5
our team includes a video editor
who is responsible for creating
visually compelling teaching
videos. All of our video content
is designed with great care, as
seen in the quality of the I Found
Shalom videos, which was recently
awarded “Best Short-Form
Video” by the National Religious
Broadcasters (NRB) during their
2018 NRB Media Awards.
Although we have made leaps and
bounds in the last five years in our
online efforts, we also realize that
we are just at the beginning of all
the Lord wants to do through this
powerful medium. The nature of
digital evangelism requires that
we stay current and anticipate the
needs of the online community.
For this reason, outreach through
digital evangelism will remain a
primary focus of the Mission for
the immediate future and beyond.
We view digital ministry,
especially through the personal
interaction with seekers, as the
Lord’s first step toward engaging
thousands. We will continue to
use these tools to win the hearts
and souls of Jewish people who
need the Lord.
JOSHUA INITIATIVE
Leadership succession may simply refer
to one individual replacing another.
But Scripture also tells the story
of one generation replacing another. God
called Joshua to lead a new generation of His
chosen people and told him that He would be
with him just as He was with Moses! As the
Lord promised,
No man will be able to stand before
you all the days of your life. Just as I
have been with Moses, I will be with
you; I will not fail you or forsake you.
Be strong and courageous, for you
shall give this people possession of the
land which I swore to their fathers to
give them. (Joshua 1:5–6)
A similar time is coming for Your Mission
to the Jewish People, as an older generation
of missionaries must now prepare a new
generation for Jewish missions in the twentyfirst
century! This is why we are intentionally
investing in our next generation of staff
preparing to one day lead our 125-year-old
outreach to the Jewish people.
We are also directing our evangelistic efforts
toward a new generation as we focus more
energy, programs, and personnel on reaching
Jewish young adults online, on campus, and in
person, both in the United States and in Israel.
We call this effort The Joshua Initiative.
We are now beginning to see a movement of
the Holy Spirit among young Israelis in the
Holy Land. Hundreds of Israeli young people,
mostly raised in Messianic Jewish homes, are
now ready to stand for the Lord within Israel.
They were born and raised in Israel, speak
perfect Hebrew, have served in the army,
and are dedicated to the Messiah. A half
dozen of these young people are now serving
with Chosen People Ministries in Israel and
are reaching their generation, along with
children and youth, for the Lord. They are the
new Joshua generation!
Our outreach and discipleship programs
for children and teens, ages 8–16, is growing.
Many of these kids come from mixed
Messiah-believing and non-believing homes.
Sleepaway camps allow us to minister to the
next generation through worship, devotions,
and teaching, and, of course, through all the
traditional fun camp activities! Each summer,
we have more than a hundred kids in camps
on the East and West Coast and more than
500 each year in Israel! Many have come to
faith in the Messiah Jesus.
We have also developed special teen mission
trips to New York City and Israel so teens can
step out of their comfort zone and share the
gospel through our outreaches.
For the past decade, we have sponsored and
funded a global conference for Messianic
believers, ages 18–35. Muchan, which means
“ready” in Hebrew, meets in a European city
that has a meaningful Jewish heritage. The
conference is filled with teaching, fellowship,
worship, and encouragement.
We are also pioneering a new gap-year
program for college-aged young people. Four
young men are now living in Manhattan’s
West Village and are tasked with reaching
out to the Jewish student body at New York
University, which has more Jewish students
than the famous Yeshiva University in New
York City—a school that trains rabbis and
Jewish community workers! Our local staff
provide training, mentoring, and guidance
for them as they share the gospel with Jewish
students. This is an excellent way to disciple
new workers for the harvest and to reach
university students. We hope to expand
this ministry in the days ahead as there are
now more than 200,000 Jewish students on
campuses in the United States and Canada.
Your Mission to the Jewish People also offers
a fully accredited Master of Divinity degree
in Messianic Jewish Studies in partnership
with Biola University’s Talbot School of
Theology. We are training the next generation
of men and women called to full-time Jewish
ministry. We currently have twenty-five
graduates serving in Jewish ministry around
the world! We also provide the space and
the professors, reducing costs dramatically
so that our graduates do not incur debt and
are able to go directly into ministry without
having to pay off student loans.
The Joshua Initiative will ensure that the
work of bringing the gospel to the Jewish
people will continue long into the future.
The Chosen People | NOVEMBER 2019