Sharing Jesus in London

We engaged hundreds of Jewish people in conversations about Jesus this summer through our 40-strong team of missionaries and volunteers who had travelled from eleven different countries for two weeks of gospel outreach in North and Central London.

Over 200 Gospels of Matthew and New Testaments were handed out in addition to 17,000 gospel leaflets. The team travelled across the city with a special focus on the Jewish people of Stamford Hill, Golders Green and Finchley. Our London-based missionary Philip has been busy following up the twenty Jewish people who wanted to hear more about Jesus.

Your prayers are key to the success of our outreach projects, so do please continue to pray for Jewish lives to be transformed by Jesus as we continue the conversation with them.

THE GOD OF SECOND CHANCES

Our team met Frances, a Jewish woman in her 80s, not just once but on two separate occasions! God clearly had a message he wanted Frances to hear…

CWI volunteer Jon was handing out leaflets in North London and shared the gospel with her, explaining that people need God’s mercy as we fall short of his perfect standard - to his delight Frances accepted a leaflet about Isaiah 53.

A couple of days later, CWI missionaries Philip and Asaf were out knocking on doors. Against all the odds, and out of thousands of Jewish homes in London, who should open her front door but Frances! She was keen to talk further and invited them into her home.  Evacuated during the Second World War, she grew up in a Jewish home but felt deprived of a ‘proper Jewish upbringing'. Despite this, she had done her best 'to keep a kosher home and be a good person'. Philip and Asaf explained that, despite our best efforts, none of us are ‘good’ – we are all fundamentally sinful and need saving. That’s why Jesus was sent from heaven.

Frances accepted a Gospel of Matthew – a book which Jewish people would never normally touch – and, incredibly, she promised to read it! Just as surprisingly, Frances allowed them to pray for her, asking that she would hear God speak to her as she read his Word. As Philip said ‘Amen’ Frances looked him straight in the eye and said, ‘I’m Jewish!’ ‘I know!’ Philip replied, departing on warm terms and promising to be back soon.

Please pray the Lord will be at work in Frances’s heart as she reads about Jesus. Pray for Philip as he visits her in the weeks to come.

WHAT KIND OF SHALOM?

Dutch CWI missionary Asaf Pelled was pleasantly surprised when four young Ultra Orthodox students from Israel approached his Shalom board in Leicester Square. He greeted them warmly saying ‘Shalom! Can you help us with an important question?'

‘Sure brother!’ came the reply in Hebrew. Asaf asked what they thought about peace and who could bring it to our world. A variety of replies followed. One asked which ‘Shalom’ Asaf was talking about while another commented on the lack of peace in the Middle East.

Asaf acknowledged that there are potentially several levels of ‘shalom’; peace with one another, peace between nations and, of course, peace with God. At this one of the young men said that they had to leave. However, another – who introduced himself as Mendel – wanted to hear more of what Asaf had to say.

Asaf explained that Israel’s greatest need as a nation was to humble itself and seek God’s face and his help. He told the young men that the team were here because of the shared belief that there is only one hope for peace and it’s not rooted in politics. The answer, Asaf told them, is in the righteous Messiah and his name is Jesus.

He was surprised by the fact that Mendel didn’t react negatively at the mention of Jesus’ name. Instead he listened intently as Asaf went on to share his testimony and explain that his passion was to give other Jewish people the chance to hear about Jesus and meet him themselves. Mendel smiled, not knowing exactly what to make of it.

Having heard the Good News, the young men left, gospel leaflets in hand.

Please pray for the four young men, particularly Mendel, as they consider all Asaf told them about Jesus.

Read more about our Summer Outreaches and to find out how you can get involved in future ones here…