May 2025

The Chosen People Newsletter

One of our staff was recently in Florida for a training seminar. As he checked out of the hotel, his wife noticed that the hotel had overcharged for the room. He brought the error to the attention of the front desk clerk, who told him she could not help but that he could go down the hall to the sales office. A bit frustrated, he decided to do that.

There were two gentlemen in the sales office, and they invited him to take a seat. Our staff member explained the issue, and the manager said adjusting the bill was an easy fix. While the manager was handling the matter, the other man, Scott,* noticed our staff member was wearing a Biola University shirt. He asked about it, and our staff member mentioned its affiliation with Chosen People Ministries’ Feinberg Center for Messianic Jewish Studies. Scott found that fascinating and told our staff member that he was Jewish and had a doctorate in international economics.

Then Scott asked our staff member his favorite question: “So, what do you do?” Our staff member told him that he was a Jewish pastor at a Messianic Jewish congregation. Scott continued to ask questions until he had heard the gospel in full. By then, the manager had adjusted the bill, and it was time to go. Please keep Scott in your prayers.

Our staff in New Zealand regularly host Israeli travelers at their lodge. Recently, they received a text asking if they had an available room. Unfortunately, there were no rooms available. The potential guest wrote back, saying, “I have medication that needs refrigeration—would you be able to store it for me for a couple of days?” She had Crohn’s disease, and it was for an emergency. “Of course!” our staff member replied. The staff decided that since the lodge was full, they would invite her for breakfast the morning she picked up the medication.

She and a friend had just arrived in New Zealand and were exhausted—both had just gotten out of the army and were so glad to be someplace peaceful. They were curious about the lodge’s hosts and why they hosted total strangers from Israel. Our staff shared their testimony and told them they host Israelis out of gratitude to the Jewish people for giving them their Scriptures and their Savior, Yeshua (Jesus)! They both said they had been curious about the B’rit Chadashah (New Testament in Hebrew) but had never seen one, so our staff took that as an opportunity to give them one! They were delighted! Please pray that they will read it and that the Lord speaks to their hearts!

Mendel* grew up in an intermarried household but later followed his mother’s Orthodox Jewish tradition. He dove deep into Jewish thought and practice, sometimes studying the New Testament to disprove Christianity. Yet Mendel could not shake his fascination with Jesus. The Lord’s teachings stuck with him, even though he rejected Him as Messiah.
He became disillusioned with the kabbalistic thought he was learning in his community, so he investigated the rational thought of twelfth-century Jewish philosopher Maimonides. This approach sounded more reasonable to him. One day, he heard a podcast featuring one of our staff discussing Maimonides, Kabbalah (Jewish mysticism), and the Trinity. Mendel had never heard a Christian speaking about these subjects in an educated manner. He was again reminded of his fascination with Jesus and thought about contacting our staff member, but he refrained out of fear.

Mendel started studying trinitarian thought on his own. He also had Christian friends who talked with him about theology, recommended books to him, and prayed for him. The Spirit was working. After a year and a half, Mendel started thinking that the Trinity might make more sense than Kabbalah and Maimonides. Once he admitted this possibility, he mustered the courage to contact our staff member. They began talking on the phone every week for up to four hours at a time, and they began reading our staff member’s book one chapter a week. By the third week, Mendel told our staff member, “I believe Jesus is the Son of God,” and the angels began rejoicing.

After a brief and intense season of evangelism and apologetics over the phone, our staff member’s ministry to Mendel transitioned to discipleship and support. Mendel is still deeply embedded in his Jewish community. He has Jewish employers, a Jewish girlfriend, and many friends who do not yet know about his faith in Jesus. He stands to lose much if they find out. He needs our prayers in the months ahead. Please pray for Mendel’s new walk with his Lord and Messiah, Yeshua!