March 22, 2018 Show with Stephen Atkinson on “Jewish Mission: the Biblical Mandate, the Historic Hopefulness & the Providential Provision”

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Now here's our host Chris.

Good afternoon, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania Lake City, Florida and the rest of humanity living on the planet Earth

who are listening via live streaming at iron sharpens iron radio .com.

This is Chris Arnson your host of iron sharpens iron radio wishing you all a happy Thursday on this 22nd day

of March 2018.

I'm so delighted to have back in the studio after nearly a year my

dear friend Stephen Atkinson.

Who is the North American director of a Christian witness to Israel?

And it's my honor and privilege to have you back here right next to me brother Stephen.

Thank you, Chris.

It's so good to be here today and just to visit with you again.

So glad to get caught up.

Amen, and it's so much better than doing this over the phone.

Yes, indeed, and not only is the sound quality better when you're sitting here, but it's also a much nicer time of fellowship.

And I'm looking Very much to get together with you and my new associate pastor at Grace

Baptist Church in Carlisle Simon O'Maney.

Who is from the Republic of Ireland?

I know that you are from Northern Ireland you are an Ulsterman and we promise not to fight.

Exactly.

Yeah, you took the words out of my mouth.

We'll take away all the sharp eating implements away from and both of you, but you're both Protestant though.

Anyway, so.

But I want to give right away our email address here.

If anybody would like to join us on the air with a question of your own our email address is Chris Arnzen at gmail .com.

Chris Arnzen at gmail .com.

Please give us your first name at least your city and state and your country of

residence.

If indeed you live outside of the USA, please only remain anonymous if your question involves a

personal and private matter.

That's Chris Arnzen at gmail .com.

Chris arnzen at gmail .com.

And You have already given your testimony.

But it was quite a while ago when you gave your personal testimony of how you came to saving faith in Christ

but since we are now on first love radio a new reformed

network and.

There are a lot of people I'm sure not only because of that.

But we seem to be getting new listeners joining the iron trip and Zion radio audience nearly every day.

In fact, we may be getting them every day and I'm just not hearing about it every day but I am hearing reports from people all over the

world nearly every day and.

So there are a lot of people who are I'm sure unfamiliar with you.

Why don't you give?

Stephen before we go into What Christian witness to Israel is and so

on let's hear something about your own story growing up in.

Northern Ireland.

Well, I grew up in in Bangor, Northern Ireland in a church -going family.

I went to church probably about four times a week if not five times a week to various

events.

I sang in the church choir from age six.

I played badminton.

I Went to a uniformed organization and I was at church.

Really?

It was my social life.

Did you say badminton?

I did.

Okay, but you pronounced it different badminton.

Badminton.

That was my you're talking about the the thing with the birdies the it's like a table tennis kind of a thing almost.

Yeah, but don't but don't criticize us because that's our an extreme sport.

Realize that that was my most athletic.

Those were my most athletic days.

Actually, it wouldn't be table tennis.

It'd be more like volleyball, but with a birdie.

It's badminton.

Yeah, I think we'll pass over this subject but I Was pretty good at it.

I was pretty good.

Okay, right so I all that to say I grew up it within the church, but I

Was I was not converted?

I was just a child of the church and in some ways and in the in the wisdom and care of my

parents I was protected under the orbit of church life,

but when I was about 16, we had a very evangelical youth group in the church

and It was at that time that there were quite a number of serious discussions between myself and several others

and particularly our intern assistant pastor and at that point I came to

saving faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and I confessed him as my Lord and Savior and.

I.

Was young what you know, what did I know at that point?

But in the Lord's grace and providence, he preserved me and guided me to

Further reading and further study and further equipping for the ministry to which he would

ultimately call me.

And so I'm thankful for my my parents guidance and protection in that though.

They would indeed say themselves of them both of them have passed, but they would have said that

they did not come to faith themselves until after I became a preacher and All these

things are in the perfect providence of God and I'm very grateful growing up in in Northern Ireland Which

is really Bible Belt Europe.

It's a very strong evangelical community in the north of Ireland.

So I'm looking forward to seeing my brother from the south of Ireland and I can put on a Dublin accent If he really wanted me to

and then we can really talk proper together.

But no, I'm from the the north now my accents all over the place now anyway, because I've spent too many years

in in America and So I need to hone that accent back to the the Scots

Irish.

Ulster the Ulster Scots.

Yes.

Well now you could tell our listeners about Christian Witness to Israel also known as CWI

and of course Your North American division of it.

Well, I I you know.

Going back to the the earlier part of the story.

I I came.

I went into the ministry very early in life and again had a lot to learn

but the Lord's call was very clear on my life and I entered the

the Presbyterian ministry and then the later the evangelical Presbyterian ministry ministered in

Cambridge in England as well as in various parts of Northern Ireland and.

But after about 18 years of regular pastoral ministry, I got a phone call out of the blue asking me to

consider Becoming the deputation secretary for Ireland for Christian Witness to

Israel.

And so this was a whole Change of ministry, although I had read Puritan hope in my seminary days.

I had a theological.

By Ian Murray, that's correct, which it's interesting that a lot of in fact nearly all

postmillennialists Claim that almost as their handbook and yet Ian Murray is an amillennialist.

Yeah.

Well.

As with all of us, I I'm I'm not sure that all of us have a completely defined

position Whether it's our mill our mill with optimistic leanings our mill

with post mill leanings and some unanswered pre mill questions.

We all tend to be in there in the mix and I think sometimes we we categorize people

somewhat too easily and Where the whole thing is a little bit more complicated.

So in my own position, I would place myself in the optimistic amill.

But I do have those longings those those that Puritan hope and very much

ally myself with and we'll come on to that maybe later in the show, but Our our

forefathers and our those theological giants that we know and love Many of them

had a strong Aspiration and a strong hopefulness regarding the Jewish people

and their salvation.

So I I came Into that very very much green.

I I really didn't know very much about it, but I was I Wanted to learn and I

had the theological longing and now I wanted to see in practice What was actually happening on the ground with

regard to reaching our Jewish neighbors with the gospel of Jesus and it just has thrilled me.

I've been 14 years now with Christian Witness to Israel on both sides of the pond and I just

day by day by day go increasingly a greater passion and enthusiasm for

the ministry of reaching our Jewish neighbors for Christ now, I know that.

This this will dumbfound Many involved in messianic

ministry across the globe.

But Christian Witness to Israel is a decidedly and specifically a theologically

reformed Mission to the Jews.

Yeah, and people think that's oxymoronic.

They think what do you talking about?

Calvinists and reformed people don't care at all about the Jews and.

Sometimes that might be true, but that's not universally true.

Obviously.

And The Christian Witness for Israel also you mentioned that you are optimistic

on Millennials.

They do not hold to any specific eschatological position.

Yeah, we we don't accept that we hold to a reformed position.

So our staff all would you know sign to one of the

reformed confessions and but we don't take a

specific eschatological position because.

Our bottom line is we want to see Jewish people saved and that again is the biblical.

Position and none of none of the reformed confessions hold to a

specific.

Eschatology.

No, no, and you know, I'm PCA.

And the Westminster Confession doesn't hold to a specific eschatological position.

But it does have the aspiration and it does have the a very specific longing for

Jewish people to hear the gospel and to come to the Lord and I think that's what I want us

to return to my beef if we can call it that with with with dispensationalism is

is largely the fruit of particularly radical dispensationalism where the fruit of that leads

into all kinds of distractions pertaining to Gospel mission to the Jewish people so

we get more interested in land issues than in the Lord or we get more Interested in a rapture

than the Redeemer or we get more interested in knowing the specific secret or the

timeline or We get distracted on a ton of different areas and the bottom line is Jewish people do

not hear the gospel.

You know if we're selling books and reading books on the latest insight into the end

times.

What does that got to do with Romans 10 1?

What does that got to do with the biblical mandate of longing for and praying for and intentionally

seeking?

The salvation of the Jewish people and Therefore, you know my burden my

reformed burden and Corporately CW eyes reform burden is simply a biblical burden

to reach the Jewish people with the gospel.

And I have friends in dispensationalist circles.

I preach even in some dispensationalist churches.

My burden for them is that they will not get distracted by some of the silly stuff that

is out there but rather focus on the gospel because the bottom line is the bottom line and

That is that the Jewish people will come to meet their maker one day and have we told them about

Jesus.

Yes, and Reformed people are not completely exonerated from

Guilt when it comes to hobby horsing on certain issues that eclipsed the gospel.

You even have reformed Christians and ministries that so focus on their own

understanding of eschatology.

Whether it be post -millennialism or amillennialism that they rarely discuss anything else.

So it's not just the dispensational folks that yeah that are guilty of that.

Well, we're good at we're good at discussing and and discussing.

Often lets us off the hook or at least seems to let us off the hook with regard to doing.

You know and and here we are here discussing Jewish evangelism and and it's comfortable.

We're sitting, you know comfortably in a studio talking about these issues that are scriptural that are dear to our

hearts but meanwhile There are Jewish people out there and they're not hearing the gospel.

And so it is not enough for us just simply to discuss or to hold conferences or write books or read

books.

We need to be intentionally evangelistic.

And just a couple of days ago.

I was in a certain Jewish area Of a certain city that will be nameless

and I was.

I was there because I wanted to see Jewish life.

I wanted to see Jewish people up close and personal and I wanted I was with another brother and we were just

looking at possibilities for actually Engaging the Jewish community in this particular

location.

So my desire is not simply for us just to talk about it or to talk about it Theologically, but actually to get

and specifically get the church Motivated and mobilized to do Jewish mission on

our doorstep here in the u .s.

And if you could get into more of the actual history and Outworking of

CWI and in fact just another thing that may very much surprise

Many of our listeners is that chosen people ministries was founded through the evangelistic

efforts of Calvinist Presbyterians in the 19th century in Brooklyn and New York City.

And even the current Executive director is although I believe he may have

dispensationalist leanings.

He is a thoroughgoing five -point Calvinist.

So it is interesting that these things destroy.

Thankfully destroy stereotypes.

Yeah, I I think yeah.

We've got to be careful with the stereotypes and with the.

Categorizing because sometimes it's not as clear -cut as that, right?

Mitch Glazer is who as I was speaking of the current executive director of chosen.

Yeah, we.

We have a good relationship with Mitch.

We've actually done certain things together with chosen people ministries, and we have a good relationship with Jews for Jesus

and Several other Jewish missions.

I'll be going in April to the laws and consultation on Jewish evangelism which is

kind of a gathering and a conference of.

Probably 50 or 60 different Jewish missions that Francis Schaeffer has something to do with.

Establishing that or no.

I don't know why I'm thinking.

Well, it would it came out of the laws and movement.

Okay, and.

So we're the we're the kind of the Jewish arm of the laws and movement and

Pretty active and both worldwide and locally here in the u .s.

And I go to that conference very much as a learner.

I'm I'm you know, we have different theologies within that conference, but every one of us that is

there is Desirous of evangelism.

It's the laws on consultation on Jewish evangelism and so I'm with my brothers and sisters that

are there because they want Jewish people to hear the gospel and.

That that I think is where we we need to be together.

There are things that we will have different views on but where we can be together we ought to work

together and that is particularly with regard to Jewish people hearing the gospel of the Lord Jesus and.

As far as the the origins of CWI and also the specific things

that CWI both in the UK and Here in North America tell us more about that.

Well again, I've.

Rehearsed some of these things before with you.

But as you rightly say there are folks may be listening in for the first time but CWI Began a

hundred and seventy five years ago really out of the burden of the Scottish Presbyterians and.

And even Charles said in Spurgeon didn't he?

Spurgeon preached for us on four occasions at least on four occasions.

Did the annual sermon for our ministry and.

And well, my understanding is that Spurgeon didn't Take any

particular eschatological position or at least that's what I've heard.

Historic pre mill.

Yeah, I think that's probably the best category to put him in but he he wasn't.

He wasn't hardline on on some of those things.

His desire as you can see from from his sermons.

His desire was to win souls.

His desire was to see souls.

Coming to the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ and so.

Jewish mission.

Yeah we have a sermon both online and in print that Spurgeon preached for

us from Ezekiel 37 on the dry bones and He very much spoke to that point that the

that we are to preach to the dry bones of the house of Israel.

We are to bring the gospel to the Jewish people and we are to pray for the wind of God

to blow.

So in a sense that's you know.

Even even through this ministry through your ministry Chris if I can ask people to be praying for the wind

of God to come upon the preaching of the word and the preaching and our

witness our missionaries and their street witness to Jewish people as we preach to the

bones and Pray for the wind as you know Spurgeon took that application that the

Jewish people will come to life.

They will come to that new life in Christ and specifically.

What does CWI do to bring the gospel to the Jewish people?

I know that you travel and you preach at different locations.

But what else can you tell us about the the work of CWI?

We have missionaries in various locations around the world.

You've asked me now about four questions and I need to hold them all in my head because we need to get back to them.

We need to get our biblical mandate.

We need to look at where CWI began and we need to look at what we're doing practically.

But if I can if we'll probably come right at the circle a little bit, but if I can simply say yes we have

missionaries where Jewish people are and and my longing I've been a preacher for over 30

years and and my ministry of has Really a ministry to

go to the church to be the church and to be Christian witness to Israel

Wherever the Jewish people are and so my my passion is to raise up missionaries and I'm

Talking already with some potential missionary candidates for the u .s.

But also if I can go to a church and make a hundred missionaries from the congregation if I can.

Make the people in our churches aware and then intentional in reaching their Jewish neighbors.

I get phone calls I get emails from folks.

I've got this Jewish friend.

How do I reach her with the gospel?

I've got this Jewish doctor.

I want to share the gospel with him.

How do I do that?

I've I will take I will do conferences and weekends in stirring the church and

I think you know.

Maybe I can bring this right background To our beginnings in CWI because the

ministry began out of a Scottish Presbyterian burden where

many were preaching on the whole subject of Israel.

Particularly from Romans 9 through 11 and and those passages that had the aspiration the

hopefulness and many of our Scottish forefathers were preaching this and praying

for the grafting in again of the natural branches and it was out of that that that a

that the Church of Scotland began missions to the Jews and also desired an

Interdenominational mission to begin which was the beginnings of our mission in November

1842.

So my point is that theology drives missiology if we get the theology

wrong, we might get skewed in the way in which we Engage in mission and I feel we are here.

I think I've spoken on this somewhat before but we are we are here in the most pro -israel country on the planet.

But we are skewed in our mission to the Jewish people.

We want to buy a tree for Israel.

We want to stare at blood moons.

We want to find the red heifer.

When our mission should be to bring the gospel to the Jewish people and it was that burden

that was preached all over Scotland in the 1830s that birthed then the mission that we have

and my my sense of calling here is to do just that is to Birth

again a burden for Jewish mission in these shores because 42 of the

world's Jewish population 42 of Israel lives in the United States

and it's my desire to reach that 42 and we can get missionaries to do that.

We can put our missionaries on the streets.

But if I can get the church mobilized to do that.

Well, you know, that's that's the missionary work multiplied.

Hundredfold thousandfold and we are here

today actually to specifically Talk about Jewish mission

the biblical mandate the historic hopefulness and the providential provision.

Are you sure you're not a Baptist?

I'm from Northern Ireland.

Anybody that knows from Northern Ireland.

We have to alliterate our headings.

That's a Baptist thing.

It's a good practice.

It's a good practice.

We need to have those fence posts on which to place our points and well.

They are good Slogans here to speak about.

Well, why don't you explain first of all what Jewish mission is?

That may sound like a simplistic question, but people will have different answers to that

question.

And Today as you know, there are

Many people within Christianity who are more concerned about the

feelings of their Jewish friends neighbors and colleagues at work

than they are about their eternal souls.

Yeah, and they may never go beyond

telling their Jewish friends that they support the nation of Israel or something like that and They they don't

want to scare them away or hurt them but tell us about what we need to be telling the Jews.

Well, you know, I Admire as I come over here.

I've lived over here over five years.

Coming six years.

I Admire the very strong pro -life movement that there is in the u .s.

We have again similarly strong movement in in the UK.

But you guys even to some degree seem This is maybe too optimistic, but

almost to be winning the argument.

It seems that that the the Roe v. Wade is still a very live issue.

We haven't lost the battle.

We're still battling and that so your sense of the value of the

unborn is is wonderful to see.

And as the grandfather of Six and soon to be

seven grandchildren.

We we value the unborn but I want to just put that a little further.

Do we value the born?

In other words, do we value?

Everyone their soul their eternal destiny and.

Therefore it is not it is not blessing Israel not to tell them about Jesus.

It is not blessing Israel to just simply say oh, we love you and we you know, we love the land.

We'd stand with Israel blah blah blah, but we won't tell you about Jesus.

That's that is the greatest tragedy of the

pro -israel Mindset that I find in the u .s.

And you know, and we've already shared this in times past but I Have right in

front of me a magazine.

From the largest pro -israel organization in the u .s.

With over 2 million members.

John Higgins ministry, that's the magazine and that magazine I've read from cover to cover, you know.

Sometimes it's good to read those we disagree with so that we can actually disagree with them intelligently.

Well, I've read the magazine cover to cover and it never mentions Jesus once.

Wow.

Now how about Yeshua is that word in there at least not no.

Wow.

You see what happens is the land takes precedence over the Lord.

That is that's heresy.

And in fact, John Hagee doesn't even believe Jews need to Embrace Christ as their Lord God and

Savior and trust in his sacrifice.

He has gone in print and said those things very clearly and and that's again.

How can we love Israel?

How in the world of a So -called Christian mission can we

desire the blessing of Israel and not tell them about Jesus the greatest what the

greatest blessing that has come upon your life.

Chris is Jesus Christ the greatest blessing that has come on my life.

We began with my testimony.

The greatest blessing is the Lord Jesus Christ.

So how can we bless Israel and miss that?

How can we how can we have a magazine of 32 glossy pages and never mention his

name?

He is he is the he who shall not be named and that is a it's not only a

tragedy.

It's it's it's diabolical.

It's from the pit of hell if we will not tell our Jewish neighbors the most important thing in

the world.

And that is Jesus.

And in actual fact and maybe if I can flip this around to to even the biblical mandate

We've got to recognize that our Jewish neighbors Had concerns for

us 3 ,000 4 ,000 years ago, you know, where does where's the mandate

for Jewish mission?

Well I would I would like us to start in the Old Testament scriptures or in.

What our Jewish friends called the Hebrew scriptures they were supposed to be a light to the nation.

They were light of the nations now.

I.

Repeatedly wherever I speak.

I often drive us to Psalm 67.

Because in Psalm 67 there are key verses with regard to the Jewish people.

Having a concern for the nations.

So so let me let me read just a couple of verses from Psalm 67 and we can we can jump off

into mission from that but Psalm 67 think of the context of it think of a

little prayer meeting in Jerusalem 3 ,000 years ago Remnant Israel is praying

these words God be gracious to us and bless us and cause his face to shine upon

us.

That your way may be known on the earth your salvation among all

nations and the word salvation has in its Hebrew root

Yeshua within it and.

So basically this little prayer meeting 3 ,000 years ago was saying, please God bless us

so that the nations of the world will know your way and your salvation and

His name is Jesus.

It's not as explicit that that.

But they were praying for us and I can't remember when I was with you last year in April that whether I told this story.

But it's worth repeating again I was I had an interaction with a rabbi

online and This rabbi was it was a conference and I was taking

part in and the rabbi was waxing eloquent as to how Christians should stand with

Israel and what we should do how we should visit the land and how we should just stand

with Israel mechanically and militarily and it's your ally in the Middle East and

The point that he was making was but you must leave us alone.

That was his point but leave us alone and obviously with regard to the gospel leave us alone and I

I could I couldn't stand it any longer and I posed a question and My question was this in

the light of Psalm 67.

I Said to the rabbi and we read Psalm 67 to the rabbi in the light of Psalm 67 your

ancestors were praying for my Scots I Scots Irish ancestors and

Praying that we would come to know the God of Israel and his salvation.

Yeah, your ancestors were dancing around a fire wearing bearskins and well, we'll not say what they were wearing.

You know think Braveheart and some other things and you that that could yeah, that could really spoil

this show.

They prayed that we would come to know the God of Israel and His self and we are sitting here in

Carlisle, Pennsylvania as a result of that prayer and I simply said I said to

the rabbi, you know.

Here's my question.

Why did you not leave us alone?

Your Psalm 67 Did not leave us alone.

They were praying to God to reveal himself To this darkened world and you're

absolutely right your ancestors.

My ancestors were were dancing around stone.

My ancestors were Vikings on at least on my father's.

There you go.

Yeah.

Totally in darkness, but in the grace and providence of God the light

came from Israel and Specifically from the Lamb of

God from Jesus the light to all the nations the light of the world.

But he did not leave us alone.

Israel did not leave us alone.

This book is Jewish.

The man is Jewish.

The message is Jewish.

The missionaries were Jewish.

They did not leave us alone.

So I said to the rabbi.

I said, why did you not leave us alone?

But thank God you did not leave us alone.

And you know the story continues later on that evening and things were the conference was

Doing some stuff that I wasn't greatly in favor of but at the end of the evening Maybe I

was just getting a little tired.

But in the panel discussion, I said, you know, I really wanted with.

Mr Rabbi, I wanted to put on a Liam Neeson accent.

I.

Will find you.

And I will tell you about Jesus.

And I think that really is the imperative that drives me and should drive the church because they did

not leave us alone.

They came for us with the truth with the message of the living and true God.

Thank God.

They did not leave us alone.

So, please God may we not leave the Jewish people.

Amen.

I.

Have certain skills.

They are homiletic hermeneutic and exegetical.

But we are going to our first break right now.

And if anybody would like to join us on the air with a question of your own or email address is Chris arnson at gmail .com

chris arnz and gmail .com.

Please give us your first name your city and state and your country of residence if you live outside the

USA.

Don't go away.

God willing.

We will be right back right after these messages with more of Stephen Atkinson of Christian witness to Israel

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about this offer from Chris Ornson on iron sharpens iron radio now we are back with our guest

Stephen Atkinson and We are discussing Jewish mission the biblical mandate

the historical the historic hopefulness and the providential provision.

Stephen Atkinson is the North American director of Christian witness to Israel, which is also known

Very often as CWI.

And if you'd like to join us on the air our email address is Chris Ornson at gmail .com chris

Arnz and gmail .com Please give us your first name your city and state and your country of residence if you live outside the

USA.

Well, let us now continue where we left off on the biblical mandate Stephen.

Well, I I think again we need to.

Whatever we do in our Christian lives, whatever we do in our church lives, whatever we do missyologically, it

must have a biblical mandate.

And again what concerns me in the confusing scene is That we are blessing Israel in a

ton of different ways, but I don't see it in the scriptures, you know brothers my heart's desire and

prayer to God for Israel is that they'll all get back to the land and build the temple and find the

red heifer and start.

Sorry, I didn't read that in Romans.

There was there was.

Where did that one come from?

So we need to get back to the scriptures with regards to Jewish mission.

I was actually at a conference once where a Dispensational

archaeologist Was raising money because if we find the

necessary tools That are required for sacrificing the red heifers and so on

We will hasten the return of Christ.

So in other words Jesus was waiting in heaven for these guys to finish their archaeological work and so on.

For the I've been hearing that for the you know, the 14 -15 years.

I've been involved and I've been hearing.

Yeah, they're they're really near.

They're really near.

They're just talking.

Yeah.

To me I have little interest in that and why would a Christian want?

Sacrificial systems to return.

Because I thought Jesus said it is finished.

Amen.

Yeah.

Yeah, so I wanted the church to again reassess

Scripturally, what is our mission to the Jewish people?

They did not leave us alone.

And you know the first century Jewish believers Realized that we need to take this

to the world.

And so the Apostle the Jewish Apostle Paul Went to

every synagogue he could find and every Gentile square that he could find.

To tell people about Jesus, but we want to notice also that he did not leave his own people alone

he did not leave his Jewish people alone and particularly climactically in the

passages of Romans 9 through 11.

We read of his burden for his own people his burden for the Jewish people well, was it just a

burden for his own people in the same way as I could have a burden for my Ulster

Scots or a burden for my American cousins?

No, I think he had a greater theological burden for Jewish people because

theirs is the Adoption theirs are the covenants.

There's the glory and from them is the Christ according According to the flesh

who is overall there was something specific Specifically blast about this

ethnic people this people that later in Romans 11 are called the natural branches.

That Paul urgently wanted to bring the message of the gospel to his Jewish friends.

And I think again at the end of Romans 8, which is a wonderful passage that speaks of the no

condemnation and no separation.

Paul is really burdened because but Lord my people have been separate.

My people are under condemnation.

No, your people are under condemnation.

And so the Holy Spirit will Will Move Paul's pen across the

page to give the answer to his deep questions and draw him into prayer

and longing for the Jewish people to be grafted in again and any

Gentile who has by the grace of God been stuck on as an unnatural

branch.

We too should have this biblical mandate.

That we do not leave them alone, but rather have the longing and prayer great sorrow in

our hearts.

That Jewish people in fact the Jewish people today are an unreached people group.

You hear a lot in missy illogical terms today about the unreached people groups.

Well Here here, you know, here's the announcement Jewish people are Unreached

they have about one and a half percent of Jewish people are believers in Jesus and that

Categorizes them according to the Joshua Project as an unreached people group.

I think it's absolutely shameful that after 19 centuries of largely

Gentile Church.

That the Jewish people are unreached again.

May it not be so.

Well.

Would you like me to take a listener question before we go to?

The second point that you wanted to make in regard to the historic hopefulness.

Yeah.

Okay, we have.

Let's see here.

We have BB in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania who says that if the walls with separation have been broken down

between Jew and Gentile Why does there need to be a specific effort to reach the Jews in?

Any way that would be different than reaching anybody else on the planet that does not know Christ.

And she says I am NOT saying this because I disagree with you.

I am looking for further equipment to respond to others who ask that question.

Absolutely.

Yeah, this is a this is a regular.

Point and it's an important point.

There is neither Jew nor Greek male nor female slave nor free all are one in Christ Jesus.

Having said that the last time I looked at my wife.

She was still female.

The neither.

Male nor female neither Jew nor Greek is in the sense of status.

We are one in Christ.

Wonderfully, we stuck on unnatural branches are one with Jewish

believers.

We don't have a second -class status.

They don't have a second -class status and nor does my wife and I we are one in Christ Jesus.

But to answer further the question Is is all mission important?

Yes, indeed all mission is important, but we find in Romans 11

two specific Kinds of missions and that we have the unnatural branches and the

natural branches and the Word of God delineates Those who are ethnic

Jewish people from the Goyim From the Gentiles and the Word of God in the New

Testament Delineates those two so therefore I must bow my wisdom to

to the Word of God Even as it sets forth those two categories, and I think this is

really where you know, our reformers Saw that as opposed to

in the and and this maybe can lead us a little into the the historic aspect of things, you know

for Thousand fifteen hundred years there was a there was an increased

Gentilization of the church and even an increased antisemitism within

the the church visible and it really took the Reformation again

for the the desire to come back to reassess some of these passages and it

was Well Luther we know said some horrendous things and

it really was in the Westminster divines particularly that we see evidence

of deep longings Puritan hope the aspirations For

the Jewish people to be called and so I I say to my Presbyterian brethren who love their catechisms I

say well read read the larger catechism question 191 If you want them to

remember it, it's not 9 -1 -1.

It's 1 -9 -1.

And read that and what they say about Jewish mission and the Westminster divines of the 1600s were

longing For the Jews to be called and they specified that so, you know to

answer your listeners question Yes, it is important that we have mission to all.

But this the the scriptures delineate two specific Persons the

natural branch the unnatural branch and our forefathers Specifically prayed

that the Jews would be called in the wonderful Redemptive plan of God in saving Jew and Gentile

by the one method obviously by the Lord Jesus Christ.

Well, thank you, baby.

Keep listening to iron trip and Zion radio and spreading the word about it in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania and beyond.

Well, let's now move on to the historic Hopefulness in regard to Jewish mission.

Well, indeed it was that you know, the 1600s and 1700s the 1800s.

I think as I as I began our talk You know the in

the 1830s. There was a growing burden among our Scots Presbyterians that Developed

into the mission that that I'm now engaged in and it you know If we look at at

the the Puritans and others They very much had this hopefulness this longing.

One of the things that deeply concerns me is that sometimes in you know, you you identified me

and I.

I'm I Sometimes don't like just being stereotyped, but you identify me as an optimistic.

I'm ill.

I probably identified myself as a no.

Yeah, in fact you did.

But I went on to say that yeah, but I've got unanswered pre -mill questions and a certain post mill

leaning as well.

So I'm in the mix there.

But what saddens me most of all is if we don't have the optimism I think we have a gospel that

turns a world upside down that hasn't changed we have a glorious Savior and we

have a message to tell to Jew and to Gentile and and please don't

church retreat and to reformed monasteries to Discuss super

lapsarianism, but don't don't retreat to to have little conferences.

Let's you're taking away.

The one true joy of my life is arguing over super.

There you go.

Yeah, I'm challenging you my brother.

I I just think that sometimes we we we lose and the enemy can

Drive us off track can divert us so easily.

Away from the the mission, which is the evangel and also having an optimism.

I you know, we're we're taught to pray, you know your kingdom come your will be done on earth.

As it is in heaven, and I really feel that sometimes we hardly pray that we we think okay.

Well, you're your will is going to be done in heaven.

I know that yeah, heaven's gonna be good.

But we're taught to pray your will be done on earth now that you know.

Some might say well, oh, that's it.

That's a post -millennial position.

I honestly really don't care what position it is in that sense as long as we're

praying it with a historic hopefulness.

That the kingdom of God would advance that the Church of Christ would advance and the

gates of hell shall not prevail.

So, you know as I look back as I read my forefathers as I read what we would term heroes

in the faith biblical scholars godly people they had this hopefulness

and Particularly the hopefulness pertaining to the Jewish people and I want that I want that reborn.

I want that back on the radar of church life in the USA.

Well, it's a perfect place to make our break for our Midway break that has

longer than our normal breaks.

A grace life radio 90 .1 FM in Lake City, Florida requires a 12 -minute break between our

two main segments of the show.

So, please be patient with us.

Take advantage of this 12 minutes to not only write down information provided by our advertisers.

That's very important.

But also write down a question for Stephen Atkinson regarding Jewish mission.

Our email address is Chris Arnzen at gmail .com.

Chris Arnzen at gmail .com.

Please give us your first name your city and state and your country of residence if you live outside the USA and please only

remain Anonymous if your question involves a personal and private matter, don't go away.

God willing.

We'll be right back with Stephen Atkinson the North American director of Christian witness to Israel

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And it is not being held in Philadelphia.

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The conference these days is typically being held either in Byron Center,

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April 13th through the 15th are the dates that it will be held at the first Christian Reformed Church of

Byron Center, Michigan and April 27th through the 30th or actually April 7th.

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Jonathan Master who's also been in this program.

David Murray who's also been in this program over at the Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary in Grand

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Stephen Atkinson on the Jewish mission.

And our email address is chrisarnsen at gmail .com.

Chrisarnsen at gmail .com and Stephen now it's the time to enter into the historic

or continue into the historic hopefulness.

Well, there has been Again from from the first century a

desire to not only reach the Gentile world But to reach the Jewish world as the Apostle

was very intentional and go into every synagogue.

There was a historic hopefulness from particularly the time of the Reformation.

We we would have to say and argue that we lost some of that throughout the years of

increasing Romanism and it was reclaimed at the Reformation that Historic hopefulness

came back onto the agenda and I again as we ended last segment I want the church to have that

optimism with regard to our God with regard to his kingdom.

And with regard to the advancement of Christ's kingdom on earth one of the things

that I when I engage in any ministry as I Over the years look

back on where the Lord has placed me in Pastoral ministry

and now in this specialized ministry I think it's important for us to know the field

in which we are engaged to know something of the context of Which In

which we are placed.

I remember My very first one of my very first churches was a was a little country church,

and I'm a townie I grew up in Bangor, Northern Ireland.

I knew very little about what country life was like.

But one of the first things that I did was to take a day with one of my elders down on his farm.

To find out what was the farming calendar.

What was the normal thing that was done on a farm because I needed to know what farmers do

when I was going to minister to them and I think in a similar way if we are

Engaging in this with a biblical mandate with with the the saints of old with

their historic hopefulness.

We need to think okay.

What is the present situation of the Jewish community?

Where have they come from?

Where are they going?

What are their desires?

What is the context of the mission field whether it's for our missionaries as they engage

Jewish?

Community all around the world or My the churches that I visit and the church

nationwide here.

What is the context?

And so that's why I've done a little bit of research and and by several authors

Jewish and Christian.

With regard to the history of the Jewish people in the USA and I really find it fascinating

to learn the providences of God.

Bringing 42 of the world's Jewish population to these shores and I think then as

we look at the providence We've got to ask the question.

Well, why are they here?

And what are we the Gentile Church largely Gentile Church?

What are we to do with that strange and amazing providence?

So I want us to to investigate that perhaps and just think through

why are they here?

Where have they come from?

Yeah, the the percentages of Jewish people in the population of the United States

Perhaps especially in New York is astronomical.

Well, New York actually was where it all began or More accurately it was called New

Amsterdam back in 1654.

23 Jewish souls Arrived into the harbor at New

Amsterdam four couples two widows 13 children who had been

expelled from Portuguese -owned Brazil and They limped into harbor in New

Amsterdam.

New Amsterdam later became New York.

23 became 2 million as it is today.

Wow you.

I would not have guessed that the original immigrants the original Jewish immigrants

To New York would have been Brazilian.

I would never have guessed that.

Well again.

We got to trace back the the history a little bit more and it is a fascinating one because as I said God is this

God is sovereign.

God raises nations.

God brings down nations.

God raises Kings brings down Kings.

And they are here because he has purposed them to be here and

really, I I can summarize it in two phrases that they are here because of expulsion and

expansion.

In 1492 they were expelled from Spain Portugal

they were expelled by King Ferdinand and I've got a quote from the King.

Here's the time of the Spanish Inquisition.

It's horrendous, but the King wrote this the Holy Office of the Inquisition.

Seeing how some Christians are endangered by contact and communication with the Jews has

provided that the Jews be expelled from all our realms and territories.

You know, this was this was before Hitler.

This was this was the church.

This was the Spanish Inquisition.

Expelling the Jewish people in case Good Catholics would be tainted

by the Jewish people a couple of months ago.

I was privileged to Be over in the UK at some CWI meetings.

And at the end of my CWI meetings I took a few days down to Spain where my son lives and I had

a few days visiting with my son and Daughter -in -law was very precious time.

But one of the days We took out to Cordoba and Cordoba is

the home of Maimonides who is.

Kind of the Jewish Calvin and their great philosopher, but also when I was there, they were also known as

the Calvin Klein's.

You had to lighten it didn't you?

I was being serious.

I'm sorry.

I'm kidding kidding.

But when I was there I didn't realize it.

The reason I wanted to go to Cordoba was to actually see a statue to Maimonides but I discovered when I was

there there was a museum to the Inquisition and We

visited this museum and it was horrendous to see the instruments of

torture the very creative instruments of torture that the

Roman Church had devised to Produce conversions

From the Jewish people.

The Jewish people really had three options in at this time of the Inquisition

convert or be tortured or be expelled, be

tortured and maybe even be killed and so when we look at the fact

that the 23 came into New Amsterdam, it was really out of an expulsion

from Spain that they ended up in the New World.

They ended up in Brazil, a small Jewish community in Brazil.

But Brazil at that time was owned by the Dutch and again It's theology that drives

missiology because the Dutch were very kind towards the Jewish community There was a healthy and

growing Jewish community.

But when Brazil was taken over by the Portuguese Then you had

Romanism again, and so the Dutch or sorry the Portuguese expelled the

Jewish people From Brazil and they were sent back to Amsterdam.

That was the safe haven for them.

Holland was a helpful place of Home and haven for the Jewish people.

However one ship one ship got stuck at Jamaica and actually it

was pirated and The Spanish and Jamaica decided we're gonna seize the

ship now in those days of trading the Dutch overlords and the Dutch

financiers said let my people go and they made sure that the

Spanish let the ship go and the ship continued to limp along the coastline from

Jamaica and.

Come into harbor at New Amsterdam and if that did not happen we would see his citics

wearing dreadlocks.

We see the two million because of a Providence.

I Think I think you know this down again.

We I do want to.

We can laugh about it.

But we also can be serious about it because I've got to ask myself the question.

Why are they here in the United States?

Why did they not go back to Holland?

Because in the perfect Providences of God a ship of

23 Limped into New Amsterdam which later became New York and the 23

became 2 million or rather became 6 to 7 million that we Have now in the United States.

Wow, and we are in a situation where 42 of the world's Jewish population are here because in

the strange and perfect providences of God they were expelled from Catholic

Brazil and They came into New Amsterdam and find a safe haven.

Now things were not all plain sailing if you forgive the pun things were not all plain sailing and

There's a another Aspect to the history over the next you know few hundred years.

But they are here because of the preserving purposes of God in that one

ship that was kept along the coastline to limb into harbor and I think That's

that's a fascinating thing for us to think about as we say.

Okay.

Well, we are here I am here.

I I'm you know, my great -great -great -great -grandfather was Scottish.

But I'm not living in the United States.

Why am I here because in the purposes of God he has brought me here and brought me here to preach this

burden.

Why is the Christian Church here?

What is our mission?

I think our mission is to glorify God to enjoy him forever and also to share this Gospel

message with a fallen and broken world you know Operation world some of you will know

the book operation world which kind of charts all of the the mission progress

and has done so very ably over the decades it's it's not a perfect

manual, but it's certainly a very helpful manual of mission statistics and operation

world says that there are 92 million Evangelicals in the u .s.

Now, I'm inclined to think that that's maybe a little high sounds like I okay I knew you would say that what

would what number would you place it at?

I would say there you go probably.

Five million.

No, let me let me let me rephrase that 92, you know, you know, the reason why I'm saying that is that I'm

actually talking about Regenerate people.

It'd be hard for me to believe that there are 92 million regenerate people.

Yes.

Yes, and likewise, but if we cut that in half or if we cut that even in a third.

You're still talking about 30 million and and of varying shades perhaps

but in the goodness and grace of God, there are there are tens of millions of.

True believers, I I would believe and they all go to Joel Osteen's church.

You said you wanted me to talk about that, but I'm gonna save that for another yes.

In fact, we are gonna have Steven Atkinson back to give a book report on Joel Osteen's book your best life

now, right?

You read it from cover to cover not because you enjoyed it, but you you wanted to be able to speak with.

Firsthand knowledge of the book just as an aside.

Yes, you know we talked about this just before we started the show that I was actually given this

book by a Dear friend and it was it was kind of given me as a joke, but I thought okay.

I'm gonna read it and.

So, yeah, I want to I want to talk about it sometime I think sometimes in our reformed world.

We we throw rocks at those that we disagree with.

But we really haven't read their stuff and it's important for us to do that so that we can engage.

Intelligently.

Well some.

It's important for some of us to do that not.

I think that it's dangerous for young naive Christians to do that.

Yes.

Oh, absolutely.

To do with the right motives and so that when I said that I had read the 300 pages.

You immediately jumped on that and said, oh, I've got to have you back and we'll do a book review.

And so I'm.

I thought maybe we could do it for about 10 minutes.

Sometimes I really don't want to talk about Joel Osteen for two hours.

I'm sorry.

That's that's yeah, we can get on to other things that actually, you know.

Almost had iron sharpens iron radio removed from the airwaves on the old Radio

show of the old radio station that we were on in New York.

We were almost permanently removed Because of the fact when I was at my brother's

wedding reception I had a friend fill in for me and he said what do I talk about and I said do a critical

assessment of Joel Osteen's Church and Joel Osteen's theology and so on since he's a pastor of the largest church in

America at least at that time that that was true and When I came back I was almost booted off the air because of that

the the general manager said that Joel Osteen was her favorite Evangelist of all but anyway

that I digress.

Let's get back to we digress.

Well back to you know, why are they here?

I'm I think as I said when I started in ministry, I needed to know context.

So I needed to know what's farming life so that I can engage with my farming community.

So also here my my Christian friends if I can make an appeal through your radio to the

church nationwide.

Let us get to have better understanding of our Jewish neighbors where they're living.

Yes, two million in New York City six hundred thousand in Miami three hundred thousand in Chicago

five hundred thousand in LA.

200 ,000 in Atlanta.

80 ,000 in Cleveland.

10 ,000 in Kansas City you name every major city in the u .s.

And there is a sizable Jewish population.

And so my my question is church.

What are you doing?

Even major cities in the south in The deep south.

Yeah.

Oh, absolutely.

Wow.

Absolutely.

In fact, you know, I preach quite quite often in in Mississippi and Mississippi Delta.

Now some of them have removed from there to other places.

But every major city has that has a Jewish population.

They're very urbanite.

They have increasingly become more urbanite and this is again something that we need to have an

understanding of because when they came the first wave was the Sephardic

Jews the Spanish Jews then there was the Germanic or the German Jews and then the

Ashkenazis and the Eastern European think Fiddler on the Roof and and it's

Again, it's it's the providences of God in bringing the natural branches to

our shores.

And we've got to engage with that mission field and we've got to know what what floats their

boat as they say here.

What is it that makes them tick?

What are they searching for?

And you know Bono had that had that song, you know, I still haven't found what I'm looking for.

I think that really summarizes Jewish life in the USA.

They came with with great hopes and great desires and they engaged in education

they engaged in assimilation.

They engaged in all kinds of creativity.

But they still haven't found what they're looking for and this is really my

burden that the church will say.

Well here it is.

Here's what you're looking for and his name is Jesus.

Amen.

Well, we're gonna go to our final break right now.

This is gonna be much shorter than the last one.

If you'd like to join us on the air, our email address is Chris Arnzen at gmail .com.

Chris Arnzen at gmail .com.

Don't go away.

God willing.

We will be right back after these messages from our sponsors and we'll have more

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We are now continuing our discussion with Stephen Atkinson North American director for a Christian witness

to Israel Also known as CWI.

We have been discussing and will continue to discuss Jewish mission the biblical mandate the historic

hopefulness in the providential Provision.

If you'd like to join us on the air.

The question of your own our email address is Chris Arnzen at gmail .com.

Chris Arnzen at gmail .com and please give us your first name city and state and country of residence.

If you live outside the USA RJ and White Plains, New York wants to know whatever happened to

The Brazilian Jews that immigrated to the United States.

I have never heard of a community of Jews from a Latin country in

our day and age.

I.

Actually met a Jewish believer in San Antonio who was from Latin America and.

So there's obviously some continuity there.

But is it a tiny remnant tiny remnant and.

In answer to the question the Brazilian Jews were all kicked out.

They were all expelled the United States.

Sorry of Brazil, right?

Right?

No speaking.

I think of the United States of the United States.

Well again over the years there would be the assimilation.

I'm sure.

There is a Cuban synagogue in Miami.

And I'm sure there may be others.

I haven't done enough research to find out if there is a Brazilian Jewish community in the US,

but it wouldn't surprise me.

I think over the years that Brazilian community that entered into New Amsterdam would

would simply become North American rather than Brazilian don't.

Please if any listener has any further information on that.

Let me know.

Yeah, because it seems like the Eastern European Jews have been more tenacious

about remaining in their Community and keeping their traditions going and

so on.

Yeah, I think that's even the German.

Yeah, that that's really interesting as well just to see that because the the German

Jews very much loved Germany in fact one of the reasons that

Hitler did well one of the reasons that hit in a sense So many perished was that they could not

believe that this was happening could not believe that Germany would turn against them because they loved Germany loved German culture.

And so the German wave as they came to the To the

United States the German Jews became American and they loved the country.

The.

Eastern European the Russian Jewish people tended not to love mother Russia.

Now, these are these are sweeping statements.

So I'm sure people could could you know challenge the things I'm saying, but the the Russian Jews

largely Did not get you know, not get a good Good dealings

with the Russian Orthodox Church, for example.

And so the pogroms think fiddler on the roof they were being kicked out of Russia and they really

didn't Enjoy much of the liberties in Russia when they came to the u .s.

They still tended to have that suspicion and so what you would you rightly say they keep to their

own enclave and so we find that the German Jews largely have

Enjoyed life in America.

The Russian Jews perhaps Have kept a little bit more to themselves again.

You know people could very easily criticize what I'm just saying.

But that's that is the impression from what I've been reading at least in the wave after wave the

Sephardic the Germanic the Ashkenazi As as they settled here in the u .s.

Well, where would you like to take us now in our journey here?

We've come to the point of the providential provision that we were already addressing before the break.

I think what you know what I want us to see is if we can really bring it right up to the present and.

And.

Where we ended just at the last segment was they still haven't found what they're looking for.

Jewish Culture has has infiltrated so much of American

life particularly in in in terms of medicine the

legal profession the arts.

You think Broadway or think the movies.

And you have Jewish Hollywood pouring out movie after movie after movie of

superheroes and it.

And it just strikes me that.

Isn't that just the inner longing for someone to save the world?

You know the the Superman or the Wonder Woman or the person

who's going to come and bring peace on earth from Jewish Hollywood.

And to me that's none other than the desire for the Messiah and.

But they put it in their terms and so my you know.

As we kind of come towards the end of our time I want the church to just see that to see

the context whether it's the Germanic or Ashkenazi or Sephardic they they

haven't found what they're looking for and we need to bring that message to them.

And Obviously This is a

very sensitive area when you are Evangelizing

your Jewish friends neighbors family members colleagues because

unfortunately the way that The way that the left has really

brainwashed all of us here in America and perhaps all over the world for that matter

It's in some level Because you even have Christians who are terrified over

Evangelizing Jewish people because This is been this has been made

equivalent to anti -semitism when the irony is obviously if

you are a Christian and you believe in the claims of Jesus Christ if you believe in the

inerrancy of Scripture if you believe that salvation can only come through Christ It is really anti -semitic

not to evangelize the Jews.

That's it exactly and and that's where I want to really round everything out to get us back.

To the biblical mandate again.

And the biblical mandate whatever however offensive it may be there is an offense of the cross but

it is the Saving a soul from a burning building.

It's it's that kind of mentality that we need to bring back to our church life.

Do we believe in heaven and hell anymore or has John Hagee, you know So

confused us that it we don't need to do any Jewish evangelism.

My and the Roman Catholic Church.

Has that position in their modern?

Catechism that the Jews worship the same God as we do and I have even heard and I'm not.

I'm not saying that this is.

A.

An official dogmatically held position that is universal amongst Catholics.

But I have heard on EWTN Which is a major Catholic

television network I've heard priests say that we don't we do not need to evangelize

our Jewish Friends and neighbors because they are also children of God and I was I was really disturbed by

hearing that.

Well, you take that to the Apostle Paul when he would go into every synagogue under heaven and and

tell them about Jesus.

So, why did he do that, you know, and he's the Jewish guy.

So, why did he go and tell everyone about Jesus?

We we need to have that intentionality.

And in fact, I think in our reformed world We need to bring that evangelistic edge back to

our church life.

Yeah, Jesus when Nicodemus came to him by night.

He didn't say to Nicodemus.

You're good the way you are.

Don't worry about it.

Well, it's really interesting, you know what how he challenged Nicodemus because he said to Nicodemus you must be born

again and Nicodemus was you know, what is this stuff?

What is this born again?

And.

And the words of Jesus were Nicodemus you are Israel's teacher.

And you don't know this you don't know this stuff.

Have you have you never read Jeremiah 31.

Nicodemus never read that?

There's a new covenant with the house of Israel Nicodemus.

Have you never read that the law is going to be put into your heart?

Nicodemus have you never read Ezekiel 36 that I'm gonna be sprinkling you.

I'm gonna give you a new heart and your spirit and put within you and move you to follow my laws.

Nicodemus.

Did you not know that there's a new birth?

You see the the born -again Thing is something that we Gentiles have kind of

hijacked when really it's a very Jewish thing.

Because it's there and that's why Nick that's why Jesus challenged Israel's teacher.

Because he didn't know those things but you know my desire is that we in the church will

See that and see the world as as a need and particularly see the Jewish world as the Lord

has providentially placed On our shores this 42 of

Israel if we want to bless Israel.

Well, let's start here.

Now if I can make a plug even and even a prayer request to your listeners, please.

May the church be intentional, but please may God raise up frontline missionaries for us.

We're currently.

We have a visa in process for a brother to come To Chicago and we're hoping

before the end of this year that he will be with us and we'll be engaging in the streets of Chicago.

We have another couple of folks that are interested in becoming missionaries and this is at an early

stage.

I want to raise up another missionary and another missionary and another missionary and please God may there be the support for

that as well.

And and again in the providence of God who was who was it?

Some some famous missionary said God's work done in God's way will never lack God's resources.

Amen, and I think that's that's the way I look at it as I as I go forward if we are

doing God's work in God's way the Lord's people will get behind and will support us.

And so I make that appeal to your listeners that you will get behind us in prayer and pray for

more missionaries pray for More workers to the harvest field.

I could tell you about my colleagues that I love.

I met many of them in January in the UK.

We were celebrating our hundred and seventy fifth anniversary and it was such a delight to meet my

brother who's on the streets of Paris.

France is the third largest has the third largest Jewish population after Israel in America.

Wow.

France has 500 ,000 Jewish people and half of them are living in Paris and actually if

I can put a plug in for our outreach this summer.

In Paris, we are going to be on the streets of Paris for a couple of weeks intentionally speaking to

Anyone and indeed but particularly the Jewish people there are a lot of Israeli tourists that will come to Paris

year on year and We'll be engaging them and you can find details about that on

on our website particular our UK website.

If I can give the www .cwi .org .uk.

And you will find details with regard to our summer outreach in Paris.

Perhaps some of your listeners would not only pray but maybe even support in some way or even think about

going.

Yeah, we might we might even have Listeners in Paris or in France exactly and they

could come and join us.

We have listeners all over the world.

So it would not surprise me.

In fact very recently a listener in Perth, Australia

heard me mention that.

There is a new reformed Baptist Church plant in Perth and he contacted me said that he and his

wife had been praying for a confessionally reformed church to go to and they visited there last Sunday and they have

already Made the commitment to make that their church home.

So you never know who's listening to.

I interpret already.

Yep.

You never know who's listening and but please God raise up the workers.

We have other workers in in Amsterdam.

I met my colleague Assaf in Amsterdam from Amsterdam just last January and I'm what a

lovely brother and the ministry that he has to the Jewish community in Amsterdam last year.

We were on the streets of Amsterdam and we actually did a mail shot at every Jewish home in

Amsterdam.

We we put evangelistic literature in and the mailboxes of every Jewish home of Amsterdam last summer.

We are not going to be able to do the same in Paris I'm told from my from my Paris colleague again, there's

context to our ministry.

So we might have to to look at some other.

Options for the way in which we reach our Jewish neighbors there now when you're doing this street evangelism in these foreign countries

is English.

So prevalent that you don't need an interpreter.

Let's say in Paris or do you have a Parisian interpreter?

Well our guy in Paris certainly obviously will speak.

French.

And those who can speak French and would like to join us.

We'd love to have them but there will be certain we actually were guided.

There are certain areas that we'll be going to that will be more English speaking than

French speaking.

And so some who are able to speak French, we will maybe send them to certain areas of Paris.

Whereas other areas such as you know, the Eiffel Tower we will have our English speakers there

because as I said many Israelis will come over and Many of them will will speak English as well.

Although we'll have some Israeli.

We'll have some modern Hebrew speakers available to that.

So we're just asking for prayer for that's very specific outreach in the streets of Europe this coming

summer.

Also, we have our workers obviously in London 200 ,000 Jewish people in London and

so we would pray for their ministry.

We're in the north of England in Leeds in the north of England.

We're in Glasgow.

A long -term dear friend and missionary from Taiwan is is in Glasgow

and and then we have our workers in Israel and again, I met my three colleagues from Israel

last January in the UK and I was just so thrilled of that.

The Lord had raised up these workers.

If I can just tell the story of these three in particular.

We have a David Zadok who is has been with CWI since 2005

and David is a Jewish believer.

From way way back and he is the pastor of grace and truth congregation just outside Tel Aviv in

Rishon in Israel and he also heads up our translation work and we've been Translating into

modern Hebrew a lot of really good literature good reformed literature.

One of our most recent Translation projects was Ligon Duncan's book on on

fear not and We've been giving some of these literature to Jewish

believers in the Israeli army.

Spurgeons checkbook.

We gave copies of that translated into modern Hebrew.

We gave a copy to every.

Jewish believer that's in the Israeli military.

Wow, and so just just the ones that are already Christians.

Yes, but that's to build on the believers, but also we were we're producing

evangelistic literature for them as well.

So the Hagefen publishing if you want to google that and go to Hagefen Publishing

you will find again the good literature that we're producing classics Calvin

Bunyan, but also the modern stuff Sinclair Ferguson and As I said Ligon

Duncan and several others that have escaped my mind at the moment a really good resource of

Translating into modern Hebrew to to help the Jewish believing community in Israel.

The number of Jewish believers in Israel has grown to 30 ,000 in the last, you know

from 1948.

There were 12 and now there's 30 ,000 Jewish believers in the land of Israel.

Wow, so we as Christian witness to Israel are assisting our brothers and sisters

in that land and even if I can Put in a little plug for

CWI North America last year.

Because of God's blessing of us We were able to give $10 ,000 from our funds to help the work

in Israel to CWI is raised up.

So, you know as the the resources as the Lord's people are responding.

We are able to help in the ministry of CWI not only in the u .s But also around the world,

but I know our time is is is running out, but I just want to we have about 10 minutes.

We've got about 10 minutes.

Okay.

Let me let me take you to the two other guys.

We have a gal Who is on the streets and and and when I say he's on the streets?

I mean that very much so that he's on the streets a gal was saved from heroin addiction

a gal had spent eight years in Israeli prisons because of crimes

associated with his addiction, but the Lord gloriously saved him and a gal has been

engaging with This the street community.

Let's say where he has been engaging with people who are in addictions and He is

showing them the one thing that frees them from that addiction a gal is is an Ashkenazi

Russian speaking, but he's not living in Israel and He is just a

gentle giant I I met him as I said in January and what a wonderful work of grace in his life and

indeed the the the the joys and successes God God willing and God graced that

we are seeing from a gal's very Intentional ministry to tell his other

buddies who are suffering these additions to tell them about Jesus and show them the victory that they

can have in Christ and So I'd ask you to pray for a gal and his work on the streets.

And then the third person that that that I met and again my heart warmed to see.

Just this ministry to Israel was avial avial.

Particularly has a ministry to the Holocaust survivors.

Wow, and you know.

One of the things I would love to have him on the program some point soon.

I'm sure we could arrange that.

I'm sure we could arrange with some of these folks who would be very willing to come and tell you their story and tell you.

It far better than I'm telling it but avial is.

He spoke to us in Oxford in January at our hundred and seventy fifth anniversary Celebrations

and I have to say of all the things that we did that day.

His his message and actually his English is not as good as some of our other colleagues, but he's improving

but his.

The manner of his message really affected me and he said, you know The

Holocaust survivors are dying the Holocaust survivors their numbers are

decreasing month by month and They they

survived the fires of Auschwitz to come and live in Israel and

They're dying and they're going to another fire and He again, you know stress

this point that their numbers are decreasing and specifically their time is running out.

And I think again if I can ask your listeners to pray very specifically for our ministry to the Holocaust

survivors.

If you would like to go online and find our magazine online or even just email me.

And I'd be very happy to send you a copy our most recent magazine February 2018

has just a little article of Of an outreach that we did to the Holocaust survivors.

And if I can simply read this just for a couple of minutes, it just gives the picture.

We had an outreach at Hanukkah last December in David Zadok's congregation in

Grace and Truth congregation.

And so I'll just read from our magazine.

It was the most fantastic Hanukkah I ever celebrated said Joseph Steinberg when the outreach to a

hundred and twelve Holocaust survivors finished in Gadara Israel the December CWI

Hanukkah outreach events was hosted by David Zadok and his congregation Grace and Truth.

We were also joined by 75 Chinese Christians who had traveled to Israel to share the

love of Jesus with the survivors.

The event included songs sung by the Chinese to the Holocaust survivors the gospel being preached by David

and a Christian leader from the Far East who told the participants We love you and want you to know that Messiah

has come to give you eternal life and his name is Jesus.

Trust in him as the only one who can deliver you from darkness.

The Hanukkah event included the traditional distribution of presents.

The Chinese Christians provided a bag of presents for each survivor who attended which included

a teapot and tea obviously from China as well as Hagefen published

evangelistic leaflets and books which included one explaining how Jesus is the fulfillment of

Isaiah 53.

Joseph says of the outreach in Romans 10 19.

Paul writes I will make you envious by those who are not a nation.

We saw that enviable love demonstrated as Tears flowed from the

joyful Jewish faces of those who had suffered much hate.

What a wonderful change in context into which to preach the gospel.

Our hearts were deeply moved and pray that the gospel at these Holocaust survivors

heard and the very Evident love that they saw will make

an eternal impact on their souls.

Praise God.

Praise God.

I think we have time for one more question.

We have Arnie and Perry County, Pennsylvania.

Who wants to know why is it that when a Jew becomes a Christian?

It is far more of a horrific thing in the minds of Jews.

Than if he were to become an atheist or a Buddhist or a Hindu or a New Age practitioner.

Anything else seems to be acceptable except Christianity.

Why is this?

There are a number of reasons but that he is absolutely right that it is

The worst thing we might say for for Jewish families.

They feel betrayed.

They feel their whole family heritage Has been lost and the person has gone to the dark

side and It probably is because of the church history.

Because the Gentile Church as they see it the Gentile Church has so persecuted

Jewish people throughout history.

They've been called the Christ killers.

There has been anti -semitism.

From the church fathers and others even even in the mind of a modern -day 21st century

even a millennial Jew.

Well, some of them were oh.

Very liberal.

Won't mind that so much.

But still it's a slur on the family name for them to become a Christian

because I think we need to get it into our mindset that Christianity in our view is something

that is believed upon.

There is an intellectual ascent as well as a heart trust.

For Jewish people belief doesn't matter quite so much as belonging so belonging

to the Jewish community and Belonging to the synagogue is the most important thing and for

someone to come to faith in Jesus.

Then you're going outside and that's that's the betrayal.

The irony is that even with Religious Jews it seems to be such a

betrayal and yet Christians would have far more in common with them.

I guess the difference would be is that the Christian would be more aggressively attempting to evangelize them.

But I mean we share the Hebrew Scriptures and so on.

We share the the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob as far as our beliefs.

I mean, I'm not saying that that Jews who do not worship a Trinitarian God are correct in their

worship but I'm but what I mean is we believe that the prophets and the

teachings of the God -breathed Scriptures of the Old Covenant are true.

Yes, and and we believe that they came for us.

They did not leave us alone as we began and our desire is to say this is the fulfillment of your

scriptures but their their deepest fear

is to lose their Jewish identity and They would say that Christians who win

a Jewish person to the Lord to Jesus to the Messiah to Christ Such people

are doing worse than Hitler because they would say Hitler killed our bodies.

But you Christians if you get your way you kill our very souls.

Wow.

Yeah, I'm assuming you must mean the real Orthodox or even ultra -orthodox who would have

that.

I'm I would I would venture to suggest it's it's more than just.

The ultra -orthodox that are saying that yes.

There there are many many Jewish families who just completely turn their backs and disinherit

those that come.

Yes.

Well, actually, I know a friend of mine that I haven't spoken to him quite a while, but he

Brought up in a Jewish home ethnically not religious.

They didn't keep a kosher home.

They only in a non nominal way celebrated things like Passover and

Hanukkah.

When he was a male stripper His Jewish family had no problem with it.

When he became a Christian his family sat Shiva for him disowned him and

His mother even physically attacked his Gentile wife as Gentile Christian wife

at a funeral and Had to be physically pried off of her.

Isn't a and these were not even religious Jews.

So it's quite remarkable.

Yeah, when you say sat Shiva you you mean obviously they were considered dead. Yes.

Yes.

Yes, and they did that even though they weren't religious, you know, they didn't even keep the kosher home and yet they sat.

Shiva.

Well, I want to make sure that our listeners have all of your contact information.

I know that the Christian witness to Israel's North American

division is found at cwina .org.

Cwina .org Standing for Christian witness to Israel North America.

Any other contact information you care to give?

Well, we have also the UK website and that's particularly if you're interested in the European outreach in

Paris, isn't that CWI? org .uk.

CWI org .uk and you are available for speaking engagements for churches and

parachurch organizations and schools and.

Amen, and my wife is the long -suffering wife.

Let's me do some of these tours and I am very much available.

To speak in various churches and just stir this burden.

I'm currently on the road.

I live in northwest Arkansas, but by this weekend I'm going to be preaching and

in Concord, Massachusetts and Springfield, Massachusetts.

So you can imagine the miles that are involved in traveling those distances.

Well, I am going to make sure that I tell my friends in Massachusetts that you will be there shortly.

And hopefully you'll get some more speaking engagements out of it.

I want to thank you so much Stephen.

I'm looking forward to now joining my friend Simon O'Maney our newest assistant pastor at the

Grace Baptist Church of Carlisle and joining him for dinner tonight with you.

And I thank all of you who listened especially those who wrote in questions today.

And I want you all to always remember for the rest of your lives that Jesus Christ is a far greater Savior

Than you are a sinner.