// APRIL APPEAL - AUSTRALIA SUMMER OUTREACH //
Jesus still seeks out lost sheep…
…that includes Jewish people in Australia
You can help Jewish people in the Australia hear about Jesus this summer and be saved
SEEKING AND FINDING THE LOST SHEEP
In Luke 15:1-7 Jesus is challenged by the religious leaders about his practice of keeping company with sinners. His response is the parable of the lost sheep. Here Jesus is teaching us the high value God places on those who he wants to save – in this case, lost Jewish sinners.
Since October 7, antisemitism has surged globally. Jewish people have been marginalised at best. It is near impossible not to be affected by what we see on the news and what is happening in the Middle East. What would Jesus say to us about the lost sheep of the house of Israel?
Jesus tells us that the shepherd goes after the lost sheep until he finds it. Then he carries it home on his shoulders and rejoices with his friends.
In verse 7 Jesus says, “I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance.”
Jewish people need Jesus now
Today the temptation is to be like the Pharisees and scribes in Luke 15 and wash our hands of Jewish people who have once again become despised.
Many Christians have now placed hard limits in their minds when thinking about Jewish people. Whether or not God has finished with Israel, they have. They are sick of the news and sick of the Jews. But has God forsaken the lost sheep of the house of Israel?
No. Jewish people and Jewish evangelism are being pushed to the side once again. And yet, as we see in Luke 15, Jesus continues to seek his lost sheep.
It is not easy to be Jewish now. In the diaspora, most hide and keep their heads down. What we see happening in Gaza and the marches in major western cities across the globe have only made it harder. And yet this pressure, unprecedented since the Holocaust, has only caused more Jewish people to ask spiritual questions, to seek God like the outcasts who hung out with Jesus in Luke 15:1.
Our response must be like that of Jesus:
We must seek out lost Jewish sheep while they cry out to God for help. Only the Good Shepherd can save his sheep.
Sydney missionary Rahel Landrum sharing the gospel with a Jewish woman
Melbourne missionary Daniel Zeunert sharing the Good News on an Australian university campus
Hiding in Australia
After October 7, initial support for Jewish people around the world quickly morphed into seething hatred. Within a few days there were rallies with thousands in Sydney proclaiming ‘Gas the Jews!’
As a result of the anti-Jewish rallies, Jewish people in Australia have gone into hiding. The lost sheep are truly lost. Our missionaries in Sydney and Melbourne need help to reach scared, marginalised, spiritually seeking Jewish people.
Following the example of Jesus in our mission, for our Summer Outreach from 19 August to 1 September, we are responding to this hate with God’s love. We are going Down Under to seek the lost Jewish sheep of Australia with God’s message of salvation in Jesus.
Between Sydney and Melbourne, there are over 100,000 Jewish people who need to hear the Good News. Together, we can seek these lost sheep in Jesus’ name.
Finding the lost sheep
The hatred against Jewish people in Australia has only got worse over the past six months. For each antisemitic attack taking place in Australia before the war, there are now over 50. These desperate times for Jewish people in Australia only make us more sure we must go with God’s message of love and salvation for his lost sheep.
Because of the existential threat, Jewish people are seeking spiritual answers. They look everywhere, but we know the only answer for true peace is in the Prince of Peace, Jesus. We urgently need to bring the gospel back to the Jewish people in Sydney and Melbourne. Please help them hear the Good News.
Sydney missionary Mark Landrum telling a Jewish woman about Jesus
Please help
This Summer Outreach will make an immediate impact on the Jewish communities of Australia for good. And it will also give our Australian missionaries Jewish people that they can continue to share the gospel with, and disciple into churches as they come to saving faith in Jesus.
We believe God can and will save his lost Jewish sheep!
Through our Australia Outreach, we will be proclaiming a message of hope in Christ where there has mostly been a message of hatred for the masses.
Please pray for the upcoming Summer Outreach and financially support this important work in Australia, at this critical time.