A Wake Up Call

Recently, a friend of ours in Columbia, SC, had a conversation not soon to be forgotten.  As *John was talking with his unbelieving Jewish friend,*Dave, the topic of Messianic believers came up.  Dave asserted that he, “stays away from those Messianics because they’re always trying to get you saved,” but that he “doesn’t mind Christians because they leave Jewish people alone.”  John was taken aback by this comment and considered it an “indictment on Christians,” including himself.   It was stunning to him that Jewish people would generally think of Christians as unengaged when it comes to sharing the Gospel with them.

Although Dave doesn’t speak for all Jewish people, nor does his comment “paint all Christians with the same brush,” it points to a telling need.  Sadly, many Jewish people are not hearing the Good News directly from their Christian friends and acquaintances.

Word of Messiah Ministries is actively working to address this issue in several ways:

Equipping churches and Christians

We are continually training interested churches and individual Christians in ways to share their faith with Jewish people.  We want to encourage our family in Messiah with the wonderful news of how Jewish people around the world are coming to faith in Yeshua, and assist them in their outreach to Jewish people in their own communities.

Each week, Sam is invited to various churches across the country, where he speaks on topics such as, “Messiah in the Passover,” “Israel in Prophecy,” and “The Jewish Evangelism Seminar.”  After Sam spoke at his church, Pastor Lemmings of Grace Covenant Church in Cornelius, NC, remarked, “Every time Sam has ministered to our congregation, the people have been encouraged, equipped, and excited about serving Jesus.  Through Word of Messiah Ministries, we have also caught a new passion and burden for Jerusalem and the salvation of the Jewish people.”

We would love to serve your church in this way as well!  To invite Sam to your church, visit wordofmessiah.org or contact our office at 704-544-1948.

Providing Resources

We also provide books, DVD’s, free downloads, and video seminars in order for Christians to study deeper and be equipped to interact effectively and lovingly with Jewish friends and neighbors.  In our Shmooze letter each month, we strive to include articles and materials that will further equip you in your witness.  The Shmooze is meant to be shared with friends, pastors, and fellow church members in order to spread the word and further equip the Body in outreach to Jewish people.
Recently, Tim, a subscriber to the Shmooze letter, and non-Jewish member of one of the Messianic congregations we work with, had an opportunity to share one of our books, Messianic Wisdom, with a Jewish friend who is wrestling with what it means to be a believer in Yeshua while not forsaking his Jewish identity in order to share his faith with unbelieving family members.  Tim’s friend was grateful to receive teaching on these matters through the book and was very encouraged that a non-Jewish believer would reach out to him in this way.

Evangelism and Congregation Planting

Word of Messiah is actively doing evangelism and planting Messianic congregations in Jewish communities around the world as a testimony of God’s faithfulness in the Messiah to the Jewish people.  We support congregation planters and leaders and regularly hold congregation planting and leadership conferences in order to train and equip them in their ministry.  Please pray for our upcoming conference this October in San Antonio, Texas, as well as our conference in Phoenix, Arizona in January 2016.
Each of the congregations we help plant works alongside churches in their area to assist them in their witness.   As part of the Body of Messiah, we’re here to work with local churches in our shared calling to bring the Good News to Jewish people.

Sam recently had a conversation with a Jewish believer who attends a church.  Over lunch, this man shared that he will soon be going to his class reunion and would like to share his faith with Jewish friends who will be there, but doesn’t know how to start conversations with unsaved Jewish acquaintances.  Sam gave him several ideas for what to do, as well a copy of “The Messianic Answer Book” to help him in his witness, encouraging him in his role as a Jewish believer in Messiah.

Through healthy Messianic congregations, Jewish believers like Sam’s friend and Tim’s friend are discipled in what it means to live out a testimony of God’s faithfulness as present-tense Jewish believers in Messiah, as we see in the life of Paul (see Rom. 11:1, Acts 21:39) and many others throughout Scripture.   Non-Jewish believers are also discipled in such a way as to grow in effective witness to Jewish friends and neighbors.

We see this work moving forward in Columbia, SC, as the first Messianic congregation in the city is in the process of being planted.  Please pray for Lew and Debe Wayburn in their quest to disciple Messianic believers to share the Good News with Jew and Gentile alike through the planting of Hope of Israel Columbia Messianic Fellowship.  For more information about Hope of Israel Columbia, contact Lew at: HOI.Columbia@gmail.com.

It is vital for all believers in Yeshua to be discipled in such a way as to be able to communicate their faith to Jewish people.  As the Body of Messiah grows in this great calling, may it be never be said of any believer that they “leave Jewish people alone,” but rather that they make the Good News an unavoidable reality as they share the love of Messiah with unbelieving Jewish people.

*Names changed to protect the privacy of the individuals