This year — 2017 — is in many ways a critical time for Jewish people and the nation of Israel.
June 7 marks the 50th anniversary of the recapture of the Old City of Jerusalem by Jewish military forces in the 1967 Six-Day War — the first time the Holy City of God had been completely in Jewish hands in almost 2,000 years.
2017 also is being celebrated as a 50th Jubilee Year in Jerusalem. And it happens to be the 50th anniversary of the US founding of Jewish Voice Ministries International.
It’s particularly important that May-June is the time of Shavuot (Pentecost) in the Jewish calendar. Shavuot — also called the Festival of Weeks — celebrates God’s giving of the Law to the Jewish people through Moses.
Shavuot is recognized as the time when God confirmed His pledge of commitment to the Jewish people. Many Jewish scholars see it as a kind of “wedding anniversary” of the relationship between God and His people.
This “wedding anniversary” of Shavuot is an affirmation that God was and is committed to a continuing relationship with the Jewish people.
And down through history, God has repeatedly demonstrated His commitment to this relationship . . .
- First by calling Abraham and his descendants to be His chosen people
- By the miracle of the Exodus, when God brought the Israelites up out of slavery in Egypt
- Through the giving of the Law through Moses at Mt. Sinai, as celebrated at Shavuot
- By the coming of the Holy Spirit to the followers of Yeshua on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2)
- And most recently, through the fulfillment of historic prophesies regarding Israel and Jerusalem
All these events point to the great truth that God still loves and has a plan for the Jewish people, for as Paul — referring to the Jewish people — says in Romans 11:29, “For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.”
And these events remind us of the need for the Jewish people to fulfill their relationship with God by reclaiming the Messiah and coming to a saving knowledge of Yeshua.
And we who already have accepted Yeshua as Savior, whether Jewish or Gentile, now share in the covenant commitment God gave to and through the Jewish people. Because of that, we now have a responsibility to share the Good News with the world, most especially with the Jewish people who have not yet realized that Yeshua was and is the Messiah they have long awaited.
Jewish Voice Ministries International exists to fulfill this goal — to bring Jewish people to recognize Yeshua as Messiah and to accept Him as Savior.
We do this in many ways. Some of our efforts are directly evangelistic. But most often, we tell Jewish people about Yeshua in the context of caring for their physical needs.
For example, we’re now well into our annual “season” of humanitarian medical clinics among Jewish people in Africa. Jewish Voice works actively in Africa because tribal history and practices, together with genetic testing, demonstrate that many tribes in Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, and elsewhere are, in fact, of Jewish ancestry — descended from the original Twelve Tribes of Israel.
Many of these Jewish descendants are poor and live in remote areas, with little access to medical care or other basic services. Some are isolated from the surrounding culture, ostracized because of their uniquely Jewish worship and cultural practices.
And all of them are in need of help!
That’s why God has called Jewish Voice Ministries to show His love for these, His people, by providing:
- Water purifiers to fight disease
- Medical care for people who have little or no access to doctors
- Dental care to alleviate pain and save lives threatened by infections
- Eye care for people who are blind or have limited sight, giving them back their sight by treating cataracts, trachoma, and vitamin A deficiency
These humanitarian ministries are critically important in themselves, and are in obedience to Yeshua’s command that we care for the needs of hurting people. Without the Jewish Voice medical clinics, many of these Jewish people simply would have to continue to live with pain, disease, and blindness.
But — as important as this help is — we are especially committed to meeting these physical needs so we may gain the opportunity to tell these Jewish people about Yeshua the Messiah.
Every patient treated at a Jewish Voice clinic is invited to receive prayer and hear the Good News of Yeshua. To date, the number of people served by our medical clinics is approaching 400,000, while thousands of our patients have reclaimed their Messiah by professing faith in Yeshua!
But none of this would be possible without the prayers and financial support you and other caring partners provide.
This Shavuot season, at this special time when so much is reminding us of God’s plan for the Jewish people, would you give to help them find and reclaim their Messiah?
Would you help share Yeshua with Jewish people who desperately need to hear the Good News, while also helping ease their physical pain?
The average cost of medical, dental, or eye care services through Jewish Voice clinics is only $30 per person. And when Jewish people come for treatment, we have the opportunity to share Yeshua, pray for them, and help them reclaim their Messiah.
If you can give a gift of any size now, I would be pleased to send you a copy of my book A Rabbi Looks at the Last Days. In this book, I draw from both the Old and New Covenant Scriptures to explain the meaning of many of today’s events, and what role each of us has in the End Times.
In addition, if you can give at least $100, I’ll also send you a beautiful reproduction of the Scripture scroll of the book of Ruth. This is especially appropriate now, as the Megillat (scroll) of Ruth is traditionally read aloud at Shavuot. Full of vivid art based on Ruth and both Hebrew and Greek biblical texts, this is a fascinating limited-edition reproduction of a parchment scroll.
NOW is the time for us to share Yeshua with the Jewish people. We must tell them of God’s ultimate plan for them, and help them reclaim their Messiah. Please give generously.
Thank you for your compassion and faithful support, and may God bless you.
