Monday, September 11th
4 gift sets, 1 Brit Chadashah were given.
Two teams were out this evening.
First Report:
A man received the set and when he saw the New Testament, he said that a friend from the protestant religion had long ago given him a bible and he had begun to read from Genesis but stopped. He asked them if they were Jewish and what Judaism and orthodoxy was because he was not religious. A team member answered that orthodoxy is about being a rabbinical Jew following traditions and the Oral Law while she considered herself a biblical Jew who followed the true Word of God from the Tanakh and the Brit Chadashah. She also explained that she believed that the Messiah had already come and would return to reign in Jerusalem. They spoke at length about the blood atonement, and he replied that the conversation had touched his conscience and heart. He was given a card besides the Book of Life pamphlet and encouraged to go online and listen to the messages. They stressed that it was important to come to faith, have a personal relationship with Yeshua and be saved by God’s grace as we do not know when our last day will be. They referred to the disaster in Morocco as an example. He was very touched and asked for their names and repeated that he was touched in the heart.
Another set was given to a woman who was taking care of her mother in her home. She stated she was not religious and had never read the scriptures. She was encouraged to read and shown the bookmark with the list of scriptures that pointed to the atonement through the Messiah. It was suggested that she read these scriptures to her mother who is 88 and to listen to the radio and internet as indicated on the contact information. She was very thankful for the gift.
The team approached a young man of 27 years old who was sitting at a table in the garage of a relative’s home. He explained that he was visiting from Be’er Sheva, Israel but was from Moroccan heritage. He kept asking the team to go to the front door to speak to the owners, but the team was led to speak with him. Finally, when he understood that he was being offered a gift set for himself he said he already had the Tanakh but when offered the Brit Chadashah, he said, “Oh, wow!” They spoke to him for about 20 minutes regarding Yeshua being the Messiah, as the One Who can make him righteous and that Yeshua will come back and reign in Jerusalem. He was interested in learning more about the Messiah and offered his phone number so that the pastor could reach him. As well he took the contact card with the websites where he could listen to the messages. One of the team members had a strong feeling in her heart that he is close to receiving salvation and so they ask for prayer specifically for him.
A set was given to a man and asked if he ever had read Isaiah 53 and he said he had. They asked him what he thought, and he answered, “It is very cool”. When given the Brit Chadashah he also said, “Oh wow!” and received it.
At the las door, a woman took the gift set as well.
Praise God for a wonderful evening.
Second Report:
A team of two encountered a variety of responses at the doors on a couple of streets. Two full sets, three Tanakhs, and over a dozen holiday tracts (for the traditional Jewish New Year) along with prophecy bookmarks were given.
At the first two homes, the person answering immediately shut the door before anything was even said. At some other doors, they refused to take anything, saying, “We’re religious.”
At several other doors, those responding said they didn’t want any books since they “already had all the books” but accepted messianic prophecy bookmarks and a tract for the Jewish holidays. One man was not upset that there was a messianic Jewish member and a Gentile at the door, saying, “To each his own.” He took literature, but no books.
At one door, a man asked right away if we had the Old Testament or the New Testament. One of the team members said that he could call it an Old Testament, but that in shul (synagogue), it was called the Holy Scriptures. He accepted one, along with the Book of Life tract. The New Testament was not offered, but he thanked us for what he did receive.
At another door, the man accused the team of being from a particular cult. We replied by saying the Tanakh was “kosher” and that we did not belong to that cult. He asked the name of the congregation and seemed to accept the reply. Once again, we did not offer a Brit Chadashah, but he thanked us for the Book of Life tract and the Tanakh with the messianic prophecy bookmark and wished us a good holiday.
Another man was in mourning for his sister, so we offered to pray for him. He gave us his Hebrew name for our prayers and gratefully accepted a Tanakh and the holiday tract.
Another man repeatedly said he was closely associated with a certain rabbi. Still, he accepted a Brit Chadashah and Tanakh from the team. The Isaiah 53 leaflet with Talmudic commentary was given as a gift for the rabbi, which he gladly took.
Finally, at the last home for the evening, the team spoke to a woman who had attended Jewish schools growing up. Even though she thought she had a Tanakh somewhere, we gave her another one with the messianic prophecy bookmark, along with the small Jewish book of 2nd Temple literature, the Brit Chadashah. We also spoke about the importance of knowing prophecy. She wished us a good holiday and thanked us for what we gave her. It was a wonderful way to end the evening.
Thank you for your continued prayers, especially at this crucial time when Jews choose to focus on their personal sins and forgiveness. The next three weeks are usually a great time to speak about atonement, and Jewish people are more open to receiving the Scriptures. Let’s long for the “last trump” to sound soon.