Kehillah … New Plan for Jewish Evangelism?

Kehillah is a powerful and interesting Hebrew word.  It is the word we most often understand to be defined as community.  The idea is that people of like interests, like heritage, like faith will bond together to support, encourage, and perpetuate each other.  For John Donne is correct — “No man is is an island, entire of itself.”

For the Jewish people, Kehillah is a word that has given substance and perseverance to the Jewish people throughout the 2,000 year history of the Diaspora from the Promised Land.  For no other people group that was cast out of their land, except for the Jewish people, have been able to persist in existence.  We hear nothing of the modern-day Moabites or Ammonites but there are Jewish Community Centers in towns and cities with large and small Jewish populations.  (Click here for a written example of Kehillah)

Kehillah is also a strong bond against today’s efforts to share the Gospel of Messiah Jesus with the Jewish people.  For the Jewish community of today is often bond together to dissuade one of their own from receiving Jesus as Messiah.

I have seen this position from many perspectives.  I have seen the shock waves that go through a crowd when it is whispered that “So and So” is now a believer in Jesus.  I have seen the fear in the eyes of a new believer as he/she must have that fateful talk with their family.  I have seen those who know the truth of Jesus but are afraid of the cost involved, their position in the Kehillah, if they make that eternal decision.

So what is the answer?  Can churches and Christians use the concept of Kehillah in a new plan for Jewish evangelism?  The answer is not only YES but also we must do it NOW! And here are some random ideas on how to get it done …

• It was mentioned in the December 2010 newsletter, Tzedakah Times, about the idea of using a dessert reception as an avenue to bring out the Gospel message.  A Kehillah Desert Reception could ideally be in someone’s home and would revolve around food (which everyone loves!) and community.  This is not a foreign concept to the Christian faith as the first believers (Jewish folks by the way!) after the Day of Pentecost met daily together and soon were sharing and living as a Kehillah even within the confines of the Temple (Acts 2 and so on).  One important aspect of this Kehillah Plan for Jewish Evangelism is that the host family must always be honest and upfront about the intention of the event.  For while you don’t have to always have a Gospel presentation and opportunity for response, and you might not want to the first time out, the family must be intentionally transparent about their Christian faith and about their desire for their Jewish friends and family to have the same relationship with Jesus.  Anything else is hypocritical and a lie!
• Churches can host Kehillah Nights at their churches in which topics such as Anti-Semitism, the Holocaust, the Middle East could be discussed with all members of the community.  What about a debate between a prepared pastor or invited speaker and a rabbi from the town that is willing to engage in a discussion.  For a church to do such event(s) would illustrate to the Jewish community that Christians not only understand Kehillah but live it out for the world to see.
• It is not only churches that could have Kehillah Nights.  Christian communities on college campuses would be an ideal place for such an evangelistic concept to be launched!  Pizza and discussion are a draw for any college student … why not include Jewish college students in the mix?
• Organizations such as Bible Study Fellowships, thanks to the efforts of A. Wetherell Johnson and others, have sprung up across the country in an effort to equip Christian women to be versed and rehearsed in the Scripture.  What about a similar outreach that would be attractive to Jewish women?  Tzedakah Ministries has been asked to help equip a group of women in the Dallas/Fort Worth area on how to reach Jewish people with the Gospel.  I pray and hope that after the initial lessons are taught that these women will take the message of Messiah Jesus out to the Jewish women in their sphere of contact and begin Kehillah Groups of their own!

We live in a very isolated world.  The ability for people to hide behind computer screens and cell phones makes it possible for people to never venture out of their comfort zone.  I have come to realize that Christians and churches are often the worst offenders of this isolationist mentality.  Nothing could be farther than what Jesus intended as He discipled a small group of 12 who became 120 in the Upper Room and then turned the world upside down for the Gospel (Acts 4:12).  And this was all accomplished using … KEHILLAH! So why don’t we try it today?

Tzedakah Ministries and the Romans 1:16 Response Team Vision wants to equip you in this Kehillah vision.  Please contact us at info@tzedakahministries.org as we are looking for Berean Learners, Elijah’s Witnesses, and Romans 1:16 Churches.  The Jewish Kehillah needs to hear about Messiah Jesus and they need to hear about him today.  Open up your heart and your Kehillah to make it possible!