Christmas Countdown 2018 Day 3
Well we are on Day 3 and already I am adding to the original plan of simply sharing from John 17…but we knew this would happen, right?
But only God could orchestrate the perfect meshing of the two things I will share today.
Because John 17:3 says…
And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. NKJV
Now let me emphasize that one more time:
Now….THIS…
THIS RIGHT HERE….
IS…
equals…
defines….
ETERNAL LIFE.
To KNOW…
ginosko…
experiental knowledge…
to have knowledge that is head and heart knowledge…
to really know in all ways…
YOU…
Yahweh
Jehovah
I Am
The ONE TRUE GOD
and…
AND
YOUR SON
Jeshua
Jesus the Christ
The Messiah
This journey of study and prayer and meditation and worship is all so we can know Him.
A deeply relational knowledge gleaned by time spent and invested in gaining personal knowledge through relationship.
Which brings me to my other point.
Yesterday our class was absolutely blessed with a visit by two men who shared about their ministry to Jews through a church in Poland.
These brothers were raised as Christians and did not know until the death of their grandmother that their family line is Jewish.
I would wish that every single eye that reads these words of mine could have sat with us yesterday, but I am going to share with you the notes I jotted down as I listened and I pray God speaks something to you through them.
I also encourage you to check out the link at the end of this and visit some of their ministry yourself.
As these brothers so beautifully put it…the concerns of God’s heart should be our concerns.
What He loves, we should love. And He loves Israel. He loves the Jews. His Son was Jewish, you know.
So here are my notes to share with you…
Because it is in their DNA, Jan and his brother Kazik carry a deep burden for Jews to know that the Messiah has come (since eternal life is knowing Him, right?)
It is the passion we read of from Paul as he longed for his people to know the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
These brothers pray for them and suffer for them as Paul did and as we should as well.
They reminded us that God calls us to pray for the Peace of Jerusalem and they explained how when we pray this we are asking for the Prince of Peace to come into the city. Any time we pray this for a city, we are inviting the only One who can bring Peace to come into our midst.
And so they also encouraged us to pray for the Peace of all our cities that come to mind as well.
Kazik, when he discovered his Jewish roots began to pray for what was on God’s heart to pray and this led him to ask the elders of his church to allow him to do ministry to Jews. To bring them to a place of knowing that Christ loves them and wants them to know He is Messiah and He has come.
He felt the call of the passages that urge sharing the Good News with the “lost sheep of Israel” and when the elders asked if he wanted to go to Jerusalem to do ministry, he said no…he wanted to bring Jews to Poland.
With many tender stories Jan and Kazik shared how the elders were skeptical that they would persuade any Jew to come to Poland.
The horror that was Nazi Poland had tainted their homeland with reminders of death to Jews…but Kazik prayed and asked God for a way.
And He provided.
They began hosting camps and inviting Jews to come and visit and this has grown as they have led many Jews to Christ through Bible studies and simply loving and serving and respecting God’s people.
Through prayer and obedience they have created a space to love and build relationship and share the Gospel.
The Power of God changes hearts.
The importance of menial service in the name of Jesus speaks volumes to those we desire to come to saving faith.
My favorite expression of all …. and you would have had to have heard it in the soft and humble voice of these servants of Christ…was the reminder…that to pray for these…will only take up a little room in your heart today.
How appropriate in a season of the year where we remember to let the Christ Child in…when we add so many things to an already full schedule so that we can celebrate His coming…that we would make room in our hearts to pray for those who have not yet received Him.
Be blessed today as you ask God…what and who is on HIS heart <3
Link to Kazik’s ministry: