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Kehillath Tsion - Frequently Asked Questions

About Us - Contact Us - Resources - Prayer - F.A.Q.


Here are some common questions about ZMF and Kehillath Tsion:

  1. What is your statement of faith?
  2. What are the principal activities of Kehillath Tsion?
  3. Who are you affiliated with?
  4. Why do you refer to Jesus as “Yeshua”?
  5. Why do you meet on Saturdays and not Sundays like other churches?
  6. What is the Tanach? What’s the B’rit haChadashah
  7. Just what IS a Messianic congregation?
  8. Who attends your congregation? Only Jews?
  9. What is the difference between Zion Messianic Fellowship (ZMF) and Kehillath Tsion?
Q. What is your statement of faith? top
A. Here is our Statement of Faith.
Q. What are the principal activities of Kehillath Tsion? top
A. We seek to be a witness to the Messianic prophecies concerning Yeshua HaMashiach — the Messiah who came out of Israel — and to help the Jewish people return to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Israel). We also seek to help Gentile believers become aware of their role in loving and reaching Jewish people with the Good News of Messiah.

The Kehillath Tsion messianic congregation of Jewish and Gentile followers of Yeshua, the Jewish Messiah, was founded in 1985. At Kehillath Tsion, we endeavour to provide a ‘Jewish oasis’ where believers in Yeshua may learn to establish their lives on biblical principles — from Genesis to Revelation — and also enjoy Jewish culture and practise while building a godly community.
Q. Who are you affiliated with? top
A. We are an independent messianic congregation and are currently not affiliated with anyone.
Q. Why do you refer to Jesus as “Yeshua”? top
A. Yeshua HaMashiach is the Jewish way of saying Jesus Christ. Since our Messiah was a Jew, born in Israel, and ministered primarily to the Jewish people, we feel it’s completely appropriate to refer to Him by His Jewish name.
Q. Why do you meet on Saturdays and not Sundays like other churches? top
A. In the Ten Commandments given to Moshe (Moses) in the Torah (the first five books of the Bible), God commands His people to remember the Sabbath and keep it holy. Leviticus 23:3 tells us that the Sabbath is the seventh day of the week, Saturday. These Ten Commandments express the heart of God’s moral law to this day, and neither Messiah nor any of his apostles gave any command to change this the Sabbath. So that’s why Messianic Jews continue to congregate on Saturday, as God commanded His people.

Q. What is the Tanach? What’s the B’rit haChadashah? top
A. The word “tanach” is an acronym in Hebrew that refers to what we call theOld Testament (i.e., the “ta” refers to the Torah , the “na” refers to the Prophets and the “ch” to the Writings). B’rit haChadashah is Hebrew for New Covenant. We believe in the unity of the scriptures, and prefer not to use the terms “old” and “new” when referring to portions of scripture for fear of implying that one part of the Bible may be inferior to another.
Q. Just what IS a Messianic congregation? top
A. The Messianic movement is essentially a renewing of our perspective on scripture, God’s holy Word. It is giving us a new understanding and appreciation of our place and purpose in the great drama of God’s redemption plan for all mankind, which is provided through the nation of Israel, the Jewish people. For many centuries, Christians have been told that Christianity and Israel have little in common, other than sharing the Old Testament portion of the Bible, and the fact that Jesus was born a Jew. Apart from this, so it seemed, Judaism was for Jews, and Christianity was for the rest of us. But when we take another look at what the Bible has to say about what our faith really is, we get quite a surprise. Let’s follow a line of thought from God’s own Word and see what it has to say.

First, let’s start with God’s promise to Abraham: “And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and your descendants after you.” (Genesis 17:7) We see that God promised Abraham that He would bring forth an everlasting, or eternal, covenant with Abraham and his descendants. Now what exactly is a covenant? A covenant is a binding agreement, or contract, between two or more parties. It’s a relationship with a formal basis. As the covenant God made with His people at Mount Sinai (the Mosaic covenant) was sealed with the blood of bulls and goats, so the Everlasting Covenant is also sealed with blood: the blood of Yeshua, the Lamb of God. “Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant…” (Hebrews 13:20) This is the formal basis for our relationship with God, the Mighty One of Israel. It is the blood of Yeshua that is our atonement for Sin; it is through His shed blood that we are saved evermore: “…and without shedding of blood there is no remission [of sin].” (Hebrews 9:22)

So we see that God promised an everlasting relationship with men, first making the promise to Abraham and then renewing the promise to Isaac and Jacob. It was also spoken of by the Prophets: “Behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah.” (Jeremiah 31:31) “Ho! Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat. Yes, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend money for what is not bread, and your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen diligently to Me, and eat what is good, and let your soul delight itself in abundance. Incline your ear, and come to Me. Hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you the sure mercies of David.” (Isaiah 55:1-3) “Repent, and turn from all your transgressions, so that iniquity will not be your ruin. Cast away from you all your transgressions which you have committed, and get yourselves a new heart and  a new spirit. For why should you die, O house of Israel?” (Ezekiel 18:30) It is written of Yeshua, Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.” (Matthew 26:27) …and the Apostles: But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises. (Hebrews 8:6)

Now we can see that our eternal relationship with God is based on the atoning blood of Messiah, and that one result of this relationship is that we get a “new heart and a new spirit.” We are born again by the power of God! But wait! Isn’t the promised Eternal Covenant made with the house of Israel and the house of Judah? How then are the Gentiles, those who are not descended from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, saved? True Bible Christianity is nothing less than the fulfillment of that long-ago promise to Abraham: a covenant (relationship) that will last forever between God and man. This New Covenant was inaugurated by the blood of Yeshua and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in Jerusalem.

Therefore, remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh — who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands — that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been made near by the blood of Christ. (Ephesians 2:11-13) For if the firstfruit is holy, the lump is also holy; and if the root is holy, so are the branches. And if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them, and with them became a partaker of the root and fatness of the olive tree… For if you were cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and were grafted contrary to nature into a good olive tree… For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that hardening in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. (Romans 11:16-25)

So we can see from scripture that our faith in Yeshua the Messiah is simply an extension of — and fulfillment of — biblical Judaism. Messianic Judaism has no ‘middle wall of partition’ (Ephesians 2:14) separating Jewish believers from Gentile believers. Most Messianic assemblies have a large percentage of Gentiles, who love Israel and the Jewish people and have adopted a Jewish expression of their faith in Messiah Yeshua. Most Messianics have a great zeal for the Law (Torah). In this, they are following the example of the first century followers of Jesus, who were also “zealous for Torah.” (Acts 15:19-21; 21:17-27)

In Messianic Judaism, the biblical feasts are celebrated (Leviticus 23), as are other Jewish cultural feasts that are consistent with scripture. Not only does the observance of these feasts reinforce the Jewish flavour of the congregation, but these biblical feasts depict and teach about both the past and future redemptive career of our Messiah. It is in Messianic Judaism that we find a most wonderful fulfillment of Scripture in that all — Jew and Gentile, male and female, bond and free — are seen worshiping the Holy One of Israel in Spirit and in Truth. The Good News of the New Covenant is being preached to the Gentiles to provoke the Jewish people to jealousy. Let us love them and pray for them so that they, too, may be saved by their very own Messiah, who loves them greatly.
Q. Who attends your congregation? Only Jewish people? top
A. We are a congregation of both Jewish and Gentile believers in Yeshua the Messiah. Actually, most messianic congregations have a mix of people from both Jewish and other backgrounds. Even in the Land of Israel messianic congregations are typically only around  half Jewish and half non-Jewish! Kehillath Tsion is currently comprised of around 30% Jews and 70% Gentiles, the later of which have ethnic backgrounds from over 21 different countries, at last count.
Q. What is the difference between Zion Messianic Fellowship (ZMF) and Kehillath Tsion? top
A. ZMF is the extended family and the Kehillath Tsion congregation is one of her daughter ministries. ZMF is the umbrella organisation and the Kehillath Tsion is an independent congregation. ZMF began hosting bible studies in 1980 and Kehillath Tsion is the congregation that was birthed out of that study movement. Kehillath Tsion members automatically receive ZMF membership but friends who wish to partner with us can become ZMF members without joining Kehillath Tsion. Ministry friends who are members of other congregations can support and get involved in our work as ZMF members. All are welcome.



For more information on Zion Messianic Fellowship
email us at info@tsion.org, or call (604) 800-3663.