Salvation and knowing Yeshua is the ULTIMATE gift! We can’t help desire that everyone would receive it, especially the Jewish People. And we know that you are committed to supporting Jewish Voice as we bring the Good News to the Jewish People around the world.
I know too that we all are praying for Jewish people to come to Yeshua. But a saying I have often heard is that we should “be prepared to be the answer to our own prayers.” So, what might it look like for us, as individual members of the Body of Messiah, to engage personally in our daily lives in seeing Jewish People we know, saved?
I decided to reach out to a few fellow Jewish Voice team members to compare thoughts on this subject. Here are some things we agreed were helpful in personally sharing Yeshua with Jewish People:
- PRAY! Prayer is of utmost importance, before, during (those silent prayers in the moment) and after sharing with others. Through my prayers, the Lord facilitates divine appointments, gives me the words, and prepares the hearts of those I encounter.
- ASK the Lord to send Jewish People into my life with whom I can share Yeshua.
- BUILD a relationship with those I see regularly, but also watch for those chance, unexpected encounters with others
- SHARE personal testimonies of what the Lord has done in my own life; and don’t be afraid to ask about their faith or spirituality
- BE READY, even if I don’t feel ready, to give an answer for the hope that’s within me because of Yeshua
- KNOW a few key scriptures to share. Jewish Voice’s Rabbi Jack Zimmerman suggests several well-known Messianic prophecies from the Tanakh (Old Testament) such as Psalm 22, Isaiah 53:1-6 and Zechariah 12:10.
- DON’T ARGUE or debate; simply show love, caring and kindness. See them as individuals known and loved by God. As Rabbi Jonathan Bernis says, “They won’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care.”
- DON’T BE SURPRISED if the Jewish person you are sharing with seems: Uneasy: It can feel uncomfortable talking about Yeshua, especially considering the impact on their life should they turn to Him. Angry: They may associate believers in Jesus with atrocities committed against Jewish people in His Name. Show them Yeshua’s true character through your love for them. You may be the first believer who does. Also, conversations about Yeshua may seem like a threat to their Jewishness. Share with them that accepting Yeshua doesn’t mean switching religions to “Christianity” or no longer being Jewish, it means encountering and trusting in THEIR Jewish Messiah! Has misconceptions about Jesus, such as not knowing He is Jewish. With love, keep the focus on Who Jesus is, why He came, and what a relationship with Him can mean for them. Open: You read that right! Don’t be surprised if they are interested and open to hearing more! Make the most of this opportunity, being sensitive to the Holy Spirit and where they are in their faith journey.
- IT’S WORTH IT! The last point we all agreed on was that sharing Yeshua is worth it, every time, regardless of the response.
Do you have this desire, to be an answer to your own prayers for the Jewish People to come to know Yeshua? I know I do! TRUST in the work of the Holy Spirit through you, and in them. It’s not by our own might, knowledge, eloquence or even desire, but by His Spirit. Keep this article handy in a visible spot as a reminder to pray and help build your expectancy and faith that God can use you in this way.
Let’s pray together:
Lord, thank you for the gift of salvation. Use me to see Jewish People receive this amazing gift for themselves. Remind me that now is the day of salvation and help me make the most of every opportunity. I believe Your Holy Spirit will give me the words to say because I am not ashamed of the gospel, which is Your power, unto salvation, to the Jewish People first. May I be faithful to share the glorious Good News of Yeshua with the Jewish People that you put in my path. AMEN!
