Praying Until…

We want to invite you into the theme of our 2024 Spring Week of Prayer and Fasting here at Jewish Voice Ministries. Each spring and fall, we take time to step away from regular work responsibilities for corporate prayer and fasting. Even though we have staff prayer times daily and weekly throughout the year, these extended times of prayer coupled with fasting are significant, and the Lord uses them in our personal lives and in this ministry.

The overarching theme for this spring’s week is “Until….” The scriptures and related prayer points below are central to our mission and near to our hearts. In times like the world is seeing today, the Lord is using them to encourage and energize us. Please pray through them on our behalf, and may they also encourage you in your life. May the Lord’s great and precious promises spur us on “until” He fulfills each one!

Let’s pray these “Until” prayers and Scriptures together:

PRAY FOR ISRAEL

Until Jerusalem is a praise in the earth | Isaiah 62:6–7

“I have posted watchmen on your walls, Jerusalem; they will never be silent day or night. You who call on the Lord, give yourselves no rest, and give Him no rest till He establishes Jerusalem and makes her the praise of all the earth.”

PRAY FOR THE CHURCH

Until the fullness of the Gentiles | Romans 11:25 NKJV

“For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.”

PRAY FOR THE BODY

Until we are one | Ephesians 4:13

“Until we all reach unity in faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of [Messiah].”

PRAY FOR THE JEWISH PEOPLE EVERYWHERE

Until all Israel is saved | Romans 11:26–27 NKJV

“And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: ‘The Deliverer will come out of Zion, and He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob; For this is My covenant with them, when I take away their sins.’”

PRAY FOR PERSEVERANCE

Until His glorious appearing and the restoration of all things | Titus 2:13, Acts 3:21

“while we wait for the blessed hope––the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus the [Messiah].”

“Heaven must receive Him until the time comes for God to restore everything, as He promised long ago through  His holy prophets.”

Thank you for praying with us and for us. Your prayers are such a blessing, and we value them beyond measure. May we keep praying and working together for His glory and the blessings of the Jewish people – until He comes.

Fitting prayers for such a time as this

In just over a week, Jewish people around the globe will celebrate Purim. It is a festive and joyful occasion with tasty treats, costumes and fun.

However, the origins of Purim, found in the book of Esther, and the current global rise in anti-Semitism and virulent hatred of Jewish people cast a sobering pall over the festivities.

Our best and most powerful response is prayer – and the willingness to become the answer to our own prayers.

Pray along with us through these Purim themes. Your prayers are needed for such a time as this.

Please pray for:

• The Lord to raise up watchmen like Mordecai who can see clearly in the natural and also understand the earthly and spiritual significance of what is happening, and to act on behalf of God’s people
• The Lord to expose, turn and cancel the enemy’s schemes to sow anti-Semitic hatred and even annihilate the Jewish people
• The Lord to raise up Believers like Esther, who was prepared over time to fulfill the assignment to which she was called
• Those of us Believers who will count the cost like Esther and come before the Lord, our King, in humble yet bold prayer, interceding on behalf of the Jewish people
• Believers to raise our voices on behalf of the Jewish people in conversation with others
• Salvation for the Jewish people through Yeshua (Jesus), their Messiah, who came to be their Savior and Deliverer

Let’s Pray

Lord, we live in times that we thought we’d never see. We’ve declared, “Never again,” and yet now we’re saying, “‘Never again’ is now.” Would You raise up leaders who will stand against the lies of the evil one, who will advocate and legislate on behalf of the Jewish people and their survival? Call prayer warriors and intercessors who will give You no rest, crying out to You on behalf of Your people. Please, Lord, stem the tide of hatred and violence against Your people. And like Paul, our deepest heart desire and prayer to You regarding the Jewish people is that they would be saved. Help us pray for and stand with Your people for such a time as this. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

The Jewish holiday of Purim is coming up, and it has us at Jewish Voice thinking about the rash of anti-Semitism that has grown more virulent and bold since Hamas’ brutal attack on Israelis last October 7. Purim commemorates the Jewish people’s salvation from a plot to kill them when they lived in the ancient Persian Empire under King Xerxes, also known as King Ahasuerus. Haman, a high-ranking leader under the king, contrived the plan and set it in irrevocable law. However, God used Esther, a Jewish maiden-become-queen, to facilitate her people’s deliverance.

Esther was a queen, but what can ordinary people like us do to “confront Haman” and turn the tide of anti-Semitism? When you read the Purim story, found in the book of Esther, you’ll see that God used ordinary people to set the Jewish people’s rescue in motion. And God can use regular people like us to make a difference in a world aflame with anti-Semitism today. Here are 10 ways.

1. Pray. Let’s state the most prominent and powerful weapon against anti-Semitism first. Become committed to pray that the Lord would protect Jewish people throughout the world from all forms of anti-Semitism, whether it takes the form of physical or verbal attacks, acts of vandalism, discrimination, organizational bias or silence.

2. Educate Yourself. Anti-Semitism is often based on ignorance. Arming yourself with accurate information and using it to confront misguided beliefs is one of the best ways to stop runaway misinformation. Your fact-based knowledge about the Jewish faith, history of Israel, persecution against Jewish people, and the Middle East conflict will help you address anti-Semitic comments that are based on fallacies – and, hopefully, help change someone’s perspective (refer to #1 also).  

3. Educate Others. As you share your knowledge and understanding of anti-Semitism with friends, family, and colleagues through open, non-threatening conversations, you’ll have the opportunity to foster a new advocate for combatting anti-Semitism. Along with teaching children about respect and empathy for others, teach them to recognize anti-Semitism and other forms of prejudice and the importance of standing up against discrimination.

4. Support Holocaust Education. It’s been nearly 80 years since Allied forces stopped Hitler’s genocidal rampage to exterminate the Jewish population of Europe. The youngest Holocaust survivor alive today is elderly. Holocaust denial is on track to take an even stronger foothold as the generation of firsthand witnesses and survivors passes away. Advocate for Holocaust education in schools and communities to help combat this trend and ensure that the world can recognize and stop true genocidal agendas when it sees them.

5. Speak Up and Challenge Anti-Semitism You Encounter. If you witness or hear anti-Semitic remarks or behavior, don't stay silent. Every effort to counter false narratives and irrational prejudice is important. Speak up and calmly confront it, remembering to represent God well as you do. Also, be attuned to “microaggressions” and more subtle forms of anti-Semitism, some of which can even be found in the Church today. Politely challenging these thought patterns can redirect the speakers toward awareness of their harmful effects.

6. Combat Stereotypes.  Challenge comments that stereotype Jewish people and also encourage people to question their assumptions. Stereotypes against Jewish people often find their origins in age-old superstitions and false information. For instance, “The Protocols of the Elders of Zion” was published in 1903 in Russia and claimed to be reports from a series of 1897 meetings of Jewish leaders discussing how to, essentially, take over the world. The document was proven false in 1921, but the evidence did little to stop the traction it had gained. More than 100 years later, many of today’s anti-Semitic stereotypes stem from the lies presented in this one document.

7. Support Jewish-Owned and Israeli Businesses. Business-based anti-Semitism exists everywhere, from the worldwide BDS Movement (boycotting, divesting from and sanctioning Israeli companies) to local businesses in your own town to remote African communities where Jewish Voice Ministries serves. In our work in Africa, we’ve seen outcast Jewish communities living in poverty because the non-Jewish population will not hire them, buy their products or conduct any business with them. We’ve listened to firsthand accounts of Jewish craftsmen assaulted while traveling to market to sell their wares. Their attackers destroyed their handmade products, leaving the crafters wounded and with nothing to sell. As you support Jewish and Israeli businesses, you do more than make a purchase. You show the Jewish community that you are not swayed by anti-Semitism. You offer them encouragement, strength and the assurance that they do not stand alone.

8. Report anti-Semitic Incidents. If you experience or witness anti-Semitic harassment or discrimination, report it to appropriate authorities or organizations. Whether on social media, in a business or institution or on the street, taking action sends the message that such behaviors are unacceptable and won’t be tolerated. Several organizations keep track of anti-Semitic incidents and advocate with local and federal officials to enforce laws and take action against anti-Semitism.
9. Challenge Biases. Privately held biases can infiltrate how businesses, institutions and agencies conduct themselves. We’ve seen it in the failure of prestigious universities to publicly condemn campus protests supporting the Hamas agenda, which is authentically genocidal toward Jewish people, as stated in its charter. We see it in the United Nations that, by official resolutions, for decades regularly scrutinizes Israel’s behavior toward Palestinian terrorist organizations while turning a blind eye to those same organizations’ corruption harming their own people and violent terrorism targeting Israelis. We see it in the way news media presents headlines and stories. Locally, you can challenge any biases you encounter in businesses, schools, media sources and public arenas. On a larger scale, you can write to your government representatives, expressing your disapproval of the biases you see and urging them to make every effort to confront them.
10. Vote Responsibly. Don’t neglect your voting privilege. It is your say in building a governmental “rudder” that will steer your country and, thus, affect your life. Read up on the platforms of those running for office and the impact of propositions on the ballot. Support political candidates and policies that prioritize combating anti-Semitism and supporting Israel.

As the Purim story reminds us that anti-Semitism has been around for thousands of years, let’s close this list where we started: going back to prayer. Ask the Lord to intervene, to protect His Chosen People, and disarm the Enemy’s efforts to harm Jewish people. See 12 Ways to Pray Against Anti-Semitism for more specific ways to pray.

Don’t miss our special Purim devotional series. Learn inspiring insights from the lives of Esther and Mordecai that will strengthen your own faith to let God use you in big and small ways so that you, too, can be called a faithful hero.

Praying for spiritual openness that will bear eternal fruit

> > > Have you been praying for our Southern Ethiopia Outreach that’s starting now? If so, GREAT! If not, read and pray through the daily Prayer Points here! < < <

Amid chaos and war, we are hearing wonderful testimonies of spiritual openness in Israel and even Gaza. We’re praying that this openness to the Holy Spirit, to hearing about Yeshua (Jesus) and the desire to understand God’s Word, will grow globally and bear much eternal fruit.

Let’s pray into this regarding Israel, Gaza and the entire Middle East. But let’s also pray for spiritual openness leading to salvation in the places we go to for scouting trips and Outreaches.

Join us in praise for what the Lord is doing, and join us in praying that He will do even more! Here are some ways to pray:

• Unbelievers and Believers alike to have personal encounters with the Lord that are life-changing
• Dreams, visions and promptings that will bring those who don’t know the Lord into direct encounters with Him, leading to salvation
• The Lord to speak ahead of time to those whom we will interact with on scouting trips and Outreaches so they know that He is real and alive and at work
• The Holy Spirit to show them through signs, wonders, and miracles that the Lord of hosts and His angel armies are present to do battle on behalf of His people
• Many, many unbelievers in this season to be transferred from the kingdom of darkness into the Kingdom of Light by faith in Jesus, loving Him with all their hearts, ready to follow Him and do His will

Let's pray!

Lord, we are in awe of how, in what can seem like the darkest times and places, You are present and shining Your love and truth. In Israel, in Gaza, in Ethiopia and Zimbabwe, Ukraine and Russia, will You reveal Yourself to those who don’t know You and may they receive You gladly? And Lord, even to us who already believe, would you remind us of Your power and might and provision? We declare that You are working on Earth and are worthy of the praise of all Your creation! Bring salvation, healing and deliverance in Israel and among the nations, for Your name’s sake. In Jesus’ name, we ask. AMEN.

Meeting the Unexpected in Gokwe, Zimbabwe

Take a look at how many lives you helped change in Gokwe, Zimbabwe.

• 8,855 Patients Received Care
• 1,268 People Received Dental Care
• 2,443 Eyeglasses Distributed
• 29 People Received Minor Surgery
• 200 Families Received LifeStraw® Water Filters
• 952  Children Attended the Zehra Kids Program
• 374  School Children Experienced Zehra in Their School
• 3,038 People Heard the Gospel
• 236 People Received Yeshua
• 505 People Requested Congregational Follow-up

Last November, we held a Medical Outreach in Gokwe, Zimbabwe. The outreach location is situated off a series of obscure dirt roads in the middle of nowhere. It is home to a Lemba Jewish community that was new to even the national Lemba Messianic Jewish network of Believers.

The Gokwe Medical Outreach was unusual. After the first day, officials withdrew their permission for any international participation. Non-Zimbabweans – including JVMI staff, medical professionals, logistics personnel and Outreach Partners – had to leave the Clinic and campsite.

But God is faithful. The Outreach continued smoothly, run entirely by Zimbabwean medical and spiritual care teams. This is precisely what indigenous ministry is about – fostering mature leadership able to carry on the work without us.

Meanwhile, the international team prayed and shared the Gospel wherever they were in the following days. One day found them waiting at a “Chicken Express” for staff as they met with officials and made new housing arrangements. The team prayed for a woman with back pain. She said she felt somewhat better, so the partners prayed again. The woman tested her back again, bending over and standing up straight. This time, her face lit up and her eyes grew large. “It’s gone!” she said. “My pain is gone!”  The Lord healed her!

Others around the local restaurant began asking for prayer. The shop owner even called friends and family about what he had witnessed. Soon, a long line of people formed, waiting for prayer, and the team of displaced Outreach Partners ministered all day.

This dedicated and flexible team of Outreach Partners expected to spend the week at the Medical Outreach campus. But God had prepared good works for them beforehand (Ephesians 2:10) in completely unexpected settings, ministering to people they never would have met had they stayed at the Clinic site. Ministry was multiplied during the Gokwe Medical Outreach – and your gifts to Jewish Voice enabled us to be in all the places God had planned for us to work that week. Thank you!

Your gift today will enable more Outreaches to take place in 2024.Outreaches to take place in 2024.

It’s a new year, and we are excited to be reaching out somewhere new for our first outreach of 2024! We are heading to a new Ethiopia location for us, a beautiful and mountainous region in the south that is known for its hospital. However, the people we’ll serve cannot afford the medical care they need, and we will hold our Medical Clinic in a government facility.

Breaking new ground requires ground-breaking prayer. We have every expectation that this will be a wonderful Outreach, but we truly need a strong prayer covering, especially considering all that’s going on there in the nation. Here’s how you can engage in prayer:

• You can pray along with us through the Outreach. Below are detailed DAY-BY-DAY Prayer Points
• You can commit to a specific time slot to pray for us from home during the Outreach.  SIGN UP HERE on our Prayer Schedule, according to the Outreach dates below

Day-by-Day Prayer Points

Here is a list of ways you can pray for us, day by day, on the Jewish Voice Ministries Medical Outreach to a new location in southern Ethiopia, February 29 –March 10, 2024.

Before the Outreach

“See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.”

— Isaiah 43:19

Wednesday, February 21 – Saturday, March 2

• That all preparations come together fully in place, such as VISAS, medical supplies, site readiness, team unity and community relationships to come together
• Protection, health, safety and favor as our team and partners prepare and travel
• Effective training for all areas of the Outreach

• The Lord to prepare the spiritual atmosphere and people’s hearts and cause spiritual forces of darkness to flee, making way for the King of Glory to come with salvation, healing and deliverance

During the Outreach

“The Spirit of the Lord is on Me, because He has anointed Me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free,”

— Luke 4:18

SPECIAL REQUESTS

“Call to Me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.”

— Jeremiah 33:3

• This is the first time the Zehra Kids Program in Ethiopia will be run entirely by indigenous leaders – may the Lord help them work together to get the program up and running right away
• Almost simultaneous with the Outreach, some of our JVMI leaders will visit congregational leaders in Africa and also do some scouting for future Outreaches. Please pray for their protection and success
• Last year, we noticed a definite and positive expansion of the spiritual nature of Outreaches in terms of prayer, worship, and experiencing the presence and joy of the Lord. Pray for an ongoing increase in 2024!

Sunday, March 3

• An effective first day of ministry as the Clinic opens mid-morning
• Word to get out, which is so essential in a new location, and many to come for treatment and care
• Hired local workers to be fully aligned with Jewish Voice’s desire to bless their community

Monday, March 4

• Favor from local leaders before, during and after the Outreach
• The National Zehra team to minister to the children with great unity, spiritual power and effectiveness
• The Lord to move powerfully through the Gospel and the ministry of the Holy Spirit

Tuesday, March 5

• Healing through effective medical and dental care and also supernaturally, as testimony to the Lord’s power and love
• The Living Waters team to leave a lasting and eternal impact on the community through salvations, love, and provision
• A special grace upon the Messianic Jewish congregation providing prayer and spiritual care for those who desire it

Wednesday, March 6

• A refreshing time in worship and prayer this evening – may the forces of darkness flee and the joy of the Lord overtake the team
• The Lord to bring our team wisdom, favor, discernment and protection regarding any local or unique factors regarding this location, conditions or timeframe
• Spiritual strength and stamina for our team, renewed by intimacy with the Lord and powerful daily group prayer times

Thursday, March 7

• Many salvations and healings and the ability to treat as many patients as possible on the last day of the Outreach
• Order and shalom to reign as local workers are paid and the patient lines are closed, marking the end of the Clinic
• Safety and efficiency in closing the Clinic and packing up equipment and supplies

Friday, March 8

• Protection and ease on the trip back to Addis Ababa
• A relaxing day celebrating all the Lord has done and ending the week in fellowship with one another
• A blessed Erev Shabbat dinner with testimonies of the Lord’s goodness

After the Outreach

To the Jews who had believed Him, Jesus said, “If you hold to My teaching, you are really My disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

— John 8:31-32

Saturday, March 9 and beyond

• Safe travels home for all local and international participants
• The Lord to continue working in this region, bringing a great movement of His Holy Spirit among these dear people
• Effective and timely follow-up to all who want to hear more about Yeshua (Jesus) while the Lord continues establishing His Kingdom in Ethiopia and developing healthy congregations

Let’s Pray Now

Lord, we start this year with renewed amazement that You have called us to take the Good News of Jesus to the Jewish people scattered in the nations. This town in Ethiopia would be unknown to us except for Your sovereign guidance. Even though it is new ground for Jewish Voice to bring the Gospel, may it be fertile, prepared soil for many to receive Jesus. And may You use the Messianic Jewish Believers already in Ethiopia to gather the new Believers into congregations, disciple them in the Word and raise them up into healthy, godly leaders in their own families and communities. Use us to glorify Your name throughout 2024! In Yeshua’s name, AMEN.

The Ministry Journey — Praying for All the Steps

Do you know the first of Jewish Voice Ministries’ three-part approach to transforming lives and seeing all Israel saved? It’s “Proclaiming the Gospel to the Jew first,” based on the priority set forth in Romans 1:16. But we don’t stop there.

The Lord has given us a multi-phase process for long-term ministry as it relates to this part of our ministry — from first reaching out to a new-to-us Jewish people group to connecting new Believers in fellowship, raising up leaders, and equipping them to carry on ministry in their area.  We would love your prayers about the various steps of reaching and ministering to Jewish communities around the world, as, even right now, we are in different phases with a number of communities.

Please pray for exponential growth and multiplication throughout this process: as Believers come to know the Lord one by one, indigenous leaders are raised up, congregations and ministries form, and these Messianic Jewish faith communities expand and network to impact nations.

Inspired by the eight steps of our ministry process, here are some ways you can pray for us as we follow our roadmap to reach Jewish communities throughout the world.

• LEARN. Pray for the Lord to help us continue learning of communities worldwide that claim Jewish origins.

• EXPLORE AND VALIDATE. Ask the Lord to give us favor and discernment as we interview, look at historical connections, and use other means to verify the legitimacy of each community’s claim of Jewish origins.

• DISCOVER. Once we have confirmed the community as a good location for reaching out to Jewish people, we ask the Lord to help us discover a particular need that He can use us to help meet, such as medical/dental care, clean water, and so on. Ask Him with us!

• MEET THE NEED. Pray for the Lord’s help in executing His strategy to meet the need, which opens the door to sharing the Gospel.

• DETERMINE. We also need prayer for the Lord’s help in determining if there will be an ability to plant local faith communities in this area after an initial sharing of the Gospel.

• IDENTIFY, TRAIN and EMPOWER. Our desire is that the Lord use us to identify, train and empower indigenous leaders, both national and local. Pray for the Lord’s ongoing help as this long-range process requires building and sustaining relationships and providing discipleship, leadership training and other resources.

• RELEASE. As leaders mature and Believers grow strong in their faith, we establish and release their potential for indigenous ministry. Pray for this phase and that local Believers and ministries will have a powerful impact on their communities and nations.

• CONNECT. As local Messianic Jewish ministries and congregations are released, pray for the Lord to connect them with the Church at large and the international Messianic Jewish community, allowing them even further reach and impact.

It’s a big process and an ongoing vision. But we have seen and continue to see the Lord work through it. He is moving! There is so much opportunity — and opposition. Please continue to pray for Jewish Voice and the Jewish people groups around the world that the Lord leads us to and enables us to engage with in this process.

Let's pray!

Lord, You are the one who calls Jewish people and their neighbors to Yourself. You’re the one who leads them into fellowship with other Believers and equips them to go into their communities and all the world to share Your message and love. You have given us such an inspiring vision, and we want to be fully used by You to see it come to pass — for Your glory and the blessing of Jewish people and the body worldwide. Lead us through each phase of this process with every community of Jewish people that You direct us to. Thank You for Your leadership and help and for our incredible partners who faithfully pray. In Jesus’ name, AMEN.

When Paul talks about the “one new man” in Ephesians chapter 2, it can be tempting to believe that every Believer is to worship in the same way. In the context of Scripture as a whole, specifically Galatians 3:26–28, we see the idea of “unity with distinction” between Jewish and Gentile Believers emerge. Paul tells the Galatians that “there is neither Jew nor Greek,” which at first glance appears to support a homogenous sameness. However, it’s important not to overlook the very next phrase of verse 28, which says there is also “neither male nor female.” A husband and wife are “one” but maintain their distinct identities, each with different abilities and contributions to the marriage.

Unity between Jewish and Gentile Believers in Jesus doesn’t eliminate the distinctness of the other. We each have separate God-given identities and roles, and we cannot do or be that of the other. This removes the idea of either group claiming the other should look like, act like or practice their faith “like us.”

In the early Church, faith in Jesus as the Messiah was clearly a part of Judaism. Peter required a vision from the Lord to assure him that God was calling him to speak about the Messiah to Cornelius and his household, who were not Jewish. All of them believed and received the Holy Spirit. (See Acts 10.) As the Gospel spread to the non-Jewish world, the apostles and elders met to discuss whether or not Gentile Believers needed to first convert to Judaism. This “Jerusalem Council” decided no and outlined only a few things non-Jewish Believers should abstain from as requirements to worship alongside of the Jewish people. (See Acts 15.)

As the body of Messiah grew to be composed of mostly Gentile Believers, the situation changed.

In the third century, which by then the body had become composed of mostly Gentile Believers, the ruler Constantine adopted a form of Christianity. He believed that because, by and large, the Jewish people had rejected Jesus as Messiah, God had rejected them in favor of the Gentile Church. (This is known as Replacement Theology.) Constantine rejected the Hebrew calendar in favor of the Gregorian and reassigned different dates to holidays honoring Jesus’ life and ministry, emphatically separating faith in Jesus from its Jewish foundation. That’s why Passover and Easter (Resurrection Sunday), which the Bible reveals are divinely connected, oftentimes don’t line up on our calendars.

Sadly, today, the question addressed at the Jerusalem Council has been reversed. Many Christians believe – or at least expect – that a Jewish person who comes to believe Jesus is the Messiah should set aside their Jewish identity and assimilate into the modern Church. The biblical principle of unity with distinction says otherwise. In fact, the Bible indicates that God has given each group – Jewish and Gentile Believers – specific and different assignments.

In Genesis 12:3, God told Abraham that, through his descendants, all the families of the Earth would be blessed. God gave Israel this role to play on Earth – to be a blessing to all. This prophecy is epitomized in the coming of Yeshua, the Messiah who came from the Jewish people. Likewise, the Holy Spirit, now available to all who confess Yeshua as Lord, was first poured out on the Jewish followers of Jesus in Jerusalem. We also see evidence of Jewish people’s contributions to society. Representing only two percent of the world’s population, Jewish people account for 22 percent of all Nobel Prize winners.

In Romans 11:26, Paul informs the Gentile Believers of Rome that they have been grafted into the faith of Israel like a wild olive branch is grafted into a natural tree and have been given the particular role of provoking Israel to a holy jealousy over their relationship with the God of Israel.

One might wonder if these assignments were only for the early Church. No. Paul says it plainly in the same chapter of Romans: “The gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.” They don’t change over time. (See Romans 11:29 NKJV.)

Yeshua (Jesus,) the Messiah, brings us together, united in our faith in Him, as part of the family of the one true God, yet retaining distinct heritages and responsibilities. We each have our roles to play in the world, sharing the love and salvation of the God of Israel who “so loved” the whole world that He gave His only Son so that whoever believes in Him – Jewish or non-Jewish – would not perish but have eternal life (See John 3:16.) And we each have our roles to play in relation to one another.

For more on this topic, watch Jewish Voice Vice President of Global Ministry Affairs Ezra Benjamin’s conversation with David Blease, Teaching Pastor of Gateway Center for Israel.