive that through faith in Yeshua. But His grace gives us every reason to take His Father’s words seriously. Remembering this day is one way we give that love a place in our ordinary lives.

Some weeks I arrive at Shabbat tired, with things unfinished and thoughts still running. I need to put the work down. I need time to hear His Word, gather with others and be present with my family. Yehovah knew we would need this rest. He even invites us to call His Sabbath a delight (Isaiah 58:13).

May you all have a blessed and restful Shabbat.

PS: I’m not judging those who struggle to keep Shabbat because of work commitments. I would encourage you to explore whether another shift or arrangement might be possible. But nurses, doctors, police officers, firefighters etc. may have duties that cannot wait. Personally, I see their necessary care and protection of others as avodah, service offered to Yehovah through serving people. That is my understanding of how Yeshua’s teaching applies here. He taught that doing good and saving life belong on Shabbat (Matthew 12:12; Mark 3:4). Those who need that care cannot always wait until sunset.

The attack on MP Helen Haines in Wangaratta, Victoria (Australia) this week deeply saddened me. My prayers are with her ...
23/10/2026

The attack on MP Helen Haines in Wangaratta, Victoria (Australia) this week deeply saddened me. My prayers are with her and her family. Since then, politicians have spoken about the threats and abuse they face, especially online.

The motive remains unclear, and online insults are not the same as violence. But these accounts made me think about the hostility some people show when they disagree. I see it on this page too. Some interactions in the comments section sadden me, especially from those who profess to follow Yeshua.

You are welcome to disagree with me. Bring Scripture, question my interpretation, and show me where you believe I'm mistaken. I try to respond to as many opposing comments as I can, though I can't answer everyone. But profanity, personal insults and remarks like "Have you even read your Bible?" or "You don't have the Spirit, or you'd understand" are not acceptable when used to belittle someone.

James 3:9–10 warns about blessing God with our tongue while cursing people made in His likeness. And 2 Timothy 2:24–25 tells us that the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome, but should correct opponents with gentleness. You may think you're speaking up for God, but if you're insulting someone in His name, whose honour are you defending? Would you speak that way to an atheist who questioned your faith? I hope not.

I don't always respond to abusive comments anymore. I remove them and, when necessary, block the person. Disagreement is welcome here. Abuse isn't.

Also, some of you keep returning with arguments we've already discussed many times. If we've each made our case and nothing new is being offered, what do you hope to achieve by starting the same debate again? I cannot keep repeating the same conversations indefinitely.

I don't always get my words right either. That's partly why I use AI to help me express myself without sounding too aggressive or emotional. I need to be mindful of how I speak, too.

My point is: If we claim to follow Yeshua, surely the way we communicate with others, including those who strongly disagree with us, matters.

Every October I hear believers explain why they take part in Halloween. Some churches even host events (like Trunk or Tr...
21/10/2026

Every October I hear believers explain why they take part in Halloween. Some churches even host events (like Trunk or Treat). Some families decorate their homes, hand out gospel tracks and/or take their children trick-or-treating, saying it's a chance to connect with neighbours. Others tell me it's harmless fun. And then comes the familiar line: “Jesus has already won. Why let darkness have the night?”

Yes, Yeshua has triumphed over the powers of darkness (Col 2:15). But how does that become a reason to join in? We can love our neighbours, welcome them and share the gospel on 31 October without celebrating Halloween ourselves.

Yehovah said He set His people apart to be His (Lev 20:26). Peter repeats that call to holiness for those following Yeshua (1 Pet 1:15–16). Being set apart doesn't mean withdrawing from our neighbours. But surely it should make us consider what we choose to take part in, and what we're teaching our children to look forward to.

Yeshua called His followers the light of the world (Matt 5:14–16). We don't need Halloween costumes, decorations or church events to shine His light. And if the aim is to reach our neighbours, why does the celebration need to be part of it?

Some former occult practitioners have described taking part in Halloween rituals, including animal sacrifices, and now warn believers about the occasion. Their experiences aren't Scripture, but I don't think we should dismiss their warnings either. When a celebration is so closely associated with darkness, why are we so determined to give it a different appearance? If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, perhaps we should stop trying to dress it up as something else.

Something else bothers me. Families and churches can put so much effort into Halloween. How often do we put that same effort into sharing Yehovah's appointed times? Passover, Shavuot and Sukkot are days He gave us (Lev 23). They speak of His faithfulness and point to His work through Yeshua. Imagine inviting our neighbours to celebrate and explaining why these days matter to us.

I often hear Jam 2:10 quoted as a reason not to keep the Torah: “For whoever keeps the whole Torah but stumbles in one p...
20/10/2026

I often hear Jam 2:10 quoted as a reason not to keep the Torah: “For whoever keeps the whole Torah but stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all.”

But read what James is addressing. People were honouring the wealthy while treating the poor as less worthy. They could claim to love their neighbour and still show favouritism. James reminds them that breaking even one command makes us transgressors. He wasn’t telling believers to give up on obedience. Just two verses later, he tells them to speak and act according to the Torah that gives freedom (Jam 2:8–12).

And there’s something else we sometimes overlook. Not every command was given to every person in every circumstance.

Some instructions belong to the Levitical priests serving at the sanctuary (Num 18:1–7). There is no functioning Temple or Levitical sacrificial service today. Others are tied to the Land of Israel, such as letting its fields rest in the seventh year (Lev 25:2–7). Some concern childbirth, judges, kings, or situations we may never face.

Yehovah’s Torah included the sojourner (Num 15:15–16). Through Messiah, we are grafted into Israel’s olive tree (Rom 11)."

We shouldn't confuse a command that doesn't apply to us with one we simply don't want to obey.

Scripture also tells us that Yeshua offered Himself once for all. His sacrifice for sin does not need repeating (Heb 10:10–18). Ezekiel 40–48 describes offerings in a future temple, which I understand as part of Messiah’s coming reign, never as a replacement for what Yeshua accomplished.

So what can we do today? We can honour the Sabbath and Yehovah’s appointed times. Follow His instructions about food. Partake in God's Appointed times ("Feasts"). Deal honestly with people. Refuse favouritism. Show mercy when it costs us something.

None of this earns salvation. We are saved by grace through faith, and created in Messiah for good works (Eph 2:8–10). Yeshua Himself told us He did not come to abolish the Torah (Mat 5:17–19).

I don't keep everything perfectly. When I fall short, I need repentance and Yehovah’s mercy, just like anyone else.

But I don't want to use the commands I cannot carry out as an excuse to neglect the ones I can.

I often hear Acts 15 used to argue that believers from the nations were given only four commandments. But I keep coming ...
19/10/2026

I often hear Acts 15 used to argue that believers from the nations were given only four commandments. But I keep coming back to verse 21.

The dispute began with people teaching, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved” (Acts 15:1). Others insisted that these believers must be circumcised and commanded to keep the Torah (v.5). Peter answered that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Yeshua (v.11).

James then proposed four instructions: abstain from things polluted by idols, sexual immorality, what is strangled, and blood (v.20).

These instructions addressed practices associated with pagan worship and the lives many new believers were leaving behind. Some scholars connect all four to pagan religious practices, including temple worship. They also echo Leviticus 17–18, where Yehovah gave instructions to Israelites and foreigners living among them. The Council was addressing immediate concerns as people turned to the God of Israel.

But were these four now everything God expected? Could someone murder, steal, lie, or dishonour their parents because those commands weren't included? Of course not. The four were never an exhaustive list of right and wrong.

Then James says: “For Moses from ancient generations has had in every city those who proclaim him, since he is read in all the synagogues every Shabbat” (Acts 15:21, TLV).

Why would James mention Moses being read every Shabbat if those four instructions were all these believers would ever need to know?

I believe James expected these new believers to hear Moses read in the synagogues each Shabbat, learning Yehovah's instructions and how to put them into practice. They weren't expected to understand everything from the beginning. The four requirements dealt with immediate concerns. They were a starting point for discipleship, not the sum of everything God would ever expect of them.

When the Council later says it would place no greater burden on them (vv.28–29), I understand that in the context of what was required of these new believers at that time. It doesn't follow that they would never need to learn or practise anything else.

This is how I seek to live today. Every Shabbat, we gather to read and study the Torah, asking how Yehovah's instructions apply to our lives. There is always more to learn.

We are saved through Yeshua by grace, not by earning salvation through commandment-keeping. But grace doesn't bring discipleship to an end.

I cannot read Acts 15 as permission to close the Torah and never open it again.

Every time Halloween approaches, someone asks what could possibly be wrong with children dressing up and collecting swee...
17/10/2026

Every time Halloween approaches, someone asks what could possibly be wrong with children dressing up and collecting sweets. I understand the question. Many families celebrating Halloween aren't trying to contact the dead or practise witchcraft. They're following a tradition they grew up with.

But that doesn't settle the matter for me.

Halloween's history includes the Celtic festival of Samhain, later Christian customs concerning the dead, and the modern celebration we see today. Whatever people believe about its origins, look at what surrounds it now: witches, ghosts, demons, spells, and the fascination with fear and death. Things Scripture treats seriously have become entertainment.

Yehovah warned His people not to imitate the nations' practices of divination, sorcery or consulting the dead (Deuteronomy 18:9–14). Paul tells us, “Take no part in the fruitless deeds of darkness” (Ephesians 5:11, TLV).

Giving a child sweets is not sorcery. Wearing a costume is not the same as calling on spirits. But why would I willingly take part in a celebration that turns these dark themes into something enjoyable and amusing?

Some churches offer “Trunk or Treat” instead, hoping to provide a safe, friendly evening for children. I can appreciate the intention. Still, holding it in a church car park doesn't answer my question: why do we need to mark Halloween in the first place?

Our children notice what we celebrate. Over time, those choices shape what seems normal to them.

Yehovah has given us His own appointed times (Leviticus 23). They remind us of His faithfulness and point us to His work through His Son, Yeshua, both what He has already accomplished and what is still to come. These are the celebrations I want my family to know and cherish. Why would I exchange them for a day so closely associated with darkness?

Joshua's words remain a challenge to me: “As for me and my house, we will serve Yehovah” (Joshua 24:15).

For our household, that includes saying no to Halloween.

This week, I farewelled my neighbour and dear friend. His passing was unexpected. It still feels strange knowing we will...
16/10/2026

This week, I farewelled my neighbour and dear friend. His passing was unexpected. It still feels strange knowing we will no longer see him just outside or stop for one of our familiar chats. Nearly 300 people attended his funeral. Seeing that room full of people spoke of how deeply he was loved and how many lives he had touched.

We live in a court, and I am grateful for the friendships we have here. His wife is our friend too, along with other neighbours who have become part of our lives. This week reminded me how much those friendships actually matter.

My wider circle has become smaller since we stopped attending Sunday church. Many connections faded, and Covid did not help. I have grown comfortable with a quieter life, and through these years I have drawn closer to Yehovah. But sitting at my friend’s funeral, I was reminded how much there is to cherish right here, among the people He has placed around us.

It made me want to be more present. To stop for the conversation, even when I have something waiting inside. To make the invitation instead of just thinking about it. And to keep checking in when the funeral is over and everyone else has returned to their routines.

As Shabbat approaches, I am thankful that Yehovah has given us time to stop. “Remember Yom Shabbat, to keep it holy” (Exodus 20:8). The work waits. We can turn our attention to Him and give the people beside us a little more of ourselves.

“Love your neighbour as yourself” (Leviticus 19:18) feels especially close to home this week. I think of my friend’s wife, whose days now look so different, and of the friendship we still have with her.

This Shabbat, I am grateful for the years we shared with him. I wish there had been more. And I am grateful for the people still close enough to knock on our door, or for us to knock on theirs.

If you are sharing a table with someone this Shabbat, enjoy their company. Stay a little longer over the meal. Let the conversation wander. So much of what we treasure later happens in moments that feel quite ordinary at the time.

Shabbat Shalom, friends. May Yehovah give you rest and sweet time with those you love.

Paul reminds Timothy that the sacred writings he has known from childhood can make him wise for salvation through faith ...
13/10/2026

Paul reminds Timothy that the sacred writings he has known from childhood can make him wise for salvation through faith in Messiah Yeshua. He then says all Scripture is God-breathed and useful for teaching, reproof, correction and training in righteousness, equipping God’s people for every good work (2 Tim 3:15–17).

When Paul wrote that, there was no completed New Testament collection. The sacred writings Timothy had known from childhood were Israel’s Scriptures: the Torah, the Prophets and the Writings.

Notice what Paul says those Scriptures are able to do. Not WERE able. ARE able.

They lead us toward salvation through faith in Messiah. The Torah does not save us. Salvation is God’s gift, received through faith. But those Scriptures point us to Messiah and teach us what a life of faith looks like.

That should not surprise us. When Yeshua said, “It is written,” He appealed to those same Scriptures. He taught from them, lived faithfully by them and explained how they testified about Him (Luke 24:27, 44).

And Paul says they continue to teach, correct and train believers in righteousness.

How does that fit with treating Torah as though it has nothing to say about how we live?

God’s instruction teaches us to honour our parents, deal honestly, care for the vulnerable and distinguish what is holy. It exposes sin and calls us to love God and our neighbour through the choices we make.

We need to read those instructions in context, understanding whom they address and how they apply. But we cannot dismiss them as irrelevant while affirming Paul’s words about their continuing purpose.

Messiah belongs at the centre of that reading. He is the One those Scriptures point to. Yehovah promises to write His Torah on His people’s hearts in the New Covenant (Jer 31:31–34). He also promises to put His Spirit within them and move them to walk in His statutes (Ezek 36:26–27).

The more I read the whole Bible together, the harder it becomes to separate Messiah from the Scriptures that prepared the way for Him.

The Scriptures Yeshua taught from still teach, reprove, correct and train His followers in righteousness. They still have something to say about our walk with God.

When we read that someone “walked with God,” we can pass over those words without stopping to think about them. But they...
12/10/2026

When we read that someone “walked with God,” we can pass over those words without stopping to think about them. But they say something about the life that person lived.

The Hebrew verb halakh (הלך) means to go or walk. It can describe ordinary movement. It is also used to describe how someone lives. In those passages, our “walk” is our manner of life. The choices we make. The path we keep taking.

When Yehovah tells Abraham to walk before Him and be blameless (Gen 17:1), He is calling Abraham to live faithfully in His presence. Abraham was counted righteous by faith (Gen 15:6), and YHVH later says he “kept My charge, My mitzvot, My decrees, and My instructions” (Gen 26:5). His faith showed itself in how he lived. That reaches into the parts of life nobody else sees.

And when He speaks of walking in His statutes, the verse itself explains what that means: keeping His commandments and doing them (Lev 26:3). We can read His instructions, agree with them, even defend them in a comment thread. Walking means they become part of how we live.

That makes these words from John very personal: “whoever claims to abide in Him must walk just as He walked.” (1 Jn 2:6)

How did Yeshua walk? He obeyed His Father. He kept the Sabbath, and when people challenged Him, He showed that doing good belonged on that day (Mat 12:9–13). He had compassion for people others pushed aside. He spoke the truth even when it cost Him.

Yeshua was Jewish. Most of us have no Jewish ancestry, but through Him we are fellow citizens with God’s people (Eph 2:19). The call to walk as He walked gives no exemption based on ancestry. His obedience to the Father is our example too.

We cannot reduce His walk to the parts that suit us. His mercy matters. So does His obedience. In the verses just before this, John connects knowing Him with keeping His commandments (1 Jn 2:3–5).

I find that searching. I can speak about following Yeshua while holding on to a habit I know I need to surrender. I can defend Torah and still speak harshly to someone made in God’s image. My walk includes what I do after I put the phone down.

I don’t always walk faithfully. I often stumble, and I still have much to learn. But John reminds us that we have an Advocate with the Father, Yeshua the Messiah (1 Jn 2:1). When I fall, I can confess my sin, receive His forgiveness, and keep learning to walk as He walked.

So when Scripture calls us to walk with God, it reaches beyond what we say we believe.

Where are my feet taking me?

Address

Melbourne, VIC

Website

, ,

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when HumbleDisciple posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Place Of Worship

Send a message to HumbleDisciple:

Shortcuts

Share

Category