Apostolic instruction on dress, clean shavenness, music and dance [Oxford, England, October 1986].

1. The qodeshim (saints) [4] may dress as they please provided they do so with a view to being modest, clean, tidy and to glorify and honour Elohim.

2. Elohim looks first and foremost at the heart of the Believer and will equally respect a person in rags as one in a fine suit or dress.

3. The qodeshim should revere Elohim and not seek to exalt themselves in their manner of dress, nor use clothes to draw attention to themselves and thereby distract the eyes from the spiritual to the carnal.

4. If the way a person dresses causes distress to a person weaker in the faith then, following the admonition of Paul, he should do all that is reasonably possible not to cause that person to fall by adapting himself to the needs of the collective Body.

5. Additionally, those weak in the emunah (faith) should be nurtured and brought, by non-compulsive means, to a higher understanding of the Besorah (Gospel) so that all may live according to the dictates of their conscience.

6. The custom of being cleanshaven originates in Rome but in all Semitic cultures the growth of beards is considered normal.

7. We place no restrictions on whether a man shall shave or not -- let him be satisfied in his own mind.

8. Only let him follow the counsel given in dressing, that he be clean and tidy.

9. To be in the world but not of it is one of the greatest challenges facing the qodeshim today in our increasingly secularised society.

10. In the realm of dancing and music this is particularly true, for Satan has manifested himself in these arts as in no previous time in history.

11. Music and dancing are subjective arts and it is therefore very difficult to write precise instructions on the government of the same.

12. We believe that the kind of music enjoyed by an individual is a reflection of that person's spirituality.

13. The deeper a soul journeys into the Light of Messiah, the more refined and sensitive his or her musical tastes become.

14. The music of the heavens is quite unlike anything this world has to offer, though occasionally the world has approached it with some of its more Ruach-directed compositions.

15. If a piece of music or song causes you to praise and glorify Elohim, welling up pure and virtuous thoughts and feelings within you, and if it inspires selfless devotion to Elohim and service to your fellow man, it is of Elohim.

16. If a piece of music or song causes you to centre in yourself, to the exclusion of Elohim and sympathetic feelings towards one's fellow man, it is either of man or of the devil.

17. Eulogies to unchastity, greed and selfishness which inspire carnality and weaken a person's resolve to obey the mitzvot (commandments) are clearly destructive and of the Adversary.

18. Musical lyrics usually speak for themselves but it is surprising how some qodeshim will perversely "turn the other cheek" to satanic lyrics because they like the tune behind them.

19. Satan will ever mix the bitter with the sweet to deceive us into feeding on that which is harmful and ruinous to the soul.

20. I give to the qodeshim this key in judging the worthiness of the music they enjoy -- would you play such music in the presence of the Master Yah'shua the Messiah?

21. If you are unsure then clearly you need to give prayerful consideration to your musical tastes, for music is one of the most powerful weapons Satan is using in this generation to rob the qodeshim (saints) [4] of the Light of Messiah, and to deflect them from their upward ascent out of materialism and into spirituality and happiness.

22. Much damage can be done to the soul for a quick, sensual experience such as that which much modern music affords. Sensuality was never of Elohim and has been an enemy to Elohim's qodesh (set-apart, holy) purposes from the beginning of time.

23. Matter and ruach (spirit) consist of many levels of energy and rhythm, from the coarsest matter to the most refined ruach (spirit), for all matter is but a form of ruach (spirit).

24. In music these ranges of harmony exist too, from the coarse drum beat to the fine strains of the flute.

25. Wholeness of body and soul is about balance and harmony which is abundantly supplied by Messiah, who died that purity might be restored and sin/disharmony supplanted.

26. In the young especially it is important that a proper balance and harmony is maintained in their quest for the spiritual life through music and other arts.

27. Certain beats and rhythms correspond to different energy centres in the human body.

28. Most popular music leans heavily on rhythmic drum beats which activate the lower centres in the body associated with sexual drive, propelling the listener downwards into matter rather than upwards into ruach (spirit).

29. Not infrequently such music contributes towards a rejection of the spiritual in favour of the sensual which in turn leads to immorality and a fall.

30. True music integrates all the energy centres of a man or woman, from the more physical manifestations to the purely spiritual, with the spiritual presiding over the physical.

31. In the secular world there is no doubt that the physical presides over the spiritual, and that its music is written by those in such a fallen condition.

32. Therefore such music can be exceedingly dangerous because it can cause a recentering of energies in the believer and lead him into coarse materialism.

33. The same principles apply to the other senses of the body too. Too much energy from the lower, coarser centres has the effect of numbing or paralysing the higher centres which will lead to a decline in prayer life and in desires to serve Elohim and His kingdom.

34. Much modern music is not unlike chemical drug addiction which destroys a proper perspective of the world and of inner needs and priorities.

35. In order to discern the many different types of music and song the set-apart person [fn004] must develop the spirit of discernment, but this he can only do as he sacrificies the desires of his lower nature for that of his higher which ever prompts him upward into closer communion with Yahweh.

36. The discernment of spirits in the world is one of the most important gifts there is.

37. For if a man cannot discern between good and bad he will not know to what he is cleaving to and may thus become subject to the evil one and his many cunning devices.

38. There are three main degrees or glories in the heavens and each is governed by its own rhythms and qualities of spiritual energy.

39. A terrestrial [5] spirit will listen to terrestrial-type music, for example, like attracting like.

40. Equally there are many composites or mixtures of music corresponding to many degrees which are more difficult to discern to which man will be attracted on account of his fallen nature which is itself a composite of good and bad.

41. Whereas music is mind and heart language, dance is body language expressing thoughts, desires, and attitudes contained in the mind, spirit, and body.

42. When a believer dances to Yahweh he expresses the unification of all his energy centres in holiness and purity.

43. This is a recognised form of worship in the New Covenant Assemblies of Yahweh and dancing or body movement is permitted in its praise meetings.

44. Such dancing expresses the unification of all things -- the total man or woman -- which is the goal of a person centred in Messiah.

45. Christ died that man might be redeemed from the Fall and achieve wholeness centred in Him.

46. Dancing in the world today is as varied and mixed as the music which drives it.

47. Most of it is so sensual and spiritually impure in nature, and so deadening to the higher nature of man, that it is a snare to the soul, and has thus become another of Satan's favourite tools in his attempts to destroy the Messiah-centre in man.

48. We ought to apply the same tests to dancing as we apply to music. Is Elohim glorified? Is sensuality or spirituality enhanced? To what does the dance lead (for all things have a conscious or unconscious end)?

49. Without a doubt discotheques (discos), for example, are the reflection of the carnal and sensual desires of fallen man which operate on a man's spirit so as to lead him into materiality and into intimate situations which are devoid of proper responsibility and are counter to Elohim's torot (laws).

50. Would you take Messiah to a disco? We may say with confidence that discotheques have nothing to offer the spiritually aspiring set-apart soul but will in all likelihood lead to spiritual damage.

51. What shall we say of ballroom dancing or barn dancing? The same principles apply here and though the dangers are not necessarily as great as in disco dancing, there are dangers nonetheless.

52. Let each talmid (disciple) apply common sense and the keys which have been given him for the discernment of light and darkness.

53. The fellowship of the New Covenant Assemblies of Yahweh does not itself promote such dancing for reasons which are self-evident.

54. Even ballet dancing has great dangers despite the music of classic ballet being of a more refined nature, for such encourages homosexuality and effeminacy in male artists.

55. Nevertheless it is true to say that ballet dancing is less dangerous than disco dancing, for example, though in respect of damaging men's natures it may be worse.

56. And in the case of some classical ballet it is evident that the story-line is less than edifying to the spiritual seeker after truth.

57. Let all judge righteous judgment and be satisfied in their own minds that the arts they espouse are according to the will of the Father [and the standards of Torah].

58. We believe that there are intricate spiritual laws behind true and acceptable dancing -- dancing that leads to unity of the human soul and to the glorification of the Father and His Messiah. Many of these principles are taught in the School of the Prophets.

59. A dance may be generated by receiving a spiritual flow of energy as the talmid (disciple) comes to comprehend, by personal revelation, the movement of the Ruach haQodesht in his or her body.

60. Dancing also results when a man is filled with the Ruach moving him to praise and worship, or when filled with an unspeakable joy that is communicated by the entire body instead of by words alone.

61. Through realising and expressing this joy in dance, Messianic Evangelicals know that they are built up in the Ruach haQodesh and strengthened. "The JOY of Yahweh is your strength", the Psalmist says (Ps.21.1).

62. In joy/strength we are able to perform dances to Yahweh. And from where does this joy come?

63. Joy is the product of partaking of the Bread of Life, which is Messiah Yah'shua, and from studying the Scriptures with understanding to the making glad of a man's heart.

64. In praising the name of Yahweh we lift up spiritual sacrifices of thanksgiving from our lips as our mind and heart agree to generate shouts of praise.

65. Dancing is also a sacrifice as the entire state of man is transformed.

66. As the sacrifices on the altar of our heart are changed from earthly to spiritual forms, so also is a man changed from earthly (carnal) to spiritual as he arises in sacred dance.

67. The sacrifices dance off the altar in smoke and ascend to Elohim through the energy centres of the body.

68. The physical body becomes elevated through the heat of the fire, which is the activity of the Ruach haQodesh as your mind, spirit, and body are surrendered on the wood/teachings of the altar/heart.

69. What is achieved in dancing? In dancing we joyously unite physical and spiritual dimensions.

70. With Miryam {Miriam, sister of Moses} we dance life's progression (Ex.15:20-21) and success as the children of New [Covenant] Israel go through the sea/world.

71. Dancing also accompanies deliverance. When we have been afflicted or been engaged in a spiritual battle, dancing accompanied by praise facilitates our recovery and means to finalise the defeat of those unseen powers or forces with whom we wage war in this life.

72. People try to drown their troubles in many ways -- through alcohol, drugs, sexual immorality, disco dancing, etc.

73. However, when they awake, their troubles remain and may be worse.

74. In dancing and praising Yah'shua, the enemy (Satan) is drowned in the sea like Pharaoh's army to arise no more.

75. Sickness and spiritual battles are overcome through spiritual dancing rooted in praise and in the Davar (Word) even as covenants of mind, heart and spirit in Messiah defeat conflicts.

76. Sometimes spiritual dancing can be a means of healing sickness in mind and heart and is but another gift of the Besorah (Gospel) of Yah'shua the Messiah.

77. What of dancing to the wrong kind of music and for the wrong motives? We unite unawares our physical bodies with the spiritual dimensions of the Enemy, and because these dimensions are carnal and sensual, such dancing becomes addictive like a drug so that if it is pursued long enough will eventually wipe out much of [the power and freedom that flows from] human free agency.

78. Let the qodshim (saints) [4] therefore beware and teach their children to adopt the true forms of spiritual dancing wherein the Elohim of Creation is glorified.

79. Sacred dancing in the New Covenant Assemblies of Yahweh assists in the achievement of enlightenment of mind as is symbolically depicted in the Tanakh (Old Testament) by the return of the Ark of the Covenant (2 Sam.6).

80. Dancing accompanied and aided the Levitical procession of the Ark (the mind of men) which was lifted/brought up by shouting (praising).

81. The sound of the trumpet depicts sounding forth understanding and revelation (2 Sam.6:15).

82. As the qodeshim shout praises and dance, thereby unifying all parts of man in worship to Yahweh the gates of His House/Temple (which means the inner Temple) are opened.

83. Dancing facilitates the cohenim (priests) to sound forth the wonder of the Davar (Word) and in so doing the qodeshim receive back the mind of Messiah which was lost because of sin.

84. David danced with all his might as the Ark (head) was lifted up on the shoulders of the Levites (men of unity) and the glory of Yahweh returned to His people.

85. In dancing our heads are lifted up, and the King of Glory comes in.

86. Our feet are the instruments of dancing and the means by which we implement movements.

87. The means to elevation in the light and to fulfil one's calling are related to one's spiritual walk.

88. When the feet are yielded to performing one's assigned roles in the Body (Church), the Ruach directs the feet in many avenues and forms of service and expressions of worship.

89. People sometimes forget that the Body of Messiah has 'feet' along with hands and a head -- and the feet are not just for walking!

90. Dancing to Yahweh is coupled with walking in His will and doing His service.

91. To dance to Elohim the feet must be yielded and guided by the Ruach haQodesh.

92. Normally, in temple dancing the shoes are removed. There is provision for Temple Dancing in the Chavurat Bekorot (Holy Order) as there is in the praise meetings in the local assemblies.

93. Messianic Evangelicals should not seek dance patterns from folk, culture and popular styles of this world for spirit-directed dancing forms, for these must come through personal and indivual revelation.

94. We should keep in mind that many types of ideas are conveyed in dancing. The forms of body language of each dance correspond to the music and ideas being conveyed.

95. Nor should one try to imitate another's dance always and just restrict one's own expression of worship.

96. It is important to remember the smoke ascending on the altar (Rev.8:4). The smoke has many patterns and formations.

97. Individual dancing is unique and spontaneous in the Ruach which does not draw attention to itself but to the One to whom the dance is being performed.

98. There are also uniform expressions for congregational dancing. There are times when the Ruach directs collective dances such as those performed by malakim (angels) in circles or other formations with uniform movements.

99. The birds in the sky, the sheep in the hills, the elephants on the plain, etc., are examples of collective dance forms (Ps.114:4).

100. Angelic ministries include instruction in dancing.

101. In a sense, life itself is a dance, and we either 'dance' to our Creator, to our own egos, or to the Adversary. Each plays his own tune.

102. The essential quality of the Ruach haQodesh is upward movement, for movement and life are inseparable.

103. Regardless of the form, all spiritual dances are to be BEFORE HIM -- to Yahweh, the face of Unity (2 Sam.6:14) and not for our own entertainment.

104. Dancing not performed to Elohim achieves little spiritual transformation and becomes, instead, an act of self-indulgence [6].

105. In our dancing we should always keep Messiah and His Shekinah (Presence) before our eyes, performing movements towards His Unity and Wholeness.

106. Sacred dancing is thus one of the concepts of spiritual RESTORATION.

107. There are some, because of cultural upbringing, or simply pride, who would look down on such things.

108. Such people ought perhaps to remember that this was the reaction of Michal who, in scorning her husband's sacred dance, disgraced herself in the eyes of Elohim (2 Sam.6.20-23) and suffered the consequences by having no further children (spiritual increase).

109. If we deny ourselves the opportunity to further penetrate the veil through sacred dance, we deny in part the gift of Elohim and become spiritual losers.

110. Music and dance are a vital part of the godly life, possessing great transforming or destructive power that can either lift up the soul to great heights of religious beauty and wonder, or lead to carnal bondage and darkness.

111. It is no accident that in our modern world sensitivity to fine music and dance that characterised earlier generations has given way to coarse, debasing and carnal music and dancing to such an extent that the spiritual ears of the rising generation are no longer able to appreciate the wonders and beauties of the classical masters.

112. The present generation exalts the mediocre and vulgar, and scorns and riddicules true musical masters as 'old and stuffy'.

113. In many ways we have a formidable task educating the youth of the kingdom to hear with spiritual and not carnal ears.

114. Our senses have become so dulled by modern popular music that the other spiritual senses have become dulled too.

115. Satan has effectively killed off our spiritual senses by deadening them with coarse and sensual music, literature, dancing, and so on.

116. He has won a great victory, enslaving a whole generation not only with chemical drugs but with auditory and visual drugs also.

117. Part of our stewardship as Messianic Evangelicals must be to reawaken these crucified senses which, when properly attuned, have the power to bring us closer to a fuller experience of salvation in Messiah through communion with the living Elohim. Amen.

Footnotes

[4] From the Hebrew chasid (pl. chasidim) meaning 'kind' or 'pious ones', or qadosh/kadosh (pl. qadoshim) meaning 'set-apart', 'separate' or 'holy one', and the Greek hagios likewise meaning 'set apart', 'separate', or 'holy one'. This is a term used to refer to all true followers of Elohim (God) and Messiah (Christ) and is not a special class of 'canonised', super-holy people as obtains in the Roman Catholic tradition. The term 'saints' is used by Yahweh in the Bible, and especially in the King James Version, to indicate a clear division between the holy and profane. Its close association with Yah'shua the Messiah (Jesus Christ) and our call to imitate Him by entering into a personal relationship is no better illustrated than in His own designation as "the Qadosh (Holy) One" (Ac.2:27).

[5] Eathly, or worldly; as opposed to heaveny or spiritual.

[6] Most of the dancing in the charismatic protestant churches, and especially the so-called 'New Life' groups, is of this nature.

vv.1-5 No formalised dress code beyond the instructions given in this Section existed until 2014 when Mishpachah Lev-Tsiyon (MLT), the central or mother assembly of NCAY, drew up an illustrated document in 2014 so that visitors to its Conference Centre would know what was expected of them -- see the MLT Dress Code. This has more-or-less become the global standard for NCAY congregations with allowances being made for climate and cultural reorientation.

vv.6-8 Some of the early members of NCAY either came out of traditions mandating the wearing of beards (e.g. some ultra-messianic groups) or forbidding facial hair altogether (e.g. Mormons and others). For further commentary, see Must I Grow a Beard? What the Torah Says About Facial Hair. Some races simply cannot grow much - or any - facial hair.

Men from Mediterranean countries tend to be able to grow thick facial hair whereas the Chinese and American Indians tend to have much sparser hair for genetic reasons. In some groups the men are unable to grow facial hair at all. Common sense alone should inform the spiritual person that not everybody is able to grow facial hair and that therefore it would be unreasonable - on the part of Deity to man - to expect them to do so. Accordingly NCAY places no restrictions requiring only that men with facial hair keep it "clean and tidy" (v.8), as with the rest of the body.

vv.14-40 The question of the 'rights and wrongs' of musical forms (lyrics aside, which ought to be common sense) has always proven to be a contentious issue in the Body of Christ because musical forms have evolved considerably, reflecting the creativity and spiritual development (or depravity) of man. Thanks to the research work of a French lady, Suzanne Haïk-Vantoura, we now have a pretty good idea of what kind of music was used in biblical times - see her book, The Music of the Bible Revealed (King David's Harp, Inc., San Francisco: 1991). Some of the tunes used in the Psalms have been restored and some samples may be heard on her YouTube page, Suzanne Haik Ventoura - Music of the Bible Revealed. The restoration does, however, depend on the man-made pointing of the Masoretic Text which means we cannot reliably go back earlier than the 5th century AD unless we work on the assumption that the Masoretes had acess to an even more ancient tradition that they encoded going back as far as 3,000 years. If we do, then we have the musical score for the entire Tanakh (Old Testament) which was one of the ways used to aid memorisation. Jewish communities still sing the Tanakh but there are a number of conflicting traditions of unknown provenance.

In any event, religious music has evolved over the centuries, particularly in Christianity; and when Messianics claim to have the more authentic forms, which are similar to those of traditional Judaism, in reality these are admixtures of various musical forms, modern and old, depending whether they are Ashkenazi or Sephardi. Much Sephardi religious music was heavily influenced by the Spanish folk culture that they were immersed in for so many centuries.

Messianic Evangelicals have always insisted that musical forms do matter and that it is never a matter of 'pick-and-choose' but of spiritual discernment. A number of articles on the NCAY Music website address the issues in greater detail.

vv.41-110 The greater part of this Section addresses the question of sacred dancing which in some ways is as controversial as the question of distinguishing between spiritual and carnal music, because (being closely related) both most definitely do have a spirit. The prophets of Ba'al performed some sort of 'limping dance' around Elijah's altar on Mt.Carmel in an attempt to beseech their demonic god to appear (1 Ki.18:26). Similarly, Aaron and the apostate Israelites danced before the golden calf at the base of Mt.Sinai, doubtless in imitation of Egyptian pagan religious dance which they had witnessed all their lives prior to the Exodus (Ex.32:6,16-19). By contrast, in a form still unknown but obviously spiritual, David and the Israelites danced before the Ark of the Covenant as it was brought to Jerusalem (2 Sam.6:1-23; 1 Chr.13:1-14; 15:1-9) which was scorned at by his prudish first wife, Mikal, still smarting no doubt from her forced reunion with her husband after a spell of adultery.

Dancing more generally in praise of Yahweh is to be found in several places in the Psalms (Ps.26:6; 87:7; 149:3; 150:4) as the very antithesis of mourning (Ps.30:11; Eccl.3:4; Lam.5:15). Given the juxtaposition against what was very ritualised mourning in Israelite culture, dancing should almost certainly be seen or understood in a similar sense. Some of the Annual Festivals are lexically associated with dancing, as with Hebrew pasah, meaning, 'to perform a limping dance', which is the root of Pesach' or Passover. This may explain why certain laws or torot have been given in this Section (vv.58ff.) for the proper awareness required to perform sacred dancing, particularly at the festivals. We are specifically commanded not to imitate the dance patterns of the world (v.93), which means this must be Ruach (Spirit)- initiated, Ruach-directed and (in form) Ruach-inspired! Moreover, sacred dancing is not for the entertainment of Israel (or anyone else, for that matter) but is to be participated in as an act of worship.

Dancing is also mentioned in the Bible in five other contexts:

• 1. Birthday Celebrations (Mt.14:6; Mk.6:21-22), but also see OB 301:3-8;

• 2. Weddings (presuming that Jer.21:32 refers to dancing as part of a marriage ceremony and that Mt.11:17 & Lk.7:32 refer to Yah'shua/Jesus as Bridegroom);

• 3. Family Reunions, as in the story of the return of the Prodigal Son (Lk.15:25);

• 4. Victory in Battle (Ex.15:20-21; Judg.11:34; 1 Sam.18:6-7; Judith 15:12-13) where dancing is the exclusive province of the women greeting their returning husbands, sons and brothers from war which, if conducted righteously, was regarded as sacred, ritual dance. A classic example was the dance carried out by the women after the crossing of the Red Sea (Ex.15:20) A dance before two armies (Song 6:13) and a dance of virgin Israel that celebrates her restoration in Tsiyon (Zion) (Jer.31:4) should also be understood as part of the women's victory dance, where hand-drums or tambourines were a distinctive instrument (Jer.31:4); and

• 5. Vineyard Festival, presumably Sukkot (Tabernacles) (Judg.21:19-21; Jer.31:12-13), danced by women only, a tradition which, according to the Mishnah (Ta'an 4.8), endured for the better part of a millennium. It's return, in the new Sukkot Æon (age), is much anticipated by Messianic Evangelicals as part of the full retoration of the Melchizedek Priesthood.

vv.111-117 The Section ends with a word on Sensitivity vs. Coarseness, a theme that reappears in the revelations of the Olive Branch multiple times - see, for example, OB 138 on Beauty, which is a characteristic of the Melchizedek Priesthood in contrast with the coarser Aaronic/Levitical/Mosaic Order that belonged to the Old Covenant.