We shouldn't evangelize Jews? That's not what the Bible says!

There's a new trend in certain Christian denominations - and even the Catholic pope has stated - that evangelization of Jews is wrong. According to a recent Washington Times article:

"Several Christian denominations have issued statements criticizing evangelism of Jews, including the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, the United Church of Christ and the PCUSA, which said in 1988 that Jews have their own covenant with God."

According to the Bible, the above-mentioned denominations are totally off the mark on many levels - not to mention that their philosophy about Jewish evangelization being "wrong" is a real slap in the face of our Messiah Yeshua who came not only to fulfill Torah, but who BECAME THE LIVING TORAH, and who died in our places so that EVERYONE could obtain eternal life:

John 14:6 - Yeshua said, "I AM the Way - and the Truth and the Life; no one comes to the Father except through me.

Who was Yeshua speaking to when He said those words? The Jews! Note, He didn't say, "....no one comes the Father except through me - with the exception of the Jews"....YHWH promised THE JEWS a "New Covenant" in Exodus 34:10 and Jeremiah 313:31:

"Here, the days are coming," says Adonai, "when I will make a new covenant with the house of Isra'el and with the house of Y'hudah (Judah).

The apostle Paul settled the matter long ago in:

Romans 1:16: For I am not ashamed of the Good News, since it is God's powerful means of bringing salvation to everyone who keeps on trusting, to the Jew especially, but equally to the Gentile.

The Bible tells us that no man can be saved through the Mosaic covenant, because all men are sinners:

Romans 3:19-24 - 19 Moreover, we know that whatever the Torah says, it says to those living within the framework of the Torah; in order that every mouth may be stopped and the whole world be shown to deserve God's adverse judgment. 20 For in his sight no one alive will be considered righteous on the ground of legalistic observance of Torah commands, because what Torah really does is show people how sinful they are. 21 But now, quite apart from Torah, God's way of making people righteous in his sight has been made clear - although the Torah and the Prophets give their witness to it as well - 22 and it is a righteousness that comes from God, through the faithfulness of Yeshua the Messiah, to all who continue trusting. For it makes no difference whether one is a Jew or a Gentile, 23 since all have sinned and come short of earning God's praise. 24 By God's grace, without earning it, all are granted the status of being considered righteous before him, through the act of redeeming us from our enslavement to sin that was accomplished by the Messiah Yeshua.

It appears that the church leaders who are criticizing the evangelization of the Jews don't know their Bible very well - either that, or they've chosen to ignore what GOD has commanded. This is not surprising in view of the fact that these particular churches or groups are also "tolerant" when it comes to many issues, including homosexuality, abortion, and "women's lib" - issues that God is VERY clear about in the Bible....

However, according to the BIBLE, evangelization of the Jews is RIGHT! Yeshua Himself told His disciples to spread the Good News:

Matthew 28:19-20: 19 Therefore, go and make people from all nations into talmidim (disciples), immersing them into the reality of the Father, the Son, and the Ruach HaKodesh, 20 and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember! I will be with you always, yes, even until the end of the age."

Yeshua commanded us to go out into all the world and make disciples (see Matthew 28:19-20), beginning in Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria (Acts 1:8). Even the apostle Paul, who was called the apostle to the Gentiles, said that the Gospel should go to the Jew first and also to the Greek (Romans 1:16). Paul was so convicted by the need for Jews to receive salvation that he was willing to give up his own salvation if this would have brought salvation to the Jewish people (Romans 9:2-4). The salvation of the Jewish people was a priority in the lives of both Paul and Yeshua, and it needs to be a priority in the life of every believer. It is every believer's duty to share the Gospel of Yeshua with their Jewish neighbor. The apostle Paul said that "it is by means of their [the Jews] stumbling that the deliverance has come to the Gentiles, in order to provoke them [the Jews] to jealousy" (Romans 11:11, Jewish New Testament).