A Vision for 2010 and Beyond

The diagram to the immediate right is a dream, a vision, a plan for the future of Tzedakah Ministries in 2010 and beyond. It is called the Romans 1:16 Response Team. And this issue of Tzedakah Times will be devoted to explaining its purpose and prayerfully involving you in its future.

For in the last ten years of Jewish evangelism and missions, I personally have discovered something insightful, something shocking, and something that goes against my individualistic nature. Tzedakah Ministries, or any other Jewish evangelistic ministry, cannot do the work of evangelism alone. In fact, and this might shock you, Tzedakah Ministries and all the other Jewish missions need more than your financial support, we need you to work beside and alongside us if the work of reaching the 99% will ever be accomplished. Hence, you have the creation of the Romans 1:16 Response Team.

This team approach will begin with the Berean Learner. A Berean Learner is the fundamental and foundational level of the Romans 1:16 Response Team. This level of involvement for a person and/or church is to state a commitment to be involved in the processes and efforts of Tzedakah Ministries. The commitment begins with a promise that you will not only read the Tzedakah Times but also that you will watch the news, be aware of current events regarding the both the nation of Israel and the work of Jewish evangelism. A Berean Learner is exactly what Paul praised in Acts 17. A person and/or church who studies the Scriptures will serve as a foundation or centerpiece for the work of Tzedakah Ministries.

Some individuals and/or churches will be led to the next level of involvement for the Romans 1:16 Response Team ... becoming an Elijah's Witness. An Elijah's Witness is a person or church who commits to not simply praying for the peace of Jerusalem (Psalm 122:6) but to praying for the salvation of the Jewish people on a daily basis. It is my belief that if a person or church commits to praying for the salvation of the Jewish people that they will be left with no spiritual choice but to become more proactive in the amazing work of Jewishevangelism. An Elijah's Witness will soon discover that praying will lead to opportunities for sharing the Gospel with the Jewish people. Someone who commits to be an Elijah's Witness will be not only a prayer warrior for the Gospel of Messiah Jesus but also, and especially, a frontline soldier in this spiritual battle for the salvation of God's Chosen Ones.

I personally believe that many of you as individuals and churches will join this Romans 1:16 Response Team as a Berean Learner and then progress to being an Elijah's Witness. And some of you will become either a member or, as a collective unit, a part of a Romans 10:1 Church. This will not be a comfortable or popular decision in your community for some "Christians" will denigrate the need for Jewish evangelism because of a replacement theology perspective and some will experience oppression because it is not the "Religiously Correct" thing to do.

So just exactly what will a Romans 10:1 Church look like? A Romans 10:1 Church will commit to biannual evangelism training seminars and be willing to advertise in their community of their commitment to Jewish evangelism. This church will also commit to being proactive in their own community for opportunities to share the Gospel with the Jewish people who live beside them. This will not be a church who talks the game of Jewish missions but one who actually walks the hard road as well.

I want to share with you some goals for the Romans 1:16 Response Team in 2010 and beyond. First, Tzedakah Ministries wants to increase by 15% in 2010 the people and churches who receive the ministry newsletter and show a heart for Jewish evangelism. Much of the increase will come via Berean Learners. Second, increase the people who are apart of Elijah's Witnesses by 50% in 2010 with the goal of having 7,000 prayer warriors by 2015. Can you imagine what God would do if 7,000 believers were committed to praying for Jewish evangelism?! Third, but not finally, have 150 Romans 10:1 Churches within five years.

Lofty goals but my prayerful, and until now, secret goal is simply another 1%. For you see, I get so weary of showing the chart (see above) which shows that 99% of God's Chosen People are presently lost and without a personal relationship with Messiah Jesus. Could we not begin to pray and work for another 1% or 5% or 10% to receive Jesus as their Messiah? Another 1% would be 150,000. Another 5% would be another 750,000 more. Another 10% would be 1.5 million Jewish souls who know Jesus. I believe that the Romans 1:16 Response Team is a step to making this a reality.

So ... now you know about the Romans 1:16 Response Team. It is a vision that requires commitment, determination, and hard work! It will also ask something of you. It will ask you to make a decision about where you stand on the issue of Jewish evangelism. It will ask you to commit to something that might seem impossible from a human perspective. Ultimately, it asks you for a decision.

Therefore, I prayerfully am enclosing a response card with this newsletter. A card which asks you what role you will play on this team. A response card that asks you to come alongside Tzedakah Ministries and join in this fight for Jewish souls.

I look forward to hearing from you. I am praying for you and with you about the decision that God might ask you to make. And most of all, I am excited about you joining this Romans 1:16 Response Team in whatever capacity God has planned for you. Shalom!

In January 2010, Tzedakah Ministries is able to release two new tracts for you to use as a witnessing tool ... perhaps even as a Berean Learner, Elijah's Witness, or a Romans 10:1 Church. The first involves the faith that saved Abraham and not on whether he kept kosher. The second is targeted specifically at Jewish people who are deceived by the false teachings of Buddhism.

Did you realize that Abraham did not keep kosher? Did you realize that according to the Midrash (Jewish commentary) that he probably did not even keep the Sabbath as a holy day? So, you might ask your Jewish friends, just how Abraham was found righteous before God? The tract entitled, Abraham ≠ Kosher, will assist you in explaining that there is more to a relationship with God than merely keep kosher. This particular tract will equip you as you share the truth that Abraham was found righteous because of his future faith in Messiah Jesus (Romans 4:1-23; Hebrews 11:8-10, 39-40).

The other tract available in January 2010 relates specifically to Jewish people who have been deceived by the false promises of Buddhism. Did you realize that many Jewish souls have turned to Buddhism for two specific reasons? First, Buddhism offers many Jewish people an opportunity to have a "religion" without the burden of rules to follow? Second, Buddhism offers for many hurting and suffering individuals a belief that after this life is over ... oblivion. Jesus offers freedom from legalism, real meaning to life, and answers to suffering and pain in this world. This tract seeks to help you know how to answer those tough questions to someone who has turned to a statue for answers.

Please contact the ministry via email or order the tracts online (as many copies as you would need/like) at the website. Additional materials, including the five-minute evangelistic DVD Mystery Solved?, are all available at no charge to anyone who is interested.