TNN Online: Bible Study

In an effort to expand our outreach to the masses who are searching for and needing Messianic instruction, we are now offering online Bible studies, delivered by TNN Online editor J.K. McKee. Every Wednesday a new teaching which deals with pertinent topics for today’s Messianic Believers will be presented. For the most part, these studies will be focusing on specific books of the Bible, but may from time to time deal with critical subjects as well.

The online Bible studies are all pre-recorded and quite easy to access as MP3 files. This is much easier than having to log in at a preset time into PalTalk. These MP3 files can be listened to from your computer, or downloaded to an MP3 player or compatible CD player.

Click on the following links below to access the audio teachings.

If you have been blessed by the TNN Online Bible Studies, please support this ministry outreach. An incredible amount of time and study goes into the timely production of these broadcasts. It is only by your continued financial support and offerings that Outreach Israel Ministries can continue to offer this free service to thousands all over the world.

Starting 04 November 2009:
Acts 15 Bible Study

There is some shifting going on in today’s Messianic world as it concerns the unity that Jewish and non-Jewish Believers are to experience in Messiah Yeshua, and whether or not non-Jewish Believers are really called to obey God’s Torah. Much of this controversy is not based in an objective, historically conscious reading of the Scriptures—but instead in shifting ministerial alliances and religious politicking. The answer is not going to be found in evaluating who-said-what, but will be found in going to the Biblical text and in accurately evaluating what the trajectory of God’s Word is.

Around two decades after the ascension of Yeshua into Heaven, the message of salvation began being spread to the Mediterranean world outside the Land of Israel, and many from the nations eagerly embraced it. Was this just a bi-product of the message going to the Jewish people in the Diaspora, or was it the Father’s Divine plan? What was to take place with the new, non-Jewish Believers? Did they have to be circumcised and become Jewish proselytes? Or were all of the Believers, regardless of their ethnicity, to come together in a new environment rooted in the completed work of God’s Son? The Jerusalem Council of Acts 15 assembled to consider these issues, and fairly ruled on what was to be done.

Too many of today’s Messianics refer to Acts 15 without a great deal of consideration for the context of the events as they took place in the First Century C.E. We often assume things that we should not assume, and we overlook things that we should not be overlooking. This study will critically examine Acts 15 in detail, be engaged with current Acts scholarship, and will also try to properly compare and contrast the ancient setting of the Jerusalem Council with some of what we see going on in the emerging Messianic movement today and how we can learn from these things.

Each audio file is available as a downloadable MP3 file, and can be easily played with Real Audio Player, Windows Media Player, Apple QuickTime Media Player, or comparable computer program.

TNN ONLINE WEDNESDAY NIGHT BIBLE STUDY NOW ON iTUNES!

You can now have our weekly studies downloaded automatically to iTunes on your computer or iPod.

Simply log in to the iTunes Store, and search for TNN Online. You can subscribe to our weekly podcast, and periodically receive archived teachings from the start of our program in August 2005.

27 JANUARY, 2010
YouTube: Acts 15 Concluding Thoughts

20 JANUARY, 2010
The Jerusalem Council and Today's Messianic Movement

13 JANUARY, 2010
Implementation of the Apostolic Decree - Part 3

06 JANUARY, 2010
Implementation of the Apostolic Decree - Part 2

30 DECEMBER, 2009
Implementation of the Apostolic Decree - Part 1

23 DECEMBER, 2009
Acts 15:22-35

16 DECEMBER, 2009
YouTube: Acts 15 Midstudy Thoughts

09 DECEMBER, 2009
Acts 15:19-21

02 DECEMBER, 2009
Acts 15:10-18

25 NOVEMBER, 2009
Acts 15:1-9

18 NOVEMBER, 2009
Introduction to Acts 15 - Part 2

YouTube: Acts 15 Opening Thoughts

11 NOVEMBER, 2009
Introduction to Acts 15 - Part 1

04 NOVEMBER, 2009
Survey of Acts

Acts 15 (RSV, NASU, NIV, LITV, CJB) - PDF

28 OCTOBER, 2009
The Message of Galatians

21 OCTOBER, 2009
What Are "Works of the Law"?

EPHESIANS FOR THE PRACTICAL MESSIANIC
© 2008 TNN Press

The Epistle of Ephesians is a letter that contains a very important message for the people of God, who are to be encouraged in accomplishing His mission for the world. Yeshua the Messiah is portrayed as exalted above the cosmos, with His resurrection power being accessible to all Believers. God’s people have been selected by Him to be holy, corporately composing a Temple in which His presence can dwell. By the sacrificial work of the cross, Jewish and non-Jewish followers of the Messiah are to be united together as a “one new humanity”—the mystery of the gospel! All are to serve one another in the Body of Messiah in mutual submission, as Yeshua’s thoughts and mindset nourish the whole ekklēsia. People are encouraged to emulate God in their behavior, living distinctively different lives from those around them.

In varying degrees, Ephesians has often been highly valued by today’s Messianic movement because of its emphasis of Jewish and non-Jewish Believers being a part of the Commonwealth of Israel. It does speak of the unity that we are to all have in the Lord, as a testament to the grander redemption of Creation that will come in the eschaton. But while Ephesians is a text that we often turn to, Messianics are often not aware of the more detailed issues surrounding this letter present in contemporary scholarship. Were the “Ephesians” the only audience who received the letter, or was this a general epistle written to Believers in Asia Minor? Did the Apostle Paul really write Ephesians, or was it written by a second generation Believer in his name? What is the specific debate surrounding the dividing wall that has been abolished by the cross—is the wall abolished really the Torah of Moses in its entirety or could it be something else? Are husbands the head/authority of their wives or the head/source of their wives? How interconnected is the composition of Ephesians with the composition of Colossians?

In the commentary Ephesians for the Practical Messianic, TNN Online editor J.K. McKee addresses the known and unknown questions that this important letter asks us as Messianic Believers. A large Jewish and Greco-Roman Mediterranean background is considered of the issues. Careful and detailed attention has been given to the opinions present today surrounding the dividing wall, and complimentarian and egalitarian views of the household codes. References to Tanach (Old Testament) concepts in the author’s words are considered, along with careful consideration for how Ephesians challenges us as a faith community trying to achieve our Father’s objectives. Poignant questions as to how we can be molded into a mature people are asked for today’s season of Messianic uncertainty.

Click here to read the Table of Contents and excerpts from Ephesians for the Practical Messianic (PDF)

163 pages
spiral bound

Volume V of the Pauline Epistles

GALATIANS FOR THE PRACTICAL MESSIANIC
© 2007 TNN Press

Paul's Epistle to the Galatians is easily the most difficult to understand text for Messianic Believers today. Galatians has been historically interpreted by Christianity as delivering Believers a choice between God's Law and God's grace. Those who choose any obedience to the Law, according to this view of Paul, are unfaithful to the Messiah and the saving power of the gospel. Supposedly, Paul was desperately concerned for anyone who was trying to keep the Torah of Moses. Consequently, Galatians is a frequently-quoted text to today's Messianic Believers, most of whom are trying to live a life of holiness by obeying God's Torah in accordance with the example of obedience modeled to us by Yeshua.

Understanding Galatians in its original context, for its original audience, and for the original issues that it addressed is a severe challenge. Was the issue that the Galatians faced forced circumcision, followed by salvation―or was the issue ritual proselyte conversion for inclusion among God's people? Likewise, who were the people errantly influencing the Galatians? Were they authorized members of the assembly, or misguided outsiders with a definitive agenda?

In the commentary Galatians for the Practical Messianic, TNN Online editor J.K. McKee takes a direct look at the issues of Paul's letter as he rebukes the Galatians for errors that have crept into their congregations. Engaging with contemporary Christian scholarship on Galatians, critical questions regarding common conclusions of Paul's words are asked. Are Paul and Yeshua truly at odds when it comes to the Torah? Were the Jerusalem leaders and Paul at constant odds with one another? How does Paul's progressive Pharisaism of the Diaspora compare to the more conservative Pharisaism of Jerusalem? What were the spiritual dynamics present in Galatia? What does the term "works of law" really mean? These are only a few of the questions that are considered. Likewise, current proposals from the New Perspective of Paul in theological studies are also analyzed.

The Epistle to the Galatians gives us a small peek into the world of the early ekklēsia, and the social dynamics and divisions between Jewish and non-Jewish Believers that had to be resolved. Many of the issues that the Jerusalem Council of Acts 15 would address had yet to be discussed. Many did not understand the Abrahamic blessing of his seed being a blessing to the whole world. Many thought that inclusion among God's people came via ethnicity, rather than faith. Many did not know the proper place of obedience to the Torah. Paul's letter set in motion the need for these issues to be addressed by the First Century faith community.

This commentary will aid many Messianic Believers who have difficulty with Paul's letter to the Galatians. It also provides solid, exegetical answers to those who are skeptical, if not critical, of today's Messianic movement.

Also included in this commentary is an exposition on Acts 13:13-14:28: Paul’s visit to Southern Galatia.

Click here to read some excerpts from Galatians for the Practical Messianic commentary (PDF)

193 pages
spiral bound

Volume IV of the Pauline Epistles

PHILIPPIANS FOR THE PRACTICAL MESSIANIC
© 2007 TNN Press

The letter of Paul to the Philippians is a frequently overlooked and disregarded text in the Bible by today’s Messianic community—yet it speaks so profoundly to where we presently are and the issues we are dealing, or will deal with in the near future. Perhaps with the most Roman character of any other book of the Apostolic Scriptures (New Testament), save Paul’s letter to the Romans, Philippians invites us into a community of First Century Believers on their own in the Roman colony of Philippi. These people are surrounded by neighbors who are hostile to both Judaism and the gospel message of Messiah Yeshua. They number only in the few, but the Apostle Paul is able to consider them his close and affectionate friends, and seldom has a negative word for them. The Philippians are generous to his ministry work, and Paul has strong feelings for their well-being and calling in the Lord.

The Epistle to the Philippians presents us with many theological and social questions that cannot be avoided by anyone who reads it. Above all things, the Apostle Paul places Yeshua the Messiah at the center of his life, and urges his Philippian brothers and sisters to do the same. He urges the Philippians to be kind, generous, and be a light to their pagan neighbors. He urges them to show humility and to be about the supreme service of the gospel, even unto death. He urges unity in the assembly, and that all demonstrate God’s love to others. He affirms the mystery of both the Divinity and humanity of Yeshua. Paul also recognizes the value of women in the local congregation, and how God will raise them up when there are no men. For the modern Messianic, Philippians shows us how small fellowships and congregations on their own should function, in addition to the huge questions of how we can have a global vision that recognizes the virtues of other ethnicities and cultures, while still maintaining an Hebraic view of the Scriptures and God’s mission.

In the commentary Philippians for the Practical Messianic, TNN Online editor J.K. McKee addresses many of the avoided issues that this text asks Messianic Believers. He takes into account the First Century Jewish and Roman background of Paul’s letter. He also considers the large amount of intertexual references that Philippians makes to the Tanach (Old Testament), deeply embedded in Paul’s vocabulary and mannerisms. Most importantly, he considers the centrality of Yeshua for Paul, and how all human achievements pale in comparison to who He should be for us as born again Believers who have experienced His transforming power.

Also included in this commentary is an exposition on Acts 16:6-40: Paul’s visit to Philippi.

The Epistle to the Hebrews is one of the most overlooked texts in the entire Bible, and is greatly unappreciated by many in the Messianic movement. A profoundly spiritual and intellectual masterpiece, the theme of this treatise is undeniably the Messiah Yeshua, and His supremacy over all. The author engages his audience by describing Yeshua as the Creator, being superior to angels, Moses, Joshua, and as mediator of the New Covenant. The author comes to these conclusions using some very unique ways, employing First Century rhetoric and literary devices that often evade your average reader.

The Epistle to the Hebrews asks First Century questions for a First Century audience. The Jewish revolt in the Land of Israel was just getting started, and the Temple was on the verge of being destroyed. Many Jews from all over the Mediterranean world--who had received Yeshua into their lives--did not know what to do. Was this the end of their faith? Many were at the point of denying the Lord. The author of Hebrews, employing carefully constructed and Scripturally-based arguments, advocates that to not heed the warnings of the past brought Israel extreme judgment--and to deny the Messiah would bring even worse judgment. The bulk of his arguments are deeply rooted in the Jewish theology of the First Century that we see attested to in a variety of sources such as the Septuagint, the Apocrypha, the Pseudepigrapha, the Dead Sea Scrolls, Josephus, Philo, and traditions later recorded in the Mishnah and Talmud.

In the commentary Hebrews for the Practical Messianic, TNN Online editor J.K. McKee tackles some of the difficult hermeneutical questions that are asked when we consider this text for today. Hebrews asks ancient questions that had to be answered by an ancient audience: Hebrews has background issues that cannot be answered solely by a surface reading of the text. Who wrote Hebrews? When was it written? How broad was its original audience? These are some of the many questions that surround Hebrews. The Twenty-First Century questions that Hebrews asks are difficult for many Messianics to consider: What should the role of the Greek Septuagint be in our theology? Do we ever make the mistake of uplifting the Torah over Yeshua? How do we maintain a high regard for Moses, but understand that Yeshua is superior?

In a very thorough and meticulous way, the issues of Hebrews are addressed fairly and scholastically. We need to understand who Yeshua is to us, who Moses is to us, what the New Covenant is to us, and how we should never lose sight of our saving faith in Him. You will see that the Epistle to the Hebrews is a truly inspired and profound text.

Does the New Testament Really Do Away With the Law?

The New Testament Validates Torah is a study that we all need. We as Messianic Believers know that we should follow the Torah or the Law of Moses, and that Yeshua the Messiah did not come to abolish or do away with it. Yet, many of us cannot respond to arguments made by Christian theologians and pastors from the Apostolic Scriptures (New Testament) which supposedly prove that the Law has been "done away." The New Testament Validates Torah answers the so-called Scriptural claims against Torah obedience in a fair-minded and scholarly way.

TNN Online editor J.K. McKee addresses many of the claims given as why we should honor the Torah. He addresses how the words of Yeshua are final in relation to how we handle other New Testament Scriptures that address the Law of Moses. He addresses claims such as "we're not under the Law," "Christ is the end of the Law," "all things are lawful," and "He abolished the Law of commandments contained in ordinances," placing these Scriptures in their proper Biblical context, and when necessary demonstrating where translation errors from Greek into English have occurred.

The New Testament Validates Torah is an apologetic study that all Messianic Believers need. It emphasizes the need for us to know what we believe, and above all be the testimony of a positive spiritual change to Christians who do not understand our convictions.

“The Validity of the Torah and Its Practical Life Applications”

Torah In the Balance, Volume I is a desperately needed book, as it addresses many of the important aspects of God’s Torah for today’s emerging Messianic community. Subjects addressed include: why Believers need the Torah, the foundational importance of the Ten Commandments, the Biblical appointments and various human replacements for them, and the validity of the dietary commandments. While Messianic positions of these issues often clash with those of evangelical Christianity today, they are considered in a fair and reasonable manner that encourages positive dialogue and solutions. A great deal of scholastic engagement and support is offered for a positive view of these aspects of faith on the part of today’s Believers.

This book will prove to be very important as it emphasizes the importance of the Messianic lifestyle, and those struggling to demonstrate it properly in today’s world. It encourages understanding and grace between Messianic Believers who differ on the life application of God’s Torah, and between Messianics and Christians who may not presently see eye-to-eye on the Torah’s place in the life of a follower of God. Torah In the Balance, Volume I is an important addition to any Messianic library, and should be read by those desiring not only a comprehensive understanding regarding what the Lord is doing in this hour, but the great responsibility we have been endowed by Him. And with everything, the transforming power of God’s love is emphasized above all! This resource encourages growth and maturity on the part of all His people.

236 pages
spiral bound

The letter of James the Just, the half-brother of Messiah Yeshua, is not without its controversy. Often considered to have the most Jewish character of among all the books of the Apostolic Scriptures (New Testament), James' epistle sits between two extremes: those who deny his message, and those who give his message weight that it was never intended to have. James' letter has a distinctive emphasis on the works of the individual, and many have viewed what he has to say as in fact annulling the grace of God. Some have denied James' place in the Biblical canon, and others have forgotten who James was as a humble, kind, and patient servant of the Lord.

James' epistle has a universal moral message for all mankind, and especially the Messianic community today. Written at the beginning of our Messianic faith, Yeshua's half-brother was observing some of the controversies and issues creeping in as the gospel message went beyond the Land of Israel. With non-Jews being included in the assembly, some were causing discord and forgetting the ethics that God requires of us to have in the Torah. When you add to this the persecutions that the early Believers faced, coupled with the fact that corrupt rich people were being shown favor in the assembly, you have a letter that deals with practical faith and holy living.

In the commentary James for the Practical Messianic, TNN Online editor J.K. McKee addresses what we need to learn as Messianic Believers today from James' epistle. He takes into account the distinct Jewish character of James, cross referencing James' writing with the Torah and Tanach, the wisdom literature of the Apocrypha, Josephus, Philo, and the Mishnah and Talmud. He also considers the First Century history behind James' letter, and parallels that exist between James and the writings of First Century Greek and Roman moralists, with whom his broad audience would have been familiar. Most importantly, the various theological opinions that have existed over the centuries regarding James are addressed, as are some of the current scholastic trends in Jamean studies, enriching the diligent student who is looking for a distinctive Messianic perspective on this letter.

90 pages

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