Torah Club is excited to announce that our study for the next Torah cycle will be Jesus, My Rabbi. This new study will be an exploration of the Gospels from a Jewish perspective.
The content of Jesus, My Rabbi will be based on material from Chronicles of the Messiah.
Over the next few weeks, we will be providing “sneak peek” articles about Jesus, My Rabbi in the form of discussions with some of the Torah Club team. This week, Boaz Michael is our guest, and he is going to share with us about the mission and vision of this new study.
Torah Club Staff: We are in the second year of the new Torah Club. Currently, there are more than 600 Torah Clubs worldwide. Did you expect to have that many Torah Clubs this soon?
Boaz: I am always disappointed that my expectations are never met. To me, the ideas that we represent (the authority of the Bible, the contextual reading of the Bible, reconnecting Jesus faith back to the Jewish foundations) seems like a simple topic that everyone should get. I am happy that we have 500 clubs, but honestly, I’m surprised that we don’t have more because every Christian should be excited about this stuff.
Torah Club Staff: What is the need that Torah Club is meeting?
Boaz: When my colleagues and I re-envisioned Torah Club several years ago, we sensed that many Christians are bored in their faith. There is widespread discontentment that a salvation message is preached every Sunday from many church pulpits. While this message is true, disciples who are saved, and have been so for a long time, feel a lack of in-depth learning and spiritual growth. Torah Club assumes that every disciple wants to learn and grow. Also, many who have been awakened to the Jewish foundations feel alone and isolated. Torah Club was created to connect those people and to solve the isolation problem.
Torah Club Staff: Next year, the Torah Club study track is Jesus, My Rabbi. Why did the Torah Club team choose this track for the upcoming study cycle?
Boaz: We are going into our third year of Torah Club. The first two years were focused on studying the Torah (Genesis-Deuteronomy). We feel it is important to establish the Gospels as part of the broader “Torah.” “Torah” is God’s instruction to us. The Gospels are a continuation of God’s revealed teaching that began with Moses. Understanding the Jewish foundations of our faith, which is one of the primary goals of Torah Club, is more than just studying Genesis to Deuteronomy. It is understanding the whole Bible from a Jewish perspective. Jesus, My Rabbi, more than any other Bible study available, will show the Jewish background and foreground of the Gospels.
Torah Club Staff: What kind of opportunity do you think the Jesus, My Rabbi study offers to the church?
Boaz: In my book Tent of David I outline several needed “restorations” for the church. I approached the topic by establishing that the church is good and is doing good. However, there are key areas where the church needs to change. Several long-forgotten concepts are fundamental to knowing Jesus better. Every church and every Christian can benefit from seeing, understanding, and following Jesus through Jewish eyes. The Jesus, My Rabbi study will help Christians to do this in a deep and practical way.
Torah Club Staff: What are some new things that are happening in Torah Club as we go into the third year?
Boaz: God has blessed us with a tremendous staff. Our team is making adjustments that are continually improving the experience for Torah Club Leaders and Members. We continue to look at ways that we can inspire and equip our leaders to make a strong kingdom impact in their communities. We want our leaders to have a strong sense of mission and fulfillment in their life. We are encouraging our leaders to reach out further into their communities with the message of the Jewish Jesus. We know that a study of the Gospels is a smoother “on-ramp” for Christians to get involved. Thus, we are encouraging our leaders to welcome people into Torah Club who may not have been interested before.
