In an age when spiritual confusion runs rampant and reverence for the sacred has been lost in the shuffle of modernity, Rabbi Kirt A. Schneider stands as a voice calling the church back to its biblical roots. As host of TV’s Discovering the Jewish Jesus and author of the new book Decoding the Torah, Schneider offers a powerful call to rediscover the wisdom and order God established in His Word—particularly through the often-overlooked laws of the Torah.
Step-By-Step With Messiah Yeshua
Many believers skim past Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy, unaware of the treasures tucked within. Yet Rabbi Schneider insists that buried in these ancient texts are not outdated rituals but blueprints for holiness, revelation and communion with God. The laws of the Torah continue to shape the lives of those who seek to walk in the footsteps of Jesus today. In Decoding the Torah, Rabbi Schneider invites readers on a transformative journey through the 613 commandments of the Torah, revealing their significance for believers in Jesus—both Jewish and Gentile. He uncovers the spiritual depth within these ancient laws, demonstrating how they shape the lives of those seeking to follow Jesus today.
Rabbi Schneider emphasizes that while many laws cannot be practiced in their original form, they remain a source of divine wisdom, offering guidance and nourishment for all believers. Each commandment points to God’s holiness and His desire for a just and compassionate world. Decoding the Torah explores how Jesus fulfilled the Law, showing how the commandments lead us toward a life of love and mercy. By examining key Scriptures, Rabbi Schneider bridges the gap between the ancient commandments and contemporary life to deepen faith and apply eternal truths to daily walk with God.
In a recent Charisma interview, he unpacked seven truths that the modern church must recover if it is to walk in the fullness of God’s power and purpose.
The Prophecy Crisis: Discernment Over Hype
Today, nearly anyone with a microphone and a platform claims to be a prophet. Rabbi Schneider warns, “We’ve got too much, too much riffraff going on today in the realm of prophecy.” He explains the Torah standard bluntly: “False prophets were to be not listened to, and even stoned to death.”
Schneider calls for a return to holy fear before speaking for God: “If we’re going to be saying, ‘Thus saith the Lord,’ we better be sure that it was the Lord, and we better hold ourselves back until we are.” Reverence must precede revelation—false prophecy isn’t just a mistake; it undermines trust in true prophetic voices.
Reflecting on the chaos created by unchecked prophetic voices, he said, “It’s like the boy that cries wolf, you know, he keeps crying wolf and it doesn’t happen, then he cries wolf again and no one responds.”
Torah Is Not Legalism—It Is God’s Self-Revelation
One of the greatest misunderstandings among believers today is the role of the Torah under grace. Schneider teaches, “The law was holy, righteous, spiritual and good,” stressing, “we’re not under the law, but we can’t throw out the baby with the bathwater.”
Instead, the Torah reveals God’s character and instructs us in holiness. “The law is a self-revelation of God and the law is not contrary to the grace of God,” he says. Jesus didn’t abolish the law; He fulfilled it, fulfilling God’s covenant while maintaining the beauty and purpose of His commands.
Schneider points to a translation error from the King James Version that wrongly pits law against grace: “The word, but first of all, wasn’t in the original manuscripts that we have. That’s why it’s in italics.”
Witchcraft in Disguise: The Seductive Spirit of Manipulation
While the church denounces witchcraft in obvious forms, many believers unknowingly embrace its subtler manifestations. “A woman can be in the spirit of witchcraft by trying to manipulate people through seduction,” Rabbi Schneider warns.
He emphasizes that manipulation, new age “manifestation” and control are gateways to spiritual rebellion. “At the end of the day, it’s witchcraft,” he says—the attempt to control one’s environment and others outside of God’s prescribed ways.
He added, “This is so common that many Christian women don’t even realize how they’re on the edge, how they’re actually in a spirit of compromise.”
True Incense: Spiritual Atmosphere by Divine Design
Incense, often used today in secular and spiritual circles alike, held a very specific function in biblical worship. Schneider cites Exodus 30, teaching, “You couldn’t just make up your own incense… it needed to be a specific type of incense, and you’re not going to know what that incense is until you know the God that gave us the Scriptures.”
He draws the connection to prayer: “The incense was burned every morning and every evening. So, it was a continual, fragrant aroma arising to the Lord.” Holiness is not aesthetic; it is an obedient, surrendered life rising like incense before God’s throne.
Schneider states, “We burn incense by being in continual loving communion with our Creator.”
The Anointing Must Be Protected
Drawing from Leviticus 10:7, Schneider explains the priestly call to devotion: “You shall not even go out from the doorway of the Tent of Meeting, for the Lord’s anointing oil is upon you.”
Recalling a trip to Nigeria, he shares, “I said to the Lord, ‘Lord, I am not going to leave my hotel room the entire time I’m in Nigeria doing these mass outreaches.’” Protecting the anointing requires awareness of God’s presence and careful separation from worldly distractions.
He continued, “I left that trip after ministering and just loving people and revealing truth and preaching God’s word, I left so fulfilled because I stayed in the anointing. We have to make sure that we don’t go outside of the anointing of the Holy Spirit’s presence on our life,” he says, urging believers to abide daily.
Guarding Our Tongues: The Spiritual Cost of Cursing Leaders
While the commandment to not curse God is widely accepted, Schneider notes that Scripture also forbids cursing leaders. “David said, ‘Far be it from me to strike the Lord’s anointed,’” even though Saul pursued him unjustly.
“I’ve chosen to keep my mouth shut, not accuse, not judge, not condemn, keep my mouth shut,” Schneider says. “One of the quickest shortcuts to growing in power is to watch our mouth.”
He advises, “If what we’re saying isn’t helpful, if it isn’t needed and if it isn’t good and edifying, there’s probably no purpose to say it.”
Incense and Intimacy: Prayer as a Living Offering
Returning to the imagery of incense, Schneider unpacks its ultimate meaning: prayer. Quoting Psalm 141, he says, “May my prayer be counted as incense before you.”
He recounts his personal journey through two and a half years of desperate prayer: “One day, John, the power of God and the kingdom of God broke into that situation, and complete and absolute peace came and the kingdom of God was firmly established.”
He reflects, “Some of us today are feeling discouraged and disconnected from God, because we feel that God isn’t hearing our prayers.”
For those feeling unheard, Schneider assures: “Even the weakest whisper, even that what you feel is so weak and insufficient… every time you reach out to him, it is precious to him. It’s incense to him.”
A Call to Rediscover the Sacred
Rabbi Schneider’s message is not about returning to ritual for ritual’s sake. It is a prophetic summons to a church drifting into confusion, to come back to what is holy. Torah is not outdated—it’s eternal. Reverence is not religious bondage—it’s spiritual safety. And God’s presence does not accommodate our preferences—it requires our alignment.
“We are losing the church because we have lost the laws of the Lord,” Schneider states. Yet there is hope. The same Word that once revealed God’s holiness to Israel is still alive, still powerful and still able to reform a wandering church.
“Study the Torah,” he urges, “and you will be greatly enhanced and empowered in your walk as a follower of Yeshua.”
The question for today’s believer is not whether the Torah is still relevant.
The question is whether we are still listening.
Rabbi Kirt A. Schneider is the host of the popular TV, radio, YouTube and podcast broadcast Discovering the Jewish Jesus. His teaching is straightforward, authentic and revelational. The anointing on his ministry carries an eternal weight of glory that the Father uses to transform the souls of His elect. Rabbi Schneider is the author of several books, including The Book of Revelation Decoded, To Know Him by Name, A Journey Into Divine Love, Messianic Prophecy Revealed and Called to Breakthrough. His latest book, Decoding the Torah, is available now on amazon.com.
