New Life Apostolic Congregation

05/27/2025

Come study the word with us!

05/27/2025

Today, we pause to thank those who served — and especially those who gave everything.

05/27/2025

Memorial Day is a solemn day of remembrance for those who live in the United States. On this day, we remember those who paid the ultimate price in service to their country and thank God for their selfless devotion.

05/27/2025

A tribute to our Fallen Soldiers who fought for our freedom. I put these pictures together so that we may not forget those left behind.

05/25/2025

05/25/2025

We've been taught that Paul was telling the Colossians to not let anyone judge them for not keeping the Sabbath or the Feast Days, but that makes no sense! Colossians wasn't written to a group of Jews leaving their culture and customs behind in a new relationship with their Messiah. Colossians was written to a group of gentiles, and if it was written to a group of gentile believers, why was the apostle comforting them about those that would disagree with them leaving the Sabbath and Feast Days? Gentiles have no such customs! They kept the pagan holy days that have become Christmas and Easter (among others).
The apostle Paul was telling these new followers of Messiah to not let the people around them keep them from keeping the Sabbath! Not to let them keep them from keeping the Feast Days. They weren't walking away from customs and being criticized for it, they were walking into the Master's Calendar!

05/25/2025

Very good!!!

05/25/2025

Shavuot 2025: Faithfulness to a Marriage Covenant
Shavuot is upon us! It was the day when God gave the Torah to his people on Mount Sinai, then later poured his Holy Spirit out on his people. One Shavuot has a physical focus, the other a spiritual one. Shavuot connects us to an incredible event where a covenant was made with the Creator to follow his word. The sages affirm that Torah was not just given to the generation at Mt Sinai, but that each successive generation of people should understand that they also personally received it and are responsible for it as well.

Shavuot is thought of as being a wedding ceremony where the cloud was a chuppah (wedding tent) and the Torah was the ketubah (marriage document). In this thinking, Passover and the deliverance from Egypt was the courtship where Israel (the bride) was eventually taken and brought to Sinai, then entered into covenant with God. Some do not look at their relationship with God as a type of marriage, but it is (Eph 5:23-32). The symbolism of the wind, fire, and tongues in Acts 2 were all reminiscent of the original Shavuot. We can honestly say that we too have a share in this biblical and historical event.

Shavuot emphasizes our role in being faithful to the covenant. Obedience and submission to God are a part of our relationship with him and the Holy Spirit helps us in this process. The giving of the Holy Spirit in Acts 2 has several purposes in the life of the believer. The Holy Spirit guides (Jn 16:13), comforts (Jn 14:26), convicts (Jn 16:8-11, Acts 24:25), transforms (Ezek 36:26-27, Rom 8:26), empowers to be witnesses (Acts 1:8), and seals us (Eph 1:13).

The primary purpose of being baptized in the Holy Spirit is linked to helping us obey the scriptures, draw close to God, and help others draw close to God. In the Tanakh, God dwelt with his people and the focus of living for God was on behavior. In the Brit Chadeshah, God dwelled in his people and the focus of living for God was on uniting the heart and behavior in faith. This is one reason that this holiday is linked so closely with the word of God (see Ps 119:9-18, the word of God, cleansing, and righteousness are inseparable). Also, note that the believer is compared to a Temple (2 Cor 6:16-18) that the Spirit of God and will of God reside in.

The Spirit of God transforms us and helps our obedience in several ways. When we struggle with sin issues we don’t always know how to pray because we don’t know how to fix ourselves. The Holy Spirit helps us in our weaknesses and intercedes for us through our prayers (Rom 8:26). When we are God-minded and our focus is to be God-pleasing, we walk in the spirit and are less focused on the lusts of our flesh (Gal 5:16-17, Rom 8:1-17). Being God-minded is powerful because God strengthens our inner man (Eph 3:16) and helps us. This simple act of focus keeps a lot of temptation away.

Being God-minded begins as we first wake up and dedicate our first conscious moments to glorify God for our restoration. We can also add scriptures like Ps 119 (a Torah Psalm) to orient our hearts and sanctify our minds. Sometimes personal or scriptural affirmations like Deut 28 can help to edify and encourage our faith and reinforce what God has called us to be. Having a morning worship routine is like spiritually getting dressed. It prepares us and arms us with purpose and intention for the day. Ending the day in prayer helps us unwind from the challenges of the day and let go of unforgiveness and grudge-holding. The Bedtime Shema (especially one set to music), a dramatized Psalm, or simple prayer is a great way to end the day and unload the bad baggage so that we can find peace in our rest and commit ourselves to God before retiring. Morning and evening prayer can help us avoid temptation by maintaining a strong spiritual foundation.

Temptations have to be endured but can be a source of joy because of what those temptations lead us to in terms of strong character (James 1:2-5). Much of our sanctification is based on how we make choices and stay focused while being tempted. Temptation is not sin. Satisfying carnal desires in an ungodly way is. Being godly is a continual choice between the Tree of Life and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. We always get to choose what fruit we consume.

Sometimes to avoid temptation we have to be alert to its presence (Mark 14:37-38). Many times, we do not see strong emotions like anger, depression, or fear as being temptations. We tend to look at emotions like lust and envy in a different light. The enemy uses our emotions as a lure to our weaknesses (James 1:12-16). The Spirit of God helps us identify and take authority over this type of oppression of the mind so that we are not in bo***ge to it. Avoiding temptation is often a matter of following the leading of God in our daily activities (Matt 6:9-15, Rom 8:12-15). Avoidance may come in the form of abstaining from something for a period of time. It may also come when we change habits and choose to respond to things differently. Sometimes avoiding temptation is a matter of learning, discipline, and being mature enough in the word to continue dealing with our weaknesses and thus build strength. Some of our greatest spiritual advances come on the heels of recovering from a failure (Prov 24:16).

Scripture has other admonitions to help us. In 1 Cor 6:18-20, we are commanded to flee fornication (run from it). In James 4:7, we are commanded to resist the devil. Through it all God orchestrates our relationship with him and will only allow the temptations he has ordained for our growth (1Cor 10:13). Because Yeshua endured temptation and did not sin, we can come boldly before God and find strength, forgiveness, and grace (Heb 4:13-16).

Transformation (a change in emotions, thinking, desire, and behavior) is a work of the Spirit. Struggles with sin are commonplace in the life of the believer. When we stop fighting our carnal desires with our carnal man we can make progress through the Spirit. We are reliant on God for our sanctification and long-term change. When we learn to partner with him in faith, we will have the grace we need to walk in righteousness (Matt 5:6) and be the bride he created his people to be.

Traditions on Shavuot that can be done in the home:
Consume dairy and cheese (SoS 4:11). This is a great time to have an ice cream/cheesecake party, build pillow and blanket forts. Find a Ten Commandments worship song on YouTube, break out the worship flags and work off some of that sugar.

Make challot in the shape of the Ten Commandments. Some place a braided ladder on the bread to represent the seven heavens Moses passed through to receive the Torah.

Stay up all night, or most of it to study Torah and pray (Tikkun Leil Shavuot). Some Jews dedicate this night to studying the Ten Commandments, reading Torah Psalms, and other scriptures. This is also a good time to begin the children's study of God's word (if they are in the 3-5 year range). If there are children in your home, this is a good time water their interest in scripture.

Read the Book of Ruth (or better, make a play out if it).

If you cannot attend a synagogue personally, find a Shavuot service online.

The second day of Shavuot, many memorialize their departed loved ones (Yizkor memorial prayer and visiting graves).

Rav Calev
Apostolic Messianic International

05/25/2025

www.4keys.info

05/25/2025

The ever-popular WWJD is an echo of 1 John 2:6 that says if we abide in Jesus then we will walk as He walked.

Christians all over the world pose the question for all sorts of situations.

Someone cut you off in traffic? What would Jesus do?

Your best friend says something awful to you? What would Jesus do?

Tempted to do something you shouldn't? What would Jesus do?

The problem is, most don't want to face the fact that this means EVERYTHING - even the stuff that you don't like or isn't comfortable.

They choose to worship a Jesus that has a "have it your way" mentality.

But that isn't the real Jesus.

Jesus is not Burger King.
He is THE KING.

And it's HIS way that matters - even the parts that require you to crucify your flesh or make sacrifices or are just not comfortable for you.

And He clearly explained HIS WAY in HIS WORD. He told us how to worship and honor Him.

If you want to walk in the true WWJD attitude, then do it - but do it RIGHT, Do it ALL.

Keeping the Sabbath and Feast Days is non-negotiable.

God commanded it.
Jesus did it.
And if we are truly walking as He walked then we will too.
Stephanie Marshall Mayberry
----------------------------------

05/25/2025

Dear Friends,

We want to thank you for partnering with us to restore the Biblical Calendar, and let you know that we’re planning on looking for the crescent moon from Israel, this coming Wednesday evening, 28 May 2025.

To remind you, the Biblical Calendar is a luni-solar calendar (Gen 1:14), with the months beginning when the crescent moon becomes visible (the sign), after conjunction. As it’s written, “the moon is for moadim (appointed times), and the sun knows when to set” (Ps 104:19). Presumably referring to the fact that there needs to be enough time between sunset and moonset (i.e. the horizon needs to get dark enough), in order to be able to spot the crescent moon with the naked eye. And this is also why the Hebrew word for month is “chodesh”, whose root means “new”, as the moon is seen “anew” at the beginning of the Biblical Month (Psalm 81:4[3], Ezekiel 46:1).

From our perspective on earth, it takes an average of 29.5 days for the moon to complete its lunation. In other words, whether the moon will be visible at the end of the 29th day of the Biblical Month, depends on how close the moon is to the sun, and how much atmospheric obstruction is on the horizon that evening.

This month, the moon will still be too close to the sun, for it to be visible by the naked eye at the end of the 29th day, therefore we will try and witness the crescent moon, at the end of the 30th day.

And remember, the Biblical Calendar must be set according to the signs (Gen 1:14) in the Land of Israel (Dt 6:1, Dt 11:8-9, Dt 30:5). Meaning, the Biblical Year begins with the barley becoming Aviv in Israel, and the Biblical Month begins with the crescent moon being spotted in Israel. It’s important to understand that the moadim (appointed times) are set holy days (Lev 23:4), to be observed as a nation not everyone celebrating on different days, depending on where they happen to be in the world.

Subscribe to our newsletter and social media platforms, to receive important information on the Biblical Calendar, as soon as we publish it. ➩ linktr.ee/devorahsdatetree

Send us any questions you may have regarding the Biblical Calendar, and we’ll do our best to try and answer them in a future newsletter. All of our answers are based on relevant Bible verses, what we’ve seen in the Land over the past few decades, and much study and prayer.

We could really use your prayers and support to carry out this important work. Contributions (Ex 25:2) can be made easily and in any currency via Paypal https://bit.ly/3QSSXZ2 (no need for an account), Patreon https://www.patreon.com/datetree , mailing a Check to Devorah’s Date Tree, POB 4263, Jerusalem 9104201, ISRAEL, or by sending a Wire Transfer (contact us for details in your currency). A receipt will be sent for all contributions.

Together we can restore the Biblical Calendar!

Devorah Gordon
Jerusalem, Israel

Copyright © 2017-2025 Devorah Gordon, All rights reserved.

Devorah's Date Tree (Judges 4:4-5) is committed to restoring the Biblical Calendar, by providing in-depth Bible Studies, reliable New Moon Observations, and honest Barley Inspections. This important effort is headed by Devorah Gordon, who has been living in Israel and working on restoring the Biblical Calendar, for over 25 years. We are honored that the information we share, is considered the most reliable source for keeping the Biblical Calendar, and a blessing to countless people around the world. Thank you for partnering with us to restore the Biblical Calendar.

05/25/2025

We are calling all Apostolic Messianic people near and far. AMI has just launched our Telegram Group. Telegram is a free messaging app you can download and use on your phone, computer, or tablet. The Bible does not call us to be isolated. It calls us to be unified as a community. So plug in and stay updated with AMI's latest news, prayer requests, and fellowship. Let us pray for one another and rejoice in each other’s victories. Come and join our growing network in the AMI Family and be a part of our Mishpocha!

What's on our Telegram?
A Family Forum where our members can communicate, joke, laugh, and pray for one another.

Posts of our complete weekly studies where we not only learn the Torah portion but track the holidays and even learn some Hebrew/Yiddish words and expressions.

Links to our interactive teaching and prayer services which are conducted live on Zoom.

Special events like our recently completed Shavuot Prayer 2024, where we prayed for the nations.

A Watchers section where we post articles and discussions about end-time prophecy.

An AMI Women's section where our Rebbetzin and women meet and pray.

A Yeshiva section where our Rabbis in training communicate, ask questions, and work through their studies.

A Rabbi section that is sometimes active until close to sunrise, as we discuss theology, messianic culture, and the Jewishness of everything.

Looking for a spiritual home? Come join us!
Message us on Facebook for the Telegram link.