inside quarterly HOW YOU CAN BRING PEACE TO A RESTLESS WORLD by David Brickner, executive director

Transcription

1 quarterly FOR CHRISTIANS WHO WANT TO KNOW ABOUT JEWS & EVANGELISM HOW YOU CAN BRING PEACE TO A RESTLESS WORLD by David Brickner, executive director John Andrews, foreign correspondent for the Economist, wrote a poignant dedication in his book, The World in Conflict: To Mika and Sam [his kids], in the vain hope that they will grow up in a world without conflict. The hope for a conflict-free world may seem vain, yet God s Word does promise true peace for the present, as well as for the future. The question is, how do we grab hold of it? I think we begin by understanding what true peace is and why it s missing from our world. During one of our New York outreaches, we had a big poster that asked, What Are You For? As I stood, encouraging people to post their answers via the blank sticky notes we provided, one woman wrote, world peace. When I asked what she thought that might look like, she replied that it would mean no more wars. That gave me the opportunity to discuss with her what peace is, and where it can be found. Peace is not merely an absence of conflict. The Hebrew word shalom conveys the idea of complete, sound, wholeness of life, harmony, right relationship. Ultimately, these things come only from the Creator of all things. Our Maker. As believers in Jesus, we know that intellectually, but do we know it deep in our hearts? One of the biggest Jewish objections to our claims that Jesus is the Messiah is: When the Messiah comes there will be world peace. Since there isn t peace, Jesus can t be the Messiah. Maybe you ve heard something similar from people who aren t Jewish, but don t see much evidence of the Savior having come. How would you answer them? If you haven t already, try the following: In order to have world peace, first we need peace between the parties where it was originally broken. The story of shattered peace began long before nations started to war against one another. In Genesis 3, we see how people became alienated from God and one another. It happened when Eve and Adam made a grab for what belonged to God, trying to gain wisdom apart from their Maker, wanting to become masters of their own destiny. In one act of distrust and disobedience they, and subsequently we, tore themselves away from the only true Giver of life. The Psalmist cries out, Know that the Lord, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves (Psalm 100:3). Yet there s not a person alive who doesn t think, say and do things that show we do not know that God is God. (continued on page 2) inside SEPTEMBER 2017 Peace for a restless world 1 Prayer prompters, Jewish holiday dates, announcements and cartoon 3 UK and Kiev outreaches 4 Bits from our branches in. Berlin, Israel, Paris. and Toronto 6 Tips on talking about sin 8

2 (continued from page 1) We continually try to take His place in our attempts at sovereignty. It s spiritual insanity. In breaking our peace with God, we became broken. Because we are broken, we lack peace within ourselves... and so we are incapable of making lasting peace with one another. That is why God sent Jesus to be the Prince of Peace. Through His death and resurrection, our peace with God can be restored. We can t have the peace of God until we have peace with God. Questions about peace can become a meaningful way to talk about the problem that prevents us from having peace... and how God purposed to solve it. But while we re telling others about God s peace, we need to talk to ourselves as well. We need to remind ourselves that with our relationship to God restored through faith in Jesus, His resources are constantly available, regardless of the circumstances facing us. That peace is part of the fruit of the Spirit, and needs to be renewed continually. D. L. Moody was once asked why he urged Christians to be filled constantly with the Holy Spirit. I resonate with his answer: Well, he said, I need a continual infilling because I leak! * We all leak, and the more we want to shine God s gospel light, the more we need to be continually filled with His Spirit. Many of our Jews for Jesus missionaries are in harm s way on a regular basis. Rockets from the Gaza Strip frequently interrupt daily life in Israel, where our most thriving branch is located. Almost daily, Isis-inspired stabbings create a sense of unease throughout the land and, for some, fear and despair. Pray for our staff there to be continually renewed and filled with the peace of God, not only for their sake, but also because that peace lights up their gospel testimony. In Ukraine, the low-level war being waged by Russia and their proxy Russian separatists continues to impact our Kiev branch. Again, pray for a continual renewal for our staff there. Paris authorities have designated Jews for Jesus as a target for potential terrorist attacks, and the police have erected barriers right in front of our office. Our staff there need your prayers. And what can I say about the United Kingdom? Our London branch leader, Julia Pascoe, wrote: This year s terror attacks in London and Manchester remind us even more of how important it is to deliver the lifesaving news of the gospel in a time of great fear and uncertainty. (See page 6.) As you pray for us, we also pray God s peace for our friends and supporters. Some of you have shared your circumstances with us, and have asked prayer for peace despite those circumstances. I know what it s like to experience a profound peace like that which really does surpass understanding (Philippians 4:6 7). At one of the worst moments of my life, when it seemed everything was coming apart at the seams, I had to focus on the fact that God is good. What was happening was awful, but God was still good. Someone asked me how I was feeling at the time, and I remember answering, I feel powerless in the palm of Providence. Have you felt that way? It is good to remember because that is the place where we can most readily see and experience the peace and presence of almighty God. Trouble and turmoil should not surprise us. Jesus said: These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world (John 16:33 34). We look forward to the day when we will have that peace without the pain, without the sorrow and heartache, and God shall wipe away all tears from our eyes (Revelation 7:17b). Our hope for peace is not in vain because one day the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea (Isaiah 11:9b). In the meantime, Jews for Jesus needs your prayers as we bring news of the Prince of Peace to a restless world... and we in turn need to pray for you as you do your part wherever God has placed you! David Brickner is also an author, public speaker and avid hiker. Find out more about David, his writings, speaking schedule and possible availability to speak at your church at jewsforjesus.org/david-brickner. *j4j.co/famtimesmoody established 32 a.d., give or take a year We exist to make the messiahship of Jesus an unavoidable issue to our Jewish people worldwide. Jews for Jesus international headquarters: 60 Haight Street, San Francisco, CA ; phone: (415) ; jfj@jewsforjesus.org; web: jewsforjesus.org; also working in: Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hungary, Israel, Russia, South Africa, Switzerland, Ukraine and the United Kingdom; editor: Ruth Rosen; art director: Paige Saunders; design and illustration: David Yapp; ISSN Volume 12:5777, September 2017; 2017

3 IT S THAT TIME AGAIN! First is Rosh Hashanah, known as the Jewish New Year, though in the Bible it has a different name. (See cartoon below.) According to Jewish tradition, it is also the anniversary of the creation of Adam and Eve, and a day of judgment and coronation of God as king. This year it begins at sunset, September 20, and ends at nightfall on September 22. Next, Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, begins at sunset on September 29, and ends at nightfall on September 30. This is considered the holiest and most solemn day on the Jewish calendar. Finally, Sukkot, the Feast of Tabernacles, begins at sunset on October 4, and ends at nightfall on October 11. While you would not wish your Jewish friends a Happy Yom Kippur, an appropriate greeting for each of these holidays is Good yontif, which is basically wishing them a good holiday. The Fall Feasts that God commanded Israel to celebrate in Leviticus 23 are just around the corner. Pomegranate art by Shoshannah Birnbaum PRAYER PROMPTERS You can make a difference in the lives of people we meet as you ask God to: continue the work of helping believers in Germany understand the urgency of sharing the gospel with Jewish people nourish the gospel seed planted in the hearts of the two Marilyns in Toronto; Ella in Israel; those who received water from our Paris team help the new believers in Kiev grow in grace, and speak truth to the hearts of those who don t yet believe, but gave us contact info to follow up bless our campaigners and prepared hearts to receive the gospel in: Budapest: August 30 September 16, 2017 New York: September 7 18, 2017 Manchester, England: September 11 17, 2017 (see page 6) ARE YOU A FEDERAL GOVERNMENT WORKER? A reminder that if you are, you can donate to Jews for Jesus through the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC), using Charity Code # FOR ONLINE NEWS OF JEWS FOR JESUS AROUND THE WORLD GO TO: jewsforjesus.org/ publications/realtime You ll also find a subscribe button there, so you can receive great content directly. FOR YOUR CONVENIENCE The enclosed envelope is not a request, but a convenience for those who want to give. For those who want to give online, this URL makes it easy and secure: j4j.co/nl1709 bless ongoing preparations for our final Behold Your God Israel campaign strengthen the hearts of the next generation of Jews for Jesus to serve Him joyfully 3

4 Your ministry partners in Germany, Israel, France and Canada have news for you! Photo Jews for Jesus Aaron Lewin reports from Berlin, In February, David Brickner asked you to pray for believers in Germany to understand the urgency of sharing the gospel with Jewish people. (The Evangelical Church in Germany had just issued a formal statement to abandon any and all efforts to tell Jewish people about Jesus.) The following story gives us hope that God is answering that prayer. Each year, a group within the German Lutheran Church puts on what they call a Christustag (Christ Day) and they invited me to take part in a prayer concert that was part of their official program. I believe I m only the second Messianic Jew to be given this opportunity. We had applied for a booth in the Market of Opportunities, where all kinds of interreligious dialogue networks were allowed to have their displays. Yet our application was declined because we believe that Jewish people also need Yeshua (Jesus) in order to be reconciled with God. And yet, I was invited to read a prepared statement and then to say a prayer as part of the Christustag. Imagine my delight when I saw the words I was to read: Jesus the Messiah is the Son of God, who died for us on the cross and rose again! As I took to the stage and was introduced as a Messianic Jew, many applauded and I was very moved. Thankfully, those who had denied us the opportunity to have a booth did not represent the feelings of all the participants. Aaron bits from the BRANCHES Later an elderly woman asked me, How can you be Jewish and say that Jesus is the Son of God? She had never heard of any Jewish people believing in Jesus! Pray with me that this will be a first step for her and for many others to discover and appreciate God s plan for proclaiming the gospel to the Jew first! (Romans 1:16). From Israel, Tatyana Bolotova reports, When we distribute gospel broadsides (tracts) to passersby, of course we hope to encounter open people. Sometimes we don t get much encouragement, but then later someone will or phone us. That was the case recently, when I returned from our sortie (tract-passing expedition) and immediately heard the telephone ring. Tatyana Ella had received our Hope for Peace broadside and called to say that every word in this leaflet had touched her heart. For years, she considered herself an atheist, but now had many questions. I explained God s plan of salvation, quoting from the prophets and from the New Testament. At the end I offered to pray for Ella. Usually non-believers forgo the offer, but to my surprise she agreed. I felt God s leading to pray for her family and for her relationship with her relatives. At the end of the prayer Ella said amen and was surprised that my prayer had addressed concerns that she had not even told me. I replied that God loves her and knows her needs, so that she can address Him personally. Please pray for Ella to open her heart to Yeshua. From Paris, Joshua Turnil reports, Maybe you heard about the heat wave that hit Europe over the summer. In addition to rising pollution levels, terrorism was on red alert and many people, including the police, were on edge. We bought 500 bottles of water to distribute and somehow managed to keep them cool as we transported them to a predominantly Jewish neighborhood. It was fun to offer this refreshment to Jew and Gentile alike, as both were equally thirsty! Once a person took a bottle, they would notice the label. Did it say, Evian or Dasani or Aquafina? No, it said, Jews for Photo Jews for Jesus 4

5 Photo Jews for Jesus Photo Jews for Jesus Jesus! Then they could read the following: Still Thirsty? and a paraphrase from Jeremiah: For I will satisfy the thirst of the faint; the appetite of all the weary I will refresh. One man asked Karl desouza, Jews for Jesus? What is that? Karl answered briefly, but the man wanted to know more. I m Jewish how Josh can you be Jewish and believe in Jesus? Karl took the time to share his story, and the man was so touched that he asked if Karl would be willing to meet with him and study the Bible. Karl agreed, and took his contact details! One Orthodox Jew accepted the water gladly and, with a quick smile and a lively look in his eyes, told me, You know the Talmud* says that the Torah is water. I said to him, Yes, and Jesus said that anyone who comes to Him would have free access to rivers of living water. He looked down at the water, tore off the label and walked away. Another man dressed in traditional religious garb was saying, Stop! Stop! Stop! Children, do not take this water! The children responded, But we re thirsty! He said, Don t Pray for all who received a cool drink from us to one day know the Giver of living water! take the water from them! and walked away furious.** I saw a woman watching us, along with her daughter and grandchildren. She d seen our Jews for Jesus T-shirts and knew about the label, because she and her daughter had each taken a bottle. After the aforementioned scene, she broke through the crowd to talk to me and say, Please, I want all of my children to have one! We had many, many conversations with people who were curious to know why Jews for Jesus would distribute bottles of cool water. Many people asked me what I believed and why. And when we were finished, as we were leaving, people were telling us, Merci! From our Toronto summer outreach Karol Joseph reports, I was finishing lunch at the mall food court, wearing a T-shirt that said, We are Jews who believe in Jesus. I looked up to see a woman motioning to me and mouthing the words me too with a huge smile on her face. Excited to meet another Jewish believer in Jesus, I approached her with an equally huge smile. However, her countenance suddenly Karol (right) changed apparently she had only seen the part of my shirt that says, We are Jews... I couldn t help laughing, which helped her relax as I acknowledged that I wasn t what she expected. She and her friend had never met a Jewish believer before, and while they weren t very open to discussing it, they did accept copies of my testimony booklet. When I asked their names, they both said, Marilyn. One of the Marilyns added, And if you tell us your name is also Marilyn, I will believe! Sadly, I had to say it wasn t, but pray with me that these women will read my testimony and become open to the gospel. Photo Jews for Jesus/Darcie Machinter Names of many people we meet are changed to protect privacy. *The Talmud, which is known as the oral law, is a compilation of commentaries. Many religious Jews believe it was given to Moses at Mount Sinai, and see it as equally inspired and necessary for understanding God s commands. **We do not speak about Jesus to children under 18 without parental consent, but we freely gave the water to children who were eager for it. 5

6 WE NEED YOUR PRAYERS FOR THE UK by Julia Pascoe, London branch leader In March, a terrorist drove a car into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge in London; some fifty people were injured and four died. The attacker also stabbed and killed an unarmed police officer. Along with the rest of our nation, we mourned this tragedy. But we wanted to do more. So two days later, our London team handed out our Only Hope for Peace broadside at Westminster Bridge. As we reached out, people were unusually open to talk and some of the conversations were quite pointed. For example, Andrew, a secular German Jewish man, took a pamphlet and asked me, If there is a Messiah and if God exists, why would He allow someone to mow down innocent people right here on this bridge? This and similar conversations gave us the opportunity to share the gospel of peace. Then on May 22 an even deadlier attack struck Manchester; a suicide bomber targeted concertgoers, killing 23 adults and children and sending 59 to the hospital. A couple of days Bridge a couple of months before, we handed out our Only Hope for Peace gospel pamphlet and offered to pray with and for those we met. Two Jewish people, Sara and Jamie, gave us their contact details to receive more information about Messiah Jesus. While in Manchester, our small team joined one of the local churches for an evening of prayer. It was important to stand with our brothers and sisters at such a difficult time and to remember Jesus words: In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world (John 16:33). Just two weeks later, as our nation was still grieving for those who died and for those who were injured in Manchester, another vicious attack on London Bridge took eight lives and injured 48 more, including four unarmed police officers who attempted to stop the assailants. We cannot minimize or diminish the magnitude of what has happened in these two cities. As followers of Yeshua, we must trust in Him and the peace that only He gives. And as His ambassadors, we need to model this to others. So, whenever terrorism strikes, we need to be available to pray for people and with sensitivity, bring the life-saving news of Jesus to those living in fear and uncertainty. GOD BLESS YOU FOR HELPING US BRING THE GOSPEL TO KIEV! You don t see much about the war in Ukraine in the news, but the crisis over stronger ties with Russia began in 2013 and erupted into violence in Kiev in The conflict over the eastern part of the country continues to this day. Uncertainty and violence in the world around us can cause people to question their inner conflicts and wonder why there is no peace not only in the world of politics, but also in personal relationships. Maybe that is why our team in Kiev found so much openness to the gospel during an intense two weeks of outreach there in June. This campaign was a united effort of our staff in the former Soviet Union. It was led by Dima, our missionary in an undisclosed city of Belarus. Campaigners included colleagues from other branches in Ukraine, as well as from Moscow. The campaign was organized into four teams: sorties (focused on distributing gospel literature and engaging in gospel conversations when possible); contact sorties (focused on conversations and taking contact information of people willing to hear more about Jesus); youth (creative interactive events, including music, dancing, games and a photo booth all led by Sasha Wasserman, one of our newer staff who happens to be a second generation Jews for Jesus evangelist) and, last but not least, a team that conducted follow-up visits each day. a lot of people having their pictures taken. The team had wonderful music, and people sang and danced right there in the street. Some people were taking part in games, while other people stood there as fans, cheering for them. The atmosphere was really cool. Sasha s team received contact information from 92 people. I helped take a few contacts, and at first didn t even realize they were Jewish! One man told our volunteer campaigner Ella how, two years ago, he was fleeing the war in eastern Ukraine. As he and two friends were driving away from Lugansk, a bomb fell on their car and his friends were instantly killed. But this man, Vlad, awoke from a coma in the hospital. Describing his experience to Ella he Lera (right) said, I was outside my body when I heard a voice saying, Go back. And then I woke up. I did not know whose voice it was. I never thought Jesus was anything but a myth. Can you explain why I returned? Photo Jews for Jesus/Vladimir Lech Ziggy (right) later my colleague, Ziggy Rogoff, with two of our friends, Madeleine and John, spent three days in their city center, ministering and bringing words of hope and comfort. A thick sense of grief, shock and unbelief blanketed the city as people tried to go about their daily business in the wake of the devastation. Just like our outreach on Westminster Photo by Madeleine Williamson-Pires Please pray for our full-scale outreach in Manchester on September 11 17, which we planned well before the attacks. We hope to have a team of fourteen people reaching out in a variety of ways, from handing out pamphlets and engaging people in gospel-focused conversations, to distributing a DVD of Ziggy Rogoff s testimony, to stepping up our presence on social media channels. Please continue to pray for this grief-stricken community, that many will come to know Yeshua s peace, the peace that He has promised to give all those who trust in Him. Peace I leave with you; My peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. (John 14:27) Leya (right) Photo Jews for Jesus/Vladimir Lekh Maxim, who leads our Moscow branch, was especially impressed with this year s youth team. He said, I came out of a main metro station to see the square full of people, and tables with huge Jews for Jesus banners visible everywhere. There was also a photo booth zone with Ella answered, Yes, it was God who gave you a second chance. Then what should I do next? he asked. Ella explained the gospel to Vlad and he prayed with her, asking God for forgiveness and a new life based on Jesus life, death and resurrection. Then he gave Ella his contact information so our Kiev team can keep in touch and help him grow in his new faith. Vlad was one of nine Jewish people who prayed to be reconciled to God through Jesus during the Kiev campaign. Thirty-nine Gentiles prayed likewise! Not only that, but another 617 Jewish people and 1,142 Gentiles gave our Kiev team their contact info to hear more about Jesus. Please pray that God will reveal His truth to them. 6 7

7 SIN AND SALVATION IN A SEA OF RELATIVISM IDEAS TO HELP YOU WITNESS TO JEWS OR ANYONE ELSE by Ruth Rosen The Yom Kippur service includes a prayer known as the Al Chet (pronounced all KHET ). It s a lengthy recitation of sins, each beginning with a letter of the alphabet. This theoretically helps worshipers to confess their sins from A to Z. A person may not have committed all of the sins mentioned in the prayer, but at least they are not in danger of leaving anything out! For many Jewish people, this will be the only time of year when the idea of sin is given much thought. Dr. Heshy Friedman, a Jewish faculty member at Brooklyn College, gives a typical assessment of how Jewish people are taught to regard sin in his article, I m Sorry.* He writes, Judaism emphasizes healthy guilt where you maintain the sense that you re a good person, while acknowledging that in this case you used bad judgment and made a mistake. How different this is from the words so painfully and poetically articulated by King David, as he recognizes his sin as evil (Psalm 51:4) and something that has been a part of his nature from birth (v. 5). Unbiblical as a typical Jewish view of sin may be, it is no different from how the secular culture all around us treats the problem of sin. The difference is that religious Judaism recognizes, as King David did, that any mistake made against another person is also made against God. Say the word sin to the average person and they might expect a lecture on all kinds of do s and don ts. Such lectures have no traction on a mind made morally mushy as it swims through a sea of relativism. This weak understanding of sin makes it difficult for people, Jewish or otherwise, to see a need for salvation. If you have found that to be the case when you try to share the gospel, you might find that people are more likely to see their sin if you speak frankly about your own. And by that, I don t mean a recitation from A to Z of all the evil things you have thought, said or done! When I talk to people about my sin, it s usually something like: If I m honest, by nature, I don t like the idea of God being God. It means Someone Else knows better than me what I should or should not do. It means that Someone Else has a right to want things for me and from me that may be different from what I would choose. And finally, it means any relationship I could possibly have with God has to be on His terms, not mine. Normally at this point, heads are nodding, wry smiles appear. They can relate to my natural dislike of all these things. At that point you can go to Genesis 3 to show how these feelings began when the first man and woman were not content to believe God or depend on Him for the knowledge of good and evil. I usually add, Believing that lie that God was somehow trying to cheat us while ascribing to ourselves rights that are uniquely His, that is what the Bible calls sin, and it s behind all other sins. Sin twists our view of ourselves and makes us see God as less than God. How could you have a relationship with me if I treat you as less than human? No more can God have a relationship with anyone who treats Him as less than God. And everything bad and unjust between people begins with our broken relationship with God. By humbly describing our own natural inability to give God the trust and worship He deserves, we can help others recognize the problem of sin that separates all people, themselves included, from Him. That helps build a platform for telling the wonderful story of God s merciful love and gracious solution in Jesus. Note: I m not advocating that we shy away from recognizing specific behaviors as sin. But in witnessing to people who don t have a basic understanding of sin, it s helpful to start with the root of the problem. *aish.com/sp/pg/im_sorry.html Photo Jews for Jesus/Paige Saunders Front cover photo Jews for Jesus/Rachel Friedlander 8