Posted on 01/18/2011 10:47:30 AM PST by wmfights
Two thousand years of history have shown the Jewish people that Christians are their worst enemies, a Messianic rabbi pointed out.
“Jews were told you must convert or be killed. If we ignore the history, we’ll never really understand why it’s so difficult to reach the Jewish people with the Gospel,” Jeff Friedman emphasized.
Friedman himself grew up hating Christians. While attending an Orthodox Jewish synagogue regularly in Brooklyn, N.Y., he said he had some brief encounters with Christians and found them offensive, according to Pentecostal Evangel, a publication of the Assemblies of God.
It wasn’t until he was in his late 20s that he began to understand Yeshua, or Jesus. And it was at the most unlikely of places – his hair salon.
After moving to Miami as part of his job as a government pharmacist, Friedman went to get a haircut one day in 1980 where he met Mitzi, his hairstylist. She was a Jewish woman who attended an Assemblies of God church.
“She saw an emptiness in me, and understood that,” Friedman recalled. “I didn’t understand it, so I tried to fill up the empty places with everything that the world had; all that did was leave me more hungry.”
Mitzi was able to tap into that, he explained to The Christian Post. She challenged me to read from the Scriptures – Isaiah, Jeremiah, Zechariah, Psalms – and she showed me the Messiah. For the first time in my life, I was challenged with this question, ‘Who is this Messiah?’”
A week later, Friedman came to faith in Yeshua after accepting an invitation to a Christmas party at the church.
“When I started to read the prophecies of God, it was inescapable. I discovered in the older covenant scriptures that this man that the gentiles call Jesus must be the Messiah,” Friedman said.
Now a founder of Jacob’s Hope, an outreach ministry for the Assemblies of God, and a licensed AG minister and Messianic rabbi, Friedman aims to bring this same hope to Jewish people around the world by providing humanitarian and medical aid, and sharing the Good News of the Messiah.
Friedman noted that although many people are supporting Jewish ministries that provide humanitarian aid – the Gospel is not shared, so people aren’t being evangelized. Jacob’s Hope is working to change this.
Jacob’s Hope currently serves in Belarus, Germany, Ukraine, Ethiopia, and Israel, providing humanitarian aid, food, and medical care; training and equipping local pastors and Messianic rabbis to minister more effectively to their communities; distributing Bibles, books, and equipment; building worship and job training centers; and lastly sharing the Gospel of the Jewish Messiah Yeshua to the Jewish people.
“Gentile Christians live in poverty all over the world, but at least they have faith – something to cling on to. But most Jewish people scattered all over the world have nothing and no one. They are spiritually and physically in poverty,” Friedman said.
Hundreds of Jews enter the centers of Jacob’s Hope every month, and a percentage of those people ask questions about why the missionaries are here and why they’re doing what they’re doing. The volunteers and workers have a simple response.
We’re here because of the Messiah, he declared.
Friedman also explained, “We tell them and have a sign that says that all the material they receive comes from Christians from America who love the people of Israel, the Jewish people.”
Over ninety percent of Jews have not heard a culturally relevant presentation of the Gospel. The hopeful Friedman, joining a growing number of modern Messianic Jews today, is seeking to help the Jewish people understand that the terrible things done to them “in the name of Jesus” were not done by true believers and the Messiah who loved them.
“It’s important that we put the Gospel back into its original Jewish context. This Jewish man Jesus, the greatest Jew who ever lived, who kept the law of Moses perfectly, who said 'I come to seek and save the lost sheep of Israel;' he loved the Jewish people.”
He shared his personal convictions from Romans 10 – “Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved.”
Friedman works alongside his wife, Vixie, as well as three other AG missionary couples including Chris and Shawna, Jeff and Tammy, and Michael and Judith.
The enthusiastic rabbi soon plans to take 20 health care professionals with him into Ethiopia for eight days in order to minister to thousands of lost Jews with hope for salvation.
“Two thousand years of history have shown the Jewish people that Christians are their worst enemies, a Messianic rabbi pointed out. “Jews were told you must convert or be killed...” Strange how Jews forget that whole Jews persecuting Christians thing.
“Jewish Pentacostal”? You guys just make stuff up now?
Thought u might like
Keep it to yourselves, JfJs.
It’s difficult to compare 37 years of persecution (from 33 to 70 AD) with almost 2,000 years of the same. It’s a sad fact that antisemitism is alive and well among some Christians to this day. In Europe if you mention the word “Jew” to your typical Pole, Hungarian, Frenchman, or Spaniard you may be shocked at the reaction. Certainly not universal, and it’s more the exception than the rule in America, but it hasn’t entirely died.
Actually, Jewish people never cared about non-Jewish Christians, merely heretical Jewish people.
As a fan and defender of the Inquisition, surely you can undestand that.
So the typical Pole, Hungarian, Frenchman or Spainard is a Christian? Funny, but that attitude is exactly what this article is pointing out. The persecution of the Jews by “Christians” in the past and even today is largely done by those who are not actually Christians.
Unlike Judiasm, being born into a family that proclaims Christ does not mean you are a Christian. True Christians, by definition, cannot hate Jews. If you see someone who claims Christ, but who hates Christ’s people, you’re dealing with someone who has not been indwelt by the Holy Spirit of God and is, therefore, not a Christian.
And if that upsets some who claim Christ, but hate the Jews, that’s just tough. Your argument is with God, not me. Take it up with Him.
You wrote:
“It’s difficult to compare 37 years of persecution (from 33 to 70 AD) with almost 2,000 years of the same.”
Well, since there wasn’t 2,000 years of the “same” no I don’t find it so hard to compare.
“It’s a sad fact that antisemitism is alive and well among some Christians to this day.”
Among some, yes. And anti-Christian hatred is alive and well among some Jews.
“In Europe if you mention the word “Jew” to your typical Pole, Hungarian, Frenchman, or Spaniard you may be shocked at the reaction.”
Having been to Europe 8 times no, I don’t think most Europeans could shock me and I think they rarely think of Jews in the first place.
“Certainly not universal, and it’s more the exception than the rule in America, but it hasn’t entirely died.”
It never will.
I can’t understand how truth can be heresy. Jesus Christ is the Messiah.
Why? If you’re certain that Judiasm is the correct way and not Christianity, why are you afraid of Messianic Jews preaching the Gospel? If your religion is worth defending, then do so.
After all, what did Gamaliel tell the other Pharasees when speaking of Peter and the Apostles, you know, the original Jews for Jesus?
“...Refrain from these men, and let them alone: for if this counsel or this work be of men, it will come to nought: But if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it; lest haply ye be found even to fight against God.” Acts 5:38-39
Obviously, opinions differ, just as Protestants think Roman Catholics are all wet for thinking mary was a sinless being and vice versa.
Legtimate disagreements.
Difference being, Jewish people grew up and stopped trying to impose their religion by force.
Christians are polytheists.
(How’s that sound? Want to go down this road?)
For the record, I think Christianity is great for Christians. Faith is what it is: Faith, not Science.
So, let’s not argue amongst the Faithful who have no current animosity. You have yours, I’ll have mine, and we’ll have a nice cup of coffee.
But try to convert me, and I’ll smile, politely close that conversation and move on. If you’re unable to leave well enough alone after that, you’re rude, and I’ll ignore you and your bad manners.
I'm no scholar, so help me out here. Did Jews ever try to impose Judaism on anyone else?
I'm just historically ignorant on that one.
No more than Moses was.
(Bring it.)
I can step in here on this one. To the best of my knowledge, it’s actually against the ideals of Judaism to try to force the worship of YHWH on anyone. After all, forced worship is worthless to One who can see the inner thoughts of a man.
The same is true of Christian ideals. The practice of forced conversions is not in keeping with the idea that God sees the inner thoughts of a man and a forced conversion is meaningless.
“. Did Jews ever try to impose Judaism on anyone else?”
Well, Jewish people obviously objected to fellow Jewish people who lapsed, became pagan, or Christian, and aggressive action was often taken.
But, I do agree, Judaism was never imposed by the sword on non-Jewish people like most other religions do.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.