Wednesday, May 1st
A team of two were out at a mall on a rainy day when they approached a woman who spoke little to no French or English. She asked the team if they spoke Hebrew to which one team member said she was Jewish but did not speak Hebrew. They told her they had a gift and to wait while the team member went to retrieve a set in Hebrew from the car. She was very thankful. They found out that she was from Israel but had family in Montreal. She took the comfort card only because of the language barrier and smiling, thanked the ladies.
They approached a man who was leaving his car and were able to hand him the scriptures. He received the set with gratitude.
Then they met a woman and gave her an anti-Semitism pamphlet. She insisted that they go to those who were not for Israel. The team replied that they were there to bring comfort and the scriptures to the Jewish community and did not go to those who are opposed to Israel and therefore opposed to God. They spoke about the eternal hatred towards Israel as noted in the Hebrew Scriptures as well as the persecution, giving the example that even in Moses’ time they wanted to kill the male infants. They told her that such persecution stemmed from the fact that the Word was given to the Jewish nation and that the Messiah would come from that nation. They told the woman that the Messiah was coming back soon. It was then when she took the Tanakh and wanted the Brit because she did not have it. They told her about the importance of reading the Word and referred her to Psalm 83 and how God knows everything going on, even with this war in Gaza with Hamas. They quoted a verse which says that God has placed His Word above His name and that His Word would be accomplished. They also offered the verse where Moses said that, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Deut.8:3). They encouraged her to read the Word and she agreed with them. She encouraged them to go into the Jewish community to spread this Word. It was a touching encounter.
A member approached an elegantly dressed woman sitting in her car and gave her the anti-Semitism pamphlet and comfort card. She spoke to her regarding the faithfulness of God to Israel when the second team member approached them. This member spoke of the situation in Israel to which the woman said she was very upset about the events and concerned for her grandchildren. She said she wanted to teach them as they were influenced by the things of this world. She took the set at this point and was grateful. She was shown the bookmark and was encouraged to read about the prophesies in Isaiah 53, that there was only one Messiah and how only He can remove sin and make man righteous before God. They showed her how to recognize the Messiah and how He was born in Bethlehem as foretold in Michah 5:2, and how the remnant will come to the Messiah in Zechariah 12:10. They told her that Yeshua was the Messiah and that He fulfilled the prophesy about His first coming. Giving her the Beth Arial card to listen to the messages on the radio and internet, they reminded her that she was precious in God’s sight and to keep her eyes on the promises of God and to return to the Word and to remember that Israel is the apple of God’s eye. She thanked them for their kindness and had a big smile for them.
A pamphlet was given to a woman who refused saying, “Everyone is after us!” A call must have gone out because two security cars came by and so the team decided to leave and go to another mall. At this new site, no sets were given out but there were some amazing conversations.
A comfort card and pamphlet were given to a young woman with a child, and they were able to speak with her about the situation in Israel and of the prophetic promises of God. As they left her, she called them back and told them that it was great what they were doing.
They then met a Jewish believer who had accepted Yeshua about 8 years ago, following a surgery he had. He said he already had a bible. He spoke about his personal life and took the contact card. A long conversation ensued, and he said he would like to attend the congregation on Saturday and confessed that he wanted to cry and gave each member a hug. They said they hoped to see him soon.
A woman walked by the team and said that she knew them. She said that her family donates to the Jewish community and spoke a bit about her personal life. She shared that she had a friend who was part of the Jews for Jesus ministry who had previously urged her to come to Yeshua. The team then had a long conversation with her, and she said she would look at the literature. She was encouraged to listen to the teachings on the Beth Ariel website and then before departing she said she had some prayer concerns and would they be able to pray for her, as well as for her coming to Yeshua. They quoted Daniel where it is said that some will go to everlasting life and some to everlasting contempt. They reassured her that if she received Yeshua she would be reconciled to God and the Ruah HaKodesh would dwell in her. They shared that being born again was not by the will of man but by the will of God and said that God was calling her. A team member prayed again for her that the hand of God would be upon her. She did not receive the set as she already had a bible which she constantly read so they encouraged her to go on the internet and come to Beth Ariel.
The team said that it was an amazing outing, and how the atmosphere is changing in the Jewish community and that there is a need for them to be
comforted. They said they see a great thirst for more knowledge within the Jewish community. They saw how they were appreciated by the people and were so thankful. They give all the glory to God.
Friday, May 3rd
2 French sets, 1 French Tanakh and 1 French Brit Chadashah was given.
A team of two were at a shopping mall where they gave a set to a Jewish man who first received the anti-Semitism pamphlet and comfort card. They told the man that they had a gift for him, but he declined. However, once seeing the Tanakh and its quality, he took the set. They had a 10-15 minute conversation with him and spoke about Israel, sin and Isaiah 53. His wife was waiting for him at the grocery store door, so he thanked them and departed.
A set, as well as all the literature was given to a woman from Morocco. They spoke at length about Israel and how God knows everything. They spoke about sin and how it separates man from God. Posing the question, “What do you think separates us from God?” the woman did not have an answer. They then spoke about the fall of man and his redemption through the Messiah, referring to the prophesy in Genesis 3:15. The woman said she had studied the Talmud in school to which the team insisted that she read the Word of God as the Talmud was man’s word and to stick to the scriptures. They encouraged her to read Isaiah 53. They spoke to her about the Jewish people today who are the remnant, that they are those who believe the scriptures and believe in the Messiah of the scriptures (Yeshua). They told her that her soul would not die and referred to Daniel where it says the soul will go to either everlasting life or condemnation and that even if the nation was as numerous as the sands of the sea, only a remnant would be saved. She took the contact card and was very grateful.
An Orthodox man refused the comfort card so he was asked if he had a Tanakh and as he already had one, they gave him the Isaiah 53 leaflet and a bookmark on the prophesies of the Messiah. He took those and although he was a religious man, the team was surprised when they turned around to see him reading the literature.
The team approached a car that had a Jesus sign on it, and was curious as to who was driving. A Filipino woman told then that she attended a church on the West Island. They in turn gave her the Beth Ariel card and the Filipino woman mentioned that they had two Jewish believers who attended their church. The team then offered two anti-Semitism pamphlets and two comfort cards to share with them as well as the contact cards.
Next, the team encountered a couple and had a long conversation about Yeshua and the Word. They gave them the comfort card as they were attentive and listened well to their conversation. They were also given the contact card.
The team noticed a man wearing a kippa as they were walking. He was on the phone and gestured with his hand “later, later”. They did see him later and offered him the literature which he took plus a Tanakh. He was humble and gentle as they spoke and conversed about Israel and about Yeshua being the Messiah. They told him that only the Messiah could remove man’s sins. The team quoted from Isaiah where it states even though man’s sins were as red as scarlet, they can be washed white as snow. They continued that no words could help man to reach God and only God could provide a Kapparah” (covering) for sins. They told him that only a minority would believe in the truth of God and that if man could read the scriptures in the Tanakh, he would see that even the prophets such as Jeremiah and Isaiah were persecuted and killed. They gave the example of Elijah who thought he was the only believer, but God had told him that he had reserved a remnant who had not bowed down to Baal. This remnant will be saved. The man agreed with this, and they told him not to fear what man says but what God says and that he should not be pressured by the community. To this, the man said that he was not influenced, nor did he fear man. It was then when he told them that he was a rabbi! They gave him the business card and encouraged him to seek the truth and to call and speak with their pastor. As they parted, the team realized they had not offered the Brit to him, so they knocked on his window. He said he had the New Testament which he read many years ago. The team was touched and had to return to their car to pray as they had such a burning in their hearts from this encounter.
While they were still in the car, they saw a young man wearing a kippa and he was wearing tzitzit (prayer shawl fringes). They approached him and gave him the anti-Semitism pamphlet and comfort card. They had a long conversation with him for about 10-15 minutes. He was attentive but on his guard concerning passerby’s, turning his head from one side to the other. They spoke about the Messiah and asked if he would be able to recognize Him if he came. His response to their question was, “There would be peace everywhere and everybody would see the Messiah”. They then offered the Isaiah 53 leaflet and told him it was the passage about the Messiah. They told him that they believed He had already come and would come back and reign in Jerusalem in the Messianic Times and deliver Jerusalem from persecution. They told him it was important to be reconciled with God as sin separates man from Him. They spoke of the fact that only the Messiah could cleanse man of his sins and make him tsadik (justified). He had questions for the team about peace to which they told him that there would be a false covenant signed by a political leader for 7 years and that many would believe in this false Messiah. They pointed him to the prophesies written on the bookmark and written in the Tanakh and Brit Chadashah. They spoke to him about the construction of the 3rd temple and the Dome of the Rock being nearby but that would not be the temple of the Messianic times. They told him it was important to read the scriptures which were the true word of God, unlike the Talmud and Zohar which were written by man. A team member said that the Yeshua they follow was not the Yeshua of the Catholic Church who persecuted the Jewish people, as those churches want to take the place of Israel. The young man took the set and then asked, “How do you know it is the truth?” to which one member said it was not a sudden decision for her but that she was confronted by her sin and once she read the scriptures, she understood God’s grace of forgiveness, through Yeshua and that her eyes were opened to the truth by the Ruah Ha Kodesh.
The team praised God for the wonderful conversations and how they felt His presence with them.
Door to Door : Monday, May 6th
3 sets and 1 Tanakh were handed out.
On the first street of that evening, they did not find any Mezuzahs on the doors and the second street was very religious with very few answering the door.
The first set was given to a woman who only had the Torah. She had never read the Psalms or the prophets, so she did not know of the prophesies about the Messiah. They gave her the Tanakh and encouraged her to read the Psalms where there were many prophesies about the Messiah. They also gave her the bookmark and the Isaiah 53 leaflet. She was very thankful.
They continued down that street, but many did not answer their doors. However they went to a house where they met a man who did not believe in the scriptures and spoke of Rabbi Maimonides to which the team mentioned that in Deut. 18 it talks of false prophets and warns that if the prophesy does not come to pass, he is not a prophet and there should not be any fellowship with him. The man then asked, “How do you know that the Tanakh is true?” Their response was that many of the prophesies in the Tanakh were fulfilled, validating this book. They continued to speak to him for awhile, but they saw he was not convinced and so gave him a contact card so that he could listen to the messages on the radio and internet.
They then went into an area that was very religious. There was a woman sitting on her balcony with her son. Her daughters were playing on the street. She refused the Tanakh and literature, however as they were walking, they met a woman walking toward them and offered her the Tanakh. Her reply was, “You are missionaries, you should not be here; you should not be in this Jewish quarter, you should stop and not be in this area”. One of the team members said that she was Jewish and believed in the Holy Scripture and the Tanakh and that was why they were giving out the scriptures. She continued to follow them saying they should not be in this area. The team called the pastor and were encouraged to continue, so they did.
Soon after, they spoke with a gentle, elderly man who had the Tanakh and Brit. They spoke about Isaiah 53 and how the Messiah could make him tsadik because no words from man could save him. They told him they believed that there was only one Messiah and encouraged him to read the leaflet they gave him. They offered the bookmark as well and mentioned that they believed that the Messiah had already come and would be returning.
Another set was given to a woman who received the Isaiah 53 leaflet and the bookmark. She was grateful.
At another door, a young man received the set, and they told him that he could read how the prophesies of the Messiah were there and how they believed that He had already come fulfilling that prophesy and that He would return to reign in Jerusalem. The young man was on his way to his grandmother’s house, so they encouraged him to read the scriptures. He mentioned that their family was not religious, and they replied that it was not about a religion but about a relationship with God. The team asked him what he thought separated him from God. They told the young man that sin separated man and spoke to him of the fall of Adam and Eve and quoted Psalm 51 where it says David said, “in sin my mother conceived me and that we have a sinful nature”. He was told that only the Messiah could make one righteous and not good works. The conversation was a blessing, and he was touched in his heart when he received the scriptures.
The last set was given to a woman who was going to do a marathon, so the team encouraged her. She took the set and business card. She was thankful.
The team mentioned at every door that the comfort card was given in light of Holocaust Remembrance Day and what was happening today, so they hoped it would comfort the people. They thanked God for the doors that opened, and that the opposition was stopped. They were thankful for the encouragement from their pastor and to all those who prayed for them.