creation. God did not want Israel to betempted by the perverted rituals of herpagan neighbors. He instructed Israelto worship Him in truth through godlyand sanctified festivals. That is whythe festivals of Israel provide suchstark contrast to the dark rituals thather neighbors practiced during thosesame agricultural cycles.

The tendency to worship the creationrather than the Creator is still at workin this world. While some concerns ofthe environmental movement are basedupon a proper and healthy respect forthe world we live in, the movementfails to connect the sacredness of thecreation to the holiness of the Creator.Such a divorce often leads to neo-pagan ideology, an exaltation of thecreation over the Creator. We seeaspects of this growing religious trendin our society. The rise of the Wiccanreligion, more commonly known aswitchcraft, is a deification of creationthat results in the same kind ofpaganism Israel contended with solong ago.

God, in His wisdom, gave Israelfestivals to teach them the true natureof His relationship to His creation.God is the original and ultimateenvironmentalist. A proper respect forthe Creator produces a proper respectfor creation. This is just as true todayas in Bible times.

The Psalmist wrote, “The Heavensdeclare the glory of God and thefirmament showeth His handiwork”(Psalm 19:1). Paul said that “since thecreation of the world His invisibleattributes are clearly seen, beingunderstood by the things that are made,even His eternal power and Godhead . . .”

(Romans 1:20). The biblical feasts ingeneral, and particularly the Feast ofIngathering, impart God’s truth as seenin the agricultural cycles.

Further, the Feast of Ingatheringestablished a link between the peopleof Israel and the land of Israel. Godpromised that the people of Israelwould exist forever. Yet, in the samebreath He warned that the land ofIsrael would not necessarily becontinually possessed by the people ofIsrael: “And if you defile the land, itwill vomit you out as it vomited out thenations that were before you”(Leviticus 18:28).

Nevertheless, God’s promiseconcerning the land was inviolate.Though the people of Israel may bedispersed to the four corners of theearth, God promised that He wouldreturn them to the promised land(Deuteronomy 30:3). The Feast ofIngathering serves as an eternalreminder of that promise. Whereverthe people of Israel might bedispersed, this festival speaks to themof their true homeland by pointing out,every year, what was occurring in theland that God had sworn to give theirancestors. The Holy Land wasinscribed upon the hearts of the Jewishpeople through the Holy Days thatGod gave to them.

This may provide some perspective onthe conflicts in the Middle East. Theyare not purely political in nature.There are underlying spiritualelements, rooted in the Scriptures,rooted in God’s promises to Hispeople. Though many in Israel are notso conscious of the connection, itremains true.

Finally, the Feast of Ingathering wasintended to produce thanksgivingtoward God, who had provided theharvest. The pagan religions tried toappease their so-called gods as a meansto an end—an abundant harvest, health,fertility, etc. In contrast, the God ofIsrael was not a means to an end. Hewas the end. He was to be worshiped.It was the good pleasure of the Creatorto provide rain in its season and aharvest in its season. His provisioninspired thankfulness in the hearts ofthe Jewish people, not vice versa.Thankful worship was the end, not themeans. As the Westminster shortercatechism declares, “The chief end ofman is to glorify God and to enjoyHim forever.”

The Feast of Ingathering showed howGod’s provision was to help Israelfulfill her ultimate purpose ofglorifying God. This very festival isthe foundation of our modern dayAmerican celebration ofThanksgiving. The pilgrims knew theBible, they knew about the Feast ofIngathering and so they adapted theirown feast for their new land into athanksgiving celebration.

What about us? When we see God’sglory reflected in creation, do wecultivate a proper concern for ourenvironment? When we pause tohear the rhythms of the createdorder, do our hearts swell withthankfulness to God for Hissovereign grace? Do we rejoice inHis promises? It is wonderful to beable to celebrate the festivals thatGod gave. It is one more way toremember that our gracious Godprovides, and that “He’s got thewhole world in His hands.”

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JEWS F✡ R JESUS® INTERNATIONAL HEADQUARTERS: 60 HAIGHT STREET, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102-5895 E-MAIL: jfj@jewsforjesus.org; HOME PAGE: www.jfjonline.org;

ALSO WORKING IN: AUSTRALIA, CANADA, FRANCE, GERMANY, ISRAEL, RUSSIA, SOUTH AFRICA,UKRAINE and THE UNITED KINGDOM;

EDITOR: RUTH ROSEN; ART DIRECTION: PAIGE SAUNDERS; DESIGN: DANIELA KOGER; COVER ILLUSTRATION: AMER OLSEN; VOLUME 1:5762, SEPTEMBER 2001

WE EXIST TO MAKE THE MESSIAHSHIP OF JESUSAN UNAVOIDABLE ISSUE TO OUR JEWISH PEOPLE WORLDWIDE.

ktroh

There has never been a better timefor Christians to tour Israel.

That’s right. I just returned from threeweeks in Israel with 25 believers fromour fellowship—Topeka Bible Church(a fervent supporter of Jews for Jesussince its early days).

But what about the rocks, the bullets,the car bombs? We didn’t see or hearany. Well, that’s not quite true. Weturned on CNN in our hotel room atthe end of each fabulous day of touringand saw the same things you saw. Idon’t mean to make light of anyone’ssuffering, but I do want to tell you thatthe media portrayal of what is or is nothappening leaves much to be desired.

Nearly all of that violence takes placein Palestinian territory, not in Israelproper. We avoided those hot spots.Instead of visiting Shechem (Nablus),we spent a day in the ancient Jewishcity of Zefat. For Bethlehem andJericho, we substituted the rose-redrock city of Petra, and threw in a“resort day” at Eilat on the Red Sea.

We cooled the heat of summer withHoly Land water. Waded in the

Mediterranean surf. Kayaked downthe upper Jordan. Splashed in theSea of Galilee. Swam at HammathGeder and Gan Hashelosha. Floatedin the Dead Sea. Baptized a newbeliever amidst startled tropical fishin the Red Sea.

Best of all (for me) was digging atBethsaida for a week. Archaeologistswill point you to the only stretch oforiginal road that we can be confidentJesus walked upon.

Suggestion: when in Tel Aviv, invitethe Goldsteins or any of the Jews forJesus staff to tell your group howthey are making the messiahship ofJesus an unavoidable issue to theJewish people in Israel.

It saddens me that Americans by thedroves have canceled their plans tovisit Israel. Not only are touristsmissing out on a wonderful time,but 12,000 hotel workers have losttheir jobs so far this year. Israelisare very appreciative of those who dochoose to visit. From archaeologiststo taxi drivers, everyone grasped ourhands and said, “Thank you forcoming!”

If you’re wavering, my advice to you is:Go! You’ll never get better hotel andrestaurant rates, or cheaper bargains inthe marketplace. Certainly you’ll neversee shorter lines! Take my word for it—there has never been a better time forChristians to visit Israel.

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PRAYERPROMPTERSPlease pray for:

many Jewish people toattend our High Holidayservices in cities all over theworld, and to findforgiveness in Y’shua (p. 6)

final preparations for ourBehold Your God campaignin Johannesburg, and thatGod will prepare manyhearts to receive Him (p. 4)

persevering Christianfriends to help follow upcontacts in cities wherewe’ve completed the BYGcampaigns

God’s grace in blessing uswith needed spiritual andfinancial resources

salvation for Luda (SanFrancisco), the unnamedyoung man in Ethiopia andBerenice (New York) (p. 5and 8)

grace and strength for thewoman who prayed toreceive Christ after havingher feet massaged (p. 5)

grace and strength for newJewish believers Alex(London), Clara (Israel),Aviva (Israel), Barbara(New York) and Heidi (NewYork) (p. 8)

IT’S A GREAT TIME TO VISIT ISRAELBy Jim Congdon, Pastor Topeka Bible Church

Next month we will have our Behold Your God outreach in Johannesburg, South Africa, where approximately 65,000 Jewish people reside.

The majority of South Africa’s Jewish population is of Lithuanian origin. They began arriving at the end of the 19th century. The Jewish community in South Africa is, for the most part, well-educated with a strong social conscience. They were helpful in ending apartheid and have a history of caring for those who are in need. One example can be seen in a letter from a refugee who was on board the S.S. San Marcos in 1949. The ship was headed to Argentina (a country closed to Jews at the time) carrying 650 (non-Jewish) Russian refugees. One of them wrote:

“On the way to our next stop in southeast Africa, Durban, which is past Madagascar, a trip of some 24 days or so, rations were slowly cut. It was not good. In fact, my gums showed the f rst signs of scurvy. If not

for the generosity of some of the Johannesburg Jews in the community who brought a large quantity of Vitamin C, I might have lost all of my teeth. Somewhere along the line, the Jewish communities of Johannesburg were informed that

we needed toothbrushes, toothpaste and soap. We wound up with months of supplies, including clothing, which the women and children needed.”

The Johannesburg Jewish community is accustomed to giving a helping hand, but when it comes to the gospel they are in need of helping hands to reach out to them.

Jews for Jesus has a 17-year history with this city. Our f rst contact was in 1984, when The Liberated Wailing Wall visited. They encountered much resistance, particularly when they sang at Witwatersrand University. It was the kind of resistance one expects to encounter when God is about to break through, so we returned to Johannesburg again and again. In 1989 we opened our f rst overseas branch, at the invitation of Hope of Israel, a ministry that was seeking a merger. The branch was pioneered by Andrew and Laura Barron and has since become completely indigenous.

Our staff and volunteers will be kicking off the Johannesburg Behold Your God outreach with a big Sukkot celebration. How appropriate that this joyous holiday will be a springboard for bringing the good news of Y’shua to the people of Johannesburg.

Next month’s newsletter will include a BYG prayer bookmark with some specif c requests for this campaign. Meanwhile, please pray for the last-minute preparations now taking place.

* B e h o l d Y o u r G o d

The 1984 Liberated Wailing Wall

THE BYG* PICNext month—Johannesburg!

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L to R: missionaries Eliyah Gould, Natalie Sachs and Michael SischyNot pictured: Vanessa Hale, officer worker, and Teresa Sischy, bothvital to our Johannesburg branch

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BYG BITSBecause of the “lead time” needed to print the newsletter, we can’t tell you some of the Behold Your God details as soon as they are reported. We’ll try to catch you up on some of the highlights, as well as follow-up reports, with BYG Bits.

San Francisco

It was Sunday, the last day of the San Francisco BYG campaign. Our f nal sortie (tract passing expedition) was the annual Bay to Breakers footrace.

We have been handing out tracts at this Bay Area event for years (this year 17,000 broadsides were distributed), but this time we added something new: “Jews for Jesus free foot massages for the fully clothed,”* read our colorful poster. “God cares for your soles!”

*Many people come to the race in various costumes and some are scantily clad or not clad at all. People enjoyed the sign and it also seemed to prevent potentially inappropriate situations.

Ruth Rosen and Shirley Itani had conspired to add this new element to the Bay to Breakers sortie and it was pretty radical. One of the campaign stewards (also named Ruth) joined them. All three explained to each

“client” that they were there to extend the love and care of Jesus, who cared for their souls, inside and out.

People lined up for the foot rubs. Even those who were initially skeptical (“Do I have to convert to get a foot massage?”) seemed genuinely touched (no pun intended) by the care they received. The three massagers were also moved by the opportunity. Ruth Rosen said, “Caring for people’s dirty, sweaty feet after the race was different from any ceremonial foot washing I’ve ever done. It made me realize how amazing God’s care for us truly is. Giving that kind of comfort and acceptance to strangers and doing it because God loves them so much was an amazing experience.” Ruth Fox (the steward) actually prayed with one person to receive the Lord!

Hannah Neufeld reports, “Following up from BYG, I had a visit with a Jewish woman named Luda. We met on a park bench in front of her off ce. As I was sharing the gospel, a man smoking a cigarette sat down on the other side of me. The wind was blowing the smoke in my direction and I was tempted to ask him to move to another bench. I knew, however, that he was listening to our conversation, and I did not want to discourage him. My visit with Luda went well and she left agreeing to meet again.

“Once Luda was gone, the smoker, a non-Jew named Jovani, engaged me in

conversation. It turns out his family back East has been telling him he needs to be born again. I shared the gospel with him and Jovani prayed to receive Jesus. I asked him if he was certain about what he prayed and he asked to pray the prayer again. After the second time, he said, ‘Yes, I really meant it.’ Please pray for Luda’s salvation and that Jovani will grow in the Lord.”

St. Petersburg

Arina Kochanova reports, “A young girl asked me for a broadside and when I asked her about Jesus she lifted her hands up and cried, ‘He is the Lord!’ When I asked which congregation she attends, she answered that she was from an Orthodox Jewish family. Three months ago she repented and accepted Jesus into her heart. She began to seek other Jews who recognized Jesus and somebody told her about Jews for Jesus. But she did not know where to f nd us. So she was thrilled to meet us during the Behold Your God outreach! Her name is Elisabeth and she is 18. Please, pray for her spiritual growth, that she will come to our Shabbat service, and that God would help and bless her in her witness to her family.”

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Our God and God of our ancestors! Letour prayers come before You and donot hide Yourself from our supplication.For neither are we so arrogant norhardened to say, “We are righteousand have not sinned,” for truly, truly, wehave sinned. May it be Your will, OLord our God, to forgive all our sins,and pardon all our iniquities.

For the sin which we have committed inYour sight through arrogance of our will,And for the sin which we have committedbefore You by breach of trust.For the sin which we have committed inYour sight by casting off responsibility,And for the sin which we have committedbefore You by denying and lying.For the sin which we have committed inYour sight by evil thoughts,

For all of these, O God of forgiveness,forgive us, pardon us, grant us atonement.For the sin which we have committed inYour sight, either knowingly or unknowingly.

And for the sin which we have committedbefore You through lustful desires.And for the sin which we have committedbefore You by not lifting up Your Name.And for the sin which we have committedbefore You by passing judgment.And for the sin which we have committedbefore You by resisting those in authority.For all of these, O God of forgiveness,forgive us, pardon us, grant us atonement.

For the sin which we have committed inYour sight by scoffing,And for the sin which we have committedbefore You through talking idly.

And for the sin which we havecommitted before You through excess ineating and drinking.For the sin which we have committed inYour sight by yet being proud,And for the sin which we have committedbefore You through our lack of zeal.For all of these, O God of forgiveness,forgive us, pardon us, grant us atonement.

Avinu Malkeinu (our Father, our King), wehave sinned before you!Avinu Malkeinu, in Your abundant mercy,cleanse us of our guilt before You.Avinu Malkeinu, bring us back to You inperfect repentance.Our Father, our King, be gracious unto usand answer us although we have no meritsof our own. Deal with us in righteousnessand lovingkindness, and save us.

A JEWISH PRAYER FOR FORGIVENESS?

If you tell a Jewish friend about being “saved from sin,” don’t be surprised if he or she does not seem overly concerned.Many equate sin with crimes committed by “America’s Most Wanted.” Most presume that all God really expects of us

is to treat other people decently.

However, once a year the reality of sin zooms into crystal clear focus in synagogues throughout the world. Jewish peoplewho attend High Holiday services come face-to-face with their need for forgiveness.

We thought you might like to see excerpts from the prayers which many Jewish people will be reciting on Yom Kippur(which begins at sundown on September 26 and continues through sundown September 27).

These excerpts are from the traditional Jewish prayer for forgiveness known as the Al Chet. Jews and Gentiles whobelieve in Jesus can recite these prayers with a sense of remorse and relief, knowing that, “In Him we have redemptionthrough His blood, the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of His grace” (Ephesians 1:7). But what of those whodon’t know Him?

Many will say the prayers by rote, barely noticing the words. But many others will identify with these and the rest of the sinsmentioned in the prayer. And they will wonder if God hears, if He forgives and how they can know their sins are covered.

Jews for Jesus branches all over the world will be holding messianic services for Rosh Hashanah (beginning at sundownSeptember 17) as well as for Yom Kippur. Please pray that many will find forgiveness through Jesus this year.

If you can, send your Jewish friends a Rosh Hashanah (New Year) card to let them know you understand this is a specialtime of year for them. If you live near one of our branches, please consider inviting your Jewish friend to our holidayservices. And pray that God will speak to their hearts about the importance of receiving God’s forgiveness on God’s terms.

*our Father, our King

Jews for Jesus are often confrontedwith the question, “How do you

observe Rosh Hashanah,” or “How doyou observe Yom Kippur,” or “Howdo you observe the Sabbath?”

My answer shocks some people: Wedon’t observe these days and neitherdo any Jews. To “observe” or to keep aholiday, one must do exactly andprecisely as God prescribes.

Today, no one observes the Law andthe holidays. It would be impossible to

do so, because we no longer have themeans to comply with God’s requiredprocedures. Nor do we enforceviolations the way God required.

Think about law in general. Mostcountries and states have speed limits.Whereas the speed limit posted on aparticular highway might be 70 milesper hour, many drivers push it to 75mph. But when that state highwaypatrolman pulls you over, he is notinterested in your interpretation. He

doesn’t say, “Uh guys, let me ask younicely, please don’t go so fast.” For thelaw to have any force, it must have apenalty.

Whereas the highway patrol cannotsee everything precisely, the God ofthe universe is everywhere watchingeverything with exact precision all ofthe time. Some fight a traffic ticketand win because the policeman simplydoesn’t show up. But God always“shows up.” And any infraction of HisLaw carries a penalty.

God did not give us the TenSuggestions or Ten Guidelines. Hegave us Ten Commandments. Thedifference is this: the commandmentsays, “Do it or else.” The Law requiresprecise compliance and it is not a lawunless the penalty for violation is ineffect.

Observing holidays is the same asobserving the Law—there werespecific commandments involved. WeJews for Jesus don’t observe holidays,

nor do our fellow Jews who attempt tokeep the Law. Most holidays requiredspecific Temple sacrifices which are nolonger possible. And to keep theSabbath would have resulted in stoningthe person who failed to observe it.

We can no more choose how toobserve a holiday than we can choosewhat God does or does not command.We want choices, but God gives us away. We want options, but He givesprecise directions.

However, Jewish holidays are part ofour tradition and family life.Therefore, we can celebrate them.Celebration is a choice.

One would expect those who do notknow Christ to cling to the Law. Thelost sheep wants to be ruled by somekind of order or law that works to hisbenefit: the order of the flock aroundhim, the order of the water in thestream, the order of grass under hisfeet—even when he is not hungry.

God ordered those rules of care anddeliverance for the sheep. But the rulesby themselves were not adequate tobring the lost sheep into relationshipwith Him. The sheep still neededGod’s shepherd. And so the Lamb ofGod came to be that good shepherd.

Some care for the rules more than theRuler. The ruler of the universe hasdecreed that in Y’shua we measure up.He is precisely the way, the truth andthe life (John 14:6).

I am not saying we should forget ourJewish heritage and ignore what Godgave us. We simply need to rememberthe difference between observing theholidays and celebrating them.

Those of us who live in the grace ofY’shua can celebrate the Jewishholidays. We can appreciate andparticipate in traditions thatcommemorate the meaning of aholiday. We can rejoice in the Lord.We can thank God that Y’shua hasfulfilled the Law, even to the point oftaking the penalty for our failure toobserve the Law.

Rejoice. Celebrate the holidayshowever it honors God. But know thatY’shua has observed and obeyed theLaw and our order is in Him.

We can no more choose how to observe a holiday than we can choose what Goddoes or does not command.

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A MESSAGE FROM MOISHE J E W S F ✡ R J E S U S F O U N D E R*happy holidays

London: Jonathan Bernd reports,“Alex is a young Israeli who noticedour shop while visiting London withhis parents years ago. Uponreturning to live in the UK, hedecided to find out more. I beganmeeting with Alex and discoveredthat he ‘believed’ in Jesus, yetstruggled with believing He is theSon of God. One week when I wasnot available he met withAsher Avramovsky, whogave him our booklet on theTrinity. Soon after, Alexcalled to tell me he’d readthe booklet and hadconcluded that Jesus wasGod, and that He had diedfor Alex’s sins. He prayedwith me over the phone toreceive Jesus and before wehung up he said, ‘I thinkthis is a new day.’ Pleasepray for Alex to continue togrow in his faith.”

Israel: Miriam Abramovreports, “Clara called totell us that she was veryinterested in Jesus. Shehad read the NewTestament when she was14 and believed He wasthe Messiah, but when she tried toexplain this to her Jewish friendsthey told her it could not be true.She never lost interest, and evenattended church occasionally. Still,Clara felt confused and uncertainabout her belief. When she heardthere were Jews for Jesus in Israel,she just had to talk to us. Wepointed out some Bible prophecies,explained the gospel and what itmeans to respond in faith to God’soffer of salvation. Clara prayedwith us to receive Y’shua and isalready testifying that Jesus ischanging her life.”

Sammy L. (our EthiopianJewish outreach worker) wasvisiting Israel when he met an

Ethiopian Jewish woman namedAviva. Samuel reports, “As our visitdrew to a close, the Lord put somethings on my heart to pray for her.As we prayed, Aviva began to cry.She said that I was praying about allabout her secrets. The next day Icalled her from Ben Gurion airportto say goodbye. She told me thatshe wanted to receive Jesus, and she

prayed with me on the phone fromthe airport. Pray for Aviva, as shehad already been experiencing somediscrimination for attendingChristian meetings even before shewas a believer.”

Ethiopia: Asfaw Abraham, anEthiopian Jewish believer who hasbeen helping us in Addis Ababa,reports, “A young Jewish manapproached me as I was handing outtracts and said, ‘Please, I amwaiting my fax from Israel. Do youhave any news about our fax?* Icame from Gonder and am here togo to Israel. Look, I am waiting forthe fax all my life—I have nothingelse here.’ I told him that Y’shua ismore important than anything,

including his hope in ‘the fax.’ Igave him our broadside which talksabout that very subject. Please prayGod will use the words I spoke totouch his heart.”(*Many Ethiopian Jews wait formonths and even years to receive afax saying that they have beenapproved to move to Israel.)

New York: Braziliantrainee Sergio Danonreports, “I accompaniedDavid Mishkin as he wentto speak at a Brazilianchurch in New Jersey. Afterthe service, a Jewish womannamed Berenice was eagerto talk with us. She grew upin a Jewish Brazilian familybut was not finding answersto her spiritual questions inJudaism, so she begansearching elsewhere. Davidand I discussed the gospelwith Berenice and sheagreed to read the NewTestament on her own.Please pray for our futureministry to Berenice, aswell as for her husbandRicardo (who is a Christian)and their three children.”

Aaron Abramson reports, “Beforemy ‘Christ in the Passover’presentation, a church memberintroduced me to her Jewish friend,Barbara. Barbara seemed a bituncomfortable, yet she was open.After we talked a bit, she prayedwith me to receive Y’shua!Following the presentation, anotherJewish woman, Heidi, approachedme to say that she was seriouslyconsidering Jesus. I gave her ourQuestions and Answers booklet andshe gave me her address and phonenumber. Soon after the meeting,Karol Joseph called Heidi andprayed with her to receive the Lord!Praise God!”

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