Jewish Evangelism
The single most important thing you can do to support the work of Awake to Israel as we endeavour to share the Gospel message with the Jewish people of Sydney is to pray. The Bible says that the prayer of a righteous person is powerful, and we believe that it's only through your prayers and the mercy of God that enables us to reach Jewish people with the Gospel of Messiah Jesus.
Paul tells us in Romans 1:16 that the Gospel message is the power of God unto salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek...What Paul is saying in this passage is that were ever we go to proclaim the Gospel message, we are to actively seek out those Jewish people in that community and present to them the Gospel message first and then to the Greek (non Jewish).
If the Gospel message is still today the power of God unto salvation then it goes without saying that it still must be presented to the Jew first...This is a wonderful truth that must be restored to the wider Church today, and if we can even catch a glimpse of Paul's burden here, we will see even in this dispensation of grace a great harvest of Jewish souls grafted back into their own olive tree.
What we need to realise and understand regarding Jewish evangelism, is that don't think for a moment that reaching the Jewish people of Sydney depends on us alone at Awake to Israel or any other one organisation, because if it does, I'll write a letter to every synagogue in Sydney and tell them that I'm very sorry but there's no hope for them.
But what I can say with absolute confidence is that God's going to get it done, and He's going to get it done through obedient Christians, and He's invited us all into the wonderful privilege of being apart of this great work and being an instrument in that plan, and if you accept that privilege - Praise the Lord how purposeful and bountiful your life will be...If you refuse and turn your back, that's ok, go ahead, but know this that your denial won't effect God's plan, He will raise up a people somewhere and He will send them to where the work needs to be done - and those Jewish people will hear the Gospel message and respond - for His Glory.
But above all, we should remember that Salvation is a sovereign act of God and everything in the Divine / human relationship must be founded in the fact that God has pre-eminence...our focus in evangelism should always be on the Glory of God and a passion for that Glory, and the fact that because of sin, the fall and man's rebellion there are people on earth and amongst Jewish people who aren't worshipping Him and glorifying Him as they should. God commands all people to repent, to turn from their sin and believe in faith the Gospel message, because the only one who is going to save that Jewish person and breathe life into those dead dry bones and bring them up out of that grave to worship and glorify Him is God by His Power, and that Power is unleashed through the conviction of the Holy Spirit when a person stands up and simply preaches the Gospel.
It is the Gospel that is the Power of God unto salvation... If you want a Powerful Gospel, then strip away all the gimmicks - strip away all the demographic studies of how you're supposed to approach a certain person or those from within a certain culture. Whether it is Jew or Gentile, we need to stand in love and preach this simple message of sin, of the holiness of God, of repentance unto God and faith in Christ alone - we need to preach this and not depend on another thing.
As we go out to share the Good News of the Gospel with the Jewish people, may we all concur in the words of those early Moravian missionaries as they set out on their journeys... "May the Lamb who was slain receive the reward of His suffering".
His words and promises will not fail... What more motivation do we need in sharing the Gospel with the Jewish people?... Shalom
Here are some things you can pray for specifically:
Pray for the Jewish people
- Most Jewish people in Sydney are only culturally Jewish, and have an array of religious beliefs that may include atheism, humanism, buddhism, mysticism, new age and others. There are also many observant Jewish people, who are committed to practising the particulars of the modern Rabbinic and Talmudic faith. One of the few common threads for Jewish people around the world is their refusal to consider the truth of the New Testament and Messianic claims of Jesus. This makes Jewish people very difficult to reach with the Gospel; and yet we must continue trusting the Lord ...
- Pray that Jewish people would feel less afraid to investigate the Messiahship of Jesus and read the scriptures for themselves as well as gospel tracts and material given to them, and in doing so God in His mercy would remove the veil that covers their eyes to the truth of who Jesus is and come to saving faith.
- Pray for wisdom and grace in our dealings with the Ultra Orthodox anti-missionary organisations.
- Pray that God would receive All Glory, Honour and Praise in everything that we say and do and the Gospel will be presented clearly without compromise.
Pray for Messianic Jewish Believers
- Pray for new Jewish believers in Jesus, that they would be strengthened in their faith and that they would find strong, Bible-believing, caring assemblies and congregations to attend.
- Pray that they would be built up in the truth of God's word and that they would feel confident in their faith, and be able to share it with Jewish family members, friends, neighbours, and co-workers.
- Pray for Messianic congregations that they would find safe places to worship and conduct services, and that the Lord would give them courage, strength, grace and wisdom in the face of ever increasing opposition and persecution from the Jewish Ultra Orthodox community.
- Pray that they would grow in numbers while remaining true to the faith.
- Pray that their leaders would receive the sound Biblical training that they need, and that God would call more believing men into leadership.
- Pray that programs for children and youth would be strengthened.
Pray for your Jewish friends
Pray for your relationship with your Jewish friend. Ask God to show you ways to strengthen that friendship, and pray for wisdom regarding opportunities to share your faith with them. Pray for sensitivity to their needs and their feelings.
Below are some Gospel and Jewish outreach tracts pdf format for you down load to help equip you in sharing the Good News of the Gospel with both Jewish and Gentile people...
The Best Kept Jewish Secret (a Gospel message).
Who are the Chabad - and what do they believe?
God Has Not Forsaken His People.
Facts every Jewish person should know - Passover.
Two views on Judaism - the choice is yours.
Israel's Security Barriers - Good or Bad?
Are you a 'Good' Jewish person?
Note: All downloads may be freely used in the service of the Lord Jesus Christ. These tracts cannot be used to make profit or for any commercial purpose.
Awake to Israel is a ministry of Epping Gospel Chapel and combined Christian Breathren Assemblies of Australia.