In It Together

Whether you’re reading this magazine for the first or fiftieth time, you’ve probably discovered that seeing “All Israel Saved” (Romans 11:26) is part of the DNA of Jewish Voice. In fact, it’s the reason we exist as a ministry.

But why is it so important, and even more so, how can you as a Christian personally participate in seeing “All Israel Saved?”

Twenty-five years ago, if you would have told me – an American with Italian, African, First Nation and European national heritage who had grown up in a Christian church nearly my entire life – that seeing “All Israel Saved” is one of the most passionate priorities of God’s heart, and that He desires every Christian to participate with Him in seeing this come to pass, I would have raised an eyebrow in disbelief. I might have responded, “Thanks, but I’m not called to focus on the Jewish people. I’m called to share my faith with everyone. Besides, our priority is to share the Gospel with the unreached and persecuted – those living in places like the 10/40 window who need the Light the most.”

Did you know that Jewish people are an unreached people group? Neither did I. An unreached people group is defined as lacking “enough followers of Christ and resources to evangelize their own people.” According to research compiled by the Joshua Project, the Jewish people are unreached in 142 of the 150 countries in which they live and lack the workers necessary to reach them. The majority of Jewish people live in the United States, and in Israel, which is tucked away within the 10/40 window.

When I first learned this, I was shocked and saddened. Those for whom our Lord came, the Lost Sheep of the House of Israel (Jeremiah 50:5b-6; Matthew 15:24) remain neglected without a viable witness of the Gospel. How can this be?  

I believe it’s because many of us as Christians do not understand the vital role Jewish people have within the Body of Messiah. It’s a role that no other people group on the face of the earth can fulfill, and they can’t fulfill it until they recognize that Yeshua, Jesus, is the Messiah. That’s why sharing the Good News with Jewish people is not a calling for an elite few but a mandate for every Believer. 

Paul confirms the passionate priority of God’s heart when he reminds us that the Good News is “the power of God for salvation to everyone who trusts—to the Jew first and also to the [nations]” (Romans 1:16).

Before we unpack how each – Believer in Jesus from the non-Jewish world – can step into our role of seeing All Israel Saved, let’s quickly review why this is so vitally important.

Seeing All Israel Saved is important because Yeshua is returning for His Bride, which consists of two distinct groups with one unique voice 

We are “in it together.”  Who?  Jews and Gentiles. Israel and the nations. The intentions of our Father since the Garden of Eden, the big dream of His heart, has always been that all of humanity would know Him, walk in close relationship with Him, and give Him the glory due His Name.

So what does “together” look like?  Scripture tells us this looks like the Jewish people, descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, side by side with Gentiles from every nation, tongue and tribe:

• Accepting one another and glorifying and worshiping God with one voice (Romans 15:5-12)
• Displaying to principalities and powers and to everyone on earth through the mystery of our togetherness that He is the only and all-wise God (Ephesians 3:8-11)
• Showing the world that Yeshua was sent from God and is the Messiah because of our love for and unity with each other (John 17:20-21; Ephesians 2:11-22)

Basically, God has pre-arranged it so that we cannot become a mature Bride ready for His return, unless we accept and value our distinct identities and roles as Jews and Gentiles and operate in them. Because the Jewish people play such a unique role in this, sharing the Gospel with them is critical! 

Seeing All Israel saved is important because revival – the salvation of the nations – cannot happen without it

In Romans 11:15, Paul explains how critical a Jewish witness of the Gospel is to a worldwide outpouring of the Spirit:

For if their [Israel’s] rejection [of the Messiah] leads to the reconciliation of the world [the Gentile nations], what will their [the Jewish people’s] acceptance be but life from the dead?

God purposed that the Jewish people would be His witnesses that there is only one God, the God of Israel (Exodus 12:38; Deuteronomy 6:4; 2 Kings 5:15). When God revealed to the Jewish disciples of Jesus – Peter and Paul – that the message of salvation in Jesus the Messiah of Israel was for the Jewish people, and also for every nation on earth, they were fulfilling their calling as a people (Isaiah 49:6; Acts 11:15-18)!  

But how will the Jewish people continue to be a light to the nations of the earth as they were then, if they do not have revelation of the Light of the World, Yeshua, the Messiah now?  

That’s where Christians come in 

In Romans 11:11, Paul tells us that “salvation has come to the Gentiles, to provoke Israel to jealousy.” 

And again, in Romans 11:25, he shares another key to our uniquely significant role:

For I do not want you … to be ignorant of this mystery … that a partial hardening has come upon Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in; and in this way all Israel will be saved…

That is a weighty statement. “In this way all Israel will be saved.”  In what way?  When “the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.” 
What does it mean to “provoke” the Jewish people to jealousy and to “come into our fullness” as Gentile Christians?  And how can we partner with the Lord to see the desire of His heart come to pass, that “All Israel will be saved?”

1. Pray

•  Ask the Lord to give you His heart for the Jewish people and lead you on this journey. We cannot effectively share the Good News with Jewish people without a heart of love like His (1 Corinthians 13; 1 Corinthians 16:14)
• Ask the Lord to bring you healthy friendships and community with Messianic Jewish Believers in Jesus so that you can grow and be strengthened as you pursue being “in it together”
• Pray regularly  for the salvation of Jewish people. Make a list of Jewish people by country or name. Include rabbis or different Jewish people groups living in your community, Jewish friends/acquaintances, famous actors, musicians and more, as the Lord leads you! You can also become a Jewish Voice Prayer Partner  and join us weekly in praying for Jewish people in Israel and around the world
• Ask the Lord to send Jewish people to you and you to Jewish people so you can “provoke them to jealousy” by your love for the God of Israel and for them

2. Learn 

• Search the Scriptures about your unique identity as a Gentile Believer in the God of Israel – embrace it, love it and be you!
• As Believers from the nations, Gentile Christians, we don’t need to change our identity and become Jewish.  God’s purpose for us is strong and He chose us and adopted us into His family.  That is something to celebrate!
• Search the Scriptures about the unique identity of Jewish believers in the God of Israel – embrace it, love it and encourage them to be them! When Jewish people come to faith in Jesus, they don’t stop being Jewish and convert to Christianity.  Their purpose remains steadfast as members of the people of Israel and members of the universal Body of Messiah to be a witness to the everlasting covenants God has given them, and to be a light to the Nations that Jesus is the Messiah! 
• Memorize or keep a list of key Messianic prophecies and how Jesus fulfilled them. And understand the cultural pitfalls and obstacles that hinder Jewish people from trusting in Jesus. Here’s a great resource to do just that: Jewish People and Belief in Jesus 
• As you learn, the Lord will be faithful to give you understanding of Yeshua, Jesus, in His context as a Jewish man, shaping how you read and relate to the Scriptures. 

You’ll also learn that the entire Bible – from Old to New Testament – is one beautiful love story between God and His people, the Jews, and is confirmation that if God loves the Jewish people and will not break covenant with them, you can trust that He won’t break covenant with you as a Gentile either. 

3. Share

My mom was an amazing and godly woman. She was also an extrovert who likely dreamed I would follow in her footsteps. However, as a runaway, punk rock girl, who turned out to be an introvert, I found myself deathly afraid to share my faith after being completely changed by the love and forgiveness of Jesus when I was just 16 years old.

One day some friends asked me what was wrong. They said I seemed different. I froze. Then it happened. I opened my mouth and told them what Jesus had done in me and how it changed me.

It’s the same concept when sharing your faith with Jewish people. Open your mouth and God will fill it. As He deepens your love for His people and you learn more about the roots of your faith, owning your unique identity as a Gentile Believer, this will flow out. All you’ve gotta do is open your mouth!

• Don’t underestimate the power of personal testimony! 
  
  Revelation 12:11 says: “They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony…” I often tell a Jewish person I meet how much I love the God of Israel because I have a relationship with Jesus who is Jewish. I might share my testimony of coming to faith, some of the things I’m learning about the Jewish Bible as a Christian or I may let them know I stand with Israel and the Jewish people and am sorry for the way Christians have treated Jewish people in history and even today. I may wish them a happy holiday depending on the time of year. You can also find Jewish outreaches in your local community or pray about joining us on an outreach to the “Lost Tribes” of Jewish people in remote parts of Africa!
  
• Introduce Jewish people to the Suffering Messiah who will one day return as the Conquering King!
  
  This is the first part of Rev. 12:11: “They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony…” Many Jewish people you’ll meet don’t know a good portion of the Scriptures entrusted to them. Yet the Messianic prophecies found in the Jewish Bible (the Old Testament) are what the Lord often uses to open their eyes!
  
  Isaiah 53 is a great place to start as it shows that the Messiah would first come to suffer as the sacrifice for sin.  When I’ve asked Jewish people to read Isaiah 53, they are astonished that this is in their Bible!  Then, Isaiah 9:6-7 shows that He will return to sit upon the throne of David and rule as King on the earth! This is important to Jewish people because those who are waiting for the Messiah expect Him to come and bring justice to the whole earth!
  
• Don’t underestimate the power of relationship!
  
  It is said that people don’t care what you know until they know that you care. Jewish people are no different. Attending Jewish community events, calling a Jewish person to see how they and their family are doing amid news of wars in Israel, sharing coffee and bagels, letting them know you are praying for them, and bringing a meal during hard times goes a long way.
  
  Those who have seen Jewish people come to faith have been in friendship with them for months, often years. Ask for patience, that wonderful fruit of the Spirit, that reminds us of how patient God was with us in leading us to repentance (Romans 2:4). While the hope is that your Jewish friend will eventually see Yeshua for Who He is, even if he or she doesn’t, what you have done to the least of Yeshua’s brothers and sisters, the Jewish people, you have done unto Him (Matthew 25:40).

4. Grow Together

At the start of this article, I shared the big picture dream of God’s heart and the beautiful Bride for whom Yeshua is returning. Remember?  The Bride of Messiah is made up of both Jews and Gentiles. God walks in covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their descendants. He walks in covenant with each nation of the earth. He calls us to do the same.

• Messianic Jewish Believers are the remnant of Israel that makes Israel holy (Romans 11:16). They also have a role in helping us come into our fullness as Gentiles. Together we have a role in Seeing All Israel Saved. 
  
  Seek them out. Find a Messianic congregation in your area. Learn from them and grow with them. There can be a strong temptation to fall in love with “Jewish things” instead of Jewish people. Concepts can be gleaned by learning from rabbis who do not yet know the Lord, but don’t rely on them as your primary source since they do not yet believe the truth about Jesus. That is not our purpose as Gentile Believers from the nations. 
  
• Our purpose is to walk in strong, covenantal relationships with Messianic Jewish Believers in Jesus, especially as we see the day approaching. (Hebrews 10:25) 

Jewish Believers in Jesus have a critical role to play in the Body of Messiah, which is why it’s so important to share your faith with Jewish people – so there will be more Messianic Jews to take their place as leaders within the Body! 

In these Last Days, we will not be able to stand together if we are not “in it together,” walking side by side, day by day. God purposed it that way. 

Let’s learn to love and live with one another now; for we will in eternity!