May 4, 2016 · 8:50 AM

Happy 68th Birthday Israel!

Dear friends,

Mitch_GlaserShalom in the great name of Jesus the Messiah. On May 12 the Jerusalem sky will be lit with beautiful displays of fireworks and thousands of Israelis will be dancing in the streets!—in celebration of Israel’s 68th birthday.

The modern state of Israel is a great joy to those of us who love the Lord Jesus, believe the Bible and affirm God’s plan for the Jewish people.

Let’s face it—the existence of the modern state of Israel is a miracle! Yet, we know there is so much more to come as the Bible is filled with prophecies about Israel’s glorious future. I am sure you are looking forward to that great day when the Jewish people receive Jesus as their Messiah (Romans 11:11-25), and the Prince of Peace sits on His glorious and rightful throne in Jerusalem! Your generous gift today will help us continue to take the Good News of Messiah to Jewish people worldwide.

I believe this great day is coming!

1605PZLW_Israel-Independence-BS62359205Israel: Let Freedom…of Religion Ring

The modern state of Israel is a bastion of hope in the midst of a war-torn Middle East. Israel is a modern democratic nation that practices freedom of religion.

You have never heard of Israel persecuting Muslims, Christians or any other people of faith have you? There has been some discussion about Orthodox Jewish people persecuting Messianic Jews, but most of the reports you hear about the persecution of Messianic Jews in Israel are overplayed.

Let’s Celebrate!
I hope you will find a way to celebrate the 68th birthday of the nation of Israel! We have so many reasons to be thankful: the fulfillment of prophecy demonstrating that the Word of God is true and the fact that Western countries have a friend and ally in the Middle East that is both democratic and practices religious freedom.

1605PZLW_Kotel-with-israeli-flag-BS6162403Yet there are also hosts of social problems and challenges that face Israel today—just like any other country in the world. Israel is a divided society, and we need to pray every day for God’s peace to fall upon the Promised Land so that both Jews and Palestinians are able to live their lives and raise their children without worrying about their safety.

 

I believe that this is the dream of every Jewish and Palestinian mother!

We know that these issues will not be solved until Jesus reigns on His rightful throne. This is why it is so important to bring the Gospel to the Jewish people in Israel—and also to the many other groups that live within Israel.

The need is great, but the opportunity is greater.

Your Prayers Are Needed
First of all, may I ask you to pray for the work of Chosen People Ministries in Israel? Please pray for our growing staff. Also, our media evangelistic programs are changing lives! We have produced almost a dozen Messianic Jewish testimonies in Hebrew that are being watched by tens of thousands in Israel today. We now have between 50 and 100 Israelis asking for our Isaiah 53 Explained book in Hebrew each week. I never thought I would see this happen.

Would you honor the 68th birthday of Israel with a gift of $68?

Your gift of $68 or more allows us to:

  • Send twelve Isaiah 53 Explained books to Israelis seeking the Lord
  • Scholarship one child for almost a full week of camp
  • Help us pay the rent on our Tel Aviv facility where our 100-plus-member congregation of Russian Jewish believers meet each week
  • Help us run our Jerusalem Center, which is the national headquarters for our ministries throughout Israel

I hope you will be generous as wonderful opportunities for evangelism are increasing every day! In fact, our budget for the next fiscal year begins July 1 and calls for almost a half million dollars to maintain all of the programs, people, and facilities that Your Mission to the Jewish People supports in Israel.

1605PZLW_Christians-Sukkot-BS109412108Your generous investment in the spiritual future of Israel will make a big difference in the lives of everyday Israelis—because they need the Lord! Perhaps you would like to give a more substantial gift to help us support this growing work as we look forward to the great day of the Lord’s return. 

There’s just no place like Israel on planet Earth! Would you help me help our staff reach Israel for Jesus?

Happy 68th Birthday, Israel!

Your brother in the Messiah,

Mitch

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April 13, 2016 · 3:33 PM

The Jewish Messiah is the Passover Lamb

Dear friend in the Messiah,
Mitch_Glaser
Shalom and Happy Passover. I must admit, it is very unusual to observe Passover after already celebrating Easter. This is the result of the early church deciding not to follow the Jewish calendar! This decision was made at the Council of Nicaea in 325AD and, in my opinion, and it reflects a symptom of a deeper problem we address each and every day as we try and reach Jewish people for Jesus the Messiah.

The Chasm Between Jesus and the Jewish People
Jewish people generally feel alienated from the Gospel. This chasm between Jesus and the Jewish community becomes even more profound during the holiday season. We so often define ourselves religiously by the holidays we keep. For example, Jewish people celebrate Passover and Christians celebrate Easter. If it were a different season of the year, I would say that Jewish people celebrate Hanukkah, and Christians celebrate Christmas.

Oftentimes I wonder how this difficult situation we face today came to be and why it is that Jewish people feel so distant from the One we believe to be the fulfillment of the Hebrew Scriptures—the Jewish Messiah.

May I tell you a quick story about my grandparents? It might help you understand how Jewish people feel about the Jewish relationship to Jesus and Christianity.

I remember a conversation I had with my paternal grandparents many years ago. My father and I were visiting his parents and we were eating lunch at the table in my grandparents’ apartment in Coney Island, Brooklyn. My dear grandparents were trying to figure out why I believed in Jesus and not Moses or Marx.

I finally had the chance to get a word in and asked a question. I said, “Dad does not believe in God, and like Grandpa he never attends synagogue. Yet, he still says that he is Jewish. I, on the other hand, believe in the God of our fathers, learned Hebrew, married a Jewish girl but believe Jesus is the Messiah. Which one of us is the better Jew?” Grandma did not hesitate to respond. “Your father,” she replied. And I dare say she spoke for the majority of the Jewish community!

What she really was saying is that being Jewish is not a matter of belief, but rather of community identity. And a Jewish person can retain that identity as long as certain lines are not crossed. However, if you do transgress one of these unseen parameters, you could easily cross over and out of the Jewish community. Believing in Jesus is one of those lines, perhaps the boldest of the lines, and once you cross over, there is no return save the renunciation of your beliefs. In other words, you do not remain in the community by virtue of your beliefs, but you can be removed because of them.

The Jewish people you meet might be resistant to the Gospel far more because of their fear of community sanctions than because of any theological disagreement over the true Messiah. Jewish people are generally not going to consider the Gospel—because they feel far away from Jesus, view Him as the God of the Gentiles and have a deep fear of being cast out of the Jewish community for even thinking about Jesus.

The Lord must shed an abundance of grace in the heart of the average Jewish person in order for them to make the great step of faith to follow Jesus when the Jewish community would understand this belief as an act of ethnic suicide. It was certainly a difficult decision for me having been raised in a traditional Jewish home!

How Can You Help?
You can try to help your Jewish friend understand that Jesus is Jewish, the New Testament was written by Jewish people and that all of the early followers of Jesus were Jewish. In fact, the disciples celebrated Passover and other Jewish festivals, never rejected their Jewish identity and did not choose to leave the Jewish community.

The disciples believed that you could be Jewish and believe that Jesus was the Jewish Messiah.

You can take some very practical steps even during this Passover season to help your Jewish friends understand that Jesus is Jewish and that Christians have a deep appreciation for their Old Testament heritage.

Passover is a great time to do this because, unlike some of the other Jewish holidays, most Jewish people celebrate Passover and have a family Passover seder (meal). And of course, Jesus clearly linked Himself to the Passover!

You can also give a small gift to your Jewish friend that shows your sensitivity to the holiday season. You might give your Jewish friend a box of macaroons, wonderful coconut cookies that are made without leaven… this is a Jewish favorite—especially the ones that are dipped in dark chocolate!

This demonstration of love and sensitivity will go a long way to showing your Jewish friends that Jesus is Jewish. It is a way of bringing the Gospel closer to a Jewish person, overcoming the 2,000-year chasm between Jesus and the Jewish people.

You might also celebrate a Passover seder either in your home, with your small group or even at your church.

Chosen People Ministries will be presenting Messiah in the Passover at many different congregations during the holiday season. If you would like to attend one of these demonstrations, please call our Church Ministries office at 888-405-5874 and we will let you know if there is a Messiah in the Passover scheduled at a church near you.

You can also go to our website and learn more about the Passover. We have prepared a booklet to help you understand more about Passover that you can request on our website, and you can also look at some of the Passover videos we have made that can actually show you how to do a Passover seder in your home.

Is it any wonder that Jesus chose Passover as the time to announce the inauguration of the New Covenant between God and man? The focus of Passover is the redemption of the Jewish people from Egypt. Of course, Jesus gives the Passover a deeper meaning demonstrating that new life, forgiveness of sin and an eternity in heaven are assured to those who have faith in the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

Let’s not allow the Jewish community we love to feel alienated from Jesus. I hope this Passover season will afford you the opportunity to help your Jewish friends see Jesus in the Passover! That will be a great place to begin your witness.

Thank you so much for your faithfulness, love and support of Chosen People Ministries. We are doing all we can in 16 countries and over 20 cities in North America to bring the Good News of Jesus the Messiah to the Jewish people.

I also hope that you will consider supporting Chosen People Ministries on a regular basis. This is why we created the Watchmen for Jerusalem program. Please click here to sign up!

Your one-time donation is also very important to us as it allows us to continue to support our ministries around the globe—in the United States, Israel and many other countries.

Thank you again for your love and faithfulness and Happy Passover!

In the Lamb,

Mitch

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April 6, 2016 · 3:28 PM

Jewish People Jewish Way

Dear friend,

For a number of months I have wanted to tell you about the great work being done by our Messianic congregations. Let me first tell you what a Messianic congregation is, in case you are unfamiliar with this wonderful illustration of the body of Messiah.
A Messianic congregation is an expression of Jewish life and culture joined with all the richness of knowing Jesus as Messiah and Savior! A Messianic congregation functions like a good, solid church and offers Bible training for children and adults, outreach and evangelism programs, fellowship for all ages and is a caring, Jesus-centered community where Jewish and Gentile believers can grow in the Messiah!

congregation

We have also found that Messianic congregations are wonderful tools for evangelism. As you know, most Jewish people view the Gospel as traditionally “un-Jewish” and most, including my own family, feel they need to give up their Jewish identities to follow Jesus. This is not true, but a common perception because of the centuries of persecution by so-called Christians.

This is why we have seen so many Jewish people give their hearts to the Lord at our congregations and why Jewish visitors do not feel compelled to ask the question, “Can you be Jewish and believe in Jesus?”  They see the answer before their very eyes in the worship, style of service and the music and are able to focus on the purity of the Gospel of grace and consider the most important question: “Is Jesus the promised Messiah?”

A number of our Chosen People Ministries missionaries have either planted or serve as the leaders of congregations. Click here to read their stories about what the Lord has taught them about their ministries.

How You Can Help Chosen People Ministries’ Congregations

There are many ways you can partner with Your Mission to the Jewish People in our congregational ministries! First of all, you can pray—for the congregations, the leaders and for the Jewish communities they endeavor to reach.

You might visit a congregation if one is nearby. You can look on our website for a list of Chosen People Ministries’ congregations and I know that our leaders would love to have you visit them! Then get word out to your church and Christian friends that there is a good place to bring the Jewish people with whom they are sharing the Gospel.

May I also bring one particular need before you? We have a growing dynamic Russian-language congregation in Tel Aviv that has struggled to find a place to meet that is large enough to house their congregation and children’s work. We had to help them rent a hall for their ministries, which includes weekly services, children’s work, a ministry to drug addicts and abused women, counseling and much more! Chosen People Ministries committed $6,000 per month to help them pay for rent.

As you know, Tel Aviv is one of the most expensive cities in the world and actually the rent is much more, but we split the costs with another Messianic congregation.

Would you give generously to help these dear brothers and sisters in Tel Aviv? Your gift of $60 or even $600 would be so helpful this month! If you are able to consider taking on a month’s rent or half a month’s rent—that would be so encouraging.

Thanks for caring and for helping us support the ministry of Simchat Yeshua (the Joy of Jesus) congregation in the heart of Tel Aviv!

May the Lord bless and keep you!

Mitch

Seder_Plate_4fa4725514b40_100x100P.S. For your gift of $250 or more we would be happy to send you a beautiful Passover plate made in Israel. You can use it for a Passover Seder yourself or display it in your home as a reminder to pray for the Jewish people who so desperately need to discover the true Passover Lamb.

 

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March 11, 2016 · 8:49 AM

A New Haman Has Risen

1603NLW_World_Map-antisemitism

Dear friend of the Jewish people,

Shalom in the great name of our Messiah!

One of my favorite Jewish holidays has always been Purim—the biblical Feast of Esther (Est. 9:22). The holiday is observed on the 14th day of the Hebrew month Adar, which corresponds to our solar calendar date this year on March 24. The celebrations last for a full day, but remember, the Jewish day begins the night before and concludes at sunset; therefore the Festival begins on the evening of March 23.

There are many reasons why I enjoy Purim (a Hebrew word which means “lots”). But perhaps the foremost reason why I love Purim is because I am Jewish and if the evil Haman had succeeded, I would never have been born! On Purim we celebrate the survival of the Jewish people, usually against greats odds and far more powerful enemies.

We Are Still Here!

In fact, this pattern of deliverance is such an important part of the Jewish story. As my good friend Dr. Michael Rydelnik, who teaches at Moody Bible Institute, humorously summarizes: “They tried to kill us, we won and so—we ate!” On Purim we celebrate by eating special baked goods called hamantaschen—sometimes referred to as “Haman’s hat” or “Haman’s ears”! These are wonderful pastries with various types of fruit and poppy seeds enfolded into a very buttery and delicious cookie.

The Scroll of Esther

The main event of the Purim celebration is the reading of the Book of Esther, called in Hebrew, the Megillot Esther, the Scroll of Esther; and oftentimes a play based upon the story is used to entertain and educate both children and adults alike. Jewish people are at their most creative in putting on these plays and use different themes each year to keep the story interesting.

I am sure there will be plenty of Purim plays with a Star Wars theme this year! The plays are supposed to be fun and are not viewed as irreverent as they do tell the great story of God’s deliverance of the Jewish people from the hateful hands of Haman.

Second Purim

There is also a phenomenon in Jewish history called the second Purim. These events are not widely known, but perhaps you can already understand why Jewish people created them. A second Purim refers to an instance, aside from what was recorded in the Book of Esther, when the Jewish people were saved from imminent destruction.

The enlightening description of second Purim on the website Jewishgen.org concludes,In a few fortunate cases, the danger (facing the Jewish community) was suddenly removed, or the dreaded law was inexplicably abrogated. Then, that community would commemorate each anniversary of the happy change by observing a “Second Purim,” a festival, which mimicked the original Purim, which marks the deliverance of the Jews of Persia from the evil machinations of Haman. Historians have listed some 90 “second Purim” anniversaries observed by various Jewish families and communities, beginning with the early Middle Ages.1 

There were even times throughout Jewish history when the enemies of Israel selected Purim as the day they would attack the Jewish people. There was an instance during the Holocaust period when Purim became a day of slaughter for a local Jewish community.

It seems that both the Jewish people and enemies of Israel understood the symbolic value of the story of Esther.

New Hamans Arise in Every Generation

There are new Hamans on the world scene today seeking the destruction of the Jewish people. Israel is under attack and antisemitism is on the rise. We understand that ISIS and all forms of Islamic extremism seek the destruction of Israel. In fact, the existence of the modern state of Israel is actually opposed by almost every manifestation of Islam—
though various brands of Islam exercise this antipathy in different ways. Some are more violent than others.

The rise of global antisemitism has begun to permeate our society and is often subtly wrapped in the guise of an anti-Israel position. We see this virulent form of anti-Jewish behavior actively engaged on our college campuses today.

Unfortunately, this anti-Israel spirit can easily cross boundaries and align itself with an anti-Jewish position, even flowing into the lives and ministries of good Christians and churches seeking to bring the Gospel and comfort to those viewed as suffering injustice.

Let’s face it—there is a lot of propaganda and noise bombarding our culture through the media. It is hard for everyday sincere people to distinguish between what is true and what is false.

As followers of Jesus the Jewish Messiah for all, and as those who believe the Bible, composed by primarily Jewish authors, we should be sympathetic to the Jewish cause.  Historically, most true Christians have been pro-Israel and pro-Jewish without being anti anyone else…but today winds of change are in the air and therefore it is important to reread what the Bible says about Israel and the Jewish people. Unfortunately, we see a growing anti-Israel movement within the church today that also shows the telltale signs of an historic anti-Jewish position as well.

God Is Faithful to His Promises

As followers of Jesus the Messiah we understand that God still has His hand on the Jewish people! This is why we have a long history of second Purims, where we celebrate God’s faithfulness to the Jewish people.

May I summarize the remarkable promises penned in Jeremiah 31:35-37?

The Jewish people will not be destroyed until they fulfill all God intended them to do. God is not yet finished with His chosen people (Rom. 11:29).

The above rests upon the foundational passage in the book of Genesis when God promised Abram that He would bless those who bless the Jewish people and curse those who curse them.  We also see in this passage that God promised to bring blessings to the entire world (Gen. 12:3) specifically through the Jewish people. God created the Jewish people to be a bridge of blessings and revelation to the nations.

These truths of Scripture are clear to me and are a great foundation for our understanding of God’s plan and purposes for the Jewish people!

Happy Purim! I pray the Lord will guide us as we try to understand our times, stay true to the teachings of the Scriptures and remain faithful to our Messiah, Deliverer and Lord!

In Him,

Mitch

1  http://www.jewishgen.org/yizkor/Piotrkow/pit237.html

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March 1, 2016 · 3:44 PM

Digital Media Campaigns – Evangelism in the 21st Century!

Dear friend,

Shalom! I have waited to write to you to let you know that we have recently completed a successful Shalom Florida online evangelistic campaign. We used the two evangelistic websites Chosen People Ministries developed. One is a site sharing the personal testimonies of Jewish believers in Jesus entitled I Found Shalom, and the other is our Isaiah 53 site.

EvangWebsites

We had about 2,000 people a day visit our sites, which is really terrific!

We used Facebook ads that focused on reaching the elderly Jewish people and baby boomers living in Florida as our point of contact. These folks are very difficult to reach for a variety of reasons. Most have never heard about Jesus the Jewish Messiah, are negative towards the Gospel and live in gated communities that are so very difficult to penetrate with the Good News!

Our wonderful team of Florida-based missionaries, working out of our Boynton Beach center,
are calling and visiting those who responded to the ads. We have already mailed thousands of copies of the evangelistic book, Isaiah 53 Explained, and a booklet called I Found Shalom, which is a collection of testimonies that corresponds to the information on the website.

The follow-up takes time, coordination and great personal effort, but is worth everything we invest—even if only one Jewish person comes to faith in Jesus the Messiah!

1603PZLW_ipad-and-iphone-250518148

Greg, one of our Florida workers, recounts an incredible story of God’s grace in a Jewish man’s life:
I had a lengthy evangelistic visit with a Jewish man, Terry,* who had ordered the book. He was curious, but he also had a lot of objections, and I thought he was not open to the Gospel. About one year later, his Jewish believing daughter called to tell me of her father’s sudden death. However, she told me that a few months before his passing he had accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior. She said to me, “My dad went to church because you said something ​he could not refute about Isaiah 53 speaking of Jesus.”

So, please pray as these types of conversations are taking place.

And Beyond Florida…
One of the reasons I was so confident that the Florida outreach would be successful is that we have held campaigns in a number of different communities throughout the year. For example, we focused on Dallas some months ago and had some great responses. One of our new staff members, Travis, was able to connect with quite a few of the Jewish people who gave us their contact information. He reports:
I had multiple phone meetings with a Jewish man named David* in Houston. David was one of the most open seekers we spoke to during the campaign as he had actually been attending Christian Bible studies for some time before we connected with him. He had a very clear hunger for the Lord. At one point he said, “I’ve been fellowshipping with Christians for over a year now, and I think Isaiah 53 is a crucial chapter. The Spirit is drawing me!”

Travis adds,
David’s only objection was that he did not sense the presence of God in his life in the way he wanted. I am praying that God would bring him deeper into a relationship with Yeshua so that he can experience the personal relationship with God he is seeking. 

Please pray for David.

1603PZLW_background-of-contacts
​​Isaiah 53 in Israel Too!
Gabriel G., one of our faithful young workers in Israel, oversees the Isaiah 53 online campaign there. He is encouraged by what God is doing through the clear message of the Gospel found in this great chapter…and I am sure you will be as well.

At the end of the second year of the campaign in Israel, we have sent out more than 500 Hebrew copies of Isaiah 53 Explained!

1401PZLW-Is53-Explained-book-coverGabi writes,
Israelis ordering Isaiah 53 Explained are as diverse as the country itself. Religious and non-religious Jewish Israelis, men and women, university students and businesswomen, Arab-Israeli Muslims along with Arab-Israeli Christians have all ordered the evangelistic book! Advertisements on Facebook and YouTube are the main source for Israelis to learn more about the previously unfamiliar chapter of Isaiah 53 and order the book for free.

Conversations range from a simple interest in the historical person of Jesus to deeper conversations on the need for forgiveness through Messiah. Along with people ordering books for themselves, there have been dozens of Israeli believers who have ordered copies for friends and family members.

I had a conversation with Gefen* who lives in Ashdod. After she ordered Isaiah 53 Explained I contacted her by phone and she told me that she recently came to believe that Jesus is the Messiah! We are working to connect Gefen with a local congregation so that she can grow in her faith.

Sarah* is a religious woman and both of her children attend religious school. Sarah shared that she does not want her children to only understand the Bible in one particular way. Instead, she wants to expose them to other interpretations such as the belief in Jesus as Messiah! Please pray for Sarah that she will become more open-hearted to the Gospel.

We Are Partners in this New and Creative
Evangelistic Ministry

You can help by praying for this outreach.

Your support is also needed.

We can get an evangelistic book into the hands of a person for only $10, which includes the printing and mailing of the book, as well as the ad costs. This is far less expensive and more effective than using other forms of media such as radio and television.

Additionally, online ministries work especially well with Jewish people who would rather consider Jesus in private, as exploring the Gospel is often misunderstood by the friends and family of Jewish people. I am sure you understand this!

Would you consider sponsoring books for five people—only $50—or by God’s grace $500, which allows us to put 50 books into people’s hands and to follow-up? Perhaps you can sponsor our sending 500 books for $5,000! Whatever the Lord leads you to give will help and we will be grateful for your faithful and generous partnership.

I believe we can send out more than 100,000 books this year to non-believers, Jews and Gentiles, as well as Christians who would like to give the book or booklet to a Jewish friend…if we had the funds. We are going to move in this direction—because the TIME is NOW…and after years of experimentation, trial and error, we finally know how to initiate these campaigns.

1603PZLW_Latkes-Outreach-DSC2503I believe this is the greatest opportunity for Jewish evangelism we have had in decades…and I do not say this lightly!

We have also had more than half a million people watch the Messianic Jewish testimonies on our I Found Shalom website and even more on the website of our partners in Israel!

Your prayers and support are the bedrock for these online outreach campaigns! We are ready to reach out and make personal contact with those who respond but we need your partnership.

Thanks for caring!

Blessings in our great Messiah,

Mitch Glaser

P.S. We will send you a copy of the book Isaiah 53 Explained for your gift of $50 or more. I know you will enjoy reading about this great prophecy of our Lord’s passion.

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February 11, 2016 · 12:42 PM

Reaching Jewish Students

Jewish-Students

Dear friend in the Messiah,

There is no doubt in my mind that the college campus is one of the best places there is to engage Jewish students with the Gospel. According to the recent Pew Report, 60% of the Jewish population in the United States are college graduates, which is twice the number of our general population.1

We know that students are more open to new ideas as they are often away from their parents and other types of community support. Since Jewish young adults are generally taught not to believe in Jesus, this fresh openness to new viewpoints in general is a great time to introduce Jewish students to the Jewish Messiah.

We of course must be careful to be sensitive to the vulnerability of many young adults and respect the way they have been raised. We need to meet the students in the marketplace of ideas and make sure these Jewish students want to hear the Gospel. We need to offer the Good News and make Jesus so attractive that Jewish students will want to hear more and more!

We usually encourage campus evangelism to be primarily done student-to-student if possible, though of course, campus ministries, local churches and Messianic congregations near campuses can be supportive of believing students reaching out to Jewish young adults and provide wisdom, warm fellowship, a home-cooked meal and lots of love!

There are many challenges to reaching Jewish students on campus. Any significant effort will likely be opposed by the campus rabbi, Hillel (the largest national Jewish campus group) and an Orthodox (Chasidic) group called Chabad, which is active on many campuses.

Additionally, antisemitism is on the rise on many college campuses in the United States. More than 50% of Jewish college students said they have experienced some type of antisemitism during this past year.2

This is terrible, but it gives Christians the opportunity to show support and solidarity with the Jewish students, letting them know that true Christians love the Jewish people and oppose antisemitism. This is a great testimony to Jewish students.

Meanwhile, in spite of the challenges, our ministries on campus are going well. May I share some wonderful reports with you?

Michael Cohen, our Los Angeles director, writes,
Our ministry is now fully involved and has partners in outreach on three college campuses in the Los Angeles area. One of the keys to having a ministry to Jewish students on campus is to gather a group of volunteers! At Pierce College, in the very Jewish San Fernando Valley, I met a young student, a Jewish believer, who also comes out and witnesses with me. We also have great opportunities to share the Gospel with Jewish students from other countries.  At the University of Southern California, I spoke with a Jewish student from Australia. As we spoke, he shared that he was once Orthodox but is now more secular. I asked how that happened. He told me that over time he simply stopped participating in religious activity until he finally decided that he was no longer Orthodox. Interestingly, he also has some Messianic Jewish friends back in Australia. As I shared the Gospel with him, I told him that Jesus wanted to set him free and to give him the gift of new life. All of this was very appealing to him, as clearly he had been searching for God. Please pray for Jacob,* as I know that God wants him to know the truth. I have had the privilege recently to work with YWAM’s School of Prayer and Mission. For a week in November I helped equip a ten-person team on Jewish Evangelism and Apologetics, including hands-on training at Cal State Northridge. Together, we have shared the Gospel with many students on campus. Please pray for our continued partnership with them.

Ari Hauben, one of our new staff members serving in Philadelphia, describes the following:
Last week, I attended a citywide event in Philadelphia sponsored by one of the Christian student groups. The leaders of this group found out I was a Messianic Jew, working with Chosen People Ministries, and they were excited. I found out why when they introduced me to a very special female student! This young woman is a believer and is Jewish and both her parents are rabbis! She wanted to hear my testimony and had lots of questions about how my family responded when I told them I was a believer in Jesus. She told me she once tried explaining her faith in Jesus to her mom and that her mom started crying and was very upset. Her mom told her not to spend any more time with the Christian groups, which is a usual response because our Jewish parents view Jesus as a threat. She has not tried talking to her mom about Jesus since—and has never spoken to her dad.

She was especially interested in how I continue to identify as a Jew who believes in Yeshua and how I incorporate some Jewish practices, such as Passover, as part of my walk and identity with Jesus. I am looking forward to following up with her!

I am happy to say our work at New York City area campuses is going well. One of our most experienced campus representatives, Doug P., writes,
The Israel-Palestinian debate is a hot topic on campus and unfortunately questions about Israel are often combined with an underlying antisemitism that seems politically driven at first but is much more…and far more sinister! A recent experience at Columbia University highlights this concern and matter for prayer. One large man on occasion stands at the main gate of the school and holds up a large sign that reads “Divest Israel” and spews antisemitic remarks. Another student stopped by our campus literature table there last Wednesday to tell us that many students at Columbia are against Israel. 

So, you can see that this is a real problem. But God is still blessing!

Doug continues, 
An Israeli professor stopped by the table to say: “Keep up the important work!” and took a copy of the small prophecy booklet on Isaiah 53! Our work at Queens College continues unabated, giving out booklets and many cards for the new ifoundshalom.com website. One Israeli girl especially stands out in my mind as she argued that the idea of a Son of God is not a part of Jewish thinking. When I showed her Psalm 2:7-8 in Hebrew, which speaks about God’s Son, she was silent and told me she would have to look it up and study the text. She left me her email to contact her. We need and deeply appreciate your prayers for these many Jewish students who stop by our tables!

Immediately before the Jewish festival of Hanukkah I stopped by our Charles Feinberg Center in Brooklyn and spent some time with our younger missionaries who were about to go out to witness on the Brooklyn College campus. They decided to try a new strategy—a potato pancake (or latkes for all of you Jewish-cooking aficionados) giveaway! The team made 300 latkes and handed them out to students at one of the most Jewish schools in the country. They had more conversations than they could handle, and besides…it was lots of fun! We have an ongoing ministry at this school, which is barely a mile from our Brooklyn Center!

Most of all, I hope you will pray for Jewish students and encourage Christian young people to reach their Jewish friends. Perhaps your church has a student group and would like additional training in campus ministry among Jewish people. We would love to help.

May the Lord fill you with joy, vision and strength in the Holy Spirit!
Your brother,

Mitch Glaser

P.S. For your gift of $50 or more we will send you a copy of a terrific 100-page book on how to witness to college students!

1     http://www.pewforum.org/2013/10/01/chapter-2-intermarriage-and-other-demographics/
2     https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2015/02/24/bias-reported-survey-jewish-college-students

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February 1, 2016 · 12:40 PM

Help Us Hate What Satan Loves and Love What Satan Hates

February 2016

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Dear friend,

Antisemitism is a scourge! Don’t you agree?

In fact, I believe antisemitism is Satan’s favorite tool to use in trying to destroy the Jewish people!
And I am sorry to say that antisemitism is on the rise both in North America and across the globe.

All you need to do is turn on your television and watch the news. Most of us watched in shock a year ago as we viewed reports of four Jewish people in Paris being gunned down by the Islamic terrorist, Amedy Coulibaly. The only “crime” of these victims is that they were born Jewish!

Antisemitism is not only emerging in Western Europe but also in our own country—especially on campuses.

A serious study exploring the issue of antisemitism on U.S. campuses discovered that 50% of the Jewish students questioned had experienced or witnessed some form of antisemitism on campus.

In a recent survey of Jewish people, we discovered that a high percentage of Jewish people in the United States are very concerned with antisemitism today.

My hope and prayer is that true Christians will also be concerned about the growth of antisemitism as well!
Antisemitism Is the Devil’s Tool to Keep Jewish People from Believing in Jesus 
I remember my installation as president of Chosen People Ministries almost 19 years ago when Dr. Paige Patterson (now president of Southwestern Baptist Seminary) encouraged us to “hate what Satan loves and love what Satan hates.”  His comments were based on Revelation 12:13, where we see the devil again trying to destroy the Jewish people.

I agree!

If God loves it, I want to love it…if the devil loves it, I want to “hate” it.

Clearly, Satan hates the Jewish people because he understands the role of the Jewish people in God’s plan. God promised Abram that great things would happen for humanity through the Jewish people!
…And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed (Genesis 12:3).
An Unholy Chasm Between Jesus and the Jewish People
I was raised believing that “Christianity” inspired the Crusades, pogroms, the Holocaust and that Jesus Himself (whom I knew very little about) was anti-Jewish! Imagine my surprise when I found out that Jesus was Jewish!

The devil has created the myth that Christianity is the fountain of antisemitism. But we know from Scripture that though some forms of more institutional “Christianity” have been hostile to the Jewish people, the true Gospel is actually all about a Jewish Messiah who is the Savior of the world! In fact, true Christians love the Jewish people and oppose antisemitism!

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The Christian Response to Antisemitism
I am writing to you because I see the world again turning against the Jewish people. Radical Islam is fueling much of the global antisemitism, in the same way the Nazis did! Many Jewish people think that traditional “Christian” countries are in one way or another sympathetic to Islamic antisemitism today because they have not done anything to stop it and have not repented of their past. 
What I also find to be both tragic and intriguing at this time in history is that the very same people who are persecuting the Jewish people and opposing the right of the modern state of Israel to exist are the very same violent extremists limiting the rights of and even killing Christians in the Middle East,  Africa and in other spots across the globe.

I believe this co–persecution of both Jews and Christians is issuing a wake-up call to the Church to oppose antisemitism and to see through the thin veneer of anti-Israel rhetoric and propaganda. Sometimes passionate views about Israel spill over and become anti-Jewish.

As those who believe the Bible and follow the Jewish Messiah, Jesus we must respond! 

Christians must unite in support of the Jewish people by denouncing antisemitism in our countries and communities. Let us bless the Jewish people and not curse them by hearing and not responding (Genesis 12:3).
What Should We Do?
There is so much that we can do as believers to help the Jewish people at this difficult time. May I make two quick suggestions?

Pray For the Jewish People
First of all, and perhaps most importantly, we can pray. The psalmist (Psalm 122:6) asked us to pray for the peace of Jerusalem and so in obedience we should pray that God would bring His peace to Jewish people. This goes far beyond political peace and strikes at the very heart of the matter—the Jewish people need the Prince of Peace, Jesus, in their lives.
I love what the Apostle Paul, himself Jewish, said in Romans 10:1, Brethren, my heart’s desire and my prayer to God for them is for their salvation.

It is not enough to simply pray for political peace—we must pray for spiritual peace and that only comes when individuals receive Jesus as their Savior and Lord.

Oppose Antisemitism
I hope that you will oppose antisemitism in your local community. You could write letters to the editors of your local newspapers if you witness antisemitic acts or attitudes taking place in your hometown or perhaps on a local college campus. You can also approach your state and federal representatives if you spot an antisemitic incident on a national or international scale.

Most of all, I hope you will not stay silent when Jewish people are attacked. I hope that you will be very sensitive to the lines that can easily be crossed by those taking a political position critical of Israel and a position leading to antisemitism.
Shine Your Light
Growing up in a Jewish home, I “knew” Jesus was not for the Jews and that most Christians did not like Jews. My attitude was probably shaped by the Holocaust which had ended just a few years before I was born.

However, this dark background actually proved to be very important in my spiritual journey. The contrast I experienced when I began meeting Christians who loved the Jewish people amazed me. In fact, I would say that one of the major reasons Jewish people believe in Jesus today is because of the love shown to them by a Gentile Christian.

Countering antisemitism is one way of showing Messiah’s love for the Jewish people. Believe me, it makes a big difference!
Support Jewish Evangelism
As I mentioned before, one of the devil’s greatest victories is convincing Jewish people that Jesus and His followers are anti-Jewish.

This breaks my heart. 

One of the reasons Jewish people feel defensive when true Christians talk about Jesus is because they believe, as I did when I was not yet a believer, that accepting Jesus meant I was giving up my Jewish heritage. Yet, nothing could be further from the truth! So many Jewish people who become followers find that being Jewish now means more to them than ever before.
The devil has sold us a lie—that one cannot be Jewish and believe in Jesus.

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Would you help us love what the devil hates and hate what the devil loves and bring the glorious Gospel of Jesus the Messiah to Jewish people around the world? In order to do this, we need your partnership—in prayer, financially, and by allowing us to help you shine the light of the Gospel to your Jewish friends.

We do need your financial support as February is traditionally a “low donation month” for a variety of reasons—and shorter as well!

Thanks for your partnership in the Gospel!

Mitch
P.S. Remember to pray for our online campaigns now going on in the state of Florida—to more than 800,000 Jewish people!  We are able to reach out in this way because of your support and prayers!

Earlier, on March 19, 2012, four Jewish people, including three children, were killed at the
Ozar Hatorah Jewish day school in Southern France.
http://www.trincoll.edu/NewsEvents/NewsArticles/Documents/Anti-Semitism Report Final.pdf

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January 19, 2016 · 8:59 AM

How Should We Pray for Israel?

Dr. Mitch Glaser, September 5, 2014 for Ministry Today

The Psalmist encourages us to pray for Israel, but believers may not fully appreciate the reasons why God instructs us to pray specifically for Jerusalem (Psalm 122:6).  Yet, our motivation to pray for the peace of Jerusalem is embedded in the very words of the Psalmist themselves.

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: “May they prosper who love you.”

Praying for the peace of Jerusalem is a prayer for physical and spiritual peace – which only comes through the Prince of Peace. Praying for peace reminds us that human beings are incapable of creating peace for themselves and that only God can bring peace to a broken world this side of heaven (Phil 4:6-7) and in the world to come (Isa 2:2-4; 11:6-9).

Praying for the peace of Jerusalem is, in reality, praying for Jesus to return, as peace will only come to the world when He takes His rightful throne in Jerusalem and reigns forever (Matt 23:37ff; Rev. 11:15). Praying for the peace of Jerusalem is a way of asking God to implant His peace in the hearts of both Jews and Gentiles by personally accepting the Prince of Peace as Lord of their lives.

Praying for the peace of Jerusalem also brings blessings to those who pray, especially as God views our prayers as blessing the Jewish people (Gen 12:3). God still has plans for the chosen people. As Paul reminds us, “they are loved on account of the patriarchs” (Rom. 11:28-29).

How should we pray for the peace of Jerusalem?

The following might give you some ideas about how to pray for the peace of Jerusalem more effectively.

  1. Pray for Jewish Israeli and Palestinian leaders to both negotiate a temporary, politically-based peace and to also find peace in their hearts through accepting Jesus.  These are the people we should pray for at this time: Palestinian leaders Mahmoud Abbas (Fatah) and Khaled Meshaal (Hamas); as well our leaders in the US, President Barak Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry.

We can pray that God guides these leaders to make decisions that bring peace instead of war and suffering for their citizens.

  1. Pray for the work of God’s people in bringing the message of the Gospel to the almost two hundred thousand Holocaust survivors Holocaust survivors living in Israel. By God’s grace, Chosen People Ministries, the ministry I lead, has been able to enjoy a growing ministry among these precious people.

During the recent conflict with Hamas our staff was able to provide care for many of these survivors, both materially and spiritually. One of them describes the peace of heart he has now experienced through receiving Jesus as Messiah and Lord, 

“Something happened in my life when I went to Poland on a Chosen People Ministries Israel trip for Holocaust survivors. I received a Bible, which I read day and night while we were in Poland. Since then, I have dedicated myself to reading Scripture and studying. I was baptized and know fully that Jesus the Jewish Messiah has died and conquered death for me!”

Your prayers can make a difference serving this treasured community, which may die out within a decade!

  1. We should also pray for the quiet reconciliation efforts of Jewish and Arab believers in Israel seeking to encourage one another by developing deeper relationships between the Jewish and Palestinian Church. There are over 140 congregations in Israel, ranging from small house fellowships to established places of worship. Pray that the work of the Prince of Peace will grow among Jewish Israelis and Palestinians and that they are enabled to provide a powerful witness of Messiah’s reconciliation among their neighbors.
  1. Pray as well for God to help the Church in the United States to be better informed about what is happening in Israel and to find ways to glean information for continued prayer outside of the slanted approach of the media.
  1. Praying for the peace of Jerusalem reminds us of our blessed hope! Even though peace is elusive today, it is still our prophetic destiny. As Isaiah the prophet writes, “He will judge between the nations, and will render decisions for many peoples; and they will hammer their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not lift up sword against nation, and never again will they learn war” (Is 2:4).

The Shalom we are seeking is now available for all people, as this peace transcends the terror of ISIL, the war with Hamas and whatever conflict or suffering this world thrusts upon us.  Jesus said,

Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.

His peace is all we need today to keep our hearts from being consumed with fear.  His peace is our destiny, as one day the Prince of Peace will arrive from heaven and establish His throne in Jerusalem (Isa 2, 9:6-7 etc.).

Praying for Israel and the Jewish people reminds us of the Shalom the Lord has planned for all humanity.  There is a beautiful Jewish prayer that sheds new light on Psalm 122:6.

May He who makes peace in the heavens make peace descend upon us and all Israel and let us say, Amen!

 

 

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January 15, 2016 · 9:06 AM

Reaching Jewish People for Messiah

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Shalom and Happy New Year!

We are one year closer to the return of Jesus! And in light of current events I bet you just want to get up and shout along with me…“even so, come Lord Jesus!”

We begin 2016 with our eyes turned to the Lord, hearts filled with faith and a myriad of concerns for our country, the nation of Israel and for the legacy we leave to our children and grandchildren.

We will face challenges this year, which include the unraveling of our most cherished values, ISIS, and the clear and present global danger presented by Islamic extremists who seek the destruction of all we hold dear. These are times of great desperation for the Jewish people, as antisemitism is growing globally and the rise of personal terrorism attacks in Israel is becoming a “new normal” for Israelis.

We begin the New Year in something of a kosher pickle! But, the Good News never changes and Jesus is still the SOLUTION to life’s deepest and most difficult problems and we need to constantly learn how to trust Him!

So, more than ever—the work of bringing the Gospel to the Jewish people needs to continue—in full force.

A Vision for 2016
One of our staff members asked me to write a letter sharing my vision for Chosen People Ministries for the coming year, and I am more than happy to do this. I hope it will help you pray and know how to invest your giving to Your Mission to the Jewish People this year.

Let me give you a quick overview of our plans for 2016, and you will see how important people are to all that we believe God wants us to do!

Continuing What We Are Doing
My greatest hope for the New Year is that by God’s grace we can continue the good work we have been doing in 2015! We have dedicated and well trained missionaries who are serving the Lord in more than a dozen cities in the U.S. and in 15 other countries around the globe! My hope and prayers for our team is that the Lord will bless their everyday efforts in evangelism and discipleship and that their families will remain safe (especially those in Israel and France) and wholesome.

My hope is that the families of Chosen People Ministries’ staff will be blessed and protected and that the children of our staff members would grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus.

With this in mind, let me share with you some of my additional hopes and goals for 2016!

Israel
We will continue to reach Israelis wherever they travel after their service in the army: India, New Zealand, South America and even New York City! These young people are very open to the Lord. We now have a permanent work in New Zealand and actually own a backpacker facility that is constantly filled with 40-plus Israelis with whom we are able to talk to about the Lord.

We have built a great team in Tel Aviv now as well so we can follow up on those we meet around the globe when they get home to return to “normal life” and go to college, get jobs and start their post-military lives.

We will expand our ministries among Holocaust survivors living in the Holy Land as well through visiting them, taking them on trips and providing food staples through our distribution centers around Israel. We cannot speak about Jesus when we are providing food, etc., however, we do build relationships with people in this way, and it is wonderful to see how they initiate the discussion about faith.

By God’s grace we recently baptized five of these elderly Israelis.

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We will begin a new ministry in two larger urban suburbs in the greater Tel Aviv area that are currently without a witness for the Lord. So far, we have placed three full-time young couples in these areas to reach younger Israeli families, whom I believe will be the building block for the future church in Israel.

The names of the “urban suburbs” are Ramat Gan and Givatayim. We are trying to rent a storefront on the main commercial street as a center for our activities but so far, we have not found an Israeli landlord that will rent to us! But, we know that God will provide.

The Charles Feinberg Program
We have had a blessed few years training new missionaries to the Jewish people through our fully accredited seminary program that is a partnership between Chosen People Ministries and Talbot School of Theology (part of Biola University). We rejoice with our 14 graduates and continue to recruit those who are led by God to serve in Jewish missions.

As you might know, we purchased and renovated a former Jewish funeral home in Orthodox Brooklyn and have been using the center to house the seminary, as well as our new congregations planted in the heart of this community of almost a million Jewish people.

By God’s grace, we have no debt on the building and therefore the funds donated to the Feinberg Center go towards running the Center and to the ministries housed in the Center!

We hope to recruit a dozen new students (twice the usual number) for the Feinberg seminary program this year and to expand this wonderful ministry by developing online courses as well.

Online Ministries – The Daniel Project
We have created an online evangelism team at our New York City headquarters that we call the Daniel Group! We chose this name based upon the prophecy of Daniel 12:4,
But as for you, Daniel, conceal these words and seal up the book until the end of time; many will go back and forth, and knowledge will increase.

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We believe we are in the end times and…let’s face it…the web has transformed the way we learn and has made knowledge available to everyday people as never before. This includes the Gospel! We are able to tell people about Jesus—in ways our forefathers never dreamed of. The web has transformed Jewish evangelism work in the same way that air travel transformed missionary work in general.

We are living in wonderful days of opportunity.

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Chosen People Ministries now has two major evangelistic websites and I hope you will visit each of them. We have Isaiah 53 and I Found Shalom.

The Isaiah 53 site focuses on offering the evangelistic book Isaiah 53 Explained that is now in eleven languages! I Found Shalom has approximately 40 video testimonies (and growing) of Jewish believers in Jesus of every age and walk of life.

We also have translated the Isaiah 53 site into Hebrew, Russian, Spanish and now French.  These languages cover more than 90% of the Jewish population in today’s world.

We will soon create sites to match some of the other book translations—including our latest…Farsi. This will become the key strategy to reach the hundreds of thousands of Iranian Jews scattered throughout Israel, the United States, England, etc. with the Gospel.

We have learned how to use Facebook advertising to find the sites Jewish people search and have had more than 1,000 Jewish people order the Isaiah 53 book and the booklet we offer on the I Found Shalom site!  I have not seen anything like this in my 40-plus years of Jewish ministry.

We will expand these online evangelistic efforts beginning with a special outreach in southern Florida, the home of the third largest Jewish population in the United States, during the months of January and February!

We also plan to expand these online ministries to Russia, the United Kingdom and Australia this year. Our follow-up teams are busy calling the interested and visiting those who want a more intensive witness. However, what we have found is that most of the Jewish people responding to our websites are hearing the Gospel for the first time! So, we are prayerfully and patiently reaching out to these folks and we are further developing ongoing evangelistic e-blasts that we are sending to these seekers each month.

Can you tell I am excited? Because the web allows for some anonymity and enables a Jewish person to move at their own speed in seeking the Lord, it is almost as if the web was built for Jewish evangelism!

All About People
The most important tool God uses to reach Jewish people is people! The Good News is most powerful when preached person-to-person and heart-to-heart. Jewish seekers—like Gentile seekers—respond to the love, warmth and transformed lives of individuals, as people all need people.

Please continue to pray for all of these efforts, that the Lord will bless the work and that Jewish people everywhere will hear the Gospel and come to know their Messiah!

May I ask you to give generously this month so that we can recruit, train and deploy the dedicated, Messiah-focused people we need to do His work among the Jewish people?

Thank you for joining me by investing your prayers, support, love and encouragement in the staff of Chosen People Ministries!

Your brother in the Messiah,

Mitch

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January 6, 2016 · 3:22 PM

God’s Faithfulness in 2015

Dear friend,
Shalom and Happy New Year! I hope 2016 will bring you even greater joy and blessings than 2015! This is my prayer for you, your family, your business, your friendships, your congregation and for your ministry. As believers in Jesus we long for His return and realize that the going will get tougher rather than easier in the days ahead. Yet, we can have His joy and experience the abundant life He promised, even in the midst of a broken and fallen world. As Jesus said, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly” (Jn. 10:10).

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This expectation is not unrealistic but comes through the Holy Spirit who indwells, empowers and makes Jesus real to us every moment of our lives! We preach a message that not only provides forgiveness of sin, but also leads to a beautifully transformed life. He promised that we would enjoy a supernatural peace in our souls that would not come and go with our circumstances, but remain constant because of His abiding presence in our hearts!

Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful (Jn. 14:27).

We can face tomorrow with confidence because of His presence, power and promises to walk with us through this life and to be our guiding light when surrounded by darkness. Hallelujah…He lives and reigns…and one day will return as the rightful King over a world that is no longer tainted by our sin and the sin of our forefathers!

I hope you have a smile on your face!

We are not “pie in the sky” people or unrealistic—we simply know Jesus—and to know Him is life everlasting!

A Cup of Coffee…or Tea?
I really wish I could sit down with you and enjoy a cup of coffee or tea and tell you about the exciting things that happened during 2015 through the efforts of Your Mission to the Jewish People! May I list a few and help broaden that smile?

1601PZLW_Mitch_12-2Our online outreach campaigns brought us into contact with more than 2,000 Jewish people who are interested in Jesus.

Almost 10 million people (yes…that is million) viewed the evangelistic testimony videos we produced in cooperation with our partners in the Land of Israel.

The Isaiah 53 Explained book is now available in French, Farsi, Spanish, Russian, Dutch, Hebrew, and English, along with a number of other languages! We are reaching out to Jewish people living in the countries where these languages are spoken! In addition, 500-plus Hebrew-speaking Israelis have responded and requested the book and we are following up on as many of these seekers as possible.

Our missionaries in Israel baptized a couple dozen Jewish people including a number of newly saved Holocaust survivors.

We have increased our staff in New York City, Boston, Philadelphia, Dallas and in other places with large Jewish populations…praise the Lord!

We have seen more than a hundred Jewish people accept Jesus as their Savior—which in Jewish missions (remember we are a remnant—Romans 11:5) is quite a banner year!

We ministered to a few hundred children through the Chosen People Ministries’ camping programs, provided food packages for thousands of elderly and needy Israelis, and opened a new center in New Zealand to reach “wandering Israelis” (who are traveling after their time in the army).

We have touched the lives of multiple thousands of Jewish people as Chosen People Ministries continues to minister in 16 countries and dozens of cities around the world! 

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A Tough Year for the Jewish People
I rejoice in all of the good things God has done through our staff and our partnership through your love, prayers, financial support and engagement with our ministry!However, it was a rough year for the Jewish people.

The world, including our own country, continues to grow more and more anti-Israel. The Middle East and the West are becoming more antisemitic and violent. Anti-Jewish attacks are on the increase this year…perhaps more than any time since the Holocaust.

The new strategy of “personal terrorism” by radicalized Palestinians in Israel has taken the lives of many innocent Israelis and seriously injured hundreds.

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The Church in North America and the West seems to be growing cold to Israel and the Jewish people, both theologically and in their hearts.

I hope we will see the beginning of a new movement in 2016 among Christians who love the Jewish Messiah and care about the people of Israel!

We need to stand up and protest the violence. We should demand that our elected officials pressure those encouraging personal terrorism by their silence to put an end to the attacks. You can sign our latest petition by going to chosenpeople.com/petition.

Reaching Jewish People for Jesus in 2016
Most of all, we need to intensify our efforts to reach Jewish people for Jesus in 2016! I believe, along with so many Christians, that the Lord is coming soon. Followers of Jesus need to keep singing this tune…louder and more powerfully as the signs of the times point to a crescendo that might come sooner rather than later. As Jesus so poignantly asked the Jewish leaders, “Do you know how to discern the appearance of the sky, but cannot discern the signs of the times?” (Mt. 16:2-3).

We need to discern the signs of the times in which we live. They point to the return of the Lord Jesus, especially if we look at Israel and the prophecies fulfilled before our very eyes!

Will you commit to pray for the Jewish people in 2016? Pray for their safety during these perilous times, but most of all, pray that they would come to know their Jewish Messiah, Jesus!

Now is the time to preach the Good News to God’s chosen people and, as you know, we need your support to reach Jewish people for the Lord! We are an independent faith mission and do not receive any denominational support. We are supported by Jesus-loving believers, local churches, Christian businesses and foundations—all who share our burden for the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

Would you begin the New Year with a generous gift to Your Mission to the Jewish People? Your support sustains our online evangelistic efforts, the work in Israel and Brooklyn and enables us to provide for those behind-the-scenes administrative workers, without whom we could not keep our missionaries on the field.

I still recall the letter I received almost 19 years ago when I was given the privilege of leading our 122-year-old mission to the Jewish people.

I believe this gentleman was older as his handwriting was a bit shaky. He wrote, “Mitch, I love Chosen People Ministries and believe in your ministry, but how am I supposed to know what to give if you do not tell me what you need?”

I found his comment helpful and so I do not mean to tell you what you should give, as I view this as a sacred transaction between you and the Lord. I want you to hear from God about giving or not giving and the amount you give as well. All I can tell you is that it costs about $400,000 each month to provide the support staff, missionary project funding and help for those missionaries unable to raise their support—including many overseas serving in some of the toughest spots to minister! It would cost more than this but our faithful missionaries continue to raise their support.1601PZLW_SB15-EVANG-Subway_9534

I am so grateful for our missionaries and for those who support them—especially monthly! So, please pray about giving and you might even want to begin the year by also pledging to give a certain amount each month or quarter—and we have provided a way for you to do this through our Watchman for Jerusalem program. Please see the details on our website, and be sure to watch the video found at chosenpeople.com/watchmen which tells you more about the program and especially discusses the security of online giving.

On behalf of the Chosen People Ministries global family—Happy New Year and thank you for your partnership in the Gospel!

May the Lord fill you with His joy in 2016! And may the Lord come soon and find us faithful when He does.

Your brother,

Mitch

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