Jews who had come to offer God the first fruits of the wheat harvest became the first fruits of a great spiritual harvest.

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1 THE NEWSLETTER FOR THE CHRISTIAN WHO WANTS TO KNOW MORE ABOUT JEWS AND EVANGELISM Volume 8:5758 May 1998 You probably know that many churches will be celebrating Pentecost Sunday on May 24 but did you know that the original Day of Pentecost fell during the Jewish celebration of Shavuos? Shavuos (pronounce shah voo sometimes called Pentecost, is one of three Jewish festivals that entailed a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. The other two are the Feast of Tabernacles and the Feast of Passover. Pentecost is a Greek word that means fifty days. Shavuos, the Hebrew name for the holiday, means weeks. Both refer to the period of time between the festivals of Passover and the first fruits of the wheat harvest in the Land of Israel. ohs), God wove the seasons of worship together with the physical Land of Israel, linking the two inextricably. Anyone who fails to see the connection between the Jewish people and the Land of Israel cannot grasp the full significance of these God-given festivals. The Feasts of Israel simply cannot be divorced from the land which God swore to give to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Thus, even when the Jewish people were scattered to the four corners of the earth, these festivals reminded us of what was happening back in the land of our ancestors. The observance of Pentecost was an act of consecration as well as celebration. It was an occasion to give God His BY DAVID BRICKNER, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Jews who had come to offer God the first fruits of the wheat harvest became the first fruits of a great spiritual harvest. due, to offer Him the first and the best portion of the harvest. That offering was also a celebration because the first fruits would indicate both the character and the quantity of the remainder of the crop. If the first fruit was good, so would the rest of the harvest be. If the first fruit was abundant, there would be an abundant harvest yet to come. It was against the backdrop of this holiday that the first Jews for Jesus gathered in the upper room. Remember, Y shua (Jesus) had commanded the disciples to wait in Jerusalem, for the promise of the father (see Acts 1:4,5). And wait they did for fifty days. God chose the fiftieth day after the Passover on which Y shua was crucified to unleash the power of His Holy Spirit in a new way: When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance (Acts 2:1-4). continued on page Jews f r Jesus

2 continued from page 1 Some who heard the disciples speaking in foreign languages thought they were merely babbling. Yet God had chosen the time when people from all over the world would be in Jerusalem, and He used that babbling to reap a spiritual harvest of souls among every tribe, tongue and nation on the face of the earth. As thousands wondered how these uneducated Galileans could be speaking in their native languages, Peter began to preach the gospel in power. Jews who had come to offer God the first fruits of the wheat harvest became the first fruits of a great spiritual harvest. They represented the harvest to come, not just for the Jewish people but for all of the world. What a mighty God we serve, who is able to turn all things for good! Think about it: how did people come to have such a diversity of languages in the first place? It was the result of sin and pride. Thousands of years before, at a place called Babel, the Lord prevented the human race from uniting to do evil. He cursed humanity by confusing their language and scattering them into many different nations and tongues. How like our gracious God to reverse the curse of Babel on this great Pentecost after Christ s resurrection. Languages that once confused and alienated people were now employed to proclaim the good news that God s salvation had come to the nations. People once divided through sin would now be united in the Savior. Out of chaos and cacophony God created a beautiful diversity and harmony, that people of all languages might come together as a choir of praise to the glory of God. Have you ever wondered what would have happened on Pentecost had the disciples tired of following Y shua s Languages that once confused and alienated people were now employed to proclaim the good news that God s salvation had come to the nations. instructions? They had been waiting together for a long time, certainly any number of disagreements and quarrels might have occurred. Yet when the Day of Pentecost came, they were all with one accord in one place. Had the disciples bickered and scattered throughout Jerusalem, God s purposes would not have been thwarted, I m sure. But think of what the disciples would have missed! Likewise, those devout Jews who had traveled from afar to obey God; what if they had decided not to make the trip that year? God is gracious to pour out His blessings, but to some extent He leaves it to us to be in the right place at the right time to receive them. Sometimes being at the right place means waiting when He says wait; sometimes it means moving when He says move. God does not keep us mystified as to what He would have us do when we are in the habit of seeking His will. As we gather with other believers in one accord, and as we are willing to move here and there to give God His due, we can expect to receive power from His Holy Spirit power to bring in a harvest of souls. Can t you hear the strains of that chorus which began in Jerusalem on Pentecost? It continues to echo throughout the world. And the choir continues to gain in strength and number as the Lord of the harvest continues His work. Together with Him we can lift our voices in songs of praise to the Master. We are privileged to help in the work of the harvest as God s Spirit draws Jews and Gentiles to salvation in Y shua. The harvest truly is plentiful. We Jews For Jesus will continue to sow and water so that together with you dear friends and supporters, we can rejoice to see the Lord of the Harvest 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 MAY 1998, VOLUME 8: jfj@jews-for-jesus.org; HOME PAGE: EDITOR: RUTH ROSEN; ART DIRECTION: PAIGE SAUNDERS ALSO WORKING IN: AUSTRALIA, CANADA, GERMANY, ISRAEL, FRANCE, RUSSIA, SOUTH AFRICA, UKRAINE and THE UNITED KINGDOM 2

3 By joining the spiritual worship to the physical harvest, God sanctified the language of the harvest and imbued it with great spiritual and even prophetic significance. We see this theme throughout the Bible. For example: The land would not yield produce nor trees fruit based on the strength of the Israelites, but only in accordance with God s will (see Leviticus 26:20). God punished Israel s disobedience with drought and famine but rewarded faithfulness with an abundant harvest (see Deuteronomy 28). The faithful person was depicted as a fruitful tree (see Jeremiah 17:8 ). The concept of reaping what one sowed was also depicted as a harvest (see Hosea 6:11). Drought and famine symbolized unrepentant sin (see Psalm 32:3-4). The return of Israelites to the Land after the captivity is described as sowing with tears and reaping with joy (Psalm 126). Jesus refers to the harvest of people who are ready to believe and be gathered into the kingdom (Matthew 9:38). Jesus spoke of His resurrection using the language of the harvest. Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain (John 12:24). Through His death and resurrection, Y shua became the first fruits of a harvest that was yet to come. James who was writing to the earliest followers of Jesus, a group of first century Jews for Jesus, declared those early believers likewise to be the first fruits of the harvest. Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of first fruits of his creatures (James 1:18). Paul correlates the volume of what we will reap spiritually with what we are willing to sow (see 2 Corinthians 9:6). But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. (2 Corinthians 9:6) 3

4 Well, I didn t exactly become a Jew for Jesus, but I did become one of the Jews for Jesus staff workers. And no, it was never on my little boy list of things I wanted to be when I grew up which, by the way, was in a small town in Wisconsin. I had gone to an evangelical church all my life, attended a Christian school from kindergarten through first grade and I was planning on going to a Christian college. I was still living with my parents, taking a year off before college. My mom was the chairperson of the missions board, so when my church sponsored a Jews for Jesus Christ in the Passover (CIP) presentation, my parents served as hosts making sure that everything was in order for the visiting missionary. The night of the presentation came and I met Scott Rubin. Scott was on staff with Jews for Jesus at that time* and was doing a CIP tour... in the middle of rural Wisconsin! Scott was the first Jewish person I had ever met. Until that night, it had never occurred to me that there were actually Jewish people other than those I d read about in the Bible. To this day, I m not sure why Scott asked me to be a steward on the Jews for Jesus Summer Witnessing Campaign in New York City. I was just following my parents example trying to be helpful! Scott appreciated the help and told me that while my help may not have been a big deal to me, it could make a big difference in an important outreach that Jews for Jesus would be doing that summer. He explained that I would have to raise support to go. Then he gave me a form to fill out and mail to San Francisco. I thought, If this is where God wants me, He ll have to provide a way. And He did. As my enthusiasm to join the witnessing Campaign in New York City grew, Christian friends got behind me and helped make it happen. The next thirty Jewish people I met were on Campaign training with me at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago. While I signed up as a steward a support person for the front line campaigners I still took part in learning about the outreach that I would be enabling them to do. That 4 means that I learned how to hand out tracts and talk to people on the streets TRENT PERKINS of Chicago where, for the first time I met Jewish people who were not for Jesus. It wasn t until I went on to New York City that I realized how very many Jewish people there are who are headed for a Christless eternity. That fact weighed heavily on my heart. I was the youngest steward on Campaign, and I used every ounce of energy I had! I washed a lot of dishes, lovingly prepared many deli platters to encourage the troops, helped pack over a million broadsides (that s what we call our gospel tracts) into canvas shoulder bags, and sometimes I delivered those broadsides to various corners of the city as campaigners emptied their bags before a sortie (tract passing expedition) was over. I also helped with the laundry, and along with the other stewards, I supported the Campaigners in prayer. I even had occasional opportunities to spend time on the street, handing out broadsides and sharing the gospel with many people who would never have darkened the doorway of a church. Jews for Jesus dedication to hard core evangelism drew me back to volunteer as a steward on a second and third campaign. Jews for Jesus was my kind of ministry, and I began to feel a proprietary interest in what they were doing. Meanwhile, I was going to college and somehow, God always provided for my needs. The day after I graduated from college I joined the Liberated Wailing Wall (LWW) as the bus driver/sound technician. I can t begin to describe how God can work in your life when you live with six other people on a forty foot long bus for eighteen months! God did some amazing things in us and through us, using many of the people we met on the road to help forge us. Like Campaign, touring with The Liberated Wailing Wall was a stretching experience, and so rewarding that I decided to do it again! I am grateful to God as well as to you continued on next page

5 It was a cold winter day as a co-worker and I made our way to a downtown shopping area of Baltimore. Only a few people seemed willing to brave the cold of the city that afternoon and I wondered if we were really in the right place at the right time. As I began to distribute gospel tracts, I occasionally glanced over at a traffic officer who was standing in the intersection. I didn t know that she was also watching me. When a fellow officer came to relieve her, she immediately headed in my direction. I greeted her as she approached to ask if she could read one of our tracts. When she finished reading, Sandy asked if I had time to speak with her. So I was in the right place at the right time after all! Sandy asked if I was a Christian and I replied, Yes, I am, and I m Jewish. What about you? Sandy said she was a Christian but as she went on to explain what she believed about Jesus, it was clear that she did not know who He really is and what He had done for her. I did not hesitate to gently tell her so. Sandy then told me of her mother s faith as a born again Christian, and how she had been praying for her daughter. I tried as best I could to respond to her many questions in a short time, but Sandy needed to get back to work. She wanted to know more about the truth of Jesus and asked if she could write to me. We exchanged cards, then she went back to directing traffic as I continued to hand out broadsides. Moments later, a young man took one of my tracts, and stood just a few steps away as he read it from front to back. When he was finished, he told me how much he agreed with our message, and how bad he felt that he had strayed so far from God. Like Sandy, James told me how his mother, a woman who loves Jesus, had been praying for him. For years she had prayed that he would give up his worldly life and return to his first love. When I asked what was keeping him from recommitting his life to Jesus, James admitted it was his own stubborn heart. But he was tired of living apart from God, and he asked me to pray for him. I reminded James about the prodigal son and told him that Jesus arms were open for him as well, waiting for him to return to the family. There were tears in his eyes as I asked if he wanted to ask for forgiveness and recommit his life to Jesus that day. Without hesitation he said yes, and we prayed together on that street corner. I finished the sortie knowing that God had set up divine appointments for us on that cold afternoon in Baltimore. This was confirmed a week later when I received the following note: Thank you so much for your faithfulness to share the love of Christ with my son James who I have been praying for these many years. He has returned to church and I can see that he truly is a new man. Thank you so much for touching my son s life. I knew of course, that I had very little to do with touching this young man s life. That week I also received a letter from Sandy, asking more questions about the Bible. Perhaps one day, Sandy s mom will also have reason to be thankful that God caused her daughter s path to cross mine that day. Meanwhile, I m grateful that God continues to use our broadsides, as sometimes they can even be an answer to a mother s prayer. Lynn Wein, missionary Washington, D.C. A Nice Gentile Boy... continued Jews for Jesus friends and supporters to have had the privilege of that ministry. So what does someone who retires from two LWW tours do? Like many other team veterans I ve joined the staff of Jews for Jesus! I went back to Wisconsin for a bit of rest and relaxation, and this month I moved out to San Francisco to work at our Headquarters. While I continue to work behind the scenes, I know that I am helping Jews and Gentiles meet their Messiah. And you know what? If you have lots of energy and a heart for the lost, there might be a place here for you as well! Trent Perkins, home office missionary * While still closely affiliated with Jews for Jesus, Scott is the full-time pastor of Tiferet Israel, a messianic congregation which began as a local Jews for Jesus Bible study. 5

6 Please pray for: Trent Perkins as he begins a new phase of service with Jews for Jesus in San Francisco (pp. 4, 5) more kosher-hearted Gentiles like Trent to recognize opportunities for service with Jews for Jesus (pp. 4, 5) grace for Sandy to understand who the real Jesus is, and that she will be born again (p. 5) strength for James, who recently rededicated his life to the LORD, that he will remain in fellowship and grow in grace (p. 5) grace and strength for Mary as she grows in her new commitment to following Jesus (p. 6) physical and spiritual health for members of The Liberated Wailing Wall as they continue rolling down the road for Jesus (p. 6) opportunities to witness to Jewish people God might put in your path (p. 7) continued strength for new Jewish believer James in London, and that his transformed life will touch many others (p. 8) salvation for Shahar, Yaffa and Shoshana, three Israeli women in London (p. 8) salvation for Roman and Gennady, two Jewish men in Odessa (p. 8) discipleship for Priscilla, a new Gentile believer in Southern California (p. 8) discipleship for Karen, a new Jewish believer in New York (p. 8) I had a rather uneventful sortie at the University of Maryland, handing out one of my favorite broadsides, If Being Born hasn t Given you Much Satisfaction, Try being Born Again. A few days later, I was at our office doing some work, when the phone rang. I picked it up and a girl named Mary was on the other line. It seems she had found a pamphlet on the radiator at the University of Maryland. The title spoke to her heart (you guessed it, the Born Again broadside). As she read through it, she realized that it was true and that was what she believed about Jesus. While she had been raised in a church, this was the first time she had taken the gospel message personally. When she went to her church the following Sunday, the liturgy and sermon burned in her soul. She was so excited as her eyes had been opened to what Jesus truly did on the cross for HER. She looked around and saw stiff, bored faces. She wanted to scream out, Don t you realize what you re reciting?!? Yes, Mary was born again. I was excited to hear her story because I realized that God had planned for the tract I had given someone else to end up in her hands. Which team member do you suppose managed to lock herself into the closet at the back of the bus? She says, I was hanging a jacket up while in transit when we lurched to the left and I fell into the back, the door clicking behind me! Needless to say, my kind, compassionate and loving bus-mates rushed to my 6 VICTORIA LANNON That week, I was to speak at an InterVarsity meeting. Mary came and I introduced her to Christian friends her age who are as excited as she is about Jesus. I learned a valuable lesson from Mary: We can t always see the fruit of what we re doing. Sometimes, the seed we sow is meant to bear fruit in another time and in another way than we intend. Victoria Lannon, outreach worker Washington, D.C. Bus driver Thane rescue... NOT! Rachael could be heard screaming with laughter and calling everyone to my plight! There were lots of jokes about Narnia etc. before they rescued me. (If you guessed the sleep-singer/prayer Paula, you are correct!)

7 by Moishe and Ceil Rosen You love the Lord. You know from Scripture that God wants you to tell everyone you can about salvation in Jesus, and that includes Jewish people. Yet you approach witnessing with at least some degree of fear and uncertainty. You feel vulnerable and somewhat uncertain. You fear creating an unpleasant situation that your Jewish friends will misconstrue your efforts at communicating the Good News as aggression against their religion, and that may destroy your friendship. You are intimidated by the possibility that if the person to whom you witness is not in the friend category, it may engender a hostile reaction from a stranger. Besides feeling vulnerable, you may also fear ineffectiveness: You don t know where or how to begin. You feel awkward and doubt that you can initiate a testimony in a respectable, effective manner. You worry that you can never bring such a witness to its desired end leading someone to a saving faith commitment. Because of such basic feelings of vulnerability and inadequacy, many Christians find a multitude of reasons to delay witnessing or even not to witness at all. This stockpile of excuses becomes a shelter of myths under which they can retreat any time they feel uneasy about speaking out and want a reason not to do it. If you are serious about wanting to witness, let s unravel some of those myths: Myth Number One: If a person doesn t respond to my witness, it must be because I haven t properly presented the Gospel. People do not naturally give their lives to Christ. They hold on to the reins as long as possible. Therefore, we should expect resistance. Sometimes we can present the Gospel in exactly the right way but still have it rejected. Other times we can fumble through our words and forget a Scripture or two, yet find that in spite of our mistakes, the person wants to accept Christ as Savior. There really is no right or wrong way to present the Gospel. Some methods may work better than others, and certainly, doctrinal knowledge helps. Yet God approaches each person as an individual. We must also do this when we witness. What might have been right in witnessing to one person may not be right in witnessing to the next. Myth Number Two: It takes a long time for someone to discover the truth of the Gospel. Sometimes it takes a person a long time to come to faith, but usually it doesn t. An individual often realizes his or her need for a savior after taking a personal inventory. This happens because the Holy Spirit has touched that person s heart. Someone else may have planted the Gospel seed long before you came along maybe someone who thought that he or she had failed. Myth Number Three: All Jews have a deep, scholarly knowledge of the Old Testament. I feel inadequate in handling the Scriptures. If I am to be effective in evangelism, especially Jewish evangelism, I must know the Bible very well. Certainly Bible knowledge helps in witnessing, but God doesn t require that you have a certain number of verses memorized before you can witness. If you are faithful in trying, He will direct what you say. In fact, often you will find that you know more than the person to whom you are speaking. Few Jewish people today are well versed in even the Old Testament portion of the Scriptures, and just the basic knowledge that led you to become a Christian probably surpasses what most Jews know about the Bible. In witnessing, you will find that you know more than you thought you did. Furthermore, you will usually end up learning much about Christ as you tell others about Him. The section in this book on how to use the Gospel of John provides enough direction for you to get started.* It is our responsibility to tell others about Jesus whether we speak eloquently or not. Some of the most powerful witnesses make terrible spokespeople. Yet God chooses them. *The above article is actually an excerpt from our new book, Witnessing to Jews, by Moishe and Ceil Rosen (if you are new to our ministry, that s the founder of Jews for Jesus and his wife). This book not only removes the roadblocks to witnessing, it gives you the map to navigate your way through all kinds of objections people might raise. For information on ordering this book, see page two and write, call, fax or us! 7

8 hour after I had told my story to Vlad, that very same Jewish man passed by me as I was still handing out broadsides at the train station! I greeted him, and though he was reluctant at first, this time he agreed to give me his name, address and phone number. His name is Roman, and he is a cardiologist. Pray, please, for his salvation. Missionary Rahel Landrum was tending to a customer in our book store in London when the phone rang. She spoke briefly with James (whose father is Israeli) then passed the information on to her husband and coworker, Mark. Mark met with James, who repented and asked Jesus to be Lord of his life on the very first visit! Soon after, feeling somewhat uncertain of his decision, James asked God to give him a sign of His reality. James was standing in front of his window as he prayed, and immediately a shooting star appeared, just where he happened to be gazing! That really shook James, but confirmed the reality of his Saviour. Mark says, It s been great to see the change in James. He used to run a porno bookstore; now he turns down lucrative offers because God has made him a new person. Rahel (who was born in Romania and raised in Israel) is currently meeting with three unbelieving Israeli women on a regular basis: Shahar, Yaffa and Shoshana. Rahel reports, The last time I met with Shoshana, she was so eager to go on with the Bible study that she asked, When shall I come again tomorrow?! Please pray for Shoshana s salvation as well as Shahar and Yaffa. From Odessa, outreach worker Mikhael reports, I was at the metro station with Vlad Rekhovsky, telling him about a Jewish man I met on the train who spoke to me but did not want to give me his contact information. I saw the man a second time on a train and simply prayed for him. When I saw him a third time at Deribasovskaia, I gave him a broadside (gospel tract). Then I saw him a fourth time from a bus window, and prayed for him once again. About an Outreach worker Leonid Wassermann reports, When we arrived at the home of Gennady Boyarchenko, the house was dark and no one answered as we knocked at the door. At last a lady looked out and asked whom we wanted. We replied that we had come to speak with Gennady. At that point he came out and said, We ll have to give up our meeting because there is no electricity in the house. (The electricity had been off the whole day.) We asked him to come out and talk with us a little. When we began to speak about God, Gennady said, If God could show me some visible sign then I... and before he could finish his sentence, the lights came on! Gennady was greatly surprised and gladly continued to talk with us inside. Please pray for Gennady to be saved. From Los Angeles, Holly Meyer reports, I was handing out Who can You Trust broadsides with Stan and a volunteer named Connie at CSUN (California State University at Northridge). At the very end of the sortie, Priscilla stopped to talk with me. I explained the gospel to her and soon after led her in a prayer of salvation. Now Priscilla trusts in Jesus! Please pray that the church I contacted in her area will follow up and disciple her. From New York, newlywed missionary Michelle Rose reports, God gave me a wonderful wedding gift my first day back at work. I just happened to be by the front door when a woman named Karen dropped by the office. She told me that she wanted to volunteer with us. I began asking questions and it turned out that Karen was Jewish. While she said that she believed in Jesus, it became clear that she didn t know what it meant to repent and have a personal relationship with Him. When I offered to lead her in a prayer of salvation, she said yes. Praise the Lord! No one could have possibly given me a gift that would give me more joy and delight! 8