Sunday, March 23rd
1 English Tanakh and 1 French Brit Chadashah were given.
A team of two ladies were out at a small local shopping mall that is frequented by the Jewish community as well as other ethnic groups. The first person they met was a woman who was out walking her dog. They chatted for a few moments and then offered her a free Tanakh. She asked them where they were from, where the Tanakh came from and if they were Jewish. One of the members replied that she was Jewish and Messianic, and that she believed Yeshua is the Messiah. Being offered the Brit Chadashah, the woman refused preferring to take the Tanakh only, saying she would give it to her son. They cautioned her to stay in the Tanakh as it is where God speaks.
Next, they approached a French speaking Jewish man and offered him a Tanakh, but he said he already had one. They told him they were Messianic and believed that the Messiah could remove his sins. They gave him the Isaiah 53 leaflet and pointed out that he could read how the Messiah could make him tsadik. He replied saying he could do a mitzvah and that would justify him, but they told him that man’s nature was sinful. They pointed to King David who wrote in Psalm 51, “In sin my mother conceived me”. They continued by speaking about Adam and Eve’s sin and told this man that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. They could see he was listening and so offering him a bookmark with messianic prophecies, they told him that many false prophets would appear and that it was important for him to know how to recognize the Messiah. They presented the Brit Chadashah, and stressed that it was important for him to verify things for himself and not rely on man for decisions concerning his soul. He took the Brit and the bookmark. There was a man dressed in religious clothing who was watching them from his car, so the team decided to leave and go to another mall.
The team arrived at their next spot and immediately saw a car with a Christian fish symbol on it. They took this as an encouragement from the Lord and so they parked their car. Here, they gave out many pamphlets but decided to move on to another shopping mall as it was quiet there.
At this new mall, they had a long conversation with a man who said he had elderly parents and at one point he asked them why they were spending time with him as they could be sharing the word with others. They told him that God was calling him to be reconciled and that was why they were with him. At this, the man appeared to have tears and said he was not religious. They told him that sin separated man from God and that it was important for him to know where his soul would go, and he replied that he did not care where he would go. Asking him why he said that, he told them that his parents had one foot in the grave. They told him that he could come to the Messiah and by God’s grace and the man’s faith, he could be saved. However, the topic changed to Israel and the situation there and they assured him that the promises of God would come to pass, and that the Messiah was coming soon. They gave him the contact card and offered him the set again and he took it. They told him they would pray for him and encouraged him to go online. Having accepted the contact card, they told him he could listen to the pastor’s teachings. At one point he said, “God is not doing such a great job”, so they told him about the Amalekites and how God was patient with them but at one point the judgment needed to come upon them. One member mentioned that God did not want any to perish but for all to come to know Him. The man was greatly encouraged as they said goodbye.
Next, they had a fast conversation with a woman who wanted a set but said she had a bible and they assured her that both books were the same. Then they offered her the Beth Ariel contact card. She was also invited to the congregation. The team was thankful for the prayers offered and praised God for His protection.
Thursday, March 27th
There were two teams out on this beautiful, sunny day.
Report from Team #1
1 Bible was given.
On this day, a team was made up of a regular member and a new observer interested in doing Jewish outreach. They first met a man who received an English bible, and they spoke with for about twenty-five minutes. They spoke about sin and explained that the righteousness through Jesus was the only way to salvation. The man told them that he thought the Jews were responsible for the death of Yeshua, but the member told him that every man on earth has sin and falls short of the glory of God and how the Scriptures say that all mankind is responsible for the Lord’s crucifixion. It was a good conversation, and he was touched, putting his hand to his heart as he left. The team prayed that he would listen to the teachings on the radio and internet. They also invited him to visit the congregation.
Report from Team #2
3 sets and 2 Tanakh were given.
This team consisted of one woman and one man. The first set was given to a couple who had just come from the Jewish General Hospital where the husband received good news that he had been cleared of his cancer and said that he was doing well. The team asked them if they celebrated Passover, and the woman told the team that she had Jewish friends and accepted a set on their behalf. She told the team that she had just received a prayer text from a friend, and she mentioned the name to the team. One of the team members confided that it was a friend of hers and the woman was astonished by this and said how marvellously God orchestrates man’s encounters. The team spoke about Yeshua being the Messiah and related the Jewish viewpoint to them. They took the Beth Ariel contact card and had a time of prayer with the team. The couple was very encouraged as they left.
Two young Jewish ladies, each over the age of 18 took a Tanakh from the team and commented on how surprised they were by this generosity. They listened while the team spoke about being Messianic and believing in Yeshua as their Messiah. They were offered the Brit but took the Tanakh only and were very appreciative.
They then encountered a Jewish man who was surprised by this lovely gift. They mentioned that they were Messianic believers in Yeshua the Messiah and showed him the bookmark that had been placed in his Tanakh where it opened up to Isaiah 53. Directing them to the verses they told him that these verses described the Messiah’s coming. They then turned the book mark over pointing to the verses that spoke of the fulfilment of His coming. They offered the Brit Chadashah, but he was only interested in the Tanakh. He took the contact card from them as well.
The team then met a French speaking Moroccan Jewish lady who said she was with Chabad. She thankfully took the entire set after being shown the pamphlet and other literature. She was informed that the team was Messianic and believed Yeshua was the Messiah. They slowly shared the Jewish viewpoint with her. She was given the contact card and told that their teacher (rabbi) was from Casablanca and having studied the Messianic prophecies, concluded that Yeshua was the Messiah. They told her how some of the first century rabbis believed that Yeshua was indeed the Messiah and hearing this she took the set for her son and was then offered a set for herself which she happily received.
At this point the teams went to another mall and gave out many pamphlets. One team encountered a man standing in the cold without a coat on. He asked them if they wanted to talk with him but the manner in which he spoke caused them to be suspicious and so they decided to go and find the other team who were also at that same mall. Discussing the situation with the other team and seeing a security car that had arrived, they decided to pray and leave.
This ended their day, and the teams were grateful that they had had many conversations and spoke of Yeshua to many. They thanked everyone who prayed for them and most of all, gave God the glory due Him.
Friday, March 28th
2 English sets and 1 Bible were given.
A team of two were out on this windy, cold and sunny day at a local shopping mall.
The first set was given to a couple who had a baby in a carriage. They found out later that the child was their first baby. When the couple was first approached, the team thought they were very religious, but the man was not wearing a kippa. They accepted the set humbly and the team was able to share about the Messiah and His first coming and how many of the prophecies concerning Him were fulfilled in the Brit Chadashah. They told the couple that the Messiah had come and that He would return to rule and reign in Jerusalem. The young man said that he could read Hebrew so they suggested that he read Isaiah 53 as it foretold how the Messiah would make man tsadik. He understood that the mitzvah was not the way one could approach God and so they shared what God had provided for reconciliation. They were given the Isaiah 53 leaflet. The team told the young man that the word had been distorted through false teaching but that the true Messiah mentioned in the Tanakh and Brit Chadashah had come as foretold. The young couple was very thankful for the beautiful gift.
They met a woman who was a Christian, but her husband was Jewish. She took the set from the team, and they told her that there was only one way to God and that was through Yeshua, Jesus. They asked her if her husband believed in Jesus and she said she was not sure. She was given the Beth Ariel contact card where she could find the website and listen to the messages.
They met a man with his wife and young child and were told that they were Muslim. The team spoke to them about the bible and how it said that Jesus was the Son of God and that He was divine as written in Isaiah 9:6. They spoke to them about sin and how it separated man from God. They asked what sin was and said they understood the team’s explanation and realized that they were sinners. They were offered a bible, and they received it as well as the Beth Ariel contact card. They were shown the links to the Beth Ariel website and to Radio Shalom and told them they could listen to the pastor’s teachings there. They were thankful.
The team met a young man who was wearing a kippa and had a star of David neck chain. As they approached, he shared that he did not believe in religion and had his own personal relationship with God. He explained this position and how he imagined God was. He said that he did not trust books or religion, so they told him that God wanted to have a relationship with him and have his heart. He said that he knew they were Messianic and received the Passover pamphlet and comfort card. One of the team members noticed a religious man dressed in Orthodox attire watching them from a distance, but they continued their conversation despite the man staring at them. They spoke about Israel, the situation there and the love of God. They also mentioned how the Word of God came through the Jewish nation. The older Orthodox man began to call out to the young man, but the team could not understand what he had said, but the young man called back to him saying, “I am allowed to speak to them and hear what they have to say”, in a firm but respectful tone. Just then, a woman joined the older man so the team gave the young man the contact card and said that if he would seek God, He would reveal Himself to him. They parted ways and turning back they saw the young man speaking to the Orthodox man.
The team took that opportunity to have a break and went to a nearby restaurant but returned to the same place afterwards. They saw that the people at that mall were in a hurry as it was getting late in the day. Before they left, they had an encounter with two happy ladies who were speaking with someone in a car. Then a well-dressed Orthodox man came by and greeted them. With the Holy Spirit prompting them, the team greeted him and offered him a yellow commemorative pin in support of the hostages still in captivity. One member asked him, “Are you a rabbi?” and he replied that he was not, but that he was a businessman. The same team member gave him a small testimony of a prominent Jewish man she had worked for and how he had been so kind to her. The member then asked if he knew this man and he said, “Yes!”. They then reminisced together about this man. The team realized then that this orthodox man was well known in the community as shown by the familiarity with the two young ladies speaking to him earlier. The man took the Beth Ariel contact card but did not take the Scriptures, saying he had many at home. They told him that their rabbi/pastor came from Casablanca and perhaps he would enjoy listening these teachings on the website.
The team finished their day with the thought that only God is the one who multiplies and so they pray that many will come to Yeshua through Him. The team was grateful for the conversations and thankful for the number of pamphlets they handed out. They offered praise to God for His provision and protection.