Shocking Statistics (Short-Time Break from Rebuttal Series)
I am taking a SHORT-time break (CHANGED THIS TO REFLECT MY FRIEND CHRIS’ OBSERVATION THAT THIS IS PROBABLY HYPERBOLE!) in the rebuttal series of 26 Reasons to answer a question. People have asked me why I have devoted my life (and some say that I will shorten my life due to the pressures, lack of sleep, and physical/emotional/spiritual toll) to Jewish evangelism and missions? I tell them truthfully that I have no choice. This is my calling from Messiah Jesus and to do anything else is to be outside of His will … and nothing terrifies me more.
So I thought I would share some numbers with you that remind me, and hopefully will energize you, why Jewish evangelism is so important.
Estimates are that …
- One every four minutes
- 16 every hour
- 388 every day
- 2,718 every week
- 11,649 every month
- 141,741 every year
of God’s Chosen People die without hope, without Jesus, without an eternity with the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
YET, AND DESPITE BIBLICAL MANDATES, THE JEWISH PEOPLE ARE OFTEN OVERLOOKED OR UNDERVALUED WHEN IT COMES TO PLANS FOR WORLD-WIDE EVANGELISM. WHY? I DON’T KNOW! IF I DID PERHAPS I WOULD GET MORE SLEEP AT NIGHT.
If that was not enough to wake us up, here are some numbers from the Pew Forum’s last study on religion in America which included a snapshot of American Jewry:
- Only 41% are certain that God exists. 22% either do not believe in God at all or are not certain that God exists.
- 69% considered religion to only be somewhat important or not important at all.
- Only 16% go to synagogue either once a week or more than once a week.
- 44% would describe their prayer life as seldom or not at all.
- 53% believe that the Tanakh (Old Testament) was written by men and not God and another 27% believe that it was written by God do not believe it to be inerrant and/or literal.
So now you know why I have to respond to every fallacy, every misinterpretation or misunderstanding, and every mistake regarding Jewish evangelism. Their eternal souls are at stake and someone must tell them Jesus is their Messiah. He is the only way (John 14:6).
You’re in my prayers brother. “They will know that I live because you love one another” is exemplified by your love for His people. Enjoy Him forever.
wow. that is staggering. it truly is this urgent. and i also agree that living outside the will of God is NOT somewhere I would be comfortable!
I’m new around here (the blogosphere), but stumbled on your blog after tagging a write-up I did on Levitt Ministries. I agree with what you are saying here, and it is also a shame that more Christians don’t look into the Jewish roots of our faith!
Grace and Peace,
Kliska
christianscribbler.wordpress.com
Makarios,
Thanks for the encouraging word! Stay committed to Jewish evangelism. God bless.
Kliska,
I am a sister but I will take your encouraging word! Todah and Shalom!
While I could not speak for all Jews, just as no one can speak for “what the Bible says,” we are quite happy in our agnosticism. We have no need to be saved. If God is loving, merciful or just, God will love us for our attempts to follow the law, knowing full well that we cannot be perfect. We do not need Jesus or any messiah, although it would be nice to live in a redeemed world. For now, we can work on being partners in creation and ensuring that the many resources in this world ensure that all have enough to eat, wear, live, etc. In that way, we can truly follow God’s example to clothe the needy bride, feed the hungry, treat widows and orphans, etc.
Mishnah Peah 1:1
These are the things that whose worth cannot be measured:
The Peah of the field, the first-fruits, the appearance [at the Temple in Jerusalem on Pilgrimage Festivals],
acts of kindness, and the study of the Torah.
These are things the fruits of which a man enjoys in this world,
while the principle remains for him in the World to Come:
Honoring father and mother,
acts of kindness,
and bringing peace between a man and his fellow.
But the study of Torah is equal to them all
Jewish Response,
I am confused by your answer. You write in this post and one other about the impossibility of knowing God and then you state that you are comfortable in your agnosticism. This seems to a dichotomous relationship that you have with God. You can’t know but you don’t know if He is there. Could you explain?
And could I suggest that you read the Tanakh and not the Talmud for your information about knowing God.
Agnosticism, to me, means that one can never truly know God. We can make attempts and have a relationship with God, yet still never have absolute proof that our relationship is with God or with some aspect of our mind/soul that we do not otherwise understand.
The source I cited is from the Mishnah, redacted around 200CE as opposed to the Jerusalem (400CE) or Babylonian (500-700CE (depending on which scholars you ask)).
To a Jew, the Torah includes both the written and oral law. One cannot be understood completely without the other. As a rabbinic figure, Jesus would have been expert in Jewish law: both written and oral.
I have to add a bit too, to Jewish Response: God indeed does expect perfect following of His Law, as He will not abide sin in His presence. In fact, specific instructions were given to the people to follow in order that their sins would be forgiven, this was based around the shedding of blood for the remission of sin…now that there is no physical temple, and no blood sacrifices, this definitely poses a problem for practicing Jewish individuals. For Messianic Jewish Believers, and Believing Gentiles/Christians, this points directly to Christ, who is our Passover, who is the perfect, unblemished Lamb whose blood was shed for all mankind; our Kinsman Redeemer. I hope you come to know Him!
Kliska
TheChristianScribbler.com
Jewish readers simply read Isaiah and learn that God cares more for prayer than sacrifice. God knows there is no Temple, thus there is no need for sacrifice. Sure, it would be nice to have a holy barbeque, but without a Temple, we are prohibited from sacrifice. As long as God’s attributes of mercy are stronger than God’s attributes of justice, the world exists and so do we. God created us and knows our fallacies. There is no need for a savior or lamb to forgive us. I ask forgiveness for my sins and know God will forgive me, without any need of physical expiation.
In short, I think your ministry would be much better served helping the poor, hungry, supporting religious freedom worldwide, than trying to convert the brothers and sisters of Jesus.
Jewish Response,
I am going to attempt to respond to all your comments in one lump sum. Might miss something but I will try.
First, could I ask why you gave a faulty email address? I tried to email and it bounced back.
Second, I agree with you that God does require mercy rather than sacrifice by humans. Hosea tells us this truth; however, it does not take away the need to illustrate to a holy God that we are genuinely repentant of our sins.
Let me give you my spin on the issue. I do not believe that the Torah was written to show how us how to be holy but to visualize that true holiness is impossible through own means. Thus God in His infinite love and knowable nature (regardless of Maimonides’ view) determined that He would provide the final sacrifice through the only truly holy and perfect means … Himself in the Incarnated state.
Your agnosticism as you define is not based upon Scripture but upon the teachings of Maimonides. God is knowable. God is approachable and God is reaching out to you. I hope you know this truth. As Kliska writes He is for you.
Thank you for the suggestion regarding what best route this ministry. I think I will follow the direction of the God that I know for direction. This might come across as snarky and I apologize if it does but my relationship with God is intimate and personal and I follow His wisdom for my life.
One last observation — your suggestions for this ministry are what all believers in Jesus should do. And so in a way, if one becomes a believer in Jesus than one will want to clothe the naked, and feed the poor. Matthew 25 tells us to do so.
Jewish Response,
I am going to attempt to respond to all your comments in one lump sum. Might miss something but I will try.
fair enough
First, could I ask why you gave a faulty email address? I tried to email and it bounced back.
Quite simple, I do not know you or your blog, so did not want to get spammed.
Second, I agree with you that God does require mercy rather than sacrifice by humans. Hosea tells us this truth; however, it does not take away the need to illustrate to a holy God that we are genuinely repentant of our sins.
I believe we disagree on the methods, me: personal repentance, prayer, charity; you: Jesus.
Let me give you my spin on the issue. I do not believe that the Torah was written to show how us how to be holy but to visualize that true holiness is impossible through own means. Thus God in His infinite love and knowable nature (regardless of Maimonides’ view) determined that He would provide the final sacrifice through the only truly holy and perfect means … Himself in the Incarnated state.
Maimonides is not the only one with such views. They can be easily seen within Torah itself. See chapters 18-20 of Leviticus, the holiness code. It is made quite clear that to be holy, one must follow God’s laws.
Your agnosticism as you define is not based upon Scripture but upon the teachings of Maimonides. God is knowable. God is approachable and God is reaching out to you. I hope you know this truth. As Kliska writes He is for you.
I am reaching out, too. We just have very different methods.
Thank you for the suggestion regarding what best route this ministry. I think I will follow the direction of the God that I know for direction. This might come across as snarky and I apologize if it does but my relationship with God is intimate and personal and I follow His wisdom for my life.
One last observation — your suggestions for this ministry are what all believers in Jesus should do. And so in a way, if one becomes a believer in Jesus than one will want to clothe the naked, and feed the poor. Matthew 25 tells us to do so.
I did not truly expect to change you, but to me it seems there are fare more worthwhile things to do in this blessed and difficult world. If you expect Jews to take you seriously, you will do better NOT quoting from the Mark, Matthew, Paul, etc. Stick to the Tanakh (Torah, Neviim, Ketuvim (Torah, Prophets and Writings)). We do not believe in the validity of the supposedly “New Testament,” so quoting from it is like quoting from Shakespeare: it’s interesting and sometimes beautiful, but not seem as divine in any way, at least outside of the element of divinity which is in all human creativity.
I actually just tried to sign up for that email address and it was taken.