For the first time that day, we used business size contact cards with information on Beth Ariel services, radio, and internet programming. We spoke to some more religious women during our outreach that day. It was easy to say to them, “You listen to the radio, right?” All of them said they did, so we quickly offered them a card with the call letters and times for the shows, which they readily took.
Montreal
Thursday December 16
Two teams went to distribute literature on a beautiful sunny day that broke maximum temperature records. We were so happy to be out! Here is the report from the first team:
A team member came alongside a man whose adopted father was Jewish and asked him if he would like a gift explaining about Hashem. He said, “Definitely!” He said his parents were of European decent and although he was brought up Protestant, he spent seven months working in a kibbutz and lived for some time in Israel. He had been longing for fellowship and was happy to hear about our Messianic congregation. After calling the Ariel office he came to the Shabbat service two days later.
Shortly after that encounter, a middle-aged woman confessed that she did not have a Tanakh and peering into the gift bag, she asked if she could take the full set! Along with the pamphlet she left saying over and over, “Thank you very much!”
For the first time that day, we used business size contact cards with information on Beth Ariel services, radio, and internet programming. We spoke to some more religious women during our outreach that day. It was easy to say to them, “You listen to the radio, right?” All of them said they did, so we quickly offered them a card with the call letters and times for the shows, which they readily took. One of them immediately recognized one of the two radio stations as being Radio Shalom, which has some Jewish programming. It was obvious they felt comfortable knowing our show was on that station.
Another young religious woman said no Temple or blood sacrifice were required now, that it was only in the past, quoting the Talmud which says that all Israel (Jewish people) will inherit eternal life. She practices kapparot each Yom Kippur, though, killing a chicken after saying a prayer to “transfer her sins” onto it. We pointed out some examples of severe divine judgement like with the sons of Korah and the 3,000 who were judged at the time of the golden calf at Mt. Sinai. We used Daniel 12:2 to explain that some Jewish people will not go to heaven. She took some printed literature, although her friend warned her that we were missionaries.
When we offered a young religious woman a pamphlet, she said she was not much of a reader, to which we quickly asked if she listened to the radio. She said she did and happily took the contact card. It looks like this tool will be very useful, indeed.
An older French speaking Sephardic woman was very pleased to receive a Brit Chadeshah from us, as well as other literature. She took the English prophecy bookmark after we showed how easy it would be to locate the verses in her Tanakh at home. She said it was so timely to have met us that day, saying it was God who had directed it all.
Another woman said, “I am Jewish, but it’s not my lifestyle.” Yet another just said she had no time to read anything and hurried past.
An older French Jewish man said he had just been reading about King David and asked us a question about an event from his life. He was quite happy to receive a full set from us, and repeatedly thanked us, saying he would begin to read the Brit Chadeshah.
A middle-aged man happily received a full set in English, saying he didn’t have a Tanakh at home. He took our Isaiah 53 leaflet, bookmark, and anti-Semitism pamphlet, too. He found it so nice to be able to put everything into the gift bag into which we placed the Scriptures.
Just as we were preparing to leave, a woman walked up right next to where we were standing because her car was there. We immediately struck up a conversation with her and she told us she was fairly traditional, but not religious. Still, she wanted a Brit Chadeshah after taking our pamphlet on anti-Semitism. She said she would like to read from it and liked the book’s small size.
In total, we gave out four sets, two Brit Chadeshahs, 32 pamphlets, eight bookmarks, and around ten contact cards. Praise God for answering our prayers that those He wanted to receive literature that day, did so with thanksgiving.
The second team reported:
We gave out 44 anti-Semitism pamphlets, about 25 of which were given to Gentiles, asking them to pray for the peace of Jerusalem. Three sets were given out.
The first set was given to a woman who also took the Isaiah 53 leaflet when we explained some of it to her. We explained anti-Semitism would only end when Messiah returns. We also shared about how important it was to identify the Messiah now, because Daniel 12:2 tells us there are two eternal outcomes at the final judgement.
Another set was given to a woman after telling her about the plan of redemption. We started in Genesis and explained how the Messiah offered a sacrifice for her sins. We read part of Isaiah 53 with her, as well. She was interested to learn how to listen to the messages from the Saturday services on the Internet.
A third woman took a full set, and although taken aback at first when seeing the Brit Chadeshah, she was happy to have one. We told her we believed Yeshua was the one Messiah who already came and was coming again, which she would clearly see in the Jewish book explaining about His life. We spoke of Messiah’s resurrection from Psalm 16, and also shared from Psalm 110:1 on the two “Lords” mentioned there.
Sunday December 19
Two teams went to a new commercial area for the outreach, our hands filled to overflowing with 150 brand new Christmas tracts to share with Gentiles*. We rapidly gave out all of them, despite the very cold weather.
Along with “Happy Holidays!”, we immediately asked, “Would you like a gift Bible?” In this way, we gave out nine English and five French paperback Bibles we had just purchased for non-Jewish people.
One young man took one and sweetly said how he really wanted to give it as a gift to his mother. We reassured him that he could have one, too. Another woman also asked for two, so she could give one to someone else.
Just as we ran out of tracts, a young woman who worked for the security department gently told us we needed to both have permission and to first pay for the privilege to hand out free items. When we offered her a Bible for herself, she readily grinned and quickly stuffed one in her back pocket before waving goodbye to us, wishing us “Merry Christmas!” She said she hoped to see us again.
We plan to go out a total of four times in this week before Christmas. Please continue to pray for open hands and hearts to the words of the Lord as we seek the lost for Messiah, who not only was born, but died and rose again for their salvation. We wish you a joyous and meaningful celebration of the miraculous incarnation.
*As a ministry to the Jewish people, we had a purpose in handing out these Christmas “Jewish oriented ” pamphlets. Our primary purpose in evangelism is to reach the lost with the Word of God, whether Jew or Gentile. So, the focus of the pamphlet is on salvation. But, we also wanted Gentiles to understand the roots of the Christian faith, that Jews played an instrumental role in its formation (Salvation is of the Jew, John 4) and that Israel’s continued existence is based on the unbreakable promise and faithfulness of God to her. In this approach, we hope that both Gentiles and Jews can be reached.