ago and passed away. Praise God he met the Messiah and
Savior shortly before being called to meet Him in person!
Justin Kron – Chicago, IL
Sarah* is a Jewish woman I was introduced to through
our church who was struggling with the possibility
that embracing Jesus as the Messiah could have major
repercussions on her relationships with her family
because they might see it as a rejection of them and her
Jewish heritage. Thankfully, she found comfort in my
encouragement that putting her faith in Jesus would actually
be an affirmation of her Jewish identity and that you can be
both Jewish and Christian.
At the same time I also shared with her the following
exhortation of Jesus when she told me that she didn’t want
fear to stand in the way of her relationship with God—If
you love your father or mother more than you love me, you
are not worthy of being mine...If you cling to your life, you
will lose it; but if you give up your life for me, you will find it
(Matthew 10:37-38).
Some time later it was “Baptism Sunday” at our church. Our
pastor gave a very clear presentation of the gospel based
on John 1:12: “Yet to all who did receive him, to those who
believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of
God”—and both Sarah and her boyfriend decided that this
was their day. This was their day to proclaim that Jesus is the
Lord of their lives and the forgiver of their sins. While the
service was nearing the end and all of the scheduled baptisms
had already taken place, they hurried up to the stage
and said that they wanted to be baptized too. After speaking
to someone who made sure that they were ready, they were
baptized together.
Eugene and Dasha Ivanov – Germany
We had four more water immersions at our congregation,
and we were truly blessed to have many Jewish people attend
the service where I preached about the need for repentance
in Yeshua and water immersion. Please pray with me that the
next water immersion will include even more Jewish people!
I have had great conversations with some of our Jewish
believers who have not made this important step. I am really
encouraged that the Lord is doing something special in their
hearts and in His time we are going to witness a greater
revival among His chosen people! We need to keep our faith
in the Lord, because He is doing it!
Please continue to pray for Eduard* and Elvira* who regularly,
and with a great desire, attend our services and Bible
studies. He is asking many questions, and he has moved
from being an atheist to believing in God. I talk with him
regularly, sharing the saving faith in Yeshua with him and his
wife. Pray also for Sophia,* an elderly Jewish lady who just
recently came to faith, and who desires continual fellowship
and the reading of God’s Word with great hunger. I visit her
at her home where we have been praying and reading the
Bible together. I have been encouraging her to walk with
Yeshua every day.
Scott and Margie Brown – New Zealand
Shaya*, a middle-aged Israeli, knew precisely what he was
getting into when he arrived at Zula Lodge. His wife had
experienced our Messianic Passover Seder earlier this year and
his son had been extensively hosted by one of our staff couples,
Michael and Teresa. By the time Shaya reached Michael and
Teresa’s home for a short stay, he was ready to burst.
“I just need you to show me if Yeshua really is the Messiah!”
There was not a hint of insincerity in his voice; he was on
a mission, and the questions fairly catapulted from his lips.
“Why is he called ‘Jesus?’ Does Christ mean ‘cross?’ Why
do some Christians support Israel? Why didn’t Israel accept
Yeshua? Why didn’t Yeshua deliver Israel? How can you be
sure there is a Suffering Servant and a Conquering King?
Why did Yeshua have to suffer and die? Why does the world
hate Israel? Why did God choose us?”
Using the Scriptures, Michael skillfully and methodically
answered Shaya’s questions. “Shaya, you need to understand
that the Jesus I serve is not mine—He’s yours! Yeshua is
Israel’s Messiah, and apart from God’s promises to the Jewish
people, we Gentiles would be hopelessly separated from the
God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”
Tears welled in Shaya’s eyes. “Michael, your love for God
makes me so jealous.”
Two thousand years ago, another zealous Jew wrote: “…
salvation has come to the Gentiles, to make them Israel jealous”
(Romans 11:11b). These heavenly physics are still playing out
on the earth today! By living fully-devoted lives and sharing the
good news of God’s salvation with hundreds of Israeli travelers,
our dedicated New Zealand staff are provoking many of Israel’s
lost sheep to consider the Shepherd of Israel, Jesus.
The Chosen People | JULY 2019
*names changed
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