I had many opportunities to meet with those I have already given the gospel to in the past to build on the relationship and answer questions about the hope of our faith. There were many new opportunities for the gospel especially with how busy the city of Jerusalem was for Passover. Here are a few of the encounters this past month.
University Students from abroad
During a tour I was giving to friends of ours from America I ran into Frank & Nishen who are from Taiwan & China respectively. Both are studying at the University in Haifa. One is studying bio-science and the other material science. They took their spring break in Jerusalem which allowed me the divine appointment of meeting them. Both were self-proclaimed atheists who were taught from early childhood there is no God. Since both were studying science I was able, like Paul in Athens (
Acts 17:22-34
), to bring them to the God of creation and cause them to question what they have been taught. I was able to speak about laws of nature and show the order of God’s creative hand. They have never been given the gospel before and were very appreciative of the information they received. Please pray that these young people and many others like them will see the truth and come to faith.
Yeshiva Students in the Old City
A typical encounter with Rabbinic Jews is one of defensive arguing based on the traditions of men especially as they study the Talmud rather than looking at the Word of God. Once such meeting was with 3 Yeshiva Students in the Old City. One student was actually an ex-pastor from a nominal “Christian” denomination. Sadly, I am seeing more and more people give up on “faithless Christendom” for the “faithless” religion of Rabbinic Judaism. After a short while of back and forth discussion I gently told them “don’t believe everything the Rabbi’s tell you but rather trust only in the Word of God alone!” and with that gave them the simple message of the gospel to repent and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation.
Local Jewish Family
Met a rabbinic Jewish family, Fred and his daughter Sarah, who were very open to talk about faith. Even though they don’t believe that Jesus is the Messiah they do believe the Messiah is coming. As much as I run into the typical argumentative Jews who really don’t believe in the Bible as the Word of God and are not looking for a Messiah I am seeing more of an openness to discuss the Messiah and the Bible with others like Fred and Sarah. At the end of the presentation of the gospel Fred said he would like to show me what he believes with the hope he can correct my “wrong understanding of who the Messiah is” I told him I welcome the opportunity to open the Scriptures and reason together. We agreed to meet again and discuss more about the Messiah…
Karaite Jew
One day when we were picking Abby up at her base we had the divine appointment of talking with a Karaite Jew and a secular Jew. The secular Jew had your typical indifference to the gospel but the other lady who described herself as a Karaite Jew (one who is considered a “Hebrew Scripturalist”) was much more open to hearing the gospel. By definition, Karaites use only the Tanach or Old Testament meaning they read only the Old Testament and do not adhere to any of the Rabbinic / Pharisaical traditions of the Talmud, Mishnah, or any other Rabbinic writings or teachings. What this means is as we have a chance to show Jesus the Messiah of the Scriptures it becomes very clear to a Karaite Jew that Jesus was much like them, an adherent to the Scriptures alone. This gave us a good opportunity to keep our conversation going as Abby was able to get her contact information and stay in touch with her.
Encounter with a Chabad group
There is a growing sect of Orthodox Jews who identify themselves
as
Chabad
-Lubavitch (Hebrew: חב"ד), which is an Orthodox Jewish, Hasidic movement.
Chabad
is today one of the world's best known Hasidic movements and is well known for its outreach. It is one of the largest Hasidic groups and Jewish religious organizations in the world.
We ran into a group of these folks who were very nice (unfortunately, very rare among the Orthodox) and asked us if we wanted help reading the weekly Parshah / Torah reading. They were very outgoing due to their mandate to “evangelize” people, especially secular Jews, back to the religion of Rabbinic Judaism. They invited us to the Synagogue and their home for a Shabbat Meal. They even declared we could drink, smoke, and do whatever we want outside of the Synagogue. They basically invited us to do some “good works”, join the “club”, and then go on living sinful lives. There was no need for faith in the God of Abraham rather just an appeal to join a cult of self-righteous religion. Like the Pharisees of Jesus’ day, they wanted to burden us with the traditions of men rather than give us freedom from the weight of sin through faith in Messiah. The mood between us was very joyful until I told them we were “out of the box” Jews in that we believe the whole Bible and that Yeshua is the Messiah and will be returning to judge the world. Sadly, from that moment on their demeanor changed and the roles switched where we were evangelizing them to the pure gospel to know God through grace by faith.
We pray that they and the many other Chabadics would recognize Jesus as the Messiah who fulfilled the Messianic prophecies of the Bible rather than a recently dead Rabbi named Menachem Mendel Schneerson who they believe to be the Messiah. He was a mere man, in need of grace, who fulfilled not one of the Messianic prophecies of the Bible. It’s so sad how blinded the majority of the Jewish people are who would see those who worship a dead Rabbi as more “Jewish” and worthy of citizenship than a Jew who believes in a living Rabbi, Yeshua Ha’Mashiach who is the God/Man, kept the law perfectly, and fulfilled the prophecies. We, who are the believing remnant, are looking forward to the return of our Deliverer to turn away ungodliness from Jacob, the Nation of Israel…
Romans 11:5, 25-26
5
Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace.
25
For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.
26
And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob
:
