Frequently Asked Questions

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Beth Ohr Messianic Congregation is Torah-Observant Messianic Congregation in Opelika, Alabama. Whether you are Jewish, a Christian or neither, you are welcome to come. We invite you and your family to join us this Saturday for our Shabbat (Sabbath) Service. 

We are proud to serve  Auburn, Opelika, Phenix City, Alabama; Columbus, Ga., Chattahoochee Valley and surrounding areas.

You Will Be Loved
through His people as soon as you enter our doors.

You Will Be Taught The Bible

We teach the Word of God alone and NOT the oral law, the Talmud, or traditions and doctrines of men. Deuteronomy 4:2, 12:32; Proverbs 30:6.

You Will Hear The Good News
of Yeshua each week.

Beth Ohr is Hebrew for “House of Light”.

Messianic Judaism is one of the most misunderstood sects of Christianity and Judaism. We are not another denomination of Christianity, rather the Christianity of the New Covenant Scriptures and the Judaism which was foretold in the Tanach (the Hebrew Scriptures). We are many times accused of being a cult or a new religion, yet that would be further from the truth. Messianic, simply means a follower of the “Messiah” Yeshua. Messianic Judaism is an ancient movement that is 2,000 years old and has arisen again in the Body of Messiah. Early Christian believers have believed and lived as we do, until “Constantine the Great” abolished all and any of what seemed to be Jewish practice; forgetting of course that Jesus Himself was a Jew. This in turn was “The Great Deception” of Constantine, which forever changed Biblical Christianity and now began a new Roman Pagan Era. Messianic Judaism is Jew and Gentile coming together to form One New Man in the Messiah. Messianic Judaism started when our Messiah, who was foretold by the prophets, appeared on this earth and lived a sinless and perfect life. He did not come to start a new religion (after all Jesus was, is, and will always be a Jew); rather He came to show us what Biblical Judaism was and is supposed to be (Matthew 5:17-20). We mustn’t forget that while Jesus was here spreading the gospel, the good news of His Father, the New Testament had not yet been written. Yeshua (Jesus) was preaching and teaching straight from the Hebrew Scriptures (the Old Covenant books).

We as Messianics strive to be like Messiah (Christ-like) and thereby we strive to live Biblical lifestyles. This by no means makes us “Legalistic” (a word which isn’t found in scripture) in any way; we do this out of love and obedience to the Father, and not to gain salvation (John 14:15). We as Messianic Believers adhere to the Torah, Prophets and Writings of the Hebrew Scripture, yet the one thing that distinguishes us from most of nominal Judaism is our study and adherence to the Brit Chadashah (New or Renewed Covenant [or as is widely known to Christians, the New Testament) Scriptures. We still remain Jews or Israel once we accept Yeshua (Jesus) as our Messiah and we do not have any desire to go back to mainstream Judaism. We also observe a Biblical (and not rabbinical) Kosher diet as it is written in Leviticus 11. We believe if it is written in scripture then it is useful for teaching, reproof and instruction (2 Timothy 3:16). 

We as Messianic Believers also adhere to one of the most important pinnacles of our faith and that is God’s Appointed Times (Moedim) or as they are also called “The Feasts of the Lord”. We adhere to all of those that are biblically mandated in Scripture. We also encourage Christians alike to partake and celebrate of The Feasts of the Lord (with the exception of Passover, as this is a covenant meal for those who have chosen to come under covenant by living out torah-obedient lifestyle). The Lord stated time and time again, that these Feasts were to be an everlasting and perpetual ordinance (Leviticus 23:37-38). 

We are rich in our heritage knowing that our heritage lies not in being Jewish yet in Messiah Yeshua. Christian, this is your heritage as well, being grafted in to the Olive tree and now being a partaker of Abraham’s inheritance (Galatians 3:29; Romans 11). God never intended for his followers to branch out in many different denominations. We will one day worship as One Body again and what a day that will be! 

As for our Jewish Mishpocha (family), it’s time to embrace your Jewish Messiah, for He has already come and will come again soon for those who will call upon His name and say: “Baruch Haba B’shem YHVH [Blessed is He who comes in the name of YHVH (Matthew 23:39)]”.

Unlike most Messianic Congregations, we don't do some things that might make some individuals uncomfortable. We strive our best to be a congregation that is Biblically accurate, rather than one lead by traditions of man.

Therefore, we DON'T observe the following:

• We don't teach or adhere to the Talmud (the Oral Law).
• We don't celebrate unbiblical or non-commanded feasts. Therefore, we don't keep Purim or Chanukah. We don't observe Easter or Christmas.
• We don't use the Star of David, as we believe it is a pagan symbol.
• We don't use the traditional Orthodox Seder Plate on Passover. We do partake of the the bitter herb, unleavened bread, and yes we do eat roasted lamb.
• We don't celebrate Rosh Hashanah (the New Year, in September). Rather we observe the Month of Aviv as evidenced in Exodus 12:2. On the first of the seventh month we observe The Feast of Trumpets.
• We do not wave the lulav during Sukkot. Scripture tells us to use these materials as building materials for the building of our Sukkah, not for waving. We do however take time to praise Yeshua with Palm branches. Sukkot is also known as the feast of the nations, where nations will come to worship Messiah (Zachariah 14:16, John 12:12-13, Revelation 7:9).
• We don't observe the New Month according to the Crescent or First Sliver moon. Rather we observe the Conjunction Moon (the dark covered moon) as the New Moon / The Biblical New Month.
• We don't follow the Hillel Calendar, rather observe the Feasts according the the Conjunction Moon (which is usually 1-2 days earlier than the Orthodox Jewish Calendar).
• We don't believe in spaeking in tongues as being gibberish or an unknown language. We believe the gift of tongues are known languages as evidenced in the Greek word γλῶσσα (glóssa).

Yes. Beth Ohr is a place where both Jews and Gentiles can come together to worship the promised Messiah in a Biblical way.

The Beth Ohr Deaf Ministry believes that the Deaf/Hard of Hearing Community are created equally valuable in God's kingdom and are empowered in sharing the everlasting message of the Bible (Isaiah 29:18; Matthew 11:5; Revelation 14:6, 7). We affirm that both the hearing and non-hearing are created in the image of God, and in diversity both communities can find ultimate wholeness, restoration, fulfillment, and hope only in Him and His Word. The Beth Ohr Deaf Ministry exists to provide access for the Deaf/Hard of Hearing. We invite you to join us at an event and/or a worship service in the near future.

Deaf/Hoh-Friendly

Please let us know how we can better accommodate you and your needs.

SERVICES PROVIDED:

• Follow Along with our Slides projected unto the Screen.
• Assistive Listening Devices (ALDs) are available upon request.
• Contact us 2 Weeks before your visit, and we can arrange to have an ASL Interpreter and/or Message Transcript available for your visit.

Some choose to dress-up, while others like to dress casual. Yet whichever you choose, we ask that you be respectful of others by dressing modestly, so as not to bring distraction to anyone or cause anyone to falter in their faith. With that in mind, Shabbat is supposed to be a “Set-Apart” day, therefore try to make the way you dress likewise set-apart, different and special than what you would usually wear in the week. Let us dress for the King!

While we believe that God cares more about what’s on the inside, scripture does give us evidence for the importance of how we dress as well. Clothing can bring Honor or Dishonor to God. The laws of the priestly garments are proof that God looks at the outside, as well as the inside and He is concerned about how we present ourselves in the eyes of the world. Isaiah 52:1-2; 61:3, 10; Exodus 28:2,40; 1 Chronicles 16:29; Psalms 110:3; Zechariah 3:4

We believe that Shabbat mornings are for worshiping the King! We offer Spirit-filled worship music. We are a Messianic Congregation, therefore our worship may consist of sets that may include Hebrew as well. You are welcome to Raise your hands in worship, clap, worship with banners and flags, or dance along with us or individually.

We read through the Torah Portions of the week. We strive our best to make our teachings simple, practical, and relevant to our daily lives.

We are a family integrated congregation, which means our children sit with us during service and worship and learn along with us. We do however have a Nursery Room and Playroom for Toddlers available which you can listen to the Service from if needed.

We are currently meeting inside the Sanctuary of:

Purpose Baptist Church

3211 Waverly Parkway
Opelika, AL 36801

* All Times are Central Standard Time

Fridays

 7:00 PM — Online Bible Study (Online Only)

Saturdays

10:00 AM — Torah Service

(for those who love and appreciate the Traditional Messianic Jewish Service)

10:30 AM — Worship Service 

(for those who want the Contemporary Service experience, without the Traditional Liturgy)

Monthly

7:00 PM — New Month Service (Online Only)