The Apple of His Eye completes historic first Israel outreach
Shalom !
Praise God from whom all blessings flow...
The first ever outreach by the LCMS in Israel was competed on Sunday, February 1st, 2009. By God's grace, we were able to distribute 6,000+ gospel tracts in Tel Aviv. During our outreach, we also received 40+ contacts - names and e-mail addresses or phone numbers of unsaved Jewish people who wanted to know more and/or receive a free copy of the New Testament in Hebrew.
We have given the names over to our friends at Jews For Jesus who will be involved in the direct followup resulting from our efforts here.
We prayed throughout the week that the Lord would indeed draw someone to Himself through salvation. On the last day the last sortie, Alan Butterworth was distributing literature at Yitzak Rabin Square (the place where he was assassinated), when someone riding a bicycle past him stopped and took some literature. As the conversation continued Roni discovered that his sin kept him from a personal relationship with the Lord. Alan clearly explained the Gospel and asked him if there was any reason he should not confess Jesus as his savior. Right on the street God brought the miracle of salvation through faith in Y'shua. Praise God for His mighty acts in human lives. Please pray for him as he wrestles with new growth. Zeev from Jews For Jesus will be in contact with him for followup.
We realized some important lessons from our time in Israel:
1. People are open to talk about Jesus
2. There is real opposition - but different from what was expected - the hardest part comes from within our own selves to extend beyond comfort levels so that others may have a genuine hearing of the Gospel.
3. While Hebrew is the predominate language, we were able to communicate with others but we would be far more effective if we had language skills.
4. Tel Aviv is the 14th most expensive city in the world. (NYC is 24th)
5. 96% of the people there are Jewish.
6. Human needs do not change from country to country, and we see that the message of salvation is just as relevant today as it was 2,000 years ago in Israel.
Following our outreach, we took part in three days of consultations with Christians from other countries and agencies who are doing various ministries in Israel.
The primary question on the table was: WHAT ROLE MIGHT APPLE OF HIS EYE MINISTRIES PLAY IN REACHING JEWISH PEOPLE IN ISRAEL AND HELPING TO EQUIP OTHERS TO DO THE SAME MORE EFFECTIVELY.
Our learnings were:
1. There is a need to strengthen and encourage the body of believers to be more bold in their personal and corporate witness in Israel.
2. We can add to existing ministries and work cooperatively where in the past most have gone it alone.
3. Direct evangelism is effective and people are willing to talk - it is just that many Christians living in Israel are in the minority and have chosen to focus on indirect means of cultivating relationships. There is a need for leadership which we could offer.
4. Using the Internet as an evangelism tool has not been effectively used in Israel yet. We might be able to bring some value to add there as well as in Russia.
5. The laws are different there, and each activity needs to be done in full accordance with the laws of the land and not to subvert them.
Our conclusion...
Direct evangelism can be an effective tool for outreach in Israel, and there is both a need and opportunity for The Apple of His Eye to expand our efforts there.
Please pray for the Followup which will take place and for our serious consideration of strategic planning for Israel ministries.
Your prayers and mission support enable us to move forward. Please prayerfully help us as we enter this crossroads for the future of our ministry.
Thank you for standing with us! May God bless you richly in these challenging times.
Yours in Y'shua
Steve Cohen on behalf of all of our staff and volunteers at The Apple of His Eye.
Romans 1:16
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