If your life is not in jeopardy for what you
believe, you’re probably on the wrong side!
“Indeed, all who want
to live a godly life united with the Messiah Yeshua will be persecuted.” (2Tim 3:12)
It is what you actually believe that determines how you walk out your faith,
“but avoid stupid controversies, genealogies,
quarrels and fights about the Torah; because they are worthless and
futile.” (Titus 3:9)
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Please Note: Absolutely nothing on this website should be taken as anti-Church. I am not anti-anything or anyone. I am only pro-Torah and pro-Truth (see “Philosophy”), but sometimes the Truth upsets our long-held beliefs. I know it certainly upset mine! For example, see “Why Isn’t My Theology Consistent Throughout the Website?”
About the Author[1]
My
“diaspora” name is Rickard Leavitt Sawyer and my
shem
kodesh (Hebrew “religious” name) is Ari Levitt or ארו בנ-לוי, Ari ben-Levi.[2]
It has been my distinct privilege to have served as Professor of
Systematic Theology and Comparative Religion, Instructor in English
Grammar and Composition, Assistant Dean of Directed Individualized
Studies, and Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs at Spring
Valley Bible College and Seminary in Alameda, California. After that I served as
Professor of Systematic Theology and Comparative Religion, Academic Dean, and Vice President
for Academic Affairs at Golden State School of Theology in Oakland,
California, and
finally as Administrator, Chairman of Curriculum Development, and Cataloging Librarian
at Grace School of Theology and Ministry in Pleasant Hill,
California. I have also conducted numerous graduate and postgraduate courses and
seminars in Bible doctrine, church administration, comparative religion,
and the cults since 1983.
As for my education, I hold a Master of Arts (M.A.) in Biblical Studies, a Master of Theology (Th.M.) in Systematic Theology, a Doctor of Theology (Th.D.) in Cults and Comparative Religion, a Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.) in Bible College Administration and Curriculum Development, a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Business and Organizational Management, a Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) in Church Administration (all summa cum laude), an Associate of Arts in Criminal Justice (magna cum laude), and completed the didactic portion of a Doctor of Naturopathy (N.D.) program. (Some people collect stamps; I collect diplomas.) On October 28, 2022, I was accepted as a member of the Society for Post-Supersessionist Theology.
Since 1965 I have served in numerous congregational leadership positions at a variety of churches including Pastor, Associate Pastor, Youth Pastor, Teaching Elder, Director of Education, Church Chairman/Administrator, Deacon, Adult Education Chairman, and Christian Education Chairman, and founded Family Bible Church on February 1, 1997. I was credentialed as a Messianic Minister (MMin) by Messianic Bureau International in June of 2002 and currently serve as Founder and Resident Theologian of the Center for Messianic Learning.[3]
I have authored numerous briefs and papers on Christian and Messianic Jewish theology, church administration, world religions, the cults, and the occult (most of which are posted on this web site), as well as a church management handbook which has been used successfully by numerous churches as a guide to reorganization for increased effectiveness and efficiency of ministry. I have been an active Bible teacher in local congregations for over 50 years, and offered ministry consultation services from 1983 until 1994.
My Spiritual Journey
I have known Adonai Yeshua HaMashiach[4] as my personal Lord and Savior since 1953. I was five years old when I made my public confession of faith and was immersed.
In 1999 HaShemGN] laid it upon my heart to seek out my Jewish “roots,” as I am a physical descendant of Avraham, Yitzhak, and Ya'akov (Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob), my ancestral name (Levitt/Leavitt) suggesting probable relationship to the tribe of Levi. In the course of that quest the Holy Spirit led me to discover the Messianic Restoration Movement, a rapidly growing body of Jewish and non-Jewish believers in Yeshua HaMashiach who believe that God’s Elect, whether Jew or Gentile, living before or after “the Cross,” are all one in the Body of Yeshua, and are the true Commonwealth of Israel. [Much more detail about that journey HERE.]
This position is in conflict with the traditional Christian doctrine that “the Church” is separate and distinct from Israel, and consists of all believers in “Jesus Christ” from the Day of Pentecost until the Rapture. This traditional position is the one that I held and taught for over 40 years. However, the word “church” per se never actually appears in Scripture. I now believe that the word is actually an unfortunate translation error that has caused much of the rift between Jews and Gentiles for the past 1,800 years.[5]
The Messianic Restoration Movement
The overarching goal of the Messianic Restoration Movement is to reunite Jewish and Gentile believers in Yeshua HaMashiach into one Holy Family, and to offer to all who so desire, both Jew and non-Jew, the opportunity to return to the style of worship that was actually practiced by the Nazarene sect of Judaism, or “The Way” (Hebrew Ha Derek),[6] as the followers of Yeshua were called until well into the fourth century of the Common Era. It is our belief that true Biblical faith is properly best understood as a completed and “corrected” form of Judaism, and that “true Judaism” is that which recognizes King Yeshua HaMashiach as Israel’s Messiah. This makes perfect sense if one stops for just a moment to consider a few basic points:
- The entire collection of writings that we know as the Bible was written by Jews,
to Jews, in Jewish places, in the Jewish language, about a Jewish King.
- Yeshua ben Yosef, also known as HaMashiach, the Jewish Messiah (and erroneously called
“Jesus Christ” due to inadequate translation from Hebrew)
was a Torah-observant Jewish Rabbi. He was born into a Torah-observant Jewish
family, lived His entire life as a Jew, died and was buried a Jew, arose from
the grave as a Jew, ascended to the Father and a Jew, and will return as a Jew
to reign as King of the Jews.
- Yeshua taught that He had not come to destroy
Torah (the “Law” — another
unfortunate translation), but that Torah might be fulfilled. He also taught that
not one yod (the smallest letter in the Hebrew alphabet) or even a
tittle
(the decorative flourishes on some Hebrew letters) of the Torah would pass away.
- Until the end of the first century, the Nazarene sect or
Ha Derek, “the Way” (as the followers of Yeshua were originally called) was
almost exclusively Jewish, and remained predominately Jewish until
well into the second century. In fact, in the early years, prior to the Jerusalem
Council (Acts 15), one was required to convert to Judaism before one could
be accepted into the community of Believers in Messiah.
- During the Millennial Kingdom, Yeshua will rule the earth from His throne in
Jerusalem. The Temple will be rebuilt and Temple worship will be restored, along
with the Levitical sacrificial system. This would suggest that all worship in the
Kingdom may well be patterned after Temple worship. If we intend to be a part of
the Kingdom, does it not make sense to start practicing that form of worship
that Yeshua followed 2,000 years ago, and which He will probably institute in the
future Kingdom?
- It does not take much research to uncover a huge amount of paganism that has
been incorporated into “the Church” over the past two millennia. Once having become
enlightened to those pagan practices, is it appropriate for a Believer to continue
to observe and participate in those practices? Or is it better to reject those pagan
practices and return to following the Scriptures in preference to the traditions of men?
- Once we have discovered linguistic errors in the transmission of the Scriptures, does it
make sense to cling to those errors? [Such as the use of terms like “Jesus” and “Jehovah,”
both of which are grammatically impossible in the Hebrew or Aramaic languages, or
obvious translation errors like the words “church“ and “Holy Ghost.”]
- When we learn that modern “Christmas” is nothing more than a modified version of the
Roman festival of Saturnalia in honor of their pagan god Saturn, and that Yeshua was
actually born in the autumn
during the Feast of Tabernacles, with absolute certainty not on December 25, does
it make sense to continue observing what has become the most pagan holiday of the entire
year next to HaSatan’s high holy day, Halloween? Or when we have been taught that the modern
celebration of “Easter” is taken directly from the
Babylonian Mystery Religion and is in honor of the fertility goddess
Ishtar (a.k.a Astarte,
Diana, Venus, etc.), after whom the Roman Catholic Church patterned their worship of Mary as
“Queen of Heaven,” does it make sense to continue to observe that pagan festival instead of
celebrating the Resurrection at its rightful time on the Feast of First Fruits, the first day
of the week following Passover?
- When we learn that there is no biblical precedent for setting aside Yehovah’sGN] Sabbath in favor of worshipping on Sunday, that this tradition is in fact nothing more nor less than submission to the authority of the Roman Catholic Church, is there a valid reason for non-Catholics continuing to do so? Or should we be obedient to God’s commandment to “remember Shabbat (the Sabbath) and keep it holy” (Exod. 20:8; Deut. 5:15) — a commandment which has never been rescinded by Scripture. In fact, the practice of Sunday worship began with a decree from the Roman emperor that no work could be done on Sun-day because it was to be a day of worship of the Roman sun god (hence the name Sun-day), and carried over into the cult which Constantine developed and called “Christianity,” the Roman Catholic Church. Catholic leaders still mock Protestants who worship on Sunday, because they are only doing so out of their recognition of the Pope’s authority over them.
Detailed Ministry History • Full Autobiography
1. This page was originally written in the grammatical third person (“Dr. Sawyer, “he,” etc.”), but when I was reading it over this evening it sounded really “stilted” to my ear, and I was not pleased with what I was hearing. I have had a significant number of people tell me that this website is easy for them to understand because of the conversational style in which most of the pages have been written. It is my earnest desire that you, the reader, would feel as if you and I were sitting in a warm and cozy den somewhere, chatting about the things of the Kingdom. So this evening, Monday, 13 March 2023, I am rewriting the page in hopes of capturing that more conversational feeling. [BACK]
2. To be a bit more accurate, Ari ben Levi is the short form of my shem kodesh. My full and proper name is Ari ben Gavriel ha Levi, or Rick son of William the Levite. [BACK]
3. This present ministry originally began as Family Bible Church, an independent “Baptistic” congregation. In about 1999 I becan to be aware of the Messianic Restoration Movement and in 2000 the assembly was renamed Family Bible Messianic Ministries. In about 2019 the current name began to seem more appropriate. Since my retirement in 2008 the Center for Messianic Learning has consisted only of this website. [BACK]
4. Messiah’s name and title as it would have been expressed in His native language, Hebrew. Adonai is “Lord.” Yeshua means “salvation” and is the name He was given by the angel Gabriel (Luke 1:30-33). HaMashiach is “the Messiah. Those who did not know Him as Messiah would have known Him as Yeshua ben Yosef. [BACK]
5. It is impossible to determine whether the error was intentionally or unintentionally anti-Semitic, but more likely the work of HaSatan to divide the Holy Community into “us” and “them” and thereby weaken the work of HaShem’s Elect. The Greek word translated as “church” in the Apostolic Writings (the so-called “New Testament”) is ecclesia, which literally means “called out” and is used in the Septuagint (the first Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures) to refer to Jewish congregations or assemblies, or to the holy convocations of Israel. It is my opinion (as always, please feel free to disagree) that the word carried exactly the same meaning in the Apostolic Writings and did not refer to a “new religion.” (See also “Where Did the Word ‘Church’ Come From?”) [BACK]
6. The way to properly live out the Torah in daily life. [BACK]
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