You might live in the middle of a Jewish community or in the middle of the heartland with no Jewish neighbors for a hundred miles. Maybe your best friend in college was Jewish or the only interaction you’ve had was watching a Jewish actor on TV. Maybe you visited Israel and fell in love with the land and its people or, you haven’t, and visiting Israel would be a dream come true.
No matter where you live, who you know, or what you do, one thing is true: Israel and the Jewish people have played a huge role in world history and are still an important part of God’s plan. They have given so much to the world: blessings, scripture, prophecy, the Ten Commandments, and more. But the greatest gift they have given the world is Jesus!
After all, God chose this tiny people group to bring salvation to the whole world—through Messiah Jesus! If it weren’t for the Jewish people, we would not have a relationship with the Father as we have it today.
“Jesus is the most important Jew that has ever lived, to whom the sinner and the outcast age after age, have owed a great debt of gratitude.” (Dr. Claude Montefiore, Former President of the Jewish Religious Union)
Jesus’ last earthly instructions were: “you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth” (Acts 1:8). We should always be very good at doing the latter—absolutely!—but are we leaving the former undone?
For most of us nowadays, this is probably not a deliberate decision but rather an unintended consequence of our daily practices. How many of us can rejoice that not only do we have mission projects or missionaries in faraway countries, but also have an active missionary presence and mission priority among the Jewish people?
God’s heart still breaks for His people!
Let us heed Jesus’ words, return the favor, play the role that God wants us to play, and reach His people with the good news of their Messiah, the Light of the World, Immanuel, the Prince of Peace—Salvation (Yeshua) Himself!
“I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” (Romans 1:16)
“For if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead?” (Romans 11:15)
This coming January, your congregation—together with congregations all over the USA and around the globe—has the opportunity to participate in “PRIORITY1:16 – Making God’s Priority Ours” and recommit to sharing the gospel with the Jewish people in our neighborhoods, across our nations, and around our world.
We call it “PRIORITY1:16” because of Romans 1:16. We make this resolution because January is about new beginnings and fresh starts. The first month for the first priority.
Finally, if the temporary Jewish failure to recognize Messiah brought spiritual well-being for Gentiles, “how much more will their fulfillment be! . . . what will their acceptance be but life from the dead?” (Romans 11:12, 15b).
How can your church be involved?
- Host a CPM missionary to speak about ministry among Jewish people one Sunday in January, and receive a love offering for Jewish evangelism.
- Share a message yourself in the pulpit, using one of our available sermon outlines, and receive a love offering for Jewish evangelism.
- Share one or more of our mini-video-shorts in your church services during the month of January, and receive a special love offering one Sunday.
- Teach an adult Sunday School lesson “To the Jew First” using our available outline, and receive a special love offering for Jewish evangelism.
As a special “thank you” for participating in “PRIORITY1:16 – Making God’s Priority Ours” we will send you a complimentary book bundle with four must-have and encouraging volumes about Jewish evangelism and God’s heart for Israel.
Just let us know how you want to participate, and we will provide the people and the assets to make that happen!
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