Missionary Moments - 7/11
In Squirrel Hill
A couple of weeks ago, when we were on the streets of Squirrel Hill, some teenage Yeshiva students who always seem to ignore and mock us suddenly wanted to engage with us for the first time ever. Even though it was probably to test out their new found anti-missionary tactics, it was still an opportunity to plant seeds with Jewish teenagers who need to know their Messiah. It also gives us a reason to study their objections so we are better prepared to speak to them and other Orthodox Jewish people that we engage with on our missionary journeys.
As Peter puts it much more eloquently:
“treat the Messiah as holy, as Lord in your hearts; while remaining always ready to give a reasoned answer to anyone who asks you to explain the hope you have in you—yet with humility and fear” (1 Peter 3:15)
Pray for these Orthodox Jewish teenagers as they engage with us in the future that GOD would break through their agendas and reveal Himself to them.
Millennials at the Beach
While we were doing Shalom board at the beach in Del ray, Mia and I had the opportunity to speak to two millennial couples, one from New Jersey and the other from Queens. Both women were visiting their very Jewish parents in Florida and vacationing. Both couples were very willing to have long conversations with us. Susie and Sam were more conservative in their views, while Jacqueline and Bob were more progressive in their thinking. Both women grew up in synagogue and both men grew up in church. Both have seen nothing but hypocrisy in both institutions. After a good thirty minute conversation with both couples on everything from politics, philosophy, religion, all pointing to the need for a Messiah, we were able to pray and exchange information with both couples with the hope in getting together with either or both of them before we left in a week. Even though it never happened, pray for continuing the conversation with both couples in the future. We who consider ourselves mature disciples in the LORD need to be an example to the almost two billion millennials in the world.
The Elderly Living the Last Days in the Sun (but Need The Son)
The reason that I love Southern Florida is not just because it is where “Jewish people go to die” as a famous Jewish comedian once said but because there are over 600,000 Jewish people living there who need to know their Messiah. Every time that I go down to Florida, I get to speak to dozens of them. Some at the pool, others at the gym, those that I am able to visit in their homes, and those that I go to dinner with, as well my dad and his surviving friends.
This trip I was able to spend time and share the Gospel of Yeshua with every one of them. Everything that has happened in the last year has brought much fear and anxiety to my dad and millions of others that has opened them up to hearing about the truth of everlasting life.
Out of the seven living generations, my dad and his remaining friends all belong to either The Greatest Generation (1901-1927), or The Silent Generation (1928-1945), we need to both thank those generations for doing the best they could parenting us Baby Boomers (1946-1964) and Generation X’ers (1965-1980), and make sure we share the Messiah with them. Pray that these elderly Jewish people meet their Messiah before it is too late!
In The Churches
The next day I had a Mission night at a church in Pennsylvania. I was able to preach a message on “Reconcile With All” and to my surprise there were around a hundred people for dinner and a presentation. What was even more surprising was that over a third of them were teenagers from the youth group. As most of the adults sat in the back rows, the youth sat in the front rows just feet away from me. Unexpectedly, it was the youth and not the adults who were the most engaged that evening. I saw their faces, the tears, the listening, and the questions afterwards. In fact it was the youth who came up to me to tell me how God touched them that evening. Even two of those teens told me that God was speaking to them about doing mission work when they graduated school. WOW, I never expected a reaction like that. Pray for these and other teenagers, that they would never walk away from their faith but continually grow in the faith and admonition of the LORD!
“And keep growing in grace and knowledge of our Lord and Deliverer, Yeshua the Messiah. To him be the glory, both now and forever! Amen.” (2 Peter 3:18)
To The Alpha Generation
That same night I drove to Maryland for a conference. The next morning after a couple of morning Zoom calls, I went to finally join my wife in the conference room. They were speaking about how “each generation needs to be responsible for the next generation” and how “every parent needs to be responsible for their own children”. It sounded simple enough but as the main speakers taught, we all realized how terribly we have all failed on both counts.
The real miracle was that night when we devoted the entire evening to the children. First they prayed for us, then we prayed for them. As this was going on, my friend’s oldest daughter, who was nine years old, was profusely weeping as were many other of these very young children. When I saw her afterwards, I asked her what she was thinking while everything was going on around her. To my shock she told me that it was the first time in her young life that she realized that the Holy Spirit was real. WOW!
It gets better. The next morning at the last session of the conference, I was able to ask the last question and make the last comment of the conference. I said that being a baby boomer, I had three adult children, who though made decisions for Christ in their youth groups, have all walked away from Christianity as adults. I spoke for myself and other baby boomer parents that are going through the same dilemma. As I shared the pain of my three lost sons, I started to weep for them. When the conference ended, one of the young girls who was crying the night before, came up to me, laid a hand on my shoulder to tell me in tears how terrible she felt for my boys and the pain that I was feeling towards them. She asked me if she could pray for them. Double WOW! Maybe this next generation has more hope than we give them credit for. As a friend of mine reminded me, “there is no junior Holy Spirit!” Pray for these pre-teens as they discover more about Jesus!
In Conclusion
I realize the awesome responsibility that we have for those Jewish teenage boys on the streets of Squirrel Hill, those youth group believers who need to carry on being good watchmen by continuing to share the Good News of Jesus to the Jewish people and the rest of the world. Lastly, the responsibility that we all have towards the next generation of young boys and girls. We need to be an example to help lead them to lead others to the only hope for this lost world we live in, Jesus Christ!
Pray that you will see your responsibility for the next generation and act upon it! Shalom and AMEN!
The Greatest Generation (born 1901–1927)
The Silent Generation (born 1928–1945)
Baby Boomers (born 1946–1964)
Generation X (born 1965–1980)
Millennials (born 1981–1995)
Generation Z (born 1996–2010)
Generation Alpha (born 2011–2025)
Whichever of the seven living generations you belong to, if you are a believer in Jesus Christ, you have a responsibility to every generation. As Psalms tells us;
“One generation shall praise Your works to another, And shall declare Your mighty acts.” (Psalm 145:4)
In conclusion, may we all know our generational responsibility for each other! As we move into a world that is accepting a “progressive liberalism” like never before, we must be the ones that live a life according to the Word of GOD, and teach the generations that if we do not stand together, we will fall apart.
Pray that we all live up to our responsibility in this life!
Shalom and AMEN!
-Mitch Tepper
CWINA Missionary
