FREE E-BOOK: HOW TO SPEAK TO JEWISH PEOPLE ABOUT MESSIAH
5
STEPS TO PROVOKE JEWISH PEOPLE TO JEALOUSY
REVISED EDITION
©2011 Jeffrey Bernstein / Gates of Zion All Rights Reserved
I trust the words that follow will help better equip you to bring the precious gift of salvation to Jewish people. My heart’s desire is to share this with all who are the physical as well as the spiritual sons and daughters of Abraham so they will be better equipped to gather the lost sheep of the House of Israel to our great Shepherd and King.
The salvation of the Jewish people is so close to God’s heart, so crucial and important that scripture declares the nations of the world are saved for the purpose of making them jealous!
Jewish people will one day see that their Gentile neighbors have been blessed beyond measure by the riches of salvation that first belonged to them and still belongs to them!
When this happens, they will be magnetically drawn to Yeshua and passionately desire the very salvation that was once proclaimed by their Jewish brethren in first century Israel!
The salvation of Israel is close to the heart of God – real close! Yeshua wept over only one city: Jerusalem. He is still weeping.
Now as He drew near, He saw the city and wept over it, (Luke 19:41)
I say then, have they stumbled that they should fall? Certainly not! But through their fall, to provoke them to jealousy, salvation has come to the Gentiles. (Romans 11:11)
The promised result will be the salvation of all Israel!
And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: “The Deliverer will come out of Zion, And He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob; (Romans 11:26)
The following are five easy steps which I believe the Lord has given me to impart to both Gentile and Jewish believers in Yeshua. My purpose is to equip you to effectively participate in the salvation of Israel which will culminate in the greatest revival ever!
And what a revival it will be! Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles, informed us that when Israel receives her Messiah it will mean life from the dead! (Romans 11:15). If that is not revival, what is?
My goal is that your life and your words to be so full of God’s presence, knowledge, wisdom and love that Jewish people upon meeting you and hearing you will become so jealous that they will run to their Messiah!
I am going to begin with those of you who are not Jewish. Did you know that far more Jewish people enter the Kingdom of God through Gentile rather then through Jewish believers? Gentiles who know Israel’s Messiah are especially effective when they know how to communicate to Jewish people in a Jewish way about the Jewish Messiah.
If you are a Gentile believer in Yeshua it is crucial for you to first understand who you are in the Messiah. This is a key. This knowlege will enable you to powerfully communicate the truth from your heart to Jewish people in a way that will cause them to become envious of you! And that is the idea!
The word of God clearly describes those chosen among the Gentiles:
Ephesians 2: 12 that at that time you were without Messiah, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Messiah Yeshua you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Messiah.
You need to understand that you or your ancestors either recently or way back in time were pagans and outsiders to the Kingdom of God. It was only the Jewish people who knew the one true God. Those who were not Jewish nor connected to Israel were simply not part of the Kingdom of God. If you are not Jewish then:
You were without Messiah
You were an alien
You were a stranger
You had no hope
You were without God
You were far off
BUT
You have been brought near
Near to what?
To The Commonwealth of Israel!
Another biblical explanation of this is found in the analogy of the olive tree:
For if you were cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and were grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, who are natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree? (Romans 11:24)
Do you see this? The tree of faith is their tree. It belongs to the Jewish people. Faith in the Messiah is a faith that came to the Jewish people and through the Jewish people. Yeshua Himself said, “Salvation is from the Jews.”
If it wasn’t for the Jewish people you would not have salvation! There would be no bible, no covenants, and no Messiah!
You have been adopted by the God of Israel, by their God. The God of the Jewish people has become your God through the Messiah of the Jewish people. It is crucial for you to understand this and know this truth deep within your heart.
When it comes to reaching the Jewish people this is something you must get before you can give it away.
It is imperative for you to allow God to transform you by giving you His heart for His people. So before we begin I want you to earnestly pray for the heart of one of our greatest Rabbis: The apostle Paul.
I tell the truth in Messiah, I am not lying, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Spirit, 2 that I have great sorrow and continual grief in my heart. 3 For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Messiah for my brethren, my countrymen according to the flesh. (Romans 9:1-3
The reason why Paul says he is not lying is because what he is about to declare is difficult to believe! Can you imagine giving up your salvation for anyone? Even for a nation? Paul wanted us to know that he was willing to give up his eternal salvation for the salvation of his Jewish brethren! If Paul was willing to give up his salvation for the salvation of the Jewish people, what are you willing to give up? What am I willing to give up? That my friend is a sobering question.
Ages earlier, Moses also was willing to have his name blotted out of the book of life for the sake of Israel’s survival. This sacrificial love comes from above and represents the very heart of God. His love for Israel is massive and everlasting. As you pray for God to impart His heart for Israel to you there will be a transformation of your very soul and an impartation of His sacrificial love for His ancient people who remain to this very day the apple of His eye.
Not only was Paul wiling to sacrifice his salvation for the salvation of Israel but this same man who once said, “Rejoice always”, had continual grief and sorrow in his heart over the spiritual condition of his people.
If we would be effective champions for God and rescue Israel from the grip of the enemy we also must carry this burden. Allow the Holy Spirit to make you sensitive to how far the people of Israel have wandered from their God.
Today perhaps more than ever, we remain the lost sheep of the House of Israel.
The very people who first brought the good news of Messiah to the world for the most part no longer know Him. Perhaps only 1% of Jewish people world wide know the Messiah. This a very small remnant. Imagine…99% of Jewish people today do not yet know the Messiah. God is about to change this and we are called to be the agents of that change!
Every nation has it’s own glory but Yeshua is the glory of Israel.
A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, And the glory of Your people Israel.” (Luke 2:32)
We are called to restore the glory to Israel! What an honor!
Therefore know this: The salvation of the Jewish people is no small thing. It is the key to world redemption. When Israel embraces her Messiah the world will be forever changed.
For if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? (Romans 11:15)
The salvation of Israel will bring about the greatest revival the world has ever known! Realize this: All hell is arrayed against it, while all heaven awaits it. The opposition against Israel embracing her Messiah is overwhelming and intense. This is why the chosen ones among the Gentiles have not yet fulfilled their call to provoke Israel to jealousy. For countless centuries, the enemy has darkened the minds of our Gentile brothers. They have not yet embraced God’s great purpose for them to cause Israel to return to her King.
That time has now come. It is full time to turn the tables on the enemy. It is our prayer that all who are called among the Gentiles by the Lord God of Israel will see God’s plan for Israel’s salvation and give themselves to it. May all those from the nations who know the Messiah dedicate themselves in a spirit of love to bring salvation back to the ones who first gave it to them with an unmatched focus, zeal and passion in this great end-time revival!
Let’s get started!
FOR GENTILE BELIEVERS IN YESHUA:
It is respectful to begin any spiritual communication with a Jewish person by simply asking him if it would be OK for you to share your heart with him. If he agrees (which most Jewish people will) then look at him/her in the eyes (if possible with tears in yours) and make the words within each of the following five steps your own:
1) There is one thing in my life that is so precious that if given the choice I would rather die than lose it. The amazing thing is that it belongs to you and your people! I love, worship and serve your God! There is only one God: The God of Israel; the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. You know Him as The Name, HaShem and The Lord, Adonai.
Your God , The God of Abraham, has given me a reason to wake up every morning. He has shown me my purpose in life. Before I came to know Him my life was meaningless. Now I am fulfilled as a person as never before. I feel like I am alive for the first time!
2) I want you to know that the book I live by, that instructs me how to live my life, and gives me words of hope and promise is your book. The bible inspires me and challenges me to live life to its fullest. But it is your book, written by your people and has been preserved by them at the cost of their own blood. I cannot express my gratitude and thankfulness with adequate words. If it is okay with you, I want to thank you, as a representative of the Jewish people, from the depth of my heart for this inexpressible gift. The bible is a precious gift from your God to your people and then to me. I am so thankful for youand your people. If it wasn’t for the Jewish people I and the entire world would be lost.
3) I want you to know that the promises that have transformed my life belong first to you. I have received blessing upon blessing through my relationship withyour God. Even the precious gift of eternal life is mine! I have received the precious promises that God made to your people from time immemorial. My life has been transformed through these promises but I want you to know that these promises are first yours!
4) Long ago my ancestors were pagans but I am now a member of the household of faith in the one true God who made the heavens and the earth. I was once an outsider, a Gentile, a foreigner but now I have been brought near and have become part of the commonwealth of Israel. I have become a partaker of the covenant God made with your people. I have become an adopted son/daughter – one of God’s chosen ones. I am a son/daughter of Abraham through your God and the covenant your God made with your people.
5) To sum it up: I have received an inheritance that makes me richer than a billionaire! I want you to know that the inexpressible gift I have received is none other thanthe inheritance of Israel. It belongs to you. It is your inheritance!
I guarantee you. The vast majority of Jewish people have never heard such words! Ask your Jewish hearer what they think about what you have shared. If they are open to hear more you will know it!
When you sense there is an open door, trust the Holy Spirit to speak though you in detail about the life, death and resurrection of their Messiah! Be ready to lead them in prayer to ask Yeshua to come into their lives.
Is there anything more exciting?
Remember that when you are speaking to Jewish people you are speaking about their Messiah who was sent by their God.
FOR JEWISH BELIEVERS IN YESHUA
Those of us who are Jewish believers in Yeshua also must understand who we are in Messiah in respect to our Jewish brethren who do not yet know HIm. It is vital we remember that we are not only members of the Body of Messiah but also members of the “Tribe” and part of Israel. We should not communicate to our fellow Jews with an “us / them” mentality. Daniel, as he interceeded for Israel, prayed, “We have sinned”. We also should see ourselves as part of the nation. It is so much more effective to tell fellow Jews that we have rejected the Messiah in contract to being accusatory and telling them they have rejected the Messiah.“ Identify yourself as a Jew and member of the tribe. The apostle Paul who did not suffer from an identity crises became a Jew to the Jews. This is a frame of mind and the way to position yourself when speaking to fellow Jews.
But just the same as with Gentile believers there is great power in the testimony of what God has done to change your life. As a Jew who now knows the Messiah you want to share the life changing power that has transformed you and help other Jews see that this transformation comes through our God, the God of Israel and not through some foreign religion.
There are two sections especially written with Jewish believers in Yeshua in mind in this e-book. In my experience these truths have been effective in communicating with Jewish people who do not yet know Messiah. The first section contains three main points you will want to clearly communicate. I have shared this way with Jewish professionals in New York City and have left them both speechless and with a desire to find out more.
I cannot over emphasize that we Jewish believers in Yeshua must position ourselves as Jews when speaking to our fellow Jews who do not yet know the Messiah. They must come to know we have not joined another religion. We have not converted. We not only remain Jewish after we embrace our Messiah but we become more fully Jewish than ever.
Romans 2:29 On the contrary, the real Jew is one inwardly; and true circumcision is of the heart, spiritual not literal; so that his praise comes not from other people but from God.
In the Jewish community Jewish people will typically ask other Jews, (in sort of a Yiddish or at least with New York Jewish accent) “So, what do you do for a living?” When you are asked this question I want you to volunteer the following information: If you are not asked this probing question, bring it up yourself and answer it anyway!
If you are a Jewish believer in Yeshua you can say the following with all honesty whether you work “full time” in the “ministry” or not. It is my conviction that all who are called into the Kingdom are ministers.
So, (nu) what do you do for a living?
“I speak to Christians everywhere letting them know that everything they have, spiritually speaking, comes from us.” The bibles they read are from us and the God they worship is our God. They would have no concept of a Messiah if it was not for the Jewish people.
When I share this with Jewish people they almost always enthusiastically agree! If there is more than one of them they will say one to one another, “He is right!” Some will even begin preaching to you make sure you know Jesus was Jewish! It opens doors wide!
In fact in my experience I have discovered that most Jewish people are secretly proud of Jesus! “Here is a Jew that has done rather well for Himself.” Much of the world for the past 2000 years has been greatly influenced by his life and his words. Not to mention all the real estate that is owned in his name!
Even to Jewish people who don’t yet believe in Him, Yeshua is the most influential Jew who ever lived.
The next truth I want you to communicate really gets Jewish people thinking. Remember 99.9% of Jewish people who do not believe Yeshua is the Messiah, have no idea why they believe or should I say disbelieve the way they do.
One of the most powerful things you can communicate to your Jewish hearer is that the decision to reject Yeshua as the Messiah is a decision that has beenmade for him by someone else. Help them to see that this was a decision made by our leaders almost two thousand years ago. Jewish history shows us that our leaders at that time were corrupt political appointees of Rome. Even the Kohen Gadol, the Great High Priest paid for his position!
Have you ever asked the question why you have you allowed religious politicians with such compromised character and lack of integrity make such an important and far reaching decision on your behalf?
I belong to a growing number of Jewish activists who have taken a hard second look at those world changing events that took place in first century Israel. After painstaking study over many years we have concluded that our corrupt Theo-political leaders during that time made a colossal mistake that has affected all of us with confusion and a tragically distorted view of our history.
Furthermore they acted in a way that was against Jewish law! Again, Jewish historians have determined that these leaders of ours were political pawns of Rome. These Jewish leaders who paid bribes for their positions of power made a vital, life defining and far reaching decision that effects what we Jewish people believe to this very day
Like you I grew up with a very negative perspective toward one of our sages, the great historical figure English speaking Gentiles know as Jesus. It is an historical fact this world changing Rabbi was rejected as our Messiah only because of the selfish ambitions of our corrupt religious political leaders. They were threatened by his popularity and authority. Even they admitted that no one ever spoke like him. The people of Israel flocked to him. Our leaders were determined to eliminate him because he was a threat to their political power base. It was they who rejected him as Messiah and not the people of Israel. And this decision has been passed down to us to this very day. We are among many Jews from all walks of life from Israel and all over the world that have rightly questioned this monumental but absolutely mistaken decision. We are determined to restore integrity to our Jewish judicial legacy. We are the ones who gave the world an understanding of the rule of law. This is a wrong that needs to be made right. I dont’t know about you but I and thousands upon thousands of Jewish people throughout the world have decided to think for ourselves.
Would you be interested in hearing more about this?
If your Jewish friend is open to hear more, you will know it immediately. Ask him/her to let you know what they think about what you just shared. If their response is positive take the conversation to the next step.
Trust the Lord to speak through you as you reveal the glorious truth of Messiah Yeshua to your Jewish friend.
Here are five steps to take the conversation further and the second session designed to help Jewish believers in Yeshua.
Remember to always ask for permission to share your heart with your Jewish friend. I never had anyone refuse me. Pray for humility and brokenness. Speak deep into the spirit of your hearer. If possible allow tears of joy and sorrow to well up in your eyes as you make these words your own:
1) I am speaking to you as a fellow Jew. Something amazing that has completely changed my life. I believe I have recaptured our faith. In synagogue I always wondered, “Where is God?” Did you ever ask the same question? I would fast on Yom Kippur but were my sins really forgiven? Something happened to me. Now I know my sins are forgiven. I can actually experience God’s presence. It is awesome. It is hard to believe. I have to sometimes pinch myself to make sure I am not dreaming.
2) When I would read the Siddur in synagogue and recite the Hebrew blessings during the holidays something was missing. Now when I read the bible which of course is our book, written by our people – I am amazed, I am even overwhelmed. I actually become filled as if I had a satisfying meal. I now realize the bible is much more than literature. It is actually God’s instruction to us. They are His words. They are alive!
For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12)
3) For the first time I understand and realize there is an unseen world that is more real than the world we can see, touch, smell, taste and hear. Our heritage as Jews is to be familiar with this unseen realm. It is where God resides. Moses, the Prophets of Israel – all of them heard the voice of God. They were connected with heaven. God is spirit, and since we are made in His image we also are spiritual beings. There is a quality of life that does not depend on physical circumstances. The richest of blessings come from the unseen spiritual realm. It is the world of angels; seraphim and streets of gold. I received the spirit of God and my eyes were opened to see this world for the first time. It is the real world. Everything we see today with our physical eyes will one day pass away. Only the unseen eternal realm will last forever. The most famous Hebrew prayer is the “Shema”. Shema means to hear. I believe I have heard from heaven. This is not crazy, it is our heritage!
4) When times of trouble came to me in times past I would often fall apart. But I now know that what God says is true. The promises He has given us gives me hope, strength and faith when the world around me is falling apart. When I take my worries, fear and concerns to God in prayer I am relieved of the burden. I am no longer overwhelmed by the cares of this life. I can truly say for the first time, that God Himself takes care of me each day – moment by moment. It is both comforting and exhilarating.
5) I was scared to die when I was younger. Terrified! As I grew older I began to accept death but it caused me to wonder what life was all about. It goes so fast and then you are gone. Do you cease to exist? Forever?
Did you ever wonder why you are here on this planet and what happens when you die? I certainly did. But then something very unusual and unexpected happened to me. It was like a veil over my mind was lifted. It was as if I was blind my entire life and suddenly my eyes were opened. I was able to actually know for the first time in my life that there really was a God who loved me. He became real, more real than life itself. I was changed. I know now that this is the reality of what it means to be a Jew. I discovered eternal life is our heritage as Jews. To know and experience God is the very purpose for which we were created and to be with Him forever. Abraham knew this. He and his descendants were chosen to reveal this truth to the entire world. This is the purpose of the Jewish people!
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Thank-you for participating in the salvation of Israel!
Your servant in Messiah,
Jeffrey Bernstein
Gates of Zion
