Susan Perlman knows that sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ can be difficult in a culture that is growing increasingly hostile to the gospel and to the things of God.
But as one of the co-founders of Jews for Jesus, Perlman has, for 46 years, experienced the added test of trying to convince the worldwide Jewish population that Jesus is the true Savior of the world. Another group and their fearless leader were tasked with the same daunting challenge nearly two millennia ago.
“It’s important for me to share the gospel with Jewish people because Jesus and His disciples did it,” Perlman told Dr. Steve Greene on a recent episode of “Greenelines” on the Charisma Podcast Network. “You think of His message in John 8:24, when He explained, ‘Unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.’ Then again in John 14:6, He says, ‘I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, and no one comes to the Father but through Me.’
“With both of these statements, when He made these unique claims about Himself, He was speaking to other Jews. Remember when Peter, because of his evangelistic activity, found himself standing before the 771 religious leaders of the Jewish people at the time? He declared there is no other name besides Jesus, or Yeshua, by which men can be saved.
“So, if Jesus and Peter and all the other disciples thought it was important to share the gospel with Jewish people, why should I think any less? It’s an important opportunity. First of all, if you know a person that has a Jewish background, then try to engage them in a conversation about Israel and what they think about Israel. Eventually, steer it into a spiritual conversation, and then you can talk to them about the Bible and Jesus. Leave it to them to share what they want to share.”
In 2015, The Atlantic magazine reported there were 350,000 Messianic Jews worldwide. Jews for Jesus reported that as of 2017, 20,000 Messianic Jews were living in Israel.
For more about the work of Perlman and Jews for Jesus, please listen to this podcast.
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