Never Go Against God’s Anointed
by David Brickner, Executive Director
This article contains descriptions,
conversations and reflections of
biblical characters that the author has
imagined, based on Psalm 2; 1 Samuel
16, 24; 2 Samuel 5; 1 Kings 1-2.
he two men leaned in close to
one another, intent on a more
intimate conversation than the
bustle of the royal entourage swirling
around them might have allowed. The
younger man appeared worried and
distracted. Uncertainty and fear lined
his face. In contrast, the old man had
the serene bearing of a king who had
seen much, endured much and was
able to pass on his royal mantle with
dignity and quiet confidence. David
had been Israel’s monarch for forty
years, but today he would hand over
the kingdom to Solomon, just as he
had promised the boy’s mother.
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Solomon wasn’t so sure about
becoming king. His father was old
and soon would be “gathered to his
people,” unable to help him.
Meanwhile, Solomon’s older brother
Adonijah had already set up a rival
administration and had had himself
anointed King in David’s place.
Solomon’s life might soon be forfeit
to the ambitions of his brother and
those who had aligned themselves
with him. But David’s confidence
calmed Solomon’s heart. “You are the
one God has chosen, my son. Nathan
the prophet anointed you, not your
brother, to be the King. Have no fear.
Whenever God chooses to anoint a
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man, the enemies of the Lord will rise
against him. But the will of the Lord
shall prevail. Mark my words.”
Solomon knew his father spoke
truth from experience. He had heard
the stories many times over and
had even memorized the song that
commemorated his father’s anointing
as king. It had been an event marked
by tremendous turmoil and bloodshed.
King David was anointed as a
foreshadowing of the ultimate
Anointed One, the Messiah, David’s
greater Son, King Y’shua.
Why do the nations rage, and the
people plot a vain thing?
The kings of the earth set
themselves, and the rulers take
counsel together, against the
LORD and against His Anointed,
saying, “Let us break their bonds
in pieces and cast away their
cords from us.” (Psalm 2:1-3)
David was only a young man when
he was anointed King of Israel in
Bethlehem by the prophet Samuel.
Though he had known the quiet life
of tending his father’s sheep, he had
already proven himself in battle—
against wild animals that would
attack his father’s flock, and against
the Philistine giant who mocked the
God of Israel. Yet he could also
gently soothe “the beast within” and
he often overcame Saul’s dark moods
with his music.
In return, David was forced to spend
much of his young adulthood
fleeing from the murderous
intentions of Saul. But though the
first king of Israel treated David like
an enemy, the son of Jesse refused
to do battle against him. David
knew that God’s anointing was
something special and even when it
was within his power to slay Saul,
he reminded his fighting men,
“touch not the Lord’s anointed.”
One might have expected David to
heave a sigh of relief when Saul died
in battle, but that was not the case.
David remembered the very best of
Saul, when others might have
remembered the worst. He grieved
from his heart at Saul’s passing—not
to mention the passing of Saul’s son
Jonathan, David’s closest friend.
(continued on page 2)
The men of Judah anointed David in
Hebron as King a second time, but
even with Saul and his heir gone,
obstacles rose up, threatening to block
David from his destiny. Saul’s other
son, Ishbosheth, attempted to divide
the tribes of Israel from Judah, and
claim the kingship over Israel for
himself. Though it took time, David’s
patient confidence eventually paid off;
the tribes united and he was anointed
once again in Hebron, this time with
all the elders of Israel present.
(continued from page 1)
Well did Solomon remember the tales
of what happened next. Instead of
hailing David’s triumph, the nations
raged and the people plotted—just as
the song said. The Jebusites in
Jerusalem mocked David as a
weakling, joking that he couldn’t even
defeat a group of determined blind and
lame men. Of course they were wrong
and Zion, the city of David, is
testament to his first victory as King of
Israel. Then the Philistines, a much
more formidable enemy, determined to
destroy the young king when he’d
barely had the time to establish himself.
“Remember, Solomon,” David would
say, “when men stand up against God,
God sits down to laugh.” I can imagine
him teaching Solomon the song:
He who sits in the heavens shall
laugh; the Lord shall hold them in
derision. Then He shall speak to
them in His wrath, and distress
them in His deep displeasure:
“Yet I have set My King on My
holy hill of Zion.” (Psalm 2:4-6)
It was no small thing for David to go
up against the mighty Philistine
armies—the very ones who had killed
King Saul. And now they were spread
out like swarms of flies all across the
valley of Rephaim. David knew he
needed God’s help and so he prayed
to the Lord. God loves it when His
anointed son prays to Him:
The LORD has said to Me, “You
are My Son, today I have begotten
You. Ask of Me, and I will give
You the nations for Your
inheritance, and the ends of the
earth for Your possession. You
shall break them with a rod of iron;
You shall dash them to pieces like
a potter’s vessel.” (Psalm 2:7-9)
What happened next was one of the
strangest military victories in the annals
of Israel. “When you hear the sound of
marching in the tops of the balsam trees
then rouse yourself,” God had said.
“The Lord will go out before you.”
“It happened just like that,” David
often recalled with amazement. “I can
still hear the sound of God’s armies,
marching in the tops of those trees. We
called that place ‘the Lord broke
through.’ Those Philistines threatened
to ‘break our bonds in pieces’ but the
Lord broke through on them instead.”
A mighty victory was secured for the
Lord and His anointed on that day.
The moral of the story and the point
of Psalm two is one and the same:
never go against God’s anointed.
Young King Solomon needed to
learn firsthand what his father David
had discovered long before: his
security would never be in strength
of arms or wealth and wisdom, but in
the promises of God. Those who
chose to honor Solomon as King
were honoring King David, and
ultimately, they were honoring God.
When you honor the son, you honor
the father. When you honor the
anointed, you honor the One who
has chosen to anoint.
Now therefore, be wise, O kings;
be instructed, you judges of the
earth. Serve the LORD with fear,
and rejoice with trembling. Kiss
the Son, lest He be angry, and
you perish in the way, when His
wrath is kindled but a little.
(Psalm 2:10-12)
God staked his reputation on David
and on David’s descendants, not
because they were so deserving of
God’s help but because God is so
faithful and deserving of true worship.
King David was anointed as a
foreshadowing of the ultimate
Anointed One, the Messiah, David’s
greater Son, King Y’shua. All the
nations of the earth will one day either
bend their knees in worship to Him or
bow to be judged by Him, the supreme
King of Kings, blessed be He.
Whenever we choose to “kiss the
Son”—that is, acknowledge and obey
Jesus in our own lives—we are
aligning ourselves with the purposes
of the King of the universe. With that
obedience, we have the promise of
His anointing on our own lives as
well. That doesn’t mean that no one
will come against us in this life. In
fact, at times it may seem that the
whole world is arrayed against us. But
if we are standing with the Anointed
One, no weapon formed against us
shall prosper. Or as the song says:
“Blessed are all those who put their
trust in Him.” (Psalm 2:12b)
WE EXIST TO MAKE THE MESSIAHSHIP OF JESUS
AN UNAVOIDABLE ISSUE TO OUR JEWISH PEOPLE WORLDWIDE.
JEWS FOR JESUS INTERNATIONAL HEADQUARTERS: 60 HAIGHT STREET, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102-5895; E-MAIL: [email protected]; HOME PAGE: jewsforjesus.org;
ALSO WORKING IN: AUSTRALIA, BRAZIL, CANADA, FRANCE, GERMANY, ISRAEL, RUSSIA, SOUTH AFRICA, UKRAINE and the UNITED KINGDOM;
EDITOR: RUTH ROSEN; ART DIRECTION: PAIGE SAUNDERS; DESIGN AND ILLUSTRATION: DAVID YAPP; VOLUME 3:5771, NOVEMBER 2010
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We hope you know how very thankful we at Jews for Jesus are for all our friends who make it possible for us to continue
the work of Jewish evangelism. You give us cause to thank God, all the time! We thought you might enjoy the following
Thanksgiving facts and reflections.
Words of Thanks in the Hebrew Bible
WORD:
*Yadah hdy
Todah hd:/T
MEANING:
To throw; to give thanks, laud or praise; to
confess something about God; to confess
one’s own sin.
Confession, praise, thanksgiving; giving
of praise to God; thanksgiving in
songs of worship; thanks via choir or
procession; thank-offering, sacrifice
of thanksgiving; confession.
NUMBER OF USES IN SCRIPTURE:
114
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EXAMPLE:
Oh, give thanks to the LORD! Call upon
His name; Make known His deeds among
the peoples! (1 Chronicles 16:8).
Then Hezekiah answered and said, “Now
that you have consecrated yourselves to
the LORD, come near, and bring sacrifices
and thank offerings into the house of the
*Hebrew vowels not included because this is a LORD.” So the assembly brought in
“root” on which various words in the Bible are sacrifices and thank offerings, and as
many as were of a willing heart brought
built; the root changes according to the word
burnt offerings (2 Chronicles 29:31).
in which it appears.
Thanksgiving Thoughts
Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is
like wrapping a present and not giving it.
To speak gratitude is courteous and pleasant, to
enact gratitude is generous and noble, but to live
gratitude is to touch Heaven.
Johannes A. Gaertner
William Arthur Ward
The unthankful heart . . . discovers no mercies; but let the thankful heart sweep through the day
and, as the magnet finds the iron, so it will find, in every hour, some heavenly blessings!
Henry Ward Beecher
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here are no stars to be born in
Jews for Jesus because we are a
team of missionaries who pull
together, and Blue Mosaic is a team
within a team. And a rather talented
team, we believe!
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Like the Liberated Wailing Wall, Blue
Mosaic is a mobile evangelistic arm
of Jews for Jesus. Their vision
statement is: “To use music and the
arts to present the gospel in a
culturally relevant manner to our
Jewish people around the world.”
And, like the Liberated Wailing Wall,
Blue Mosaic will bring their new,
original music to churches and
congregations, as well as singing and
handing out broadsides on college
campuses when possible. But this
group will also have the flexibility to
seek opportunities at coffeehouses,
festivals, fairs, “open mic” nights, and
wherever the current generation of
Jewish people can be reached.
Because the primary mission of Blue
Mosaic is reaching Jewish people
through their music, they minister
mainly in major metropolitan areas.
The team will partner with our
branch missionaries in places like
New York, Chicago, Los Angeles,
etc. They will also reach cities where
we don’t have branches, like Detroit,
Atlanta and Denver.
Blue Mosaic has a more contemporary
look and feel than the Liberated Wailing
Wall (the latter incorporating an Eastern
European “Fiddler on the Roof” flavor)
yet all of the group’s songs convey the
timeless truth of God’s Word.
Members of Blue Mosaic came
together for the first time in Chicago
where they participated in this year’s
Summer Witnessing Campaign
training, after which they went on to
participate in our New York City
Summer Witnessing Campaign.
Immersion into urban evangelism
seemed to be the best possible
foundation for what promises to be an
exciting year of ministry.
The team named themselves, and
offers the following explanation of
“Blue Mosaic”:
Blue is the color of the sky and
the ocean—two aspects of God’s
amazingly beautiful creation, and
we too want to reflect His beauty
in the music and message He’s
given to us. Blue is also one of
the colors of the Israeli flag,
which reminds us of our identity
with our Jewish people and
Y’shua, our Jewish Messiah.
Mosaic—a work of art composed
of different elements that form a
unified and harmonious whole.
This music team is a mosaic
composed of Jewish believers who
are all from different countries and
cultures. And “Mosaic” can also
refer to Moses, the Lawgiver,
about whom Jesus spoke when he
said, “Everything must be fulfilled
that is written about me in the Law
of Moses, the Prophets and the
Psalms” (Luke 24:44).
So we are BLUE MOSAIC, a
group of Jewish believers from
around the world, taking the
beautiful message of salvation
through our Jewish Messiah to
our Jewish people worldwide.
MEET THE MEMBERS
Team leader Julia Pascoe was born
in London, England. She grew up with
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her secular Jewish
mother, who died
when Julia was
sixteen. For many
years, Julia
questioned God’s
existence, but she
finally cried out to
Him for help. She soon met a
Christian who told her about Jesus and
insisted she read the book, Betrayed,
the story of Stan Telchin, and how his
struggle to disprove his daughter’s
faith in Jesus actually led him to see
that He is the Jewish Messiah.
Julia read the book and became a
believer in Jesus two years later, in
1998. In 2003, God called her into
full-time ministry with Jews for
Jesus. Julia served as a missionary in
our London branch, and participated
in several Behold Your God
campaigns, including Berlin (2005)
and New York (2006) and led the
London campaign in the summer of
2009. She also serves on our Jews
for Jesus Council. Julia sings and
plays the guitar, which serves as
the primary rhythm instrument for
Blue Mosaic.
Nathaniel
Wiseman, from
Waterloo, Ontario,
Canada grew up in
a Messianic home
and spent most of
his first fifteen
years in Israel, so
he is fluent in Hebrew. He came to
faith at a Messianic summer camp in
Jerusalem. He is the grandson of
Eliezer Urbach (a well-known
Jewish believer in Jesus featured in
our film Survivor Stories) and is
also the cousin of former Liberated
Wailing Wall member, Amy Etinger.
Nathaniel sings baritone and has an
honors B.A. in vocal performance, as
well as a resumé full of classical
repertoire and operatic roles. Among
his talents is the ability to “cantillate,”
which is to sing the Hebrew text of
the Torah. He also plays percussion
for Blue Mosaic.
Giselle Le’Aupepe
is from Sydney,
Australia. Raised in
a Messianic home
(her mom fully
Jewish and her dad,
half Jewish and
half Samoan), she
believed in Jesus from an early age.
Giselle is a third generation Jewish
believer and like many, had her time
of rebellion before her faith became
“her own.” Giselle has a B.Mus.
degree in performance from Wesley
Institute. She faithfully volunteered
in our Australia branch, participated
in our Adelaide mini-campaign,
and has also spent time in our New
York center.
Giselle writes music, sings, plays
piano, guitar, and percussion,
particularly the dunbek (Middle Eastern
drum). She also enjoys painting,
photography, and “has several projects
going” at any given time. She led a
two-person music team called “Almost
a Trio” that played various venues
around Sydney for the past two years
and in 2008 she released a six-song
(EP) recording. She has already
contributed several
original songs to the
group’s repertoire.
Mandie Greenberg
is the youngest Blue
Mosaic team
member, having
graduated high school in 2007. She
was born into a believing Jewish family
and grew up in Syracuse, New York,
where her parents led a Messianic
congregation. Mandie came to faith in
Y’shua at age five. She has studied both
voice and guitar, loves music and
especially enjoys leading worship. She
also enjoys learning other languages,
writing poetry and song lyrics, and
learning dance choreography.
Mandie has a wide vocal range (alto to
soprano), sings and plays percussion
for the group, and has also contributed
songs to the group’s repertoire.
Michael Jones was
the last “piece” to
fall into place in
Blue Mosaic.
Originally our
fourth member was
to join the team
from the former
Soviet Union, but he was denied his
visa. We asked prayer to find a new
member and God provided Michael!
He grew up in a believing home and
his mom is Jewish. During high
school, Michael distanced himself
from other believers for awhile, but at
age eighteen a friend and fellow band
member pointed out the gap between
Michael’s talk and his walk. Michael
realized his friend was right and got
back “on track” with the Lord.
Michael plays guitar (both acoustic
and electric) and also plays bass,
drums and sings tenor. He recorded a
solo project this past spring on which
he played most of the instruments.
He’s also participated on the worship
team at his church in Windham,
Maine. He joined Blue Mosaic
toward the end of their training time
in New York, so did not have the
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opportunity to be with them during
Campaign training or during the
outreach itself.
Here is a sampling of encounters
that Blue Mosaic had during
the campaign:
Julia Pascoe: One day on Campaign,
we were on our lunch break when two
Jewish ladies, Judith and Joanne
noticed the words on our T-shirts:
“How can you be Jewish and believe
in Jesus? Ask me!” Judith invited me
to join them and Joanne and said, “So
I’d like to ask you!” I gave a brief
testimony of how I came to believe in
Jesus, and explained that the Jewish
Bible speaks of the time, place and
circumstances of the Messiah’s birth,
death and resurrection. They both
listened intently and Judith actually
said that she believed Jesus was
crucified and rose from the dead, but
couldn’t understand the virgin birth.
She agreed to talk more with one of
our missionaries at the New York
branch and has since been in contact
with us! Please pray that God will
speak to her through His Word.
Joanne is Judith’s second cousin and
lives in London, so that gave us some
good common ground. I have since
connected with her on Facebook. Please
pray for these two women to come to
know their Messiah and Savior.
Mandie Greenberg: I was in Bryant
Park, using one of our new
conversation starters—a simple
survey—when I spotted a man sitting
by himself who looked like he had a
little time on his hands. The minute I
walked up to him, he looked at my
shirt and told me that he didn’t believe
what I believe. I asked if he would
take the survey anyway. He agreed.
Through the survey, I found out that
he was a former leader of the Jewish
Defense League and had often
opposed Moishe Rosen in the ’60s
and ’70s, both verbally and physically.
When the survey was complete, I
challenged him as to why he wouldn’t
consider Jesus as his Messiah. He
replied with the usual arguments
about the Holocaust, the Resurrection
and the virgin birth and proceeded to
ask me why I did believe.
I told him that I had evidence. He
asked me what that evidence was. I
replied that if he really wanted to
know, I would send him some
literature with the evidences for Jesus.
Two minutes later, he was giving me
his address and contact information so
that I could mail him something. He
claimed that he probably wouldn’t
read it, but because I was a nice
Jewish girl I could send it. So, please
pray that God
would soften his
heart and that he
would be willing to
consider the truth
of the Messiahship
of Jesus.
Giselle
Le’Aupepe: I met
Hilda, an 85-yearold German Jewish
lady during a midday sortie (tract-passing expedition) at
79th and Broadway. I offered her a
broadside (gospel tract) and, seeing
my T-shirt, she responded to my
gesture by asking, “Are YOU
Jewish?” I explained lightheartedly
that believing in Jesus made me more
Jewish, to which she replied, “Well I
was in Auschwitz . . . and I believe
God protected and preserved my life
there. Not Jesus.”
our New York branch, has had serious
conversations with his Christian
friends, acquaintances, and co-workers.
He also said that he had gone to the
Jews for Jesus website and read many
of the articles there. Sadly, he has also
listened to many “ex-Christians” who
claim that reconciliation with God
through Y’shua is a deception.
Although Mitch would not give me his
contact information, I was able to
encourage him to call our New York
branch, and also to prayerfully
examine the Scriptures and ask God to
reveal to him who Jesus truly is. Please
pray for Mitch—that God would open
his heart to the salvation found only in
Y’shua the Messiah.
I began to share the gospel with her
and pleaded with her to let me send
her the Jews for Jesus Survivor Stories
DVD, but she declined. Still, I was
thankful to have this opportunity to
share my grandparents’ story. Please
pray for this lady’s salvation, and that
she would know the One who
preserved her life, and why.
If you want pray for Blue Mosaic,
here are a few requests the team
asks you to keep in mind:
I was able to explain how both my
grandmother and grandfather lost
family members in various camps in
Europe, including Theresienstadt and
Dachau. Then I explained how my
grandparents had come to believe in
Jesus, despite the atrocities of the war.
Hilda winced and told me, “Look, I
am from a Hasidic background. We
don’t talk about such things.”
Nathaniel Wiseman: While
broadsiding in Bryant Park (New York
City), I met a middle-aged man in
business attire. As the conversation
proceeded about “who Jesus is,” it
became clear that Mitch was Jewish,
took the Bible seriously, and had
examined some of the claims about
Jesus. We quickly fell into an involved
conversation about the origins of the
Messianic hope and the meaning of
2 Samuel 7—where God promises
David an eternal kingship. I told him
that either Jesus is Messiah, or God’s
promise to David has failed (since we
do not know with any certainty who is
of the line of David anymore). I
pointed out that this is why the Gospel
of Matthew gives Jesus’ genealogy
and calls him the Son of David—the
Son of Abraham.
As I continued to speak to Mitch, I
found out that he had met others from
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• For the group’s schedule to fill
up with many opportunities for
evangelistic outreaches, as well
as opportunities to share their
message with believers who will
catch our vision
• For health and safety as they travel
• For the salvation of unsaved family
members and friends
• For good relationships within the
team and quick resolution of any
conflicts so that the gospel can go
forth unhindered
• That “honoring one another above
ourselves” (Romans 12:10) would
be the hallmark of our group
Postscript: A big thank you to all who
either served as members or stood
with the Liberated Wailing Wall in
past years. While that historic
chapter of our music ministry has
come to an end, those who took part
continue to be an inspiration. As Blue
Mosaic picks up the baton to run this
leg of the race, may they be blessed
and be a blessing, as their
predecessors were.
Getting a Faith Lift
Editor: Thanks to those of you who have responded with so much enthusiasm to the
excerpts from Moishe’s yet-to-be-published biography. I’m encouraged that so many
are looking forward to reading the book (as I write this, I’m on the very last chapter).
I’ve received many other beautiful notes saying how much that Moishe’s Musings
will be missed. This month, I thought we’d take a break from the book previews
because I wanted to share the following recently discovered (I believe never-beforepublished) nugget that Moishe wrote, probably in the early- to mid-seventies.
ast Monday, Ceil bought me a
plastic kite. You know, I have a lot
of the same problems as
Charlie Brown. One of my problems
is that I have never been able to get a
kite to fly. We went to Golden Gate
Park and put the kite together
according to the instructions. The kite
was the shape of a sting-ray and had
big fearsome eyes. The eyes we
didn’t put on, because we wanted it to
be a friendly kite. I hooked it up to
my fishing reel and half of a fishing
pole and I ran; and as I ran, the kite
went up. But the field on which I was
running wasn’t quite long enough,
and when I stopped running the kite
fell down.
L
I think some of us have souls like a
kite. As long as we keep running, it’ll
stay up, but in a world as crowded as
ours, it’s hard to keep running all the
time because we don’t have any place
to run to. Jesus says that the Spirit of
God is like the wind (John 3:8). When
that Spirit takes hold of our kite soul,
then we get a lift and we go high as
long as we stay anchored and keep a
tight connection. That’s another thing
I learned about kite flying. The line
has to be taut; otherwise, it can’t go
up. But He’ll lift us as high as our
cord will let us go. I hope you’re
getting a lift out of Jesus.
Anyway, I took the kite down to the
beach. There’s always a breeze there. I
didn’t even have to run; I just let go,
and the kite flew to the sun. I couldn’t
look at it, but I knew it was up there
because I could feel the tension on the
cord. Several times it dipped or dived,
but always the wind picked it up
again. It scared some of the seagulls,
but the kids who were lying on the
beach on this almost-warm day didn’t
pay much attention. I guess they’re
used to seeing grown men and their
wives flying kites.
I tried to reel the kite in, but the
monofilament cord snapped. The kite
went sailing across the Great
Highway; and when we got to the top
of the bluff overlooking the beach, the
kite was nowhere to be seen. But in
the sunlight, that thin strand of
monofilament line glistened and I
followed it. Even though the kite had
gone a fourth of a mile, it went over
the highway and came down intact.
I guess that the beach is the place to
go if you want to fly a kite; but I’ll
remember to bring enough cord that’s
both thick enough and long enough,
because somehow I know that kite
could have gone much, much higher
than my limited cord let it go. It’s like
that with the things of God too. If you
want to rise and go high, you‘ve got
to go to the place where you know the
Spirit is moving, and you’ve got to
have cord that’s stout enough and
long enough to see what your soul
kite can do. Like I say, I hope you get
a lift out of Jesus.
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Please pray for:
Our New York branch as
they hand out broadsides to
massive numbers of people
at the Macy’s Thanksgiving
Day Parade
Our missionaries around the
world who will be stepping up
street evangelism in
downtown shopping areas
where so many people
congregate at this time of year
Blue Mosaic, our new mobile
evangelistic music team (p. 4-6)
God to provide just the right
publisher for Moishe’s
biography, and that the book
will be widely read to the
glory of God
God’s comfort for several staff
members who have lost loved
ones in the past few months
God’s blessing on weddings
and births that have taken
place in recent months, as
well as upcoming weddings
and births
Our continued investment in
the next generation of Jews
for Jesus, that God will
continue to grow them and
guide them
Salvation for Ruth and
Jonathan (Montreal); fruitful
ministry to the Jewish group
Stephen was invited to address
(Geneva); salvation for Dean
(London) and salvation for
Ami and Ester (Israel) (p. 8)
London
Yoel Ben David reports: “While Adel and I were househunting in Stanmore, North London, I stopped for lunch at a
local establishment wearing my Jews for Jesus shirt. Before
the food had been brought to the table, a Jewish man named
Dean approached to ask me what we were all about because
he had seen my shirt! One hour (and a plate of chips) later,
Dean had heard the gospel and was ready to meet again to
discuss it further. Please pray for Dean’s salvation.”
Montreal
Karl deSouza reports: “We are still seeing fruit from
the Yiddish Jesus video we mailed into the Montreal
ultra-Orthodox community in 2007. A Jewish woman
named Ruth* recently called the branch, and I met with
her and her husband in downtown Montreal. They had
both been born into Hassidic families, but the husband,
Jonathan,* is more of a free thinker. He kept telling
me that his community was missing something. They
watched our Yiddish Jesus film and another video about
Jesus, then they looked us up on the Internet. They also
read some of the New Testament, though the language
was difficult for them. (They speak basic English but
Yiddish is their first language.) Finally they
made the phone call to talk in person.
They are very open to getting a
Yiddish New Testament. They
are also open to contact from
a Messianic congregation.”
Israel
Oded Cohen reports, “I called Ami* to see if he received the
Y’shua book we had sent. He not only had received it but
also thanked me, and asked many questions about our
faith and what it means to believe in Jesus.
Ami works at a hostel with Christian
volunteers who attend Messianic
congregations on the Sabbath. This
made him curious. He also watched
a video propaganda piece about a
rabbi who convinced a struggling
You’re not
new Israeli believer to abandon
foolin’ anyone!
his faith. However, Ami didn’t
know the rest of the story—
that this new believer had
returned to his faith in Jesus. I
sent him the whole story and it
reaffirmed his seeking heart. I
also encouraged Ami to seek
the truth for himself by
examining what God says.
from the
s
t
i
B
Geneva, Switzerland
Stephen Pacht reports:
“I recently had one of
the most exciting times
of my 20-plus years as a
missionary, thanks to a
wonderful Christian
couple who have been
attending a monthly
gathering of Jewish people
in a private home near
Geneva. They have been part
of this group for five years, as
the only Christians in attendance.
The host had been drawn to them
because of their love for Israel and
warmth towards Jewish people.
Ami is so open; he is searching the
Scriptures daily, and e-mailing me many
excellent questions. Please pray for Ami to
come to a saving knowledge of our Lord.”
Bimini Cohen (Oded’s wife) reports, “I called Ester, who
said she didn’t have time to read the Y’shua book we sent,
or to meet with me, as she was too busy seeking work. I
asked if I could pray for her over the phone and she gladly
agreed. Right after I prayed for her, she said, ‘Could we get
together?’ So we met that week and I shared with her how I
came to know Jesus as my Messiah and Savior, and how He
healed my broken heart. Tears filled her eyes as she shared
some of her disappointments and struggles. I called the
following week, and she said, ‘I need to see you.’ When we
met, I was so surprised to see a lightness in her face and a
sparkle in her eyes. She is asking God for provision as well
as help with understanding the Scriptures we are studying
together. Please pray for the Lord to meet every need in her
life with His tender care and free gift of salvation.”
“Thanks to the witness of this couple, the themes have
become more spiritual and over the last year they have
been asked to speak twice, once on ‘Why the Jews said
no to Jesus’ and another talk on the difference between
Judaism and Christianity. And I was invited to attend
as well.
“On the night I attended, after the guest speaker had
given his talk, the host asked me to introduce myself,
my faith and Jews for Jesus. He then invited questions.
He then asked if I would be the guest speaker at a
subsequent gathering! I sensed in him and others a real
yearning for spiritual truth. Please pray for God’s
continued work in this group.”
*Not their real names
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