Logo Copyright © 2007 NCCG - All Rights Reserved
Return to Main Page

RESOURCES

Disclaimer

Introduction

Symphony of Truth

In a Nutshell

Topical Guide

5-144000

5 Commissions

10 Commandments

333 NCCG Number

144,000, The

A

Action Stations

Agency, Free

Alcohol

Angels

Anointing

Apostles

Apostolic Interviews

Apostolic Epistles

Archive, Complete

Articles & Sermons

Atheism

Atonement

B

Banners

Baptism, Water

Baptism, Fire

Becoming a Christian

Bible Codes

Bible Courses

Bible & Creed

C

Calendar of Festivals

Celibacy

Charismata & Tongues

Chavurat Bekorot

Christian Paganism

Chrism, Confirmation

Christmas

Church, Fellowship

Contact us

Constitution

Copyright

Covenants & Vows

Critics

Culture

Cults

D

Deliverance

Demons

Desperation

Diaries

Discipleship

Dreams

E

Ephraimite Page, The

Essene Christianity

Existentialism

F

Faith

Family, The

Feminism

FAQ

Festivals of Yahweh

Festivals Calendar

Freedom

G

Gay Christians

Gnosticism

Godhead, The

H

Heaven

Heresy

Healing

Health

Hebrew Roots

Hell

Hinduism

History

Holiness

Holy Echad Marriage

Holy Order, The

Home Education

Homosexuality

Human Nature

Humour

Hymnody

I

Intro to NCCG.ORG

Islam

J

Jewish Page, The

Judaism, Messianic

Judaism, Talmudic

K

KJV-Only Cult

L

Links

Love

M

Marriage & Romance

Membership

Miracles

Messianic Judaism

Mormonism

Music

Mysticism

N

NCCG Life

NCCG Origins

NCCG Organisation

NCCG, Spirit of

NCCG Theology

NDE's

Nefilim

New Age & Occult

NCMHL

NCMM

New Covenant Torah

Norwegian Website

O

Occult Book, The

Occult Page, The

Olive Branch

Orphanages

P

Paganism, Christian

Pentecost

Poetry

Politics

Prayer

Pre-existence

Priesthood

Prophecy

Q

Questions

R

Rapture

Reincarnation

Resurrection

Revelation

RDP Page

S

Sabbath

Salvation

Satanic Ritual Abuse

Satanism

Science

Sermons & Articles

Sermons Misc

Sermonettes

Sex

Smoking

Sonship

Stewardship

Suffering

Swedish Website

T

Talmudic Judaism

Testimonies

Tithing

Tongues & Charismata

Torah

Trinity

True Church, The

TV

U

UFO's

United Order, The

V

Visions

W

Wicca & the Occult

Women

World News

Y

Yah'shua (Jesus)

Yahweh

Z

Zion


    Introduction

    Membership in the New Covenant Assemblies of Yahweh is both a privilege and a responsibility. It is a privilege because it has a unique calling amongst other assemblies and churches in the Body of Messiah attached to which are many promises.

    As with any family, each family member has certain duties to perform which become more challenging and carry greater responsibilities the older the family member becomes. With greater responsibility also comes greater freedom and the watchcare of other family members.

    NCAY is not a 'once-a-week drop-by church'. There is no Clergy-Laity divide. Once a new member has settled in and is quite sure he is going to give 100 per cent to the Kingdom of Messiah, he at once begins preparing for priestly service and ministry in the Deaconate as a Sub-Deacon.

    Coming to faith in Yah'shua (Jesus) is not unlike falling in love, getting married and sharing a glorious honeymoon together. Once the honeymoon is over the realities and responsibilities of life face the new couple and they must learn to really get to know one another. Every marriage has struggles as the partners discover each other's defects and learn to adjust and be forgiving of deficiencies of character in the other as both seek perfection in Messiah.

    Many newly born Christians and Messianics make the mistake of believing that the Christian life is one never-ending honeymoon. Like the family situation, there are enormous adjustments to make. The Family of Messiah, moreover, is not your typical two parents and two siblings structure but involves many, many more people. The Family of Messiah consists of vast numbers of saved souls. But since it is impossible for anyone to grow up intimately in such a large Family, Yahweh has created the local assembly, branch or congregation. These are purposefully small (maximum 144 people in an NCAY congregation) because anything larger is simply too big to allow the kind of intimacy families need in order to flourish.

    But even 144 people, you will agree, is a lot to get to know, and for this reason the local congregation is subdivided into smaller units and Cells and may only meet as a whole on the weekly Sabbath, monthly New Moons, annual Festivals, and on other special occasions.


    1. Houses and Cells

    The Local Assembly is subdivided into a maximum of six Pastoral Houses. A Pastoral House consists of an Elder's House and an Eldress's House which are structured in exactly the same way.

    An Elder's House is composed of two Deacon's Cells.

    Thus one Elder has the responsibility to watch over and disciple two Deacons, each of which presides over a Deacon's Cell, of which we shall speak in a minute. Identically, one Eldress has the responsibility to watch over and disciple two Deaconesses, each of which presides over a Deaconess' Cell. Together, the Elder and Eldress and their wards (persons they are responsible for) form what is called a Pastoral House. A Pastoral House is a local congregation in miniature and is what new congregations are built up from.

    The heart of the Local Assembly is the Deacon's Cell. Each Deacon is responsible for up to two Sub-Deacons (Trainee Deacons), two full members (baptised and chrismed/confirmed), two baptised members, and two Catechumens (unbaptised committed Investigators). Each Sub-Deacon is responsible for one full member, and each full member is responsible for one baptised member and one catechumen:

    The Deacon's Cell Structure

    The Deaconess' Cell is identical in structure to the Deacon's Cell.

    This structure was given by Yahweh in a revelation received in April 1999 and is beautiful in its simplicity. Thus every soul coming to the Fellowship is immediately teaching what he or she has learned to someone who is walking where he or she has recently trodden and all are overseen by Deacons and Elders. By this means a Congregation is developped from the grassroots upwards, where every member, no matter what their giftedness, is a teacher and a witness for Messiah.

    If you are in an area where there is already a local assembly with these structures in place you will be cared for by an Elder's (or Eldreess') House where you will receive systematic instruction from those who have themselves been so instructed and join straight away in the important task of soul-winning.

    An Elder's House

    If you are blessed enough to find yourself in an area where there is a Local Assembly, you will want to find out as much as you can about Messianic Evangelical Life, Organisation, History & Doctrine, and - most importantly - how to discover what your spiritual calling is and how to get involved with the Local Assembly straight away. It is also worth your while taking a look at the Bible and Creed series of articles.

    If you are not so blessed as to find yourself in an area where the New Covenant Assemblies of Yahweh are organised then a different approach becomes necessary....


    2. Being a Pioneer

    NCAY is a young fellowship so more than likely you are going to find yourself in an area where there are no members at all. If this is your situation then you are a Pioneer.

    Every new work of Yahweh has its pioneers and whilst there are certainly disadvantages in having to build up a local congregation from scratch, these are more than compensated for by the blessings of being at the cutting edge of spiritual revival and growth. The heart of congregational life is evangelism.

    Where you start will in large part depend where you are in your spiritual journey. If you are a fresh convert to Yah'shua (Jesus) with no background in Christianity at all, you are in any case starting a new life and must build up your knowledge of the Emet (Truth) degree by degree. The main website will become a primary resource and contact with mentors in the international leadership.

    If you are a convert from another denomination you have both an advantage and a disadvantage: the advantage is that you already (hopefully) have a sound Bible knowledge behind you; the disadvantage is that you may have to unlearn many of the things you were taught previous to your coming to NCAY. Unlearning false traditions and twisted concepts can be particularly difficult for some which makes mentoring and accountability all the more important, especially for pioneer representatives.

    Wherever you are coming from, there is no harm done in returning to basics and building up the Gospel life afresh. What are the resources available to you?

    • 1. Firsly, you have Yah'shua (Jesus) Himself to lead and guide you. That is vitally important. The degree to which He is able to lead you will reveal in large measure how yielded you are to His will;

    • 2. Secondly, you have the Bible, which is the Messianic Evangelical's first and most important tool. All other written works are secondary. Read your Bible every day. We recommend a minimum of 10 chapters per day. Now that may sound a lot but as you ease yourself into Yahweh's Davar (Word) you will find it easier going all the time. Those who develop a love for the Scriptures (and that should be everyone truly born again of the Ruach haQodesh/Holy Spirit) find they want to read more and more. Not only is your mind being filled with important spiritual keys but you are being subsconsciously reprogrammed too to think in the way that Yahweh thinks;

    • 3. Thirdly, you have Prayer. Prayer is your channel to heaven. Though the Bible is a vitally important bridge to Yahweh, our Heavenly Father, it is not the contact itself. Bible study without prayer can very often be no more than an intellectual exercise. And if we neglect prayer we will soon find our interest in the Bible drying up and indeed may find ourselves drifting away from Elohim (God) altogether. Prayer and Bible study are like breathing - you must do it all the time.

    • 4. Fourthly, you have Fellowship. Now at this point you may find yourself alone with beliefs at variance with other Christians or Messianics around you. However, this should not be an excuse to isolate yourself. The Body of Messiah does transcend denominational barriers and we should never forget that. Having some sort of contact with other Christians/Messianics is vital, at least until a local Mission has been established. Possibly you may find yourself in a country where even other believers are few and far between in which case this is not an option open to you;

    • 5. Fifthly, you have the gift of Witnessing. Long before you start worrying about what Church or Assembly you are called to be a part of you have a duty to witness of your salvation in Messiah and invite others to receive the same. Witnessing to others will be something you do for the rest of your life; and

    • 6. Sixthly, you have the call of Building the Messianic Community (Church). Of course, this will flow automatically from #5; however, it is important to stress that Messiah comes before the Messianic Community (Church), for the Messianic Community (Church) builds itself out of those who are born again in Messiah...and not the other way round. If you are witnessing you will want to witness first, of the Person of Messiah, and second, of His Community of the Saved.

    As a Messianic Evangelical/New Covenant Christian you will begin your life as an Investigating Member or Catechumen. A Catechumen is not quite the same as an ordinary investigator because the latter will have made no commitment. A Catechumen is committed to seriously investigating NCAY and only when he is satisfied that it is Yahweh's call for him to be a member will he make the next step to be baptised.

    Baptism has two components - baptism into Messiah and baptism into that part of the Body of Messiah (presently divided owing to differences in the Body) to which you have been called. If you wish to be baptised into Christ any Christian may baptise you, but to be baptised into NCAY as well it is required that you be baptised by one holding the proper covenantal authority in NCAY. It obviously makes better sense to perform the ordinance all at once...if you can.

    [In New Testament times the Assembly of Yahweh was not divided into different factions and so only one baptism was required. Most evangelical Churches and messianic Assemblies require only one baptism still as they are only concerned about the invisible Body of Messiah and not about any physical manifestation. Unlike these churches, though, NCAY is a Theocratic Kingdom and a part of Messianic Israel preparing for Messiah's temporal as well as spiritual rule. So whilst we accept their baptisms as being valid baptisms into Messiah we do not necessarily consider them valid baptisms into the Theocratic Kingdom of Yahweh (the Commonwealth of Messianic Israel), especially if they are not Torah-observant].

    It may be that you wish to invite an NCAY minister to visit you to administer baptism (as well as to instruct you further) or it may be more practical for you to travel to visit an NCAY congregation. Our Church Headquarters is on occasion available for those who wish to come both to receive the ordinances of the Gospel, be instructed, and have fellowship. Most prefer to visit a local assembly precisely for the fellowship, and we certainly encourage this.

    Many resources are available to you. In addition to having access to the main website at www.nccg.org, obtaining a copy of the Olive Branch may also be a help. The book contains numerous study materials which you will find helpful and a DVD is also available. NCAY used to have numerous printed publications, some of which may still be ordered in hardcopy format from Headquarters, or you can print up materials from the website yourself. Almost all of this is now available on the www.nccg.org website. For new members isolated from local assemblies, or who may need counselling, there is also an email helpline - some of our ministers are also available on the telephone or a service like Skype (for those who can afford long-distance calls - but remember the time-zone differences if you are calling headquarters!).

    We recommend starting a Bible Study Group using the many courses on the website and for those well established an Olive Branch Study Group. There is much you can do on your own initiative - praying together with others, witnessing to others, studying together with others. As you gather interested people around you you are starting the nucleus of a Deacon's Cell (see section #1 above).


    Register of Materials for Further Study

  • 1. Conditions for Membership in the Messianic Evangelical Community
  • 2. How Can I Be Born Again and Be a Messianic Evangelical?
  • 3. 333: An Introduction to NCAY
  • 4. What We are and Believe in a Nutshell
  • 5. Discovering Your Place in the Local Assembly
  • 6. A Simple Portrait of Messianic Evangelical Life
  • 7. Lev's Hot Potatoes: Hard Truths for the Remnant
  • 8. How Do I Join ME? Advice for Seekers After Truth
  • 9. The Distant Scene: Learning Patient Waiting in Messiah
  • 10. Instructions for Prospective NCAY Reps in New Mission Fields
  • 11. Organisation of the New Covenant Assemblies of Yahweh
  • 12. Instructions for whole Congregations Seeking Membership in NCAY
  • 13. Funding Policy of Congregations, House Fellowships & Missions
  • 14. Funding Policy for Orphanages and Other Projects Abroad
  • 15. The NCAY Constitution (doctrinal & organisational summaries)

  • Return to Main Index Page of NCCG.ORG

    This page was first created on 30 August 1999
    Last updated on 11 March 2018

    Copyright © 1999-2018 NCAY - All Rights Reserved