A SPECIAL MESSAGE
FROM: REV. ROBERT ROEGNER,
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE BOARD FOR MISSION SERVICES, -LCMS
Dear friends in Christ - SHALOM - peace to you!
We
have much to celebrate in the bold mission leadership of The Apple of
His Eye. This mission agency is uniquely poised to embrace the
challenges and opportunities of mission work among Jewish people. Steve
Cohen and other Apple of His Eye missionaries have been in dialog with
LCMS World Mission’s area directors in order to initiate mission work
among large populations of Jewish people overseas in South America and
Russia.
Vision for Great Commission Fulfillment Worldwide
The Apple of His Eye serves the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod in
casting a vision and providing tools for outreach among Jewish people
in North America as well as worldwide. When I was a pastor at Zion
Lutheran Church in Westwood, N.J., my family and I lived in a community
among many Jewish people. I challenged the members of Zion to see this
mission field; in fact there were several members whose spouses are
Jewish. Missionaries Marc Danzis and Gary Timm came to Zion Lutheran
Church in Westwood and spoke about Jewish evangelism. I highly
recommend congregations to contact Apple of His Eye to help cast a
vision for Jewish outreach through its missionaries’ presentations;
their passion for outreach will help spark the fire of this worldwide
Lutheran mission movement.
Jewish Evangelism—It Starts with You!
“Never
stop telling people about Jesus,” are words spoken by Big Joe, a
sainted Liberian friend, words which continue to sharpen and focus my
mission involvement. God has called us through our baptism to be
involved in His mission—to seek and to save what was lost. While God
could bring people into His Kingdom through any number of ways, He has
chosen to use humans as the means by which the saving words of
salvation might be communicated to others. His Great Commission
mobilizes us into action—to take His Word and share it in Jerusalem and
in Judea and in Samaria and the ends of the earth.
It is so
liberating to know that we don’t need to learn programs in order to be
used by God in His mission. He has created us uniquely and placed us
within families, relationships, networks, and communities through which
we can introduce those close to us to Jesus Christ. This is true of
Jewish evangelism. Surveys show that 80 percent of Jewish believers
came to faith in Jesus through the prayerful, personal witness of a
Gentile.
Jewish Outreach is Important
I
imagine that many LCMS members would agree that Jewish evangelism is
“important.” But for some, important may actually mean “important for
someone else to do.” However, God is daily giving each of us chances to
step up to the plate and respond to witnessing opportunities workers.
With 6 million Jewish people living in the United States, odds are that
each of us has a relationship with at least one or perhaps several
Jewish people. Statistically, 99 percent of them are yet unsaved. This
is unacceptable—these are precious people for whom Jesus Christ died to
save!
With fewer than 2 percent of Jewish Christians belonging
to LCMS congregations, each of us can do a better job in being faithful
to the witnessing opportunities that God is giving us. LCMS President,
Jerry Kieschnick, has called a witnessing opportunity, “the critical
event,” and is defined as “when one Lutheran Christian gives witness
about Jesus of the hope that is within him or her to another person so
that person may encounter Christ.” Jewish people will come to a
knowledge of the Truth that Jesus is Christ—the Messiah—when we respond
to the Gospel in “the critical event.”
I have a vision of Jewish
people hearing the Gospel throughout the world by the witness of
Lutherans, like you and me. St. Paul says it clearly in his letter to
the Philippians, “Therefore God exalted [Jesus] to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of
Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the
earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory
of God the Father” Phil. 2:9-11. Every tongue was created to confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord, and it will be the Holy Spirit working
through our witness that Jewish people will be able to confess Jesus as
the Messiah. Now is the time for mission action!
Worldwide Lutheran Mission Movement
Much of the past year I have been involved in establishing a new purpose statement for LCMS World Mission:
Praying
to the Lord of the harvest, LCMS World Mission in collaboration with
its North American and worldwide partners will share the good news of
Jesus with 100 million unreached or uncommitted people by the 500th
Anniversary of the Reformation in 2017. This mission initiative has
been named, Ablaze! I am passionate about each LCMS member and about
fellow Lutherans around the world becoming active in sharing the Good
News with all people. As this happens, a worldwide Lutheran mission
movement will grow and expand the Kingdom of God. The Ablaze! mission
movement engages organizations like Apple of His Eye in the vision of
sharing the Good News of Jesus with all people. To learn more, visit
www.lcmsworldmission.org/ablaze .
For years, Apple of His Eye
has led the way for LCMS members to be personally involved in Jewish
outreach. I urge you to reaffirm your concern for Jewish evangelism by
increasing your involvement today and help spark this worldwide mission
movement! Persistently pray for Jewish people you know, that they may
know Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Pray also that God would open your
eyes for “the critical events,” when you may lovingly witness to your
faith in Jesus. Likewise, have you considered serving as a volunteer or
career missionary with Apple of His Eye? Help to identify others who
may not have yet considered missionary service. Visit
www.appleofhiseye.org for information about witnessing events too.
As
well, give to support Jewish evangelism accordingly as the Lord leads
you—over and above your support of your congregation and not to the
exclusion of other mission groups and ministries.
Responding to the Gospel in Relationships
While laying down the groundwork for the Ablaze! mission initiative,
LCMS World Mission termed a new description for Christians—“mission
responders.” We respond to the Gospel of Jesus Christ in our baptism by
being involved in God’s mission of seeking and saving what was lost.
Being a Christian is being a mission responder. Since you are reading
this article in The Apple of His Eye Newsletter, it’s apparent that you
are a mission responder by your learning about, praying for and support
of Jewish outreach.
I encourage you to ongoing personal mission
involvement as a mission responder! Prayerfully look at the
relationships you have—in your family, workplace, neighborhood and
other groups. God has given you these relationships as a means for
communicating Christ through your words and actions. The main way in
which Jewish people come to know Jesus as their Messiah is through
one-to-one direct Gospel witnessing—the critical event.
God
has equipped you to mission service! Through your response to the
Gospel, as well as the mission response of Lutherans around the world,
the Holy Spirit will ignite the hearts of millions Jews and Gentiles.
It will be through your witness that millions of Jewish people will be
among the 100 million people that hear a Gospel witness about Jesus
Christ.
A SPECIAL MESSAGE
FROM: REV. ROBERT ROEGNER,
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE BOARD FOR MISSION SERVICES, -LCMS
Dear friends in Christ - SHALOM - peace to you!
We
have much to celebrate in the bold mission leadership of The Apple of
His Eye. This mission agency is uniquely poised to embrace the
challenges and opportunities of mission work among Jewish people. Steve
Cohen and other Apple of His Eye missionaries have been in dialog with
LCMS World Mission’s area directors in order to initiate mission work
among large populations of Jewish people overseas in South America and
Russia.
Vision for Great Commission Fulfillment Worldwide
The Apple of His Eye serves the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod in
casting a vision and providing tools for outreach among Jewish people
in North America as well as worldwide. When I was a pastor at Zion
Lutheran Church in Westwood, N.J., my family and I lived in a community
among many Jewish people. I challenged the members of Zion to see this
mission field; in fact there were several members whose spouses are
Jewish. Missionaries Marc Danzis and Gary Timm came to Zion Lutheran
Church in Westwood and spoke about Jewish evangelism. I highly
recommend congregations to contact Apple of His Eye to help cast a
vision for Jewish outreach through its missionaries’ presentations;
their passion for outreach will help spark the fire of this worldwide
Lutheran mission movement.
Jewish Evangelism—It Starts with You!
“Never
stop telling people about Jesus,” are words spoken by Big Joe, a
sainted Liberian friend, words which continue to sharpen and focus my
mission involvement. God has called us through our baptism to be
involved in His mission—to seek and to save what was lost. While God
could bring people into His Kingdom through any number of ways, He has
chosen to use humans as the means by which the saving words of
salvation might be communicated to others. His Great Commission
mobilizes us into action—to take His Word and share it in Jerusalem and
in Judea and in Samaria and the ends of the earth.
It is so
liberating to know that we don’t need to learn programs in order to be
used by God in His mission. He has created us uniquely and placed us
within families, relationships, networks, and communities through which
we can introduce those close to us to Jesus Christ. This is true of
Jewish evangelism. Surveys show that 80 percent of Jewish believers
came to faith in Jesus through the prayerful, personal witness of a
Gentile.
Jewish Outreach is Important
I
imagine that many LCMS members would agree that Jewish evangelism is
“important.” But for some, important may actually mean “important for
someone else to do.” However, God is daily giving each of us chances to
step up to the plate and respond to witnessing opportunities workers.
With 6 million Jewish people living in the United States, odds are that
each of us has a relationship with at least one or perhaps several
Jewish people. Statistically, 99 percent of them are yet unsaved. This
is unacceptable—these are precious people for whom Jesus Christ died to
save!
With fewer than 2 percent of Jewish Christians belonging
to LCMS congregations, each of us can do a better job in being faithful
to the witnessing opportunities that God is giving us. LCMS President,
Jerry Kieschnick, has called a witnessing opportunity, “the critical
event,” and is defined as “when one Lutheran Christian gives witness
about Jesus of the hope that is within him or her to another person so
that person may encounter Christ.” Jewish people will come to a
knowledge of the Truth that Jesus is Christ—the Messiah—when we respond
to the Gospel in “the critical event.”
I have a vision of Jewish
people hearing the Gospel throughout the world by the witness of
Lutherans, like you and me. St. Paul says it clearly in his letter to
the Philippians, “Therefore God exalted [Jesus] to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of
Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the
earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory
of God the Father” Phil. 2:9-11. Every tongue was created to confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord, and it will be the Holy Spirit working
through our witness that Jewish people will be able to confess Jesus as
the Messiah. Now is the time for mission action!
Worldwide Lutheran Mission Movement
Much of the past year I have been involved in establishing a new purpose statement for LCMS World Mission:
Praying
to the Lord of the harvest, LCMS World Mission in collaboration with
its North American and worldwide partners will share the good news of
Jesus with 100 million unreached or uncommitted people by the 500th
Anniversary of the Reformation in 2017. This mission initiative has
been named, Ablaze! I am passionate about each LCMS member and about
fellow Lutherans around the world becoming active in sharing the Good
News with all people. As this happens, a worldwide Lutheran mission
movement will grow and expand the Kingdom of God. The Ablaze! mission
movement engages organizations like Apple of His Eye in the vision of
sharing the Good News of Jesus with all people. To learn more, visit
www.lcmsworldmission.org/ablaze .
For years, Apple of His Eye
has led the way for LCMS members to be personally involved in Jewish
outreach. I urge you to reaffirm your concern for Jewish evangelism by
increasing your involvement today and help spark this worldwide mission
movement! Persistently pray for Jewish people you know, that they may
know Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Pray also that God would open your
eyes for “the critical events,” when you may lovingly witness to your
faith in Jesus. Likewise, have you considered serving as a volunteer or
career missionary with Apple of His Eye? Help to identify others who
may not have yet considered missionary service. Visit
www.appleofhiseye.org for information about witnessing events too.
As
well, give to support Jewish evangelism accordingly as the Lord leads
you—over and above your support of your congregation and not to the
exclusion of other mission groups and ministries.
Responding to the Gospel in Relationships
While laying down the groundwork for the Ablaze! mission initiative,
LCMS World Mission termed a new description for Christians—“mission
responders.” We respond to the Gospel of Jesus Christ in our baptism by
being involved in God’s mission of seeking and saving what was lost.
Being a Christian is being a mission responder. Since you are reading
this article in The Apple of His Eye Newsletter, it’s apparent that you
are a mission responder by your learning about, praying for and support
of Jewish outreach.
I encourage you to ongoing personal mission
involvement as a mission responder! Prayerfully look at the
relationships you have—in your family, workplace, neighborhood and
other groups. God has given you these relationships as a means for
communicating Christ through your words and actions. The main way in
which Jewish people come to know Jesus as their Messiah is through
one-to-one direct Gospel witnessing—the critical event.
God
has equipped you to mission service! Through your response to the
Gospel, as well as the mission response of Lutherans around the world,
the Holy Spirit will ignite the hearts of millions Jews and Gentiles.
It will be through your witness that millions of Jewish people will be
among the 100 million people that hear a Gospel witness about Jesus
Christ.