Comparing Evangelism to Farming

Wed, 01 May 2013 00:00:00 +0000

Jerry was a successful businessman whose wealth had afforded him a comfortable life in the northern suburbs of Chicago. He was also a prominent member of the Jewish community. When he was in his 70s, Jerry retired and handed over his company to his son.

That's when we met and began getting together weekly to study the Bible. Within a few months, I had the privilege of praying with Jerry to receive the Lord. It turns out Jerry had actually believed that Jesus was our Messiah for most of his life—yet it took all those decades to receive Him as Savior. How was this possible?

When Jerry was a child, his parents were unable to send him to the Jewish sleep away summer camp. They instead allowed him to attend the Vacation Bible School at a nearby Lutheran church. During that VBS, Jerry memorized John 3:16—and he never forgot that Bible verse. Throughout his life he believed

A Picture's Worth 1,000 Words

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 00:00:00 +0000

Sergio Danon, faithful leader of our work in Brazil, has an annual outreach at "Carnaval." The gospel shines brightest in the darkest places, and Carnaval can be pretty dark. We hope these photos of Sergio and those he encountered will help you pray for the gospel seed to bear fruit in the hearts of those we met during this outreach.

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See more photos and discover the details of this outreach.

Looking for a creative way to help Jews for Jesus? If you are good with a camera and live near one of our branches, consider donating your time and skill for one or more photo shoots! Pictures like you see

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What is Broadsiding?

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 00:00:00 +0000

In Jews for Jesus we refer to handing out our gospel tracts (tri-fold, easy-to-read pamphlets) as broadsiding. But I have noticed that broadsiding has its special features in various cities. So "what is broadsiding" can depend on where one is broadsiding.

For example, broadsiding in Moscow differs radically from broadsiding in Odessa. When broadsiding in Moscow, you get the feeling that any person passing by might shed all their anger and rage on you. You return from sorties (broadsiding expeditions) with pain in your hands, because that's where people who were in a bad mood slapped or hit you. In addition, many people stepped on your feet during the sortie.

Odessa is a unique city for broadsiding. No matter where you stand to hand out pamphlets, people come up to tell you about something that's on their mind. They may inform you that certain benefits for
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Faith is a Gift of God

Sun, 28 Apr 2013 00:00:00 +0000

"How do I have faith? Am I supposed to believe in something that is unbelievable?" Those were questions Eugene asked at the point of spiritual capitulation. Let me back up and explain. It all started more than 25 years ago.

Eugene is the son of Romanian immigrants to the United States. His origins are reflected in his heavily accented, but otherwise flawless, English.

Eugene attended his first Jews for Jesus Bible studies back in the 1980's. He became well known for such questions as, "How do you know anything in the Bible is true?" Or, "These Bible stories could be fables, couldn't they?"

But there was always a sense that Eugene genuinely wanted to know if God was real. Several of our missionary staff patiently worked with him to answer his objections. And though he seemed reluctant to believe what he insisted was implausible, he continued attending our
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How Many Jews for Jesus Does it Take ...

Sat, 27 Apr 2013 00:00:00 +0000

(to see one person receive the Light of the World)]

Tuvya Zaretsky's article, "Faith is a Gift," recounts the story of Eugene* and how it took 25 years of ministry for him to receive that priceless gift. Tuvya also explains that he was not the only Jews for Jesus missionary to reach out and be available to Eugene through all those years.

While space is limited in our print newsletter, we wanted to give you a fuller picture of this very encouraging story. So we contacted Stan Meyer (currently serving in our Los Angeles branch) and Alan Bond (currently leading our Chicago branch). Both have ministered to Eugene over the years and have added their perspectives on his salvation story.

Stan, who is great with background details,
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Moishe's Musings on Pentecost: Go Power

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 00:00:00 +0000

The following is excerpted from an archived reflection by Moishe Rosen. You can read the full article here.

"[Today's] church tends to regard its congregations and religious gatherings the way the ancient Hebrews regarded the Temple at Jerusalem—as God's official headquarters. This inaccurate interpretation leads to ineffectual methods of evangelism. No church building or church gathering is God's headquarters. The Holy Spirit has made each believing heart his headquarters—his command post, from which he may conduct his campaign for us to win others. As yielded believers, we are mobile units awaiting his instructions. At his command we are to go forward, energized and enabled by his power. That’s real go power, the dynamo that can make us effective
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So what is Pentecost-Jewish or Christian?

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 00:00:00 +0000

This year, Shavuot (the Jewish festival behind the Christian Pentecost Sunday) is May 14-15 (sundown to sundown). You can read more Jews for Jesus articles on this holiday here. Beyond that, David Brickner and Rich Robinson have written a very thorough guide to understanding this holiday and how it relates to believers in Jesus. Christ in the Feast of Pentecost is written not just to inform, but to inspire you and even provide practical help for believers who want to celebrate this holiday today. You can order the book
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Bits from the Branches

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 00:00:00 +0000

Tel Aviv

Oded Cohen reports: "I've been meeting with ‘Mati' (an Israeli woman who was 'taught' by Jehovah's Witnesses) pretty much on a weekly basis. Recently she realized that she needed to repent and receive Jesus as her Lord and Savior. We are studying the Book of John together, and she has such a hunger to grow in her faith. She can see the difference between what she learned from Jehovah's Witnesses and what the Gospels say. It is encouraging to see her enthusiasm and excitement to study the Bible, and also her discipline in reading the Bible on her own during the week. Please pray for her continued growth."

Sarah Danor reports, "During the Purim holiday, my husband Tzachi and I were doing a sortie on Dizengoff Street. Families with children were out enjoying the spring sun. We shared the gospel with several people. They appeared to be in their 50s and were
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Help us celebrate our 40th Birthday!

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 00:00:00 +0000

True, Jews for Jesus has been around since 32 a.d. give or take a year. After all, Jesus and all His first disciples were Jewish, right? But on September 17, 1973, under the leadership of Moishe Rosen, a handful of us officially organized to make the Messiahship of Jesus an unavoidable issue to our Jewish people worldwide.

Beginning this September we'll be celebrating and sharing our joy in what God has done with and for us these past four decades. How can you help?

Do you have a story of how Jews for Jesus has had a significant effect on your faith in Jesus (or that of someone you know)? We would love to hear about it. We plan to publish a limited number of these stories, so be sure to let us know if we have permission to publish yours.
And ... if you have creative ideas about what you'd like to see in our publications to help us thank God for these forty
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Jews for Jesus Prayer Prompters

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 00:00:00 +0000

Please pray for:

God's blessing on the gospel seed we are sowing and that, throughout the church, believers will be encouraged to share their faith with Jews and Gentiles, whether or not they can see results.

Those who saw and spoke to Sergio and his team during Carnaval, that God will continue to speak to
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Cartoon

Sun, 21 Apr 2013 00:00:00 +0000

A Jew for Jesus is about to walk out the door of his house wearing his JFJ tee shirt and carrying tract bag. His two kids are there to see him off. Little boy is about seven and big sister is about twelve.
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The Rat

Mon, 01 Apr 2013 00:00:00 +0000

I have been living with a little terrorist. "Rattus Muridae" invaded my house late last October. At first I was merely annoyed. Having just returned from an overseas trip, I discovered my "little cuties" (small tangerines I had left in a basket on my kitchen counter) with their tops chewed off and most of the fruit demolished. I put the remains in the garbage disposal only to find it was broken. The wires beneath the sink had been severed. Then I saw the pile of sawdust next to my food pantry. The wooden door had been gnawed. Finally, the black droppings were conclusive proof of the little terrorist's awful presence.

It was late, but I went to bed somewhat reluctantly. Sure enough, I awoke in the dark to the sound of something moving. I grabbed for my cellphone and the backlit screen illuminated a large rodent. He seemed as surprised to see me as I him and he scampered away. I gave chase
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Eats, Shoots and Leaves

Sun, 31 Mar 2013 00:00:00 +0000

In her 2004 bestseller, Eats, Shoots and Leaves, UK author Lynne Truss laments the demise of good punctuation. Her title is based on a joke about a panda who eats in a restaurant, then shoots the patrons. As the panda heads towards the exit, a surviving waiter, surveying the carnage, asks the panda: "Why did you do it?"

The panda produces a badly punctuated wildlife manual and tosses it over his shoulder.

"Well, I'm a panda," he says, at the door. "Look it up."

The waiter turns to the relevant entry in the manual and, sure enough, finds an explanation. "Panda. Large black-and-white bear-like mammal, native to China. Eats, shoots and leaves."

All joking aside, the effect of a misplaced comma truly can be disastrous.

Take one small comma in 1 Thessalonians chapter 2. In verses 14-16 we read:

₁₄ For you, brothers,
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My Personal Journey to Understand

Sat, 30 Mar 2013 00:00:00 +0000

Because the Lord has granted me a ministry to several Jewish people who survived the Nazi Holocaust, I am doing my best to learn about and better understand the loss, grief, guilt, and trauma that they suffered. Last week, Oded, a close friend, and I visited the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial in Jerusalem. I am still taking in the personal stories, photos, and films that I saw there, while also reading books in my spare time to gain sensitivity and understanding. Please pray for the Lord to envelop those who were impacted by the Holocaust with His tender
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Ambiguity: A Defense Against Truth?

Fri, 29 Mar 2013 00:00:00 +0000

Alan was spiritually hungry. He wanted me to know that he strongly identified as a Jew, yet he was not finding answers to spiritual questions that haunted and preoccupied him.

I spent quite a bit of time with Alan. I told him that there were no easy answers to his questions. I shared my story with him and told him why I thought Jesus was the fulfillment of Israel's destiny, and the unique savior of the world. I asked him whether, if what I said were true, he would be willing to follow Jesus no matter what the cost. Alan could not answer. He knew that following Jesus would not be a popular decision.

I'd given Alan a New Testament and he said that he was reading it. I became concerned when I was not able to contact him for a couple of weeks. Then I received a letter from him. Alan explained that he did not want to meet with me any longer and that he had decided that for him
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Questions in the Face of Suffering

Thu, 28 Mar 2013 00:00:00 +0000

I have learned a lot about God from the Holocaust. This may sound unsettling, but I've come to feel that much can be learned in the crucible of that catastrophe of 40 years ago. The Founder of Jews for Jesus, Moishe Rosen, says that the Holocaust is a wound that does not heal, because its memory is forever gouged into the hearts of the Jewish people. Its memory has also bonded the hearts of a new generation of Jews.

Perhaps the leading Jewish figure who has helped to keep the memory of this tragedy alive is American
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Reopening Abraham's Wells: Hungary's Special Story

Wed, 27 Mar 2013 00:00:00 +0000

"And Isaac dug again the wells of water which they had dug in the days of Abraham his father, for the Philistines had stopped them up after the death of Abraham. He called them by the names which his father had called them" (Genesis 26:18).

Hungary's history has developed a special type of Jew. Our people have embraced the identity of their country of residence more than in most European countries. Before World War II and the Nazi Holocaust, our people had begun turning to Christ at the highest rate in the world. The wells of this spiritual awakening have been stopped by the Nazis as well as by Communist "Philistines." Now is the time to reopen these wells.

You may know that Theodor Herzl, the founder of Zionism, was born in Hungary. The site where he once lived is now a Jewish Museum. Although Hungary was homeland to the
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Bits from the Branches

Tue, 26 Mar 2013 00:00:00 +0000

Sydney, Australia

Bob Mendelsohn reports, "After preaching at a nearby church, I went into our office/storefront to handle some administrative details. After I finished, I decided to stay a bit longer. Within twenty minutes, in walked Noam and Yishai, two twenty-something Israelis. Noam explained that Yishai was curious, so we sat in the 'conversation corner,' where I explained that I was once an Orthodox Jew who became a Jesus-follower. But it was Noam who asked, 'Why do you believe this?'

"I pointed out Bible prophecies from Genesis, Micah, and Daniel, and Noam exclaimed, 'This is mind boggling!' He was especially struck by the fact that records of who belonged to what tribe were destroyed along with the Temple in 70 A.D. Therefore, the Messiah had to come before that time in order for people to know he had fulfilled the prophesy of being from the line of Judah. So Noam
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Jews for Jesus Prayer Prompters

Sun, 24 Mar 2013 00:00:00 +0000

Please pray for:

The spiritual forces that want to invade and gnaw at gospel ministries like ours to be neutralized.

Salvation for Tami and her husband in Israel.

Alan (in Toronto) to change his mind and continue his search for truth.

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Cartoon

Sat, 23 Mar 2013 00:00:00 +0000

Behind the scene look at our Newsletter...
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Online Extras

Fri, 22 Mar 2013 00:00:00 +0000

The expanded edition of our newsletter will connect you with:

A timeless follow up to David’s lead article ("The Rat") titled "Focused Prayer, Our Secret Weapon" by Ceil Rosen

Bonus article: Andrew Barron's thoughts on how the Holocaust has shaped Jewish thinking and how the problem of suffering affects Jews and Gentiles

Take this Holocaust Remembrance Day poll and find out instantly how others answered:

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Redeemed

Fri, 01 Mar 2013 00:00:00 +0000

If you could choose just one word to describe what you want people to know about you, what would it be?

Were you surprised by the first thought that came to your mind? Usually what we want others to know about us reflects what we most value in ourselves.

All of us are complex combinations of personality, spirituality, relationships, activities and much more. Yet we are defined by certain irreducible realities; these most basic realities reflect our true identity. Once we understand how integral these realities are to our identity, they come to the forefront of what we want others to know about us. They serve to motivate us, channel our energies and guide us through life.

The Jewish people experienced an irreducible reality some 3500 years ago. God had brought the Jewish people into existence, making precious
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Passing from Life to Death ... to Life

Thu, 28 Feb 2013 00:00:00 +0000

I "inherited" a contact named Mikhail from Lilia, one of our former staff members. She left notes explaining that she had tried to reach him many times, but did not succeed. Mikhail was always busy; he was a genius when it came to how to spend his time and how to avoid meeting with us. Certainly, he was far from faith in Jesus and from talks about God and eternity, much less the problem of sin.

I promised Lilia that I would try to keep knocking at the door of the heart of Mikhail until he answered. At first, I also failed. It seemed like every attempt to talk to Mikhail was a waste of time. He was always on the run, always in a hurry. However, I became acquainted with his daughter Lena. She came to faith—though not through our mission—and attended an evangelical church in
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Passover Tours and Holiday Services

Wed, 27 Feb 2013 00:00:00 +0000

Please pray for our Passover Tours and Holiday Services!

This month is packed with opportunities for Jewish people to hear about Jesus, the Lamb of God. Our missionaries are presenting "Christ in the Passover" all over the world, and our branches are also conducting special holiday services.

For example, last April, Maxim Ammosov reported from Moscow:

"We were blessed to have 98 people attend our branch's Passover service, including about 30 Jewish seekers. It was a wonderful holiday celebration, partly because three Jewish people and three Gentiles responded to the altar call and prayed to receive Jesus. Praise the Lord!

"Sofia was one of the people who prayed to receive the Lord. It had been her first time at our meetings. Her son, who brought her, informed us that it was her 90th birthday. During the service I
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Passover Video in Golders Green

Tue, 26 Feb 2013 00:00:00 +0000

I was excited as I headed to Golders Green with fellow missionary Simon Lissak. We were about to engage with people in a different way and, at the same time, produce content to share on the web. How? We planned to film people as we interviewed them about Passover.

Not only would we have the opportunity to interact with a variety of Jewish people (Golders Green is considered by some the heart of the Jewish community in London, with a mix of secular and Orthodox families), but we also hoped our video might serve the churches here in the UK. We wanted a creative means to help Christians better understand British Jewish people, as well as a way to explain what we offer in our "Christ in the Passover" presentation.

Our London team goes regularly to Golders Green to hand out tracts and to talk to people. Filming in this area,
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