The first followers of Yeshua were Jews, proselytes and gentile God fearers. They were ‘Jew and Gentile together’. We do not see any division in the body, specifically noting Yeshua’s prayer in John’s account ‘that they may be one (John 17:1).

When Shaul/Paul wrote ‘All scripture is inspired by God and profitable …’ [2Ti 3:16 RSV] the only recognised scripture was the Tanach (plus Enoch) to which we add (not replace) the apostolic writings (NT).

The ‘good news’ is to all flesh (Acts 2:17) and this remains our conviction today. We need to understand what the good news is. The good news ‘gospel’ is mentioned 101 times in the apostolic writings, more than salvation mentioned just twice. We believe HaShem is equipping us for the kingdom of the Messiah both now and future. ‘Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it in heaven’ should be our prayer.

Our spirit is the essence of who we are. It is the entirety of our volition and our emotions. We worship God when our attitudes, actions, and words declare that He is worthy of our praise. For those who come searching for God, He opens his heart for everyone who needs healing through prayer and worship.

The Torah provides instructions for the people of God regarding workers, strangers, sojourners, debtors, escaping slaves, animals and livestock and the countryside and these remain relevant for us today. The vision of Beit Ezra is to understand and practice these tenets in our communities as ‘salt and light’ to both unbelievers and other believers. It is our lifestyle and behaviour that is our witness, not our learning or our preaching.

Beit Ezra is not the only, or the best congregation in Plymouth. The apostolic letters are written to all the believers in a city, and sometimes a region. Beit Ezra is a composite part of ‘the church’ (not churches) in Plymouth.