From: REXLEX@linac.fnal.gov
Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian
Subject: Witnessing to Jews: Isa. Trail
Date: 22 Dec 92 08:09:56 GMT
Organization: FNAL

[The following is a tract used by the American Jewish Christian foundation for
witnessing to their fellows.  Also I'd personally like to note that Xians
should not be intimidated in their witness to the Jewish peoples.  I have found
that I know far more about the what the OT says than 99% of those that I
witness to.  Their studies have been in the teachings on the Scriptures, not in
the Scriptures themselves, so that many of you would have no difficulty in
walking one through the promises of the Messiah and the plan of redemption via
the First Covenant (never call it the old covenant & don't call Jesus "Christ,"
rather Jeshua or Messiah). The Jewish people are very Messianic oriented at the
present because of Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, leader of the
ultra-conservative Lubavitcher Hasidim.  He has more than a million followers
proclaiming him to be the Messiah and if things proceeded naturally, I could
see him entering Jerusalem like another certain "messiah" entered Iran not to
many years ago, ousting the Shah. More on Rabbi Schneerson later -Rex]


God's desire for us is to have joy:

"Thou wilt shew me the path of life. in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy
right hand there are pleasures for evermore" (Psalm 16:11).

He wants us to have peace.

"Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee. because he
trusteth in thee" (Isa. 26:3).

But many of us are missing these things in our life on a consistent basis. 
Why?

Holiness is necessary for God's joy and peace.

God is holy and expects us to be holy, too: "Speak unto all the congregation of
the children of Israel, and say unto them, Ye shall be holy: for I the LORD
your God am holy" (Lev. 19:2).

We are not holy; even the best of us sin: "All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have turned et)ery one to his own way . . . " (Isa. 53:6). "But u?e are all
as an unclean thing, and all our riglitcousnesses are as filthy rags; (isa.
64:6).

Sin causes separation and death: "But your I .tiiquities have separated between
you and your Cod, anti your sins have hid his face from you, that lie will tiot
 hear" (Isa. 59:2). "The soul that sinneth, it shall die . .      (Ezek.
18:20).

Yet, God loves us, and has provided atonement:

He chose us because He loved us: ". . . the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be
a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the
earth.  But because the LORD loved you, and because lie uould keep the oath
which he had suorn utito yourfathers......     (Deut. 7:6, 8).

He has provided a way to bring about reconciliation with Hirm

"For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the
altartomakean atonementforyoursouls:forit is the blood that maketh an atonement
for the soul ' (Lev. 17:11).  Through sacrifices in the Temple in Jerusalem,
atonement was made        possible.  Before the Temple was destroyed in A.D.
70, God had provided a perfect atonement: Yeshua or Jesus.  He is the Passover
Lamb who saves us from spiritual death.  By faith in Him, we have atonement and
are restored to fellowship with God.  Our prophets told us how to recognize
Him:

* He would be born in Bethlehem (see Micah 5:2).

* He would appear before the Temples destruction (see Daniel 9:26).

* He would not be the kind of Messiah we
would expect (see Isaiah 53).

* He  would bear our sins see    Isaiah.53).