About Us
Shalom, and welcome to the Ottawa Messianic Fellowship.
Q. Who are we?
A. We are Jews and Gentiles (non-Jews) who gather together to worship the God of Israel and Messiah Yeshua (Jesus in Hebrew). The Fellowship was founded in 1991.
At OMF, we believe that our purpose is two-fold. First, we seek to share the good news of Messiah with other Jewish people; Second, we want to serve our fellow believers in various ways and help them discover and celebrate the Hebrew roots of their faith.
The Ottawa Messianic Fellowship is governed by the following by-laws. By-law number 1 pertains to internal structures and by-law number 2 addresses our spiritual beliefs. They are currently undergoing a rewriting process in order to simplify them.
Q. What do we believe?
A. We will attempt to summarize our beliefs. For more information, please see Our Statement of Faith.
We believe that there is only one God, as proclaimed in
the Shema: "Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, The
Lord is one", (Deuteronomy 6:4)
We believe that Yeshua is the Messiah promised by God
through the Jewish prophets. He came to earth and was born in
Israel from among the Jews, lived a sinless life, and gave his
own life as a sacrificial offering. He was resurrected, and now
sits at the Right Hand of the Father making intercession for
those who believe in Him. He will return to earth to destroy evil
and establish His Kingdom.
We believe that Ruach Ha-Kodesh (the Holy
Spirit) dwells with each believer, empowers him or her to please
God, and gives him or her victory over the Yetzer Ha-Rah (the
sinful inclination).
Everyone has sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God
(Romans 3:22-24), as did Israel (Jeremiah 3:25,
Daniel 9:11, Psalm 78:32). The Messiah, Yeshua, is the only
one who delivers both Jew and Gentile from sin. Salvation and
righteousness before God are based only on personal acceptance of
Yeshua's atonement (Romans 1:16 & 3:22-24).
Observance of the Mosaic Law is not a requirement for
salvation. However, when observed in accordance with the example
of Yeshua in the Brit Hadasha (New Covenant), it is
entirely consistent with a Jewish lifestyle, and is pleasing to
God.
Jews who place their faith in Yeshua as Israel's Messiah
have not disowned or separated themselves from their race or
their heritage, but remain sons and daughters of Israel.
Q. May anyone attend our services?
A. Yes! We welcome anyone who is interested to come and worship with us. Whether you are a Sunday school class studying the Jewish roots of the Christian faith, a Jew who is wondering about Messiah, or even if you're just plain curious, you are welcome to join us at any of our services.
Bibliography
For further information on the Messianic movement, you may read some of the following literature:
The Bible
(several editions)
Victor Buksbazen,
The Gospel in the Feasts of Israel
Fort Washington, PA: Christian Literature Crusade, 1984.
Alfred Edersheim,
The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah
1886.
Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, reprinted 1981.
[includes descriptions of Jewish customs in the Second Temple period]
Rachmiel Frydland,
What the Rabbis Know About the Messiah
A Study of Genealogy and Prophecy. 2nd edition.
Cincinnati: Messianic Literature Outreach, 1993.
Good News Magazine
Special Rabbis' Edition
Johannesburg.
[biographies of Rabbis who accepted the Messiah]
Solomon Grayzel,
A History of the Jews
Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society of America, 1965.
Jakob Jocz,
The Jewish People and Jesus Christ after Auschwitz
Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 1981.
W. Gunther Plaut,
Your Neighbour is a Jew
Philadelphia: United Church Press, 1968.
Edith Schaeffer,
Christianity is Jewish
Wheaton, IL: Tyndale, 1975.
Richard Siegel, Michael Strassfeld, Sharon Strassfeld,
The Jewish Catalog
Philadelphia, The Jewish Publication Society of America, 1973.
[includes sections on the Sabbath, Festivals, and the arts.]
