Tag Archives: Messianic

January 15, 2025 · 9:00 AM

Israel and Jewish Evangelism Today

Happy New Year! I hope and pray 2025 will be a fruitful year as you and I serve the Lord.

There is a wonderful story about the relationship between John Wilkinson, a Gentile missionary who founded the Mildmay Mission to the Jews, and J. Hudson Taylor, founder of the China Inland Mission (now OMF International). Every January, Taylor would send Wilkinson a gift with a note attached, “To the Jew first.” Wilkinson would then send the same amount back as a gift to Taylor for his work among the Chinese with a note that read, “And also to the Gentiles.” This true story nicely captures what we will learn in this letter: how we can prioritize reaching Jewish people and still reach the world as commanded by our Messiah prior to His ascension.

There is no doubt that Jewish people need to consciously accept Jesus to obtain salvation and have access to God the Father (John 14:6; Acts 4:12). This saving faith grows out of a Spirit-enlightened understanding of the gospel brought about by embracing Yeshua (Jesus) as the Messiah (John 3:16–17, 16:8).

It is also clear God made promises to the nation of Israel. While these promises do not guarantee the salvation of every Jewish person, they do assure us that the people of Israel will play an important role in the final chapter of the drama of redemption outlined in the Scriptures.

Believing what the Bible tells us about Israel’s guaranteed role in the future should not dampen our enthusiasm to proclaim the gospel among Jewish people today. Our hearts should be inspired to fervently proclaim the gospel to Jewish people, knowing the time is near and that the salvation of the Jewish remnant is linked to the second coming of the Messiah Jesus.

An End-Times Motivation for Jewish Evangelism

Until recent days, a key factor in motivating many Christians to reach Jewish people with the gospel was the belief that the salvation of the Jewish remnant was connected to the coming of the Lord. The wide acceptance of this end-times inspiration for Jewish missions was also broadly understood among churches throughout the world.

Today, Jewish people and Jewish evangelism have somewhat fallen out of favor among Christians as Israel and Jewish people are not as noticeably needy of redemption. Many Western Christians have sided politically with Palestinians, viewing Israel and Jewish people more negatively, and have directed their “mission impulse” toward social justice issues and evangelizing Arabs, particularly Muslims. I applaud proclaiming the gospel among all people groups. However, many Christians passionate about evangelizing Muslims have embraced a one-sided view of Israel that conflicts with the facts of what is happening in the Middle East and with the Bible itself.

This shift in sympathies is now commonplace in the United Kingdom, northern and central Europe, and it is rising in North America, too. Those who do not take the biblical prophecies about the land of Israel in a literal sense are fueling these shifting sympathies, leading to a declining interest in Jewish evangelism.

This is why understanding the end-times rationale for Jewish missions and the role of Jewish people in the plan of God is critical. It is my hope that Gentile Christians will be moved by the Scriptures to bring the good news to God’s chosen people.

“To the Jew First” (Romans 1:16)

There are several critical passages which should undergird an end-times motivation for Jewish missions. One of the most important is Romans 1:16: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”

Those engaged in Jewish evangelism are familiar with this passage and understand its importance in motivating the church toward Jewish evangelism. This brief verse has been interpreted in a number of different ways, but more often than not, it is used to emphasize the importance of Gentile Christians reaching Jewish people with the gospel.

I would suggest that one of the reasons the apostle Paul believed the gospel should go to Jewish people first was because of his understanding of the events of the last days. When Romans 1:16 is viewed in this way, the urgency of Jewish evangelism becomes evident. One cannot fully understand Romans 1:16 without understanding Paul’s conclusion in Romans 11, where he speaks about the end-times repentance of the remnant of Israel and their reception of Jesus as Savior. If we look closely, the priority described in Romans 1:16 is founded on Romans 11:25–27 (and more fully on 11:11–29) and must be viewed in light of the role Jewish people play in the second coming of Christ.

Paul is not suggesting that the Roman believers withhold the gospel from the Gentiles until every Jewish person in the world is reached. Neither is the apostle implying that the gospel has already come to Jewish people first and that this priority no longer applies to the mission of the church today. Romans 1:16 was written in the present tense. Therefore, if the gospel is still “the power of God for salvation” and is still for “everyone who believes,” then the gospel is still “to the Jew first.”

Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles, focused his ministry on reaching non-Jewish people with the gospel message. Yet, this did not lessen his concern for the salvation of Jewish people. Wherever Paul went in his ministry among the Gentiles, he also preached the gospel to Jewish people living in that area (Acts 13:13–52, 14:1–5, 18:7–11, 19:8–10). He would make sure this was his first evangelistic effort in a particular city before he spoke to the Gentiles. The salvation of Jewish people was an ever-present concern for Paul, and his actions described in the book of Acts reveal his understanding of what he penned in Romans 1:16.

The apostle’s argument may be summarized (and connected with Jesus’ words in Matthew 23:39) as follows: When Jewish people are successfully evangelized, then Jesus the Messiah will return. There was an end-times urgency in the tone of Paul’s preaching and in his letter to the Roman believers, encouraging them to prioritize outreach to Jewish people. His theology was enacted in his own strategy for mission. And this is why we should follow suit. In effect, Paul argued that if the church desired to witness the second coming of Christ, Jewish people must be evangelized.

The church cannot neglect Jewish evangelism: Jewish evangelism should not become the great omission of the Great Commission, and the church must make Jewish evangelism a priority because of Romans 1:16.

“All Israel Will Be Saved” (Romans 11)

Paul connected the priority of reaching Jewish people with the end times, and he argued that God has not cast off His people Israel despite their national rejection of Jesus the Messiah (Romans 11). His concluding statement proving God is not finished with Israel is that “all Israel will be saved” (Rom 11:25–27). Furthermore, he wrote:

Now if their transgression is riches for the world and their failure is riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their fulfillment be! For if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? (Rom 11:12, 15).

God has not rejected Jewish people (Rom 11:1) but rather has preserved a remnant within the nation (Rom 11:5) until the remnant becomes the nation. In this passage, the apostle tells us that in the end, God will save “all Israel,” which I believe refers to the entirety of the nation of Israel alive at that time.

This monumental end-times event takes place after the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. It is evident from this passage that prior to the salvation of national Israel and the end of days there is a time when God will be at work among the Gentiles in a special way—grafting numerous “wild branches” into the olive tree as described in Romans 11:16–24.

In summary, Jewish people will return to the God of our fathers by accepting the Messiah. The nations will then witness the return of the Lord Jesus. God has not rejected His people because He is always faithful to His promises (Rom 11:29).

Reaching Jewish people with the gospel must become a priority for all Christians as, ultimately, the salvation of Jewish people ushers in Jesus’ second coming and releases the fullness of God’s blessings to the whole world.

Outreach to Jewish people begins with you! Through your prayers, giving, and witnessing to your Jewish friends, the plan of God will go forth in power! We cannot allow Jewish evangelism to become the great omission of the Great Commission.

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Tagged as evangelism, israel, Judaism, Messiah, Messianic, ministry, mission, Yeshua

January 6, 2025 · 9:00 AM

The Enduring Call of Romans 1:16

I am writing this brief letter to you right before I visit Israel this month. This is going to be a very significant trip, and I hope you will pray for me.

I cannot easily describe the level of suffering and anguish the last sixteen months have brought upon Israelis, Palestinians, Chosen People Ministries—Israel staff, and for Jewish people globally because of the wave of antisemitism that has erupted since the beginning of this horrible war.

Life in Israel During Wartime

As I write, quite a few of our staff are still moving in and out of bomb shelters on an almost daily basis. The missile sirens seem to be going off day and night, even though the Israel Defense Forces have destroyed so many of the missile launchers in Gaza and southern Lebanon. There are usually between twenty and one hundred (sometimes even more!) explosives fired every day. A number of civilians, both Arab and Jewish, are killed within Israel because the missile defense systems cannot shoot down every projectile or drone.

Israeli soldiers—most of them in their early twenties—are also dying daily both in Gaza and Lebanon . . . more than 800 so far! May I also remind you that there are still more than one hundred hostages held by Hamas in Gaza? As of November, Israeli intelligence has assessed that half the hostages are still alive. Mothers and fathers, husband and wives, and children continue to be distraught and spend hours shedding tears of grief because of the extreme adversity their loved ones continue to endure in the dark underground tunnels of Gaza.

Pray for My Trip to Israel

I will admit that it is a bit dangerous for me and for the two other godly men joining me on this trip to Israel, yet we really do not spend our time thinking about it. Our beloved staff endure this stress day in and day out, and all I want to do is support them. I do hope that you will pray for fruitfulness and safety for our little team as well as for our staff.

We hope to meet and pray with our staff members individually and with their families. We love them so much, and I am personally inspired by and grateful for their bravery during this difficult time. They not only care for their own family, but they are out and about each day meeting the needs of suffering and displaced Israelis. If you have given a gift already to our work in Israel, I want to assure you that it is being used well, as our staff continue their ministry amid ongoing danger.

I will also be reviewing the progress of our new Tel Aviv Messianic Center. I am so grateful for the huge outpouring of support for this new and much-needed center. We are now able to celebrate the completion of our two-year, $6.5 million campaign, which means we now own this beautiful new center in the heart of the Holy Land—debt-free. Thank you so much!

The construction has continued miraculously and should be completed by mid-February. Even our elevator, needed to ensure everyone can participate in our ministry activities, has come six weeks earlier than thought after being fabricated in Germany. All I can say is hallelujah!

The Enduring Call of Romans 1:16

Throughout the month of January, we emphasize the theme of Romans 1:16, where the apostle Paul wrote, “I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek” (emphasis added). This text is foundational to our ministry of 131 years. We are still unashamed; the gospel is still God’s power for salvation, and the message is still for everyone who believes—“to the Jew first” and also to the Gentiles!

We are praying for an outpouring of prayer and financial support during this month as we begin the year with a deep concern for the well-being of Jewish people. I cannot tell you how much your prayers, encouragement, and generous support mean to us.

The psalmist wrote, “pray for the peace of Jerusalem: may they prosper who love you” (Psalm 122:6). It is love which is at the heart of our generosity, and this new center was built with the love of faithful Jesus-followers for Jewish people.

The time of salvation is NOW, and your support and prayers are needed NOW . . . and the need to bring the gospel to Israelis and Jewish people around the globe is NOW.

May I also ask whether your local church has invited a Chosen People Ministries speaker? If not, please talk to your pastor and let them know that we are available. You can call our Church Ministries department at (561)-737-1431 or email us at churches@chosenpeople.com. We would be honored to send someone to speak at your church. Your pastor might especially consider a “Messiah in the Passover” presentation during the Easter season.

My wife Zhava and I pray you will know the power of His resurrection and the joy of His presence in the new year.

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Tagged as evangelism, israel, Jesus, Judaism, Messianic, ministry, mission, Yeshua

November 15, 2024 · 9:00 AM

A New Approach to Reach Traveling Israelis

Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you will enjoy some delicious food and fun times with your family and friends this month. There is nothing like a bountiful Thanksgiving meal to remind us how God uses food and hospitality to unite families and friends.

Thanksgiving is not the only holiday with special foods intended to help us remember the past. Every Jewish holiday has its unique cuisine. For example, we eat a dish at Passover called tzimmes, usually made with carrots and dried fruits. The secret ingredients to excellent traditional tzimmes are honey and cinnamon. Why? Because redemption from slavery is always sweet! Our Jewish culinary customs encourage us to find joy despite life’s difficulties because God is a mighty deliverer. We are alive today to eat the sweet mixture on Passover only because of His covenantal faithfulness!

Inviting others to our homes and tables is rewarding and can also be a powerful ministry strategy, especially among our Jewish friends and neighbors. Food is central to Jewish life. There is a well-known saying within the Jewish community when summarizing the history of the Jewish people: “They tried to kill us, we survived, let’s eat!”

Food is a stunning reminder of God’s love and care for us! Jesus said it Himself in the Sermon on the Mount: “Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they?” (Matthew 6:26)

Throughout the years, I have found that one of the most fruitful ways to show God’s love and proclaim the gospel with others is through the ministry of hospitality, which—you guessed it—involves lots of food!

This month, I am delighted to explain how you can become part of God’s great plan to redeem Israel by showing hospitality. But first, let me describe how this innovative ministry began and recount a few good stories of how God works through believers when we bring His love to life around the table.

REACHING ISRAELIS THROUGH HOSPITALITY

One of the pioneers of our hospitality ministries to traveling Israelis is a Jewish believer who grew up in the Washington, D.C., area and eventually led one of our Chosen People Ministries Messianic congregations in Maryland. Scott describes why and how he left a thriving congregation to move early 9,000 miles to serve Israeli backpackers in New Zealand:

My wife and I motorcycled throughout New Zealand’s wild South Island to celebrate our thirtieth anniversary. We discovered scores of young travelers—Israeli and otherwise—everywhere we went who seemed primed and ready for spiritual conversation.

We moved to the South Island the very next year to test the idea of a hospitality ministry. We soon discovered evangelistic opportunities were even better than we initially thought! I remember one night, it took me four hours to finish a forty-five-minute cleaning chore at the campground where we had planted ourselves. No, I was not slacking off, and my sponge was not broken. Young Israelis at the camp kept stopping me, wanting to talk about God, Jesus, and the Bible!

The ministry in New Zealand grew, and with some help from the United States, our New Zealand team bought a beautiful fifty-plus-bed youth hostel in Wanaka, one of the most beautiful places you have ever seen. We call it the Zula Lodge because, in Hebrew, the name implies a place of rest and relaxation. Young Israelis come to this charming town by the thousands each year after getting out of the army.

Our hospitality ministry in New Zealand, which is a natural wonderland for young Israelis, is still going strong! Michael and Teresa, our current directors there, had this to say:

Zohar, a native-born Israeli on our team, frequently checks the New Zealand “Israeli Travelers WhatsApp group” to see if Israelis need a place to stay in the visually spectacular town of Dunedin. He asked us if we could host two women for just a day. “We would be delighted!” Teresa responded. The next day, Maya* and Shoshanah* arrived! They met at the Zula Lodge and decided to travel for a few weeks together.

One night turned into three, and on the third night, we all had dinner together. Luckily, Teresa is used to cooking plant-based meals, as both were vegan! The usual question came up: “Why do you host Israelis?” We talked for two hours, during which I had the opportunity to share our testimonies and our love for the Jewish Messiah, Yeshua!

THE HOSPITALITY MINISTRY EXPANDS

One of our newest guest houses, Beit Samurai (“House of the Servant”), is in Tokyo, Japan. The couple who leads this ministry has already hosted hundreds of Israelis!

Ori* and Abigail* stayed with us for a few days in December. As they walked up to our house from the train station, Abigail told Ori, “I am really craving challah¹ right now after being away from home for so long.”

One of our staff offered the some challah she had baked the night before. Abigail could not believe her eyes. She marveled at how crazy and unexpected it was because she never imagined eating challah in Japan! The offer of physical bread opened the door for her to receive spiritual bread as our staff embodied the love of Jesus. Stories like these illustrate why our hospitality ministry to Israelis has blossomed among mission-minded believers worldwide. We now have hostels in New Zealand, India, Japan, and Australia. We also have hosts ready to welcome Israelis in Hong Kong, Taiwan, China, and now, the United States.

We cannot have hostels or rent apartments everywhere. However, God is drawing people from every nation whom He is eager to use to provoke Israel to jealousy—and here is where you come in!

INTRODUCING OUR “HOST ISRAELIS” PROGRAM!

This month, I am delighted to announce the official launch of “Host Israelis,” a program in which God can use you in young Israelis’ lives by inviting them to your table!

There is no need to speak Hebrew or know much about Israel—though it might help. Most important is having a heart for blessing Jewish people everywhere with hospitality, friendship, love, and the good news of the Messiah.

Your Mission to the Jewish People provides training and resources on Israeli culture and how to recognize opportunities for spiritual conversations. When you connect with “Host Israelis,” you join a global network of like-minded believers overseen by seasoned Chosen People Ministries missionaries.

A few American hosts have already welcomed Israelis to their table! I was amazed to hear what God did while we were still beta testing the program. If the following story can happen with just a few host families, imagine what can happen when we have a nationwide network of Christian hosts passionate about the salvation of Israel!

One Israeli family traveling across the United States stayed with eleven hosts on our network. Our host families are all reporting they had an amazing time. This Israeli family is very open to the gospel. They are reading the New Testament and listening to Christian worship music! They like Jesus. The husband believes He is the Messiah. The wife is also very warm and open to Jesus, but she has questions.

HOSPITALITY AND JESUS

Showing love through hospitality can be a powerful way to draw Jewish people to the Messiah! We see it through stories like the one above and in the Scriptures. The Gospels often depict Jesus dining with people. He broke bread not only with His disciples but also with outcasts and members of society not accustomed to sitting with rabbis. He was known for “eating with the tax collectors and sinners” (Matthew 9:11; cf. Mark 2:16; Luke 5:30). In many cases, a communal meal provided the context for revealing Himself as the Messiah.

HOW IT WORKS

It is simple! Go to chosenpeople.com/host and click the link to fill out the online application. We request two references from people who know you well and will set up an interview to get to know you better and answer any questions. Once you are approved, you will have access to our many training videos to help you understand how to navigate the app, create your listing, engage Israeli culture, and talk about Jesus with your guests. As soon as your listing is made active, Israelis can contact you through WhatsApp and view your profile.

WILL YOU JOIN US?

We hope you will partner with us in this exciting work of reaching Israelis traveling worldwide—including in your backyard! At the same time, we understand not everyone can host guests overnight. You can still play a key role by being a day host or supporting this ministry in prayer and financial support.

If you are seeking a spiritual adventure, you can even come to help us at some of our international hostels on a short-term mission trip.

Whether you invite Israelis to your table, support this outreach, or pray for us, we know the Lord will use you with your Chosen People Ministries partners to reach Jewish people around the globe.

Thank you, and Happy Thanksgiving!

* Names changed

Challah is a braided bread traditionally eaten on the Sabbath. ↩︎

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Filed under Jewish Christian Dialogue, Jewish Holidays, Jews and Christians, Messianic Jewish, Thanksgiving, Uncategorized

Tagged as evangelism, israel, Judaism, Messianic, ministry, mission, Thanksgiving

October 15, 2024 · 9:00 AM

Never Again, Never Alone

NEVER AGAIN

We thought the world had learned its lesson. We thought humanity had grasped the gravity of antisemitism. We thought we had friends who stood with us. We held onto the hope we would never again witness this amount of senseless brutality. But on October 7, 2023, Hamas’ savage attack on innocent Jewish people shattered those illusions. The subsequent upswell of antisemitic rhetoric has been hard to believe and even more hurtful to experience.

“Never Again”—the Jewish community’s determined vow against another genocide after the horrors of the Holocaust—now feels like a hollow echo. It is natural to feel helpless in the face of enormous evil and shattered dreams. It is normal to wonder how something like this could happen again, despite all the Jewish community’s efforts to build a safe haven for ourselves. But in a world with shattered hopes, we now wonder if there is any lasting hope left to grasp.

NEVER ALONE

However, even as our hopes seem shattered, there is an unbroken promise—a promise enduring the test of time—which has seen Jewish people through the darkest moments of history and can carry us through despite the growing intensity of attacks on Israel and global antisemitism.

This promise is not given by man but by the God of Israel. In the Torah, He made an eternal covenant with our ancestors, a covenant binding Him to us and to the land of Israel forever (Genesis 15). This covenant is not based on the worthiness of Jewish people but founded on God’s love and faithfulness for His chosen people.

As Moses, our lawgiver, wrote,

The Lord did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any of the peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but because the Lord loved you and kept the oath which He swore to your forefathers, the Lord brought you out by a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. (Deuteronomy 7:7-8)

According to Moses, God promised to be our God and called upon us to be His people. He vowed to dwell among us, guide us, protect us, and defend us, and despite our failures and shortcomings, He has remained faithful to His promises.

Throughout history, God has proven Himself to be a shield of protection around Jewish people. Whether our persecutors were Haman, Hitler, or Hamas, He has intervened on our behalf countless times—often in miraculous ways—to deliver us from harm and danger. Even when Jewish people felt abandoned or forgotten, He was always present, working behind the scenes to bring about redemption and restoration.

He is still deeply engaged today, even amid the interminable suffering Jewish people have endured over the last year, especially Israelis who lost loved ones on October 7 and during its aftermath.

UNEXPECTED FRIENDS

We are not alone in another sense as well. There are countless followers of Yeshua (Jesus), the Messiah, who believe the land of Israel belongs to the people of Israel, and they also believe Jewish people still play a significant role in God’s plan for the ages. In a world where Jewish people seem to be losing friends and are feeling increasingly isolated, we might remember how Christians also used to be viewed as enemies and persecutors. However, times have changed, and today’s sincere, Bible-believing Christians are now some of our greatest supporters.

As one Anglican Christian said recently, “If antisemites want to harm the Jewish people, then they have to get through us first!” How powerful! What an expression of love and support. This amazing show of support and backing by Christians may open us up as Jewish people to take a new look at the claims of Yeshua to be the Jewish Messiah.

Yet, the support we as Jewish people receive today from the Christian community can sometimes be confusing because of an uncomfortable history of “Christian” persecution. The Crusades, pogroms, and even the Holocaust are often believed to be the cumulative result of a long history of Christian antisemitism.

This is why it is so critical for Christians and Jewish people to understand there are many beliefs tying us together. One of them is a mutual understanding of how God made a covenant with Jewish people, which He will never repeal. Consider this biblical promise:

Thus says the Lord, who gives the sun for light by day and the fixed order of the moon and the stars for light by night, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar; the Lord of hosts is His name: “If this fixed order departs from before Me,” declares the Lord, “then the offspring of Israel also will cease from being a nation before Me forever.” (Jeremiah 31:35–36)

The continued existence of the sun, moon, and stars—and even the waves hitting the Tel Aviv seashore—is evidence of God’s continued preservation of the people of Israel. Many followers of Jesus recognize this fact, passionately insisting anyone who is opposed to the Jewish state and people is opposed to God Himself.

A DEEPER REASON

However, there is an even deeper significance behind the advocacy of Christians on behalf of Israel. Christians often view the modern State of Israel as the fulfillment of biblical prophecy and believe God will fulfill His remaining promises of bringing a lasting peace to Israel when Yeshua returns.

The Christian commitment to Israel and Jewish people stems from a profound understanding of Yeshua’s identity as the Jewish Messiah. Yeshua identified as a Jewish person; He was one of us. He said, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matthew 15:24). He came to Jewish people first, and only later did His message have an impact on Gentiles all over the world.

Followers of Yeshua see Him as the fulfillment of biblical prophecies, as central to the redemption narrative throughout the Hebrew Scriptures, and the embodiment of God’s love for His people. Yeshua also came to bring unity between Jewish people and Gentiles and to reconcile humanity to God. As Messianic Jews, we believe Yeshua came to offer forgiveness of sin to all who put their trust in Him: to our Jewish people and to Gentiles alike. The Jewish prophet Isaiah foretold the Messiah’s atoning death for our sins:

He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. Surely our griefs He Himself bore, and our sorrows He carried; yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, and by His scourging we are healed. All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; but the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him. (Isaiah 53:3b–6)

By forgiving our sins, Yeshua provides us with a true and lasting hope nobody can ever take away or destroy. He said,

Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light. (Matthew 11:28–30)

Yeshua gives us a peace transcending the troubles and horrific terrorist acts of this world. When all else fails, including our calls for “Never Again,” our Messiah remains faithful and true. We are never alone when we trust in Him. We know the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob will be faithful to keep His promises to His chosen people—forever!

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Tagged as evangelism, israel, Judaism, Messiah, Messianic, ministry, mission, Yeshua

October 1, 2024 · 9:00 AM

Memorializing October 7, 2023

It has been one year since the most horrific attack on Jewish people since the Holocaust. What is even more tragic is this gruesome attack took place in Israel, which was founded to be a safe and peaceful homeland for Jewish people—especially for survivors of the Holocaust, which ended a mere three years before the country was established on May 14, 1948.

WHAT HAPPENED AFTER OCTOBER 7?

Let us review what transpired one year ago on October 7, 2023.

Hamas terrorists from the Gaza Strip entered Israel, unprovoked, to murder, rape, torture, kidnap, and terrorize innocent Israelis. This attack was far more than an act of war, as evidenced by Hamas’ brutality toward innocent Jewish civilians, including young and old, babies, Holocaust survivors, and other noncombatants. These were crimes against Jewish people and against humanity.

On this tragic Sabbath, Hamas killed 1,200 Israelis, kidnapped 250 innocent victims, and began what has become a seemingly endless war in Gaza. As with any war, far too many blameless people on both sides have been killed and are suffering displacement from their homes, even one year later. This conflict has led to the terrible loss of life and injury to thousands of Gazans because Hamas victimizes its own citizens, using men, women, and children as human shields.

The hostages kidnapped on this fateful day were treated with inhumane cruelty. We have since learned many of the more than one hundred hostages remaining in Gaza have already died. Some are lost and cannot be found. This is heartbreaking, especially for their families.

THE FALLOUT FROM OCTOBER 7

The attacks on Israel intensified on April 14, 2024, when Iran launched a direct attack on Israel by sending drones, rockets, and missiles to strike civilian and military targets within Israel. This attack was torturous for all Israelis who endured the long wait for the missiles to strike and the bombs to drop. Most Israelis could not have known Israel and her allies would destroy 99 percent of the rocket and missile barrage. Still, Iran’s direct attacks raised the stakes and added to the threat of a regional conflict.

The war intensified when Hezbollah, perched on Israel’s northern border, started shelling those within the reach of its rockets and missiles, which are more powerful than those of Hamas in Gaza. We also see another mounting war, even more ominous than the one in Israel and Gaza, plaguing Jewish people today. There is a growing, global wave of online antisemitism along with increased attacks upon Jewish people throughout the world. The numbers speak for themselves as antisemitic incidents against Jewish people living outside of Israel have tripled over the last twelve months.1

The actions of Hamas were antisemitic in nature. There is a long history of Islamic antisemitism beginning with the Koran and other early Islamic writings, and we believe this tragic history of Islamic antisemitism influenced Hamas terrorists to commit those horrible atrocities against innocent Jewish people last October.

Let’s face it—angry adherents to the jihadist principles promoted by Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, and other Iranian-backed terrorist groups simply hate Jewish people!

MESSIAH, OUR ULTIMATE HOPE FOR PEACE

Even though the conflict and impact of October 7 is ongoing a year later, it would still be beneficial to pause for a moment of reflection. Let’s consider what happened on this tragic Saturday and consider how we should continue to respond to the growing problem of global antisemitism.

I hope thinking this through together will help us today and tomorrow as we draw closer to the glorious day when the Messiah Jesus will return and reign as the King of Kings, Lord of Lords, and Prince of Peace. As the prophet Isaiah wrote,

And 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. (Isa 2:4)

We know the Bible teaches the end of days, as described by Jesus himself, includes wars and rumors of wars that will escalate and intensify, like birth pangs, until He returns (Matthew 24; Luke 21; Mark 13). So, the hostilities in the Middle East horrify us, but we also turn our eyes to a greater day promised by God of an enduring peace. One day our Redeemer will return to save His people and establish His kingdom of peace and righteousness. We believe this promise, and, by His grace and in the power of His Spirit, we should live today in light of tomorrow (Acts 1:9–11).

FOUR LESSONS TO LEARN FROM THE PAST YEAR

1. Our commitment to Israel and Jewish people must be founded upon Scripture.

Our commitment to the Jewish people and the State of Israel should not fluctuate with the news cycle, or the reporting of our favorite channel, or trusted websites. The news about Israel and the war is constantly changing. The actions of the Israeli government are hard to track and evaluate, as is true for our own country. It can be exhausting keeping up!

As believers, we know there is only one unchanging source of information we can turn to for comfort, inspiration, and a deeper, unbiased understanding of the swirling events we read about each day: the Word of God! Our position on Israel and the role of Jewish people in the plan of God should be biblical. As I told a friend as we were speaking about this issue—with tongue firmly planted in my cheek—“There is actually quite a bit written about Israel and the Jewish people in the Bible!”

The Bible is God’s final word on Israel and Jewish people. Though we might have slightly differing points of view of God’s purposes for Israel, the Scriptures are still the best source for information to better inform us of God’s plan, which is the lens through which we should view the conflicts in the Middle East. The Word of God should certainly guide our prayer life. We can all agree with the psalmist who firmly says to regularly “pray for the peace of Jerusalem” (Ps 122:6).

I am encouraged by some very significant trends about the Israel-Hamas war through a survey we did last March. It appears many American Christians believe we should support Israel because she has a right to defend herself and because Israel is the best ally the United States has in the Middle East. These are good reasons to support Israel, and many of us believe this, but the foundation for our ongoing support needs to have a biblical rationale, or it can easily be undone. Christians need to think biblically in all areas and believe God’s word is the final authority on all matters, including how we understand the role of Israel and Jewish people in God’s plan (Genesis 12:1–3, 15:18; Acts 1:6–8).

2. The attacks of October 7 were driven by a festering hatred of Jewish people by classical Islam, intensified by a radical jihadist Islam.

Historic forms of antisemitism are now re-packaged with political and human rights verbiage, viciously used for hundreds of years against Jewish people before the modern State of Israel was established. We see this on the right, the left, and in Islamist extremism. All too often the newer and more politically-oriented arguments against the modern State of Israel obfuscate the underlying antisemitic arguments, tropes, and conspiracy theories.

For hundreds of years the rights of Jewish people were severely limited in many countries. My people were forced to live in ghettos in western Europe and the Pale of Settlement in eastern Europe where Jewish influence could be more easily controlled. This strategy of geographic exclusion and Jewish containment enabled governments to keep Jewish people away from the mainstream culture. In North Africa, Spain, and a variety of Arab countries, Jewish people were heavily taxed by Muslims who controlled the political systems. Sometimes, Jewish and Muslim communities lived together peacefully, but there was always a reason why Muslims felt superior to their Jewish neighbors. As Islam grew and spread throughout the Middle East, traditions developed in the Muslim world identifying Jerusalem as a Muslim and not a Jewish possession.

Various Muslim and Middle Eastern mischaracterizations of Jewish people are well known and have fueled a depth of hatred against Jewish people going well beyond the seventy-five-plus years of modern Israel’s existence. There is no denying October 7, 2023, elevated this historic Islamic antisemitism, harkening back to the seventh century, to a new genocidal level. Hamas terrorists dehumanized Israelis through torture, rape, and other horrific acts of violence.

Embedded anti-Jewish sentiments in the Muslim world in general were exacerbated by the Iranian revolution, social media, and the founding of the modern State of Israel in 1948. Adherents to Hamas’ violent ideology are not only hostile to Jewish people but also to the Bible, Western civilization, and God Himself.

We need to pray for even the most violent of jihadists and not return hate for hate. Let’s encourage missions among them as the best way to bring about peace in the Middle East and to protect the values we cherish is to bring the gospel to those who oppose us. When people come to Jesus, their lives and worldviews are transformed. We do need to love our enemies, whoever they might be!

3. The devil is behind this world’s hostility toward Jewish people.

However, we must come to grips with the spiritual battle we face today in the Middle East. As Bible-believers, we recognize Satan’s hand in shaping modern antisemitism. The Scriptures teach us the source of antisemitism is the devil himself. Antisemitism, called “the oldest hatred,” has plagued the children of Abraham since his call from Ur of the Chaldees (Gen 12:1–3).

When God called Abraham to father the chosen people, Satan made Jewish people the target of his fury. The evil one has tried to eradicate the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in every age and in endless ways to prevent God from using Israel as His instrument of redemption and blessing through the Jewish Messiah. We cannot view antisemitism as merely some type of nationalistic, political, or ethnic hatred but, rather, as a cosmological effort on the part of the devil to destroy Jewish people and disrupt the plan of God.

True Christians need to take up spiritual arms to fight this spiritual battle, as Paul writes, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against

the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12).

By God’s grace, believers worldwide must exhibit love toward Jewish people and oppose antisemitism because we believe in the Bible, the Jewish Messiah, and the covenants God forged with the sons and daughters of Israel. This is critical today because, more than ever, the Jewish community needs real friends amid this rising sea of antisemitism.

What a wonderful testimony it would be to Jewish people if Christians stood against the enemies of Jewish people, testifying through our actions how those who follow the Jewish Messiah love Jewish people.

4. Believers in Jesus should act on behalf of Jewish people and oppose antisemitism.

There is a very popular statement attributed to the brilliant Jewish scientist, Albert Einstein, who was very concerned about antisemitism as he lived through the horrors of the Nazi period and was one of the scientists saved by the Allies: “If I were to remain silent, I’d be guilty of complicity.”2

This reminds me of the words of Isaiah, who wrote: “For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not keep quiet, until her righteousness goes forth like brightness, and her salvation like a torch that is burning” (Isa 62:1). We cannot remain silent when Jewish people are under siege! God still has His holy hand upon His chosen people; they are still the apple of His eye. We are speaking of the Savior’s earthly family, and if we love Him then we must love His people!

God will never allow His chosen people to be destroyed (Amos 9:8). If you choose to be an enemy of Jewish people and seek the destruction of God’s people, then you stand in opposition to God’s purposes in this world. He promised to bless those who bless Jewish people because through Jewish people He brings blessings to the world (Gen 12:1–3).

As followers of the Messiah Jesus, whether Jewish or Gentile, we recognize our humanity demands and even compels us to raise our voices and not remain silent about antisemitism. All racial hatred is antithetical to the biblical message and human decency, as the Almighty, blessed be He, created each of us in His image.

When the Jewish people are under siege, we must be diligent in standing for and with Jewish people. We must also remember the suffering of innocent Gazan families, whom Hamas leaders deliberately put in harm’s way, as Jesus died for us all!

So, let us take to heart the messages of this hour and commit to saying something and doing something, especially on behalf of Jewish people in Israel and around the globe.

WHAT CAN YOU DO?

It is time to act! Here are some practical steps you and your church can take to stand with God’s chosen people today.

Pray

As believers in Jesus the Jewish Messiah, we can pray for Jewish people. This is so important, and I hope you will consider holding a special time of prayer or even offering just a simple prayer on behalf of Jewish people at your services October 5–6 in commemoration of the first anniversary of the attacks on Israel of October 7!

Chosen People Ministries can provide your church with a short video or two, bulletin inserts, and other resources to effectively and sensitively bring attention to the Middle East crisis at your services October 5–6.

Reach out

Please consider reaching out to your local Jewish community to let them know you stand with Jewish people. If there are commemorative events on October 7 sponsored by your local Jewish community, try to attend and let your Jewish friends know you care.

Give

Please pray about making a special gift to Your Mission to the Jewish People to be used in proclaiming the good news today. We are doing so much to help our Jewish family and friends know Jesus is the Messiah and the One who brings ultimate safety and peace to Israel, to Jewish people around the world, and to our individual hearts.

Participate

Consider attending the Moody Summit against Antisemitism, sponsored by Moody Bible Institute and Chosen People Ministries, scheduled for November 9 in Chicago.

As the Savior said, “Peace [shalom] 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” (John 14:27). Jesus also said, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God” (Matthew 5:9).

Please join us in bringing the message of the Prince of Peace to a war-torn and fractured world in desperate need of the hope and redemption only available through Jesus the Messiah—“to the Jew first” and also to the Gentiles (Romans 1:16).

Thanks for caring and for your generosity.

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Tagged as evangelism, Isaiah, israel, Judaism, Messiah, Messianic, ministry, mission, October 7, Yeshua

September 19, 2024 · 2:49 PM

Blow a Trumpet in Zion

Jewish people are getting ready to celebrate the Jewish New Year, or Rosh Hashanah, at the very beginning of next month. I hope you take the time to wish a Jewish friend, Chag Sameach (Happy Holiday)!

During Rosh Hashanah, we have a wonderful Jewish tradition of serving apples and honey to family and friends, representing our wishes for them to enjoy a happy and sweet year! So, do not be shy. Bring over a nice plate of apples and honey to a Jewish friend or a Rosh Hashanah card as an act of kindness to build your friendships with the Jewish people in your life.

A HIGH HOLIDAY GIFT FOR CHRISTIAN CHILDREN

I also have some great news for you: We have completed our latest Jewish holiday animated video—this one is about the Jewish New Year and is ideal for Sunday school-age kids.

We would love to see this resource help Christian children understand their Jewish neighbors and begin to develop a love for Jewish people at a young age. This animated video is delightful and has a very powerful gospel presentation geared for children. You can show it to a Sunday school class, at a Christian school or homeschool group, in your own home, at a Good News Club, or at a Vacation Bible School. All you need is a phone, tablet, or television.

So, dear friend, mom, dad, or grandparent, please use the video. Who knows, maybe you will have the opportunity to show the animation to a Jewish child or two as well!

THE JEWISH HOLIDAYS POINT TO JESUS

I love the Jewish holidays because God designed each one to promote some of the most significant themes of Scripture, which describe His person, plan, and promises. Let me start by giving you a few essential facts about Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year.

MORE ABOUT THE JEWISH NEW YEAR

I must first tell you the words “New Year” or Rosh Hashanah (“the head of the year”) are not used in the Bible. Jewish tradition, however, connects it to Leviticus chapter 23:23, which mentions a day of rest and a day of trumpet (or shofar) blasts. This holiday also falls in the seventh month of the year.

The Hebrew calendar is quite different from the Gregorian calendar most widely used today, and the Hebrew month Tishrei, the seventh month, usually aligns with our September or October, which is why the holiday is observed in the fall.

Why do Jewish people observe the New Year in the seventh month? It is a good question, which most Jewish people cannot answer. But if you saw the movie Fiddler on the Roof, you probably remember the song, “Tradition!” Jewish tradition tells us the New Year should be linked to the holiday described in the biblical text as the month of the blowing of the shofar, or ram’s horn.

Tradition is not bad, but you must be able to separate tradition from Scripture. The Hebrew word rosh means “head,” and shanah means “year.” So, the festival named in the Bible as the “Blowing of the Shofar” is now viewed as the “Head of the Year,” or Rosh Hashanah, and the holiday when we blow the shofar.

May I take us one step deeper into the Jewish background and meaning of Hebrew terms? The Hebrew Bible does not include the word “blowing” (Lev 23:24). The Hebrew word used, teruah, is one of the sounds the shofar makes when blown! I find it best to translate the term as “toot toot.” Of course, I smile when I write this. But it is true; the literal name of the festival is a sound. But it is a very important sound.

We must dive even deeper, though, into the overall background of the Jewish festivals to better understand this first holiday of the seventh month!

THE FESTIVALS’ ROAD TO REDEMPTION

We find the seven great festivals of Jewish people meticulously detailed in Leviticus 23. All the festivals point to the past, the present, and the future in one way or another as each festival is prophetic. To help you understand Rosh Hashanah—the first fall festival—let us examine the Sabbath and the spring festivals.

The Sabbath (Leviticus 23:3):

Leviticus 23 begins by introducing us to the archetypal festival, the weekly Sabbath.

The Sabbath, which is in many ways the foundation for the seven annual festivals, looks back to God’s rest from His labor after creating the heavens and the earth in six days. Moses then commanded Jewish people to cease from work every seventh day from Sinai onward. However, many Jewish people fully understand how the past and present Sabbath also points to a greater Sabbath to come, when the ultimate Davidic King will sit on the throne of David, and there will be peace throughout the earth (Isaiah 9:7). We believe this Davidic King is none other than Jesus, the Jewish Messiah for all.

Passover and Unleavened Bread (Leviticus 23:5–8):

The first holiday of the Jewish year points to the redeeming Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world in a greater way than the lamb slain by the Israelites in Egypt and whose blood they splashed upon their doorposts.

We know Jesus, the Messiah, fulfills this prophetic picture. The Festival of Unleavened Bread is a picture of how He lived a life without sin, as leaven is a symbol of sin. But this prophetic roadmap to redemption does not end with His death!

First Fruits (Leviticus 23:9–14):

The Feast of First Fruits is the third festival in the spring. This holiday was divinely scheduled to fall the day after the Sabbath related to Passover. Jesus died on Friday, the beginning of the Sabbath, and was in the grave Friday, Saturday, and part of Sunday, then He rose in power as “the first fruits of those who are asleep” (1 Corinthians 15:20).

Feast of Pentecost (Shavuot) (Leviticus 23:15–21):

Pentecost (from the Greek word meaning “fifty”) is next and is the day God chose for the Holy Spirit to fall upon the early band of Messianic Jewish future evangelists, who obediently waited for the promise of the Father.

Many Jewish sages and scholars believe the first Pentecost reflects the giving of the law at Mount Sinai when the Israelites saw similar signs and wonders as God Himself gave new revelation.

A GREATER ISAAC

Hashanah (Lev 23:23–25). At the heart of this first fall festival is the blowing of the shofar, the ram’s horn. In Jewish tradition, this looks back to Genesis chapter 22, known as the Akedah in Hebrew, which translates to “binding” or “tying” in English.

This passage describes Abraham’s son Isaac, who was bound to the altar by his loving and obedient father whom God tested to see if he would kill his son with a knife as a sign of his faith. Thank God we know his hand was stayed, and God provided a ram caught by its horns in the thicket as a substitutionary sacrifice for Isaac. His potential sacrifice on Mount Moriah represented the first of multiple thousands of animal sacrifices eventually offered at this same location where King Solomon later built the Temple.

Isaac is a type—a pattern—of the Messiah. He was innocent, beloved by his father, and almost sacrificed, though there was no reason for his untimely death. God called Abraham to climb the mountain and sacrifice his son as a test. The shofar is blown to remind Jewish people of Abraham’s obedience and Isaac’s willingness to be sacrificed. As Messianic Jews and Gentile Christians, we are certain this prophetic pattern was fulfilled in the death and ultimate resurrection of Jesus the Messiah. God, in His great love, sent His only perfect Son to atone for the sins of all humanity.

Yet, we still wait for another blowing of the shofar one day, which will announce the coming of the Lord. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians, “In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed” (1 Cor 15:52).

We pray for the salvation of Jewish people and all people! We especially pray many Jewish people today will recognize the greater Isaac, Jesus, who through His atoning sacrifice, sets us free from sin and death at the very moment we give our lives to Him and recognize He is our Savior and Lord! Our staff in the United States, Israel, and eighteen other countries around the globe proclaim this message to our beloved Jewish people.

While we long for His return, we also want more time because we hope to see so many others come to faith. Nevertheless, our hearts still cry out, “Come, Lord Jesus” (Revelation 22:20). May we hear the sound of the heavenly trumpet soon!

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Tagged as Day of Atonement, evangelism, Feast of Tabernacles, Feast of Trumpets, israel, Judaism, Messiah, Messianic, ministry, mission, rosh hashanah, Sukkot, Yeshua, Yom Kippur, Yom Teruah

September 3, 2024 · 8:30 AM

Hope Is Rising in Tel Aviv

Shalom in His grace. I am delighted to write and bring you up to date on what God is doing through our 130-year-old mission to Jewish people.

Israel is still deeply in turmoil, which keeps me on my knees. Even if Israel agreed to some type of peace accord with Gaza, welcomed all the living hostages back, received the bodies of those who died in captivity, and secured the safe return of the tens of thousands of Israelis who evacuated their homes near the border, Israel would still have to face all the challenges of a future plan for Gaza! Even if Israel fully dismantles the threat of Hamas (and Hezbollah), how long would peace last?

POSSIBLE PARTNERSHIPS FOR ISRAEL

There is also the question of potential governing bodies who would partner with Israel in controlling any future terrorism from Gaza. If an alliance of Arab countries with Israel had equal authority in the Gaza Strip, would this partnership endure? I realize these scenarios are hard to imagine, and we cannot predict the future. We can only follow the One who can!

Who could logically believe this alliance could work? The Palestinian Authority, who controls the West Bank (Judea and Samaria), has proven itself to be an undependable partner in peace. Judea and Samaria have been rife with terrorism, and it is possible more Israeli soldiers will die in this territory than in Gaza!

And what about Hezbollah’s frequent rocket attacks into northern Israel, destroying homes and causing raging wildfires? Can we really trust Hezbollah, Iran’s proxy, to remain within the demilitarized zone already established at the Litani River in 1985? Hezbollah moved into southern Lebanon after the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) was forced out in 1982. What assurance does Israel have they will not use their Iranian-supplied arms to bring destruction to the north, including to cities like Haifa or in the Galilee? Many believe their rockets and missiles can even reach Jerusalem and Tel Aviv as well. You can see Israel’s options for partners is getting slimmer as time goes by.

SOME OF ISRAEL’S HISTORY WITH LEBANON

This is not the first time Israel thought a solution would work in southern Lebanon. An Israeli news source, Ynet News, describes the first Lebanon war:

The 1982 Lebanon War began on June 6, 1982, as what was supposed to be a short-term military operation—Operation Peace for Galilee. The operation was meant to destroy [Palestinian] militant infrastructure on the Lebanese-Israeli border, which had been used by terrorists to attack [the Israel Defense Forces] . . . as well as the Israeli communities abject to the border. In 1978 Israel launched Operation Litani, temporarily occupying southern Lebanon up to the Litani River. Once the IDF withdrew its forces later that year, an alliance was formed between the IDF and the South Lebanon Army (SLA), resulting in a buffer zone along Israel’s border.¹

However, this plan for northern security did not hold as Ynet further describes,

January of 1985 saw the Israeli government decide to gradually withdraw from Lebanon, and by springtime most of the IDF’s troops—with the exception of those stationed in the south Lebanese buffer zone—were out of Lebanon.

According to the Defense Ministry, Israel suffered 1,217 fatalities in the war itself, which lasted between 1982 and 1985.

The rising number of fatalities among IDF soldier[s] stationed in the buffer zone led to a growing public outcry to pull all troops out of the area and in 1999, then-Prime Minister Ehud Barak led his government to vote for the complete withdrawal from Lebanon.

The last Israeli soldiers left Lebanon on May 24, 2000.²

Why would the lack of lasting peace be any different today? Israelis old enough to remember these events ask themselves this question. What has changed other than Iran and Hezbollah drawing closer and becoming more militarily capable?

Israel will do whatever it takes to survive. If viciously attacked, Israel will defend herself once again. Only this time, with the memory of what happened previously, Israel’s response will be fierce and decisive, leading to further and more massive destruction on all sides.

ISRAEL’S DILEMMA

As you can see, Israel is still in a very difficult situation. I do not want to leave you feeling hopeless but to help you get a sense of what our staff in Israel is going through as they reach Israelis at this critical time with the message of true hope through the Messiah. Not even one of our workers permanently left Israel during the war—though many of them could have gone elsewhere. I am so proud of their dedication and selfless service.

I could not be more pleased with the way our staff has served the Messiah and shown His love in dozens of ways, touching the lives of thousands of Israelis who feel so vulnerable and hopeless at times.

So, our staff continues to serve faithfully, and they can do this because you care and stand with them in their efforts!

A WARTIME MIRACLE: THE NEW NEW TEL AVIV CENTER

Now, let me tell you about what I can only call a wartime miracle. Our beautiful new ministry center in Tel Aviv is almost done. Can you believe it? We still need a little more than a half million dollars toward this $6.5-million-dollar project.

But the true miracle is not the funding but rather overcoming the lack of labor over the last year as building projects in Israel so often depend upon Palestinian laborers—many of whom came in through Gaza each day.

And yet God provided laborers from among Christian Arabs and Israelis to get us very close to the finish line on the building. We cannot tell you how thrilled we are to see God’s provision. It reminds me of the miracle of the loaves and fishes (Matthew 14:13–21). We did not bring much to the table by way of labor, but God maximized what we brought.

THE FREEDOM TOWER, A SYMBOL OF HOPE

May I explain to you a little bit more how I feel about what the Lord has done?

I lived through the 9/11 tragedy in New York City. My house in Brooklyn is downwind from the World Trade Center towers, meaning smoke was clearly visible from my home. I cannot tell you about the horror of those moments, when more than 2,977 people died. In September 2021, on the twentieth anniversary of 9/11, we honored the hundreds of law enforcement, fire department, military, and Christian workers who perished as they worked to save others. We also thanked those who rallied to the challenge to help rebuild New York City.

I am sorry to say both Israel and the United States have a common enemy. Those who perpetrated the awful tragedy of 9/11 and those who are behind the war in Israel have a common ideology. This ideology of evil goes far beyond borders and resides across many nations. These adherents hate the West, hate Jewish people, hate Christians, hate the Lord, and hate Judeo-Christian values. But the Lord overcomes our enemies!

I watched the new Freedom Tower being built for years. Today, it stands grand and proud as a symbol of our freedom and our enemies’ inability to destroy us.

HELP US FINISH THE NEW TEL AVIV MESSIANIC CENTER

I want our new Messianic center in Tel Aviv to stand as a sign of God’s faithfulness to Israel, Jewish people, and in particular to the Messianic Jewish movement within Israel, which is growing by leaps and bounds over the last twenty-five years. Our Romans 11:5 remnant is increasing, and Chosen People Ministries—Your Mission to the Jewish People—is one of the largest ministries in Israel.

In Tel Aviv, we hope to plant a congregation, continue our outreach concerts, and implement other ministries. Our staff across Israel will continue to reach out to children, young adults, elderly Holocaust survivors, and many others.

Endnotes

¹ “The Lebanon War (1982),” Ynet News, November 30, 2008, https://www.ynetnews.com/ articles/0,7340,L-3631005,00.html.

² Ibid.

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Tagged as evangelism, israel, Judaism, Messiah, Messianic, middle east, ministry, mission, Tel Aviv, Yeshua

August 15, 2024 · 8:30 AM

The Time for Rebuilding Is Now

I visited Israel recently to spend time with our staff, hear their stories, pray with them, and encourage them in the great work they are doing to reach our Jewish people in Israel during these very difficult days.

Our staff gathered to try to get away from the stress of war and travel around on a brief Jeep tour in the Judean Hills.

During the trip we were able to get to know some of our drivers. One of them was Avi, who lived on a moshav¹ a few hundred feet from the border with Gaza. This community is called Netiv HaAsara, which means “the path of the ten” and reflects how the community was formed. The name comes from the ten soldiers who tragically lost their lives in a helicopter crash in 1971 in the Gazan town of Rafah. Netiv HaAsara is known for its various peace initiatives, and prior to October 7, many Gazans lived in the village and worked alongside the locals in different capacities.

MOSHAV NETIV HAASARA

This moshav was created so families who wanted to make peace with Palestinians could intentionally live on the border to be close to their neighbors in Gaza. The families of the moshav created something called “The Peace Wall” (pictured on the cover), where people could paint bright colors as a symbol of their hopes for peace in the region.² The moshav was established in 1982 and had close to 1,000 individuals living on the land owned by the community. In 2005, with the disengagement of Israel from Gaza, it became the closest Israeli community to the Gaza Strip.

The story of what happened at the moshav on October 7, 2023, is well known: thirty-five Hamas terrorists attacked the community and killed at least twenty people. Their security team fought valiantly, but three of them were murdered during the attack. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) were able to save the rest of the people on the moshav once they arrived, about six hours after the attack started. They either arrested or killed the remaining Hamas terrorists.

Our new friend Avi, who drove one of the vehicles for our staff, was one of the first to see the paragliders land in the center of the community.³ We kept in touch with Avi after our staff trip, and he invited us to visit the moshav to hear his story. He showed us around to see where the gliders came in and the homes where his neighbors were killed. Avi even took some time to tell us the story of this morning of terror.

AVI’S STORY OF OCTOBER 7

Now, please take a few moments and try to imagine what it was like for the members of this moshav on the Gaza border, surrounded by security walls and barbed wire fences as well as lush terrain growing beautiful roses, olives, and fruit trees. It was very sad to hear how their hope for a peaceful resolution to the conflict with Gaza was crushed by the brutality of the attacks of October 7.

HERE IS AVI’S STORY IN HIS OWN WORDS:

At 6:00 in the morning, like always, I woke up to take the dog for a walk. At around 6:20, I heard the sound of small firearms. There was also the sound of rocket fire, and not the typical ones you hear. It’s usually one rocket or two rockets, but now there were a lot of rockets.

I thought it was a reaction, maybe to an IDF operation where maybe we took out one of the leaders like Sinwar,⁴ and they’re upset, so they’re firing. But it was something very unusual, something unexpected, this amount of rocket attacks. It didn’t stop. It just kept coming and coming and coming. Normally, we have a rocket or two, or maybe four or five, and then it stops, but it was wave after wave after wave.

Then I understood. I heard the sound of a motor of some kind of aerial vehicle. The first thing I did is I called the security manager for the moshav, but he didn’t answer, so then I called the local IDF coordinator, but he also didn’t answer. And then I heard another motor from another aerial vehicle coming up. So I said to myself, “I have to do something. I’m going to film it.” And so, I started recording it.

So when I started filming the second glider, I realized the first terrorist had already landed and was walking around in the moshav. I wanted to see where the terrorist was going to land so that I could report it to the security squad protecting the moshav. But the terrorist saw me and changed his direction so that I wouldn’t be able to identify where he landed. He probably thought I had a weapon, but I didn’t have any weapons at the time.

I continued to try to call and inform people, and the only one I could reach by phone was my neighbor who said, “I’m not at home, I’m up at the Sea of Galilee.” So I came home and I told my wife and kids to stay home, to stay inside. I didn’t tell them that there were terrorists loose in the moshav. I didn’t want them to be stressed by the situation.

I continued to try to reach people unsuccessfully, and then suddenly there was no water or electricity. And of course, no internet either. The telephone was hardly working, but WhatsApp⁵ was somehow working. As soon as the terrorists landed, within a few minutes, there was constant gunfire. I heard the firing all around me and at houses nearby and at the house across the street.

I left the bomb shelter because I thought if they’re going to come toward me, I could interact better with them outside than inside the bomb shelter where I can’t do anything. So I left with a knife and a fishing spear gun, as that’s all I had. For some reason the terrorists didn’t come to my house.

The children of my landlord who lived nearby called me because their mom, my landlord, wasn’t answering the phone. They were concerned for her. So, I went to her house. I tried to hide because I wasn’t well armed. So, I was trying to get over there without being seen. The reason I was hiding was not because I was afraid of being seen by the terrorists. I was afraid of being misidentified by the army as a terrorist, so I was hiding. I totally expected the army to be here already, but they didn’t come for hours!

I arrived at my landlady’s house, but she wasn’t there. I didn’t find her in the house, and I didn’t think to look in the bomb shelter. I looked on the street because she’s an older woman. I thought maybe she had fallen or something, but I didn’t see her, and I didn’t want to cross

the street. I didn’t want to be out exposed for too long. I was sure that the army was coming, and they would interact and engage these terrorists, but the army didn’t come so I came home.

When I got home, I was able to finally reach the IDF security coordinator for the area, but our connection was in and out. Sometimes the phone lines would drop, so I used a combination of phones and WhatsApp messages back and forth, and I finally got ahold of somebody. Then I started to relax a bit.

I knew or at least had some idea of what the terrorists were doing because first of all, you could not only hear it, but you could also smell it. But also on the WhatsApp messages, I was getting updates from the security squads about where the terrorists were going and what they were doing. And so I knew more or less what was going on around me as they burned a few houses, and you could smell the smoke.

At 9:00 or 10:00 am more terrorists arrived, in addition to the original thirty. They were armed. One of them even had a bulletproof vest; they came to steal and then to kill. The security team of the moshav captured them but didn’t kill them. They transferred them for interrogation.

Tactical units and the border patrol came in the afternoon, and I understood that the situation was more or less under control, but they didn’t leave because there was still fighting all around them in some of the other towns in the area. And we stayed in our bomb shelter until 5:30 or 6:00 at night, so for about twelve hours.

I heard (but can’t verify the authenticity of it) that the IDF listened to the recordings of the conversations between the terrorists and their leaders back in Gaza, and that they had originally planned to destroy the border wall and completely take over our moshav and kill all of us.

But when the terrorists came and started killing people, they found hardly anyone in their homes or walking the street and reported back that they killed everyone that was here, and that the village was now unoccupied. And so, they decided not to break the wall and completely invade. About 1,000 people were in their bomb shelters. So when the terrorists came, they didn’t see anyone, but whenever they found somebody in a safe room, or a bomb shelter, they threw grenades inside and kept going.

I found out the terrorists had all taken a particular drug (Captagon)⁶ that removed their fear. It also affected their reasoning and their logic, which is why they may have reported that the town was empty, when in fact, they did meet people, and they knew they were in bomb shelters, but they reported that the town was empty. This drug is big business for Hezbollah in Lebanon. They sell it all over the Middle East. It’s a cheap drug to make, and they make a lot of money on it, and it’s very popular in the West Bank. So it’s hard to know what really happened and why we seemed to be protected from additional murders.

All of this is very unfortunate as I worked regularly with Gazans, and they work really hard. One Gazan worker equaled three regular workers. I don’t know if there’s going to be peace or not, but I don’t hate them. Okay, those who committed atrocities, like murder and rape, there’s no question they just need to be eliminated. But at the end of the day, there’s still going to be two million Gazans.

I then asked Avi about his view of the future of the moshav. He continued,

First of all, we have to eliminate Hamas. That’s the first thing. And then whatever happens, it’s politics. We can’t know. But what we do know is we have to eliminate Hamas. They’re fanatics and they’re murderers, and they need to be removed.

I further asked Avi if he believed the moshav would return to normal and the hundreds of people who used to live there would return to their homes. He simply answered, “Yes, I hope so!” I was greatly moved by his hope and by his bravery. He is a hero and shows the determination of Israelis to survive and thrive even when facing seemingly unsolvable conflict.

A CALL TO PRAYER

So, how can we pray for Avi, his family, and the members of this beautiful moshav where its members were so hopeful to create peace between Gazans and Israelis?

We can pray for the families of those who were murdered. We can pray God will keep terrorists from attacking once again. And most of all, please pray Avi, his family, and many others at the moshav who dreamed about peace will find true and lasting peace through the Prince of Peace, Jesus our Messiah.

As the psalmist wrote, “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: ‘May they prosper who love you’” (Psalm 122:6).

Thank you for your support, which enables us to help friends like Avi and our workers in Israel and around the globe in all their many efforts to bring the good news of hope and peace through the Messiah Jesus “to the Jew first” and also to the Gentiles (Romans 1:16)!

We would like to have additional funds to help members of Netiv HaAsara, as well as Israelis who cannot yet return to their homes in towns near the Gaza border or on the border of Lebanon. Your gift of any amount to the Israel benevolence fund will support Israelis in this dark time. We so appreciate your partnership.

We want to help Israelis practically and find ways to tell them about the Prince of Peace who brings peace to the hearts of all who call upon Him! He specializes in solving the unsolvable.

¹ A moshav is similar to a kibbutz but allows for private ownership of property among some other key differences.

² “Another inspiring project in Netiv Ha‘Asara is ‘The Path to Peace’ project led by artist Tsameret Zamir. The project transformed a once-plain security wall into a colorful canvas of hope by placing colorful brushstrokes bearing positive messages on the wall. Each stroke of paint symbolized hope for a peaceful future. It was a poignant reminder how, even in the shadow of conflict, the people of Netiv Ha‘Asara were dedicated to the pursuit of peace, one brushstroke at a time” (Kim Paffen, “Life near the Gaza Border: Living amid Ongoing Gaza-Israel Conflict,” Our Planet in My Lens, October 8, 2023, https://ourplanetinmylens.com/life-near-the-gaza-border/).

³ Hamas terrorists used paragliders on October 7, 2023 to get over the border fence into Israel.

⁴ Yahya Sinwar has been the leader of Hamas in Gaza since 2017.

⁵ A mobile application popular in Israel and many other countries, WhatsApp supports instant messaging and phone calls through the internet.

⁶ Joseph Pergolizzi Jr., et al. “The Emergence of the Old Drug Captagon As a New Illicit Drug: A Narrative Review,” Cureus 16 (2), Feb. 2024, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10977473/.

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Tagged as evangelism, gaza, israel, Judaism, Messiah, Messianic, middle east, ministry, mission, Palestinians, Yeshua

August 1, 2024 · 9:00 AM

The Time to Stand against Antisemitism Is Now!

We continue to see antisemitism on the rise, especially οn college campuses! Hillel, the main Jewish campus organization worldwide, recorded a total of 1,810 reported antisemitic incidents on college campuses since October 7, which is a 700 percent increase compared to last year.¹

This is a matter of grave concern as students look forward to beginning a new semester at universities across the country. Christian students often set up book tables and find ways to introduce their ministries to new students. The pro-Israel and Jewish Christian groups on campuses will be reluctant to be out-front and vocal because of the possible intimidation and opposition by pro-Hamas groups on campus. They need our help and prayers!

But, the problem is not limited to the campus. It seems to be happening everywhere. May I take a moment of your time and tell you about my heart and concern over this growing wave of anti-Jewish and anti-Israel sentiments sweeping across our country and so much of the Western world?

THE PERNICIOUS NATURE OF ANTISEMITISM

From a biblical point of view, antisemitism is a hatred aimed at destroying Jewish people.

The Hamas rallying cry “from the river to the sea” is a twisting of Genesis 15:18, which promises the land to Abraham’s descendants “from the river of Egypt as far as the great river, the river Euphrates.” So, from river to river, God promised the land of Israel to Jewish people by covenant. As believers in God’s Word, we have no other choice but to affirm what He has already promised.

If we support those seeking the destruction of Jewish people or the removal of Jewish people from the land of Israel, then we are working at cross purposes with God. Instead, let us make certain we are partnering with God in every way, including His plan for Jewish people. Let us love what He loves and speak out against what He hates!

Once again, we are not calling all Christians to support every Israeli policy or military action, but rather simply to advocate for Israel’s right to exist as a sovereign nation. We do believe God gave the land of Israel to Jewish people, but we realize war is hard on everyone. Mistakes are made. But, remember, Israel is defending herself against Hamas, who initiated the conflict by storming Israel with close to 4,000 terrorists who set out to murder, kidnap, and brutalize innocent Israelis.

Those condemning Israel’s wartime behavior seem to have lost sight of October 7! If not for this Black Sabbath, Israelis and Palestinians could have continued the process of trying to work out a reasonable peace and relationship. Hamas destroyed what so many tried to build through peaceful means. And in the process, their behavior has brought terrible damage to their own people, whom they use as human shields. Hamas’ leader, Yahya Sinwar, openly admitted Palestinian civilian deaths is part of his agenda. As the New York Post reported,

Hamas’ top official in Gaza, who helped mastermind the Oct. 7 terrorist attack, coldly admitted he sees the deaths of Palestinian civilians as “necessary sacrifices” to keep its war against Israel raging. . . . Yahya Sinwar lauded his efforts in stalling cease-fire talks. . . . “We have the Israelis right where we want them,” Sinwar said in a message to Hamas officials meeting with Qatari and Egyptian negotiators.²

What a terrible statement for a leader to make about his own people who are suffering!

And now it is not only Israelis and innocent Palestinians who are suffering because of the actions of the Hamas leadership, but Jewish people everywhere are now the subject of a new wave of antisemitism raging like a fire across the globe!

We must put a stop to antisemitism!

A COALITION AGAINST ANTISEMITISM

We held a significant event on Broadway, in Manhattan on June 20 to oppose antisemitism. Hundreds of people attended and made a commitment to do something about the rise of antisemitism. This was a first step in our efforts to fuel a movement of loving support on the part of Christians for their Jewish friends and neighbors.

Now I am asking you to do the same!

We are building a Coalition Against Antisemitism. This effort is especially designed to enable followers of Jesus to make a difference by becoming better informed and taking a more active role in this spiritual battle for the souls of Jewish people.

We cannot underestimate the importance of providing Christians with a spiritual and biblical foundation for their prayers and actions. Just imagine how Jewish people will feel about Christians and may even take a new and different look at the gospel message because of a Christian’s love and concern, especially after centuries of anti-Jewish attitudes and actions by so-called Christians. My beloved community and God’s chosen people need to see a church in love with the Jewish Messiah and ready to stand with His kinsmen according to the flesh!

The following statement will form the basis for this new Coalition Against Antisemitism, which we hope and pray will capture your heart and the hearts of believers in Jesus across our country. Please read the statement prayerfully and ask the Lord to help you find ways to support Jewish people during this time of need.

THE COALITION’S FOUNDING STATEMENT

Antisemitism is spiritual in origin. When God chose Jewish people to accomplish His purposes on earth, the devil selected Jewish people as well and has sought to destroy this nation.
Antisemitism became embedded in the church from the fourth century onwards as many Christians took a negative view of Jewish people.
Antisemitism was linked to Christian political entities, which formulated various anti-Jewish policies during the medieval period.
Antisemitism became an essential part of Islam as the Muslim armies conquered the Middle East and parts of Western Europe.
This theologically-fueled disdain for Jewish people ultimately influenced a more virulent form of racial antisemitism, culminating in the Holocaust. Jewish people today often understand modern antisemitism as stemming from the negative views of Jewish people in Christian cultures.
Antisemitic conspiratorial views spread throughout the world during the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Various population pockets around the world accepted these lies.
The founding of the modern State of Israel in 1948 became a focal point for Islamic antisemitism, which already had a long history in the annals of classical Islamic writings. This hatred has turned especially volatile and violent during the last few decades, erupting into the massacres of innocent Jewish people on October 7, 2023. . . .³

THE PRAYER

Would you also pray the following prayer:

Oh God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and Father of our Messiah Jesus, I ask You to bless and protect Your chosen people and to bring peace to all who live in the land of Israel. By Your Spirit, please guide me to find ways I can help support Jewish people during this season of rising antisemitism. Use me, Lord, through my congregation, small group, my family, and wherever I have influence for You to inspire others to love Jewish people. Lord, may I be Your instrument of mercy, grace, and love to bring help, comfort, and protection to all the children of Jacob in the Holy Land, the United States, and around the globe.

In the name of Yeshua, Amen.

Thanks so much for caring!

Mitch
(Romans 10:1)

P.S. Pro-Hamas activists and their sympathizers are targeting Jewish students around the globe. Many students are cautious, fearful, and concerned about their freedom of expression in their public identification as Jewish people, or as friends of Israel and Jewish people around the world.

Students, parents, and grandparents, let us encourage them to stand for the Lord and Jewish people during this difficult moment!

Endnotes

¹ “Antisemitism on College Campuses: Incident Tracking from 2019–2024,” Hillel, last updated June 17, 2024, https://www.hillel.org/antisemitism-on-college-campuses-incident-tracking-from-2019-2023/.

² Ronny Reyes, “Hamas Leader Yahya Sinwar Believes Palestinian Deaths Are ‘Necessary Sacrifices’: Leaked Messages,” New York Post, June 11, 2024, https://nypost.com/2024/06/11/world-news/hamas-leader-yahya-sinwar-believes-palestinian-deaths-are-necessary-sacrifices/.

³ To read the full statement and join the Coalition, go to http://www.opposeantisemitism.com.

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Tagged as antisemitism, evangelism, israel, Judaism, Messiah, Messianic, middle east, ministry, mission, Yeshua

July 15, 2024 · 9:30 AM

Christians Will Stand with Israel

I am writing to you from Israel, where I was encouraging our twenty-five-plus staff members—visiting one-on-one to talk and pray with them as they serve the Lord in the midst of some really challenging conditions.

I spoke to a gathering of more than seventy-five young adults at our current rented Tel Aviv Center. My message was from the book of Acts about relying on the Lord and the power of His Spirit during very stressful times. I was also part of a teaching team at a leadership retreat for forty young adults serving in congregational and mission leadership throughout Israel.

The summer is always a busy time for Your Mission to the Jewish People as we are in the midst of many evangelistic efforts and campaigns around the globe, especially in New York City and in Israel. Please take a moment to pray for our annual Shalom New York outreach, which takes place during the last week of July.

Also, please pray for our children’s camps in both the United States and Israel. Our Israel camps this year will focus on both Russian and Ukrainian new immigrants and their families who have fled one war only to find themselves in the Holy Land experiencing another.

I found some very desperate needs in Israel because of the Israel-Hamas war, and I am praying and hoping for good fruit through our Israeli staff at this very moment.

I am particularly concerned for several groups within Israel, including evacuees, soldiers, and the hostages brutally taken on October 7.

PRAYER FOR EVACUEES

There are still thousands of evacuees unable to return to their homes because they live in border towns in both the north and south of Israel. There are thousands of families who have been living in hotel rooms for almost a year now. This living arrangement is becoming so hard, especially on their children. At the hotel where we held the leadership retreat, there were evacuees all around us, which led to some great opportunities to speak to them and try to encourage them during this very difficult moment in Israel’s history! I told many of those displaced people how American Christians are praying for them, and they greatly appreciated this news. So, please pray for these displaced Israelis all throughout the country.

PRAYER FOR SOLDIERS

Please also pray for the young people in Israel, especially those serving in the Israel Defense Forces. Remember, Israel has a mandatory draft, which begins when these teenagers graduate high school. Every day, eighteen- and nineteen-year-old Israeli boys and girls head to the military. They are young, not yet seasoned for battle, and are learning about life the hard way!

Please pray the Lord would especially keep the believing soldiers safe and also provide them with ways to grow spiritually and opportunities to proclaim the gospel among their fellow soldiers. I cannot tell you how many great stories I heard from our staff during my recent time in Israel as well as from some of the younger leaders who took the weekend off from battle to join us! Two brothers in the Lord are tank commanders and went back to Gaza immediately after the retreat to rejoin their fellow soldiers.

PRAYER FOR THE HOSTAGES IN GAZA

Please continue to pray for the hostages. The Israel Defense Forces have made repeated attempts to rescue the more than one hundred hostages still held in Gaza. Some continue to die in captivity, and others have been tortured and mistreated to an incredible degree. How human beings can treat one another so cruelly is not something I can even begin to understand.

We hear of repeated attempts to bring the hostages home, but for the moment, there has been only limited success. On the last day of the leadership retreat, we rejoiced to hear how four hostages were freed by the IDF in a very dangerous and costly military operation.

We need our all-powerful Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to directly intervene on behalf of those still in bondage. While in Israel, I saw signs all over the country asking for their release. There are pictures of these young men, women, and even still some children, who are being held by merciless captors. It reminds me of the words in the Psalms,

By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down and wept, when we remembered Zion. Upon the willows in the midst of it we hung our harps. For there our captors demanded of us songs, and our tormentors mirth, saying, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion.” How can we sing the Lord’s song in a foreign land? If I forget you, O Jerusalem, may my right hand forget her skill. May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth if I do not remember you, if I do not exalt Jerusalem above my chief joy. (Psalm 137:1–6)

In Jewish tradition, the authorship of this beautiful and mournful psalm is sometimes attributed to the prophet Jeremiah—the weeping prophet. The contemporary Messianic songwriter Joshua Aaron from Israel sings a soul-filled version of this psalm, which captures the hopes of Jewish people in exile from the land of Israel and their longing to return. I am sure hearing his modern rendition of the ancient text will inspire and bless you!¹

I can hardly imagine what the hostages are going through and what their families are experiencing. Of course, I am writing well before you receive this so, perhaps, by God’s grace, additional hostages may have been released or rescued by the time you read our newsletter. At this moment, it does not seem likely, and if they have not been released, please pray, ask your church to pray, and may the Lord bring them home soon!

May I make two more prayer requests?

PRAYER FOR GAZANS SUFFERING UNDER THE HEAVY HAND OF HAMAS

Please pray for the Gazans who are suffering at the hands of Hamas who constantly use their own citizens as human shields. I pray for their deliverance and for the “day after” plan for Gaza to include a more benevolent and caring government to nurture the well-being of so many who have suffered. Pray Israelis and Gazans would find hope and peace through the Prince of Peace, Jesus the Messiah, and for the Lord to touch both groups.

PRAYER AGAINST ANTISEMITISM

Finally, please pray for Jewish people around the globe who are experiencing the greatest movement of antisemitism since the Holocaust. This resurgence of the “oldest hatred” is why Your Mission to the Jewish People recently held a rally with more than 400 attendees in Manhattan last month.

We are also planning a larger conference to gather Christians of all ages and backgrounds to stand against antisemitism. This event is also at Moody Bible Institute on November 9.

I cannot tell you how powerful and positive it is for Christians to stand with Jewish people and against antisemitism. This creates a new environment of friendship between Jewish people and Christians, which I know will be a blessing to both communities!

A NEW SURVEY OF CHRISTIAN VIEWS ABOUT ISRAEL AND JEWISH PEOPLE

So, what do Christians think about Jewish people and the State of Israel post-October 7? We felt we needed to know, so we asked two Jewish scholars who have done some amazing surveys on this topic to let us help them do a new survey. I believe you will be encouraged by what you read!

So, please keep praying for Your Mission to the Jewish People during these very challenging days!

Thank you for caring and for your generous support and prayers!

¹ Joshua Aaron, “Bring Us Back (By the Rivers of Babylon) Psalm 137,” music video, 4:25, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7lHsoascJY.

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Tagged as evangelism, israel, Judaism, Messiah, Messianic, middle east, ministry, mission, Yeshua

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