10 Points on sharing your faith with Jewish people
1. Be a real friend. Get to know the person well, rather than relate to an imagined stereotype. Where you have two Jews you have three opinions, and most Jewish people will be open to discuss their faith or lack of it.
2. Don’t be afraid to raise discussion of spiritual issues, but do so with sensitivity. Many Christian terms (cross, baptism, conversion, mission, Old Testament) have negative overtones to Jewish people. Find ways to avoid jargon, or find the biblical Jewish equivalents.
3. Share your personal experience. Jewish people often long for a living and personal faith. Your account of how God became real to you, how He has answered prayer, how you came to believe in Jesus, will communicate powerfully.
4. Use the scriptures. It is helpful to have a basic understanding of the main messianic prophecies and their fulfilment as recorded in the New Testament. (e.g. Isaiah 53) Don’t be afraid to bring out the scriptures and discuss them. Most Jewish people will not know the Hebrew Bible (=Old Testament!) as well as you do.
5. If you need help, ask. There are many resources available for you and your Jewish friends. Jews for Jesus (174 Finchley Road, London NW3 6BP tel. 0171-431-9636) and other organisations can provide materials and opportunities for witness.
6. Pray. Many Jewish people will be willing to receive prayer from you, even if they do not share your faith.
7. Communicate effectively by understanding the world-view of Jewish people. "Fiddler on the Roof" and "Schindler’s List" should be required viewing, as the novels of Chaim Potok and Boede Thorne are also helpful. Courses in Jewish studies are available at All Nations Christian College (plug,plug!) and other Christian institutions, and some will take the plunge by learning Hebrew at evening courses run by the local synagogue.
8. Don’t hurry in your witness. It is important for any Jewish person to seriously consider the cost of discipleship before making a decision to accept Christ. Preparation on how to speak to family and friends after becoming a Christian can also prevent years of painful misunderstanding. Baptism should not be rushed!
9. Follow-up should affirm the nature of faith in Christ whilst also affirming the Jewishness of being a Christian. Whilst theologies differ on the relationship between Israel and the Church, and the place of Israel in prophecy, a new believer from a Jewish background should be helped to understand that they have not betrayed their people, but rather have found the answer to the Jewish people’s need. It may be helpful to use the term "completed" to explain what it means to be "converted."
10. Keep praying. Jewish evangelism, like any evangelism where people have strong inbuilt resistance based on centuries of historical misunderstanding, can appear to yield little results. But God is sovereign, and will be faithful to his promises and his people. Depending on your exegesis of the passage, great encouragement to persevere can be gained from the words of Paul, that one day "all Israel shall be saved." (Romans 11:26)
Richard Harvey teaches the Hebrew Bible and Jewish Studies at All Nations Christian College, Ware, Herts UK.