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I've been
sharing my faith in Messiah Yeshua with my Jewish
people for twenty-six years, and I've condensed
the fruit of my knowledge into this one newsletter.
I've also found that if one learns how to bring
the Messiah to Jewish people, one can bring Him
to just about anyone! I pray that this newsletter
better equips everyone who reads it to be a more
effective in sharing the Good News that alone
can save Jews and Gentiles!
Reasons
for bringing the Good News to Jewish People
Gentile
Christians ("Gentiles" are those who
are from any people or nation other than Israel)
are exhorted to bring the Good News to the Jewish
people as their first evangelistic priority. Even
though Paul was the Apostle to the Gentiles, he
instructed the Christians in the heart of the
Roman empire to reach the Jewish people first!
"<i>I am not ashamed of the Good News,
for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone
who believes, <u>to the Jew first</u>
and also to the Greek" </i>(Romans
1:16). The Apostle to the Gentiles practiced what
he preached. Whenever he went to a new city, he
would go to the Jewish community first with the
Message about the Messiah.
Jewish
evangelism admittedly is challenging,but it is
also possible. God promised that there would be
a faithful remnant of Jewish people in every generation
who would turn to the Messiah, especially as we
enter the Last Days, when eventually "all
Israel will be saved" (see Romans 11:5, 26).
In fact, the Messianic Jewish movement is growing.
There are currently more than 200 Messianic Synagogues
in the United States and 80 in Israel!
Christians
owe a debt to the Jewish people (see Romans 15:27).
Through Israel the promises and covenants were
given. Through the Jewish people came the Bible
(both Old and New Testaments). Through the Jewish
people came the Messiah, who is the Savior of
the world. It was through Jewish apostles that
the Good News first went to the Gentiles (see
Romans 9:4-5). That debt can best be repaid by
loving us enough to bring us the Good News!
God promises
to bless those who share the Good News with the
Jewish people. Those who bless the Jewish people
will be blessed, and those who curse Israel will
be cursed (see Genesis 12:1-3). Bringing us the
Good News is the greatest blessing you can bestow
on us!
How
to bring the Good News to Jewish People
One of
the biggest barriers preventing Jewish people
from believing in Yeshua is the mistaken assumption
that if they believe in Yeshua, they will no longer
be Jewish. The truth is that Messianic Jews are
more Jewish than ever! But, in order to help overcome
this barrier, emphasize the Jewishness of the
Messiah. Yeshua is the most Jewish of Jews! He
is a descendant of King David. He was circumcised
on the eighth day, spoke our language, lived in
our Land, attended synagogue regularly, observed
our customs, celebrated our holidays and kept
all the laws of our Torah. He is Israel's Chief
Rabbi, our ultimate Prophet, our High Priest,
the Messiah and the King of the Jews!
Tell your
friend that Yeshua's disciples likewise were Jewish
men who continued to live very Jewish lives. In
fact, history tells us that there was a Messianic
Jewish movement in Israel for some 600 years after
Yeshua came!
Emphasize
the Jewishness of the New Testament, which was
written by Jews, about the greatest Jew of all.
Let your friend know about the possibility of
joining one of the many Messianic synagogues which
can be found in most major Jewish population centers,
where he or she can join others in living and
raising their families as Jews.
Let them
know that they not only don't have to give up
their God-given Jewish identity by following Yeshua,
but that they will even enhance it! We need
to emphasize again and again that Jesus is Jewish,
the Apostles are Jewish, the New Testament is
Jewish, and that believing in the Messiah is the
most Jewish thing to do.
Share
your story - how God has answered your prayers,
how He has made a difference in your life and
how He is real to you. By doing so, you will fulfill
the Scripture, "Salvation has come to
the Gentiles to make Israel jealous"
(Romans 11:11). Most Jewish people don't believe
in Heaven or Hell, or have a close personal relationship
with God. Christians can make the Jewish people
jealous of their intimacy with God, their peace
and joy and their confident trust that they will
live forever.
Try to
correct the common misunderstanding that Christianity
is hostile to the Jewish people. True Christians
are to love all people, especially the Jewish
people. If possible, be a true friend and show
your friend some genuine love. You might want
to communicate that Christians owe a debt to the
Jewish people - for the Bible, both Old and New
Testaments, for the Messiah, for the Apostles,
and for the Church. Whenever possible, stand with
Israel and be as supportive of Jewish causes as
possible.
When they
are ready, recommend that your Jewish friend contact
a good Messianic synagogue.
Use
Messianic Jewish Terminology
"The
tongue of the wise makes knowledge acceptable"
(Proverbs 15:2). When we bring the Good News to
the Jewish people, the terms, expressions, titles
and labels we use can make a difference. Choose
words best suited to communicate the Jewishness
of the Gospel, like:
Yeshua:
Yeshua never heard the name "Jesus"
in His lifetime! Yeshua is His given Hebrew
name. "Jesus" is the hellenized-anglicized
form of "Yeshua," which means "salvation"
(see Matthew 1:21). It's fine to use "Jesus"
along with "Yeshua" since most Jewish
people only know Yeshua as Jesus.
Messiah:
Some people mistakenly believe that "Christ"
is Yeshua's last name, in the same way that
we have a last name. Rather, "Christ"
is a title, and is used much the same way we
use "President" or "King."
"Messiah" means the "Anointed
One" - the special Jewish leader sent by
God to rule over us and help us. "Messiah"
was later translated into the Greek "Christos"
and ultimately anglicized to "Christ."
Messianic
Jew:
The term "Christian" originally meant
"follower of the Christ" or "follower
of the Messiah." In and of itself, "Christian"
is a good term. Unfortunately, over time the
term "Christian" came to mean more
than simply a "follower of the Messiah."
For many Jewish people the term "Christian"
has become synonymous with "non-Jew"
or "Gentile." Consequently, when a
Jew "becomes a Christian," he is perceived
as becoming a "Gentile"- which of
course is not true! We believe that when a Jew
commits himself to Yeshua, the King of the Jews,
he becomes even more Jewish! So, rather than
"Christian," use the term "Messianic
Jew," which identifies us as Jewish people
who follow Messiah Yeshua.
Messianic
Judaism:
Messianic Judaism is the faith of Messianic
Jews. It communicates that we have not "converted"
to a foreign belief system, but rather that
we have embraced true, Biblical Judaism through
Messiah Yeshua.
Messianic
Synagogue:
A Messianic synagogue is a place where we can
collectively express our faith in Yeshua, live
a Jewish lifestyle, raise our children to be
Jewish, and worship the God of Israel in a Jewish
manner. Interestingly enough, just as Messianic
Judaism is not new, neither are Messianic synagogues
a new phenomenon. From Biblical and historical
records we know that there were Messianic synagogues
throughout the Roman Empire and beyond, as early
as 50 AD (see James 2:2, where the word "synagogue"
is used of the Believers' Assembly).
Messianic
Rabbi:
The term "rabbi" is defined for us
in John 1:38 as "teacher." According
to the New Testament, the office of teacher
is specifically part of the leadership of the
New Covenant Community (see Ephesians 4:11).
Ya'akov (James) also acknowledges the office
of teacher (James 3:1).
Since
most Jewish people are unfamiliar with the Messianic
prophecies, know the basic ones and how they point
to Messiah Yeshua
Point
out that there was to be a New Covenant, unlike
the one made at Sinai. In fact, "New Covenant"
means "New Testament" (Jeremiah 31:31-33).
See Hebrews 8:6-13, 9:12-22, 10:4-24, Luke 22:15-20.
Messiah
was to be born in Bethlehem and yet originate
from the days of eternity (Micah 5:1-2). See Matthew
2:1-6, Luke 2:1-20.
Messiah
was to enter Jerusalem triumphantly, yet humbly
on a donkey, (Zechariah 9:9). See Matthew 21:1-9,
John 12:12-16.
Messiah
was to be rejected by the majority of Israel,
especially the leaders (Isaiah 53:1-3, Psalm 118:22).
See John 1:11, 12:37-43, Acts 4:1-12.
Messiah
was to be tried and condemned even though He was
innocent (Isaiah 53:8). See Matthew 27:1-2, Luke
23:1-25.
Messiah
was to be silent before His accusers (Isaiah 53:7).
See Matthew 27:12-14, Mark 15:3-4, Luke 23:8-10.
Messiah
was to be beaten and spit upon (Micah 5:1-2, Isaiah
50:6). See Matthew 26:67, Mark 27:30, Mark 14:65.
Messiah
was to be mocked and taunted (Psalm 22:7-8). See
Matthew 27:39-43, Luke 23:11, 35-36.
Messiah
was to be pierced (Zechariah 12:10). See John
19:18, 34-37.
Messiah
was to die by crucifixion (Psalm 22:14-17). See
Matthew 27:31, Mark 15:20, 25.
Lots would
be cast for Messiah's garments (Psalm 22:18).
See Matthew 27:35, Mark 15:24.
Messiah
was to wrongly suffer with transgressors yet pray
for his enemies (Isaiah 53:12). See Matthew 27:38,
Mark 15:27.
Messiah
was to die as an offering for sin (Isaiah 53:5-6,
8, 10-12, Daniel 9:24-27, Zechariah 9:9, 12:10,
Psalm 16:10, 22). See John 1:29, 11:49-52, 1 Corinthians
15:53.
Messiah
was to be raised from the dead (Isaiah 53:12,
Psalm 16:10). See Matthew 28:1-10, Acts 2:22-32.
Messiah
was to be God born into humanity (Isaiah 9:6-7,
Jeremiah 23:5-6, Psalm 110:1, Proverbs 30:4).
See John 1:1, 20:28, Hebrews 1:8.
Messiah
was to come before 70 A.D. (Daniel 9:24-27). See
Luke 1:5, 2:1-7.
If
the opportunity arises, read Isaiah 52:13-53:12
with your Jewish friend, verse by verse, and discuss
how the events have been amazingly fulfilled in
the life of Yeshua
Emphasize
Yeshua's Resurrection
Yeshua's
resurrection validates His message and ministry.
It is God's seal of approval on everything that
Yeshua did and taught. This makes Him absolutely
unique in the history of the world and puts him
on a level far higher than any of the prophets
of Israel, or any other religion. It gives Him
more authority than any other thinker, philosopher
or scientist. It also gives Him the power to help
us live a victorious life and overcome man's greatest
enemy - death. Consider...
The
broken Roman seal:
The feared power of Rome was ignored by whoever
broke open the official seal on the tomb.
The
large stone was moved:
A very heavy stone was somehow moved away from
the mouth of the tomb while under Roman guard.
The
Roman guard went AWOL:
A disciplined Roman guard fled their watch and
had to be bribed by the Jewish authorities to
lie about what happened - a lie so flimsy that
they wouldn't have concocted it themselves.
They would have been killed for sleeping on
duty and allowing the disciples to steal the
body.
The
graveclothes:
They were undisturbed, but no longer contained
a body.
The
empty tomb:
Both Jews and Romans admitted that the tomb
was empty (Matthew 27:11-15). All that the hostile
authorities would have had to do to crush the
Messianic movement would have been to produce
Yeshua's body, yet they never did.
The
nature of His post-resurrection appearances:
Yeshua appeared to a wide variety of witnesses,
under widely varying conditions, in varying
numbers, under circumstances which belie the
accusation of mass hallucination. He appeared
first to Miriam (John 20:11-18), then to the
other women (Matthew 28:8-10), to Peter (Luke
24:34), to the two on the road to Emmaus (Luke
24:13-35), to the Ten (Luke 24:36-43), to all
Eleven eight days later (John 20:24-29), to
seven by the Kinneret - the Sea of Galilee (John
21:1-23), to five hundred at once (1 Cor. 15:6),
to His brother Ya'akov - James (1 Corinthians
15:7), and finally to Saul of Tarsus (Acts 9:1-16).
Yeshua's
disciples were in no frame of mind to fabricate
His resurrection:
In fact, they refused to believe it themselves
at first! An immediate resurrection wasn't part
of the thinking of first century Judaism. Only
Yeshua's resurrection could have transformed
them from a frightened, dispirited group into
a fearless band that gave up their lives and
transformed the world.
Practical
Suggestions
Pray that
the Lord would give you more boldness, courage
and wisdom.
Ask the
Lord to give you opportunities to share Messiah
Yeshua with Jewish people.
Challenge
your Jewish friend to read the Bible, especially
the New Testament, with an open mind. Encourage
him or her to pray to God, using their own words,
that God would show them the truth! God's Word
is so powerful and self-authenticating that if
someone simply starts reading it with an open
heart and mind, and prays to God to reveal the
truth, they're 90% of the way there!
Draw your
friend into a spiritually-oriented conversation
by asking questions about Judaism, Israel, Jewish
holidays and customs. Be sure to listen and learn
from your friend too!
Send Jewish
greeting cards at appropriate times in the year,
such as Chanukkah, Passover and Rosh HaShana.
Be as
supportive of Israel and Jewish causes as possible.
Attend local Jewish-sponsored events which are
open to the public.
You may
want to make a personal study of the Jewish origins
of the New Testament through a local Messianic
synagogue, and perhaps even enroll in a beginner's
Hebrew class.
Invite
your friend to come to a Messianic synagogue with
you.
Final
Advice
Be fair
and warn your friend that there is often a cost
to becoming a Messianic Jew, including possible
rejection by family, friends and community leaders,
but that it is a cost well worth paying.
Finally,
be patient! The seeds that are sown often take
years to come to fruition. Have the attitude that
you are planting seeds, and that it may take time
and different circumstances before the harvest
arrives.
Shalom!
Rabbi Loren |
