May 29, 2025 • 44 mins
Are you telling people about Jesus? When is the last time you shared your faith? Join us to learn why we mustn’t be ashamed of sharing the good news in an open and direct fashion. Discover why believers find it difficult to share the Good News of salvation, despite the variety of fruit that always abounds. Find out why non-believers often choose to walk away from the claims of the Messiah, even when they know or at least suspect in their hearts that His claims are true. Learn how to live out the Great Commission. Why? Because the Gospel changes everything.
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Episode Transcript
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S1 (00:00):
Hi friend, thanks so much for downloading this broadcast and
it is my hope that you'll hear something that will
challenge you, grow you up in him, and get you
out into the marketplace of ideas. But before you start listening,
let me take a moment and tell you what this
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Robert Morgan. I talked to him often on the air
because he's such a superb writer, and in this particular book,
he takes the story of Paul's shipwreck, recorded in the
(00:20):
book of acts, and gives us ten principles of how
we push through the storm, learning to trust in God
and all that he has done for us. It's a
magnificent book. It's a short book, and in typical Robert
Morgan writing style, it is a powerful book. I strongly
recommend that you have a copy of The Mediterranean Sea Rules,
because trust me, every single one of us will find
(00:40):
ourselves on stormy seas at some point in our voyage
through life. As for your copy of the Mediterranean Sea
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(01:01):
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(01:22):
at in the Market with Janet Parshall. Again the truth
tool the Mediterranean Sea rules. Thanks so much. And now
please enjoy the broadcast. Hi friends. This is Janet. Partial.
Thanks so much for choosing to spend the next hour
with us. Today's program is prerecorded so our phone lines
(01:43):
are not open. But thanks so much for being with
us and enjoy the broadcast.
S2 (01:47):
Here are some of the news headlines we're watching.
S3 (01:49):
The conference was over. The president won a pledge.
S4 (01:51):
Americans worshiping government over God.
S3 (01:53):
Extremely rare safety move by a nation.
S4 (01:56):
17 years. The Palestinians and the Israelis negotiated This.
S3 (01:59):
Idea is not new.
S1 (02:14):
Hi, friends. Welcome to In the Market with Janet Parshall.
Question for you don't need to use a lifeline or
call a friend. When is the last time you told
somebody about Jesus? Think about that for a minute. You
understand that the directive to tell people the good news
is not a special gifting given to some people. It
is not a special calling bequeathed to certain followers of
(02:35):
Jesus Christ. It is a directive to every single one
of us, which really sort of begs the question, does
it not? I mean, if you have accepted what Christ
did for you on the cross. If you've confessed with
your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your
heart that God has raised him from the dead, you're saved.
And the minute you die, you will be absent from
this body and present with the Lord. Your eternity will
(02:56):
be in the presence of Jesus for the rest of time.
That doesn't take your breath away. Hello. Wake up, O sleeper.
As Paul said, that's the most exciting news any of
us have ever heard. In fact, it's the cure for death.
Death is so awful, so ugly, so horrific that Christ
said I will conquer it. So the grave no longer
gets to declare victory and the sting of the grave
(03:17):
has been removed forever. In other words, you and I
have been given the cure for death. We have to
be prodded to tell somebody about that good news. We
have to be nudged to get out there into the
marketplace of ideas and tell somebody about Jesus. Isn't that
the natural overflow of the heart? The Bible talks about
that out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks.
(03:39):
If your heart isn't overflowing with the good news of
Jesus Christ, you're sleeping. Wake up, O sleeper. So we're
going to tell you how to do this because the
gospel changes everything. And I don't get it. I'm telling you.
And I say this with great humility before a holy God.
I wouldn't do it this way. I would fine tune
specially gifted people who would be the singular mouthpieces for
(04:02):
the message of the cross, but that's not what he does.
He gives this imperishable message means nothing, and no one
can ever take it away. Minimize it, minimize it, augment it.
Footnote it, whatever you want to do. It's imperishable. It
applies to all people in all times and all places.
And what does he do? He pours it into not
Royal Doulton China. He puts it in earthen vessels, cracked, flawed,
(04:23):
fractured earthen vessels, and says, now go and pour out
that message. And even with that, we don't go. So
we're going to talk about how to get you excited
to get out there and to never be ashamed of
the gospel of Jesus Christ. Can I just say on
a personal note, I absolutely love the ministry of Jews
for Jesus. I have loved and supported and prayed for
them for years and years and years. I love their boldness.
(04:44):
I love the way that they are absolutely unashamed. I
love the way they take it to the streets, boy.
And they just tell people about Jesus. And I'm sure
they've suffered a whole lot more than the slings and
arrows of outrageous commentary. But they don't care. They care
that people are going to step into eternity tonight without Jesus.
And that's a thought they cannot bear. And neither should we.
So we're going to talk to Avi Snyder, who is
(05:06):
the European ambassador for Jews for Jesus, this marvelous organization.
And I'm going to use their words to define them,
an organization that relentlessly pursues the pursues the salvation of
the Jewish people and helps Christians gain a deeper understanding
of the Jewish historical and cultural context of their faith.
Ivy's written a fabulous book called Never Ashamed Stories of
(05:27):
Sharing Faith with Scoffers and Cynics. Boy, do we need
a book like that today, right, Avi? Thank you from
the bottom of my heart for who you are, for
what you do, for the gift of an hour of
your time that I cannot ever possibly give back to you.
And thank you for nudging us to be like Jews
for Jesus, relentlessly, unashamedly sharing the gospel. But I was
thinking as I was reading the book, I absolutely. And
(05:49):
by the way, welcome back. It's so good to have
you on the program again. I would be wrong if
I did.
S5 (05:53):
It's so good to be with you.
S1 (05:54):
Oh, Avi. Thank you. I need to hear your story again.
How does a good Jewish boy come to find Yeshua?
Tell me your story.
S5 (06:00):
Well, I'll give you the short version. I grew up
in a very, very traditional Jewish home in the States,
in New York City, um, a very traditional home. But
by the time I was in my early 20s, I
would define myself as a Jewish atheist first. Jews. That's
not a contradiction in terms. There are many Jewish people, uh,
who who define themselves as atheists. I was angry with God,
though I wasn't really an atheist. I was just angry.
(06:22):
I was angry because of the Holocaust. I was angry
because I thought my life was was pointless. And one
day I got so furious that I literally shook my
fist at the ceiling and I screamed at the top
of my lungs. I said, how dare you do this
to me? How dare you? How dare you create a
pointless universe and put me in the middle of it,
you know? And then? Then this thought came to me.
(06:43):
Now you know I didn't hear a voice. No bells,
no flashing lights. But this thought was as clear as
a voice, and the thought was, you're angry, huh? Well,
who are you angry at? I thought you said you
were an atheist, You know, that's when I realized that
I wasn't an atheist. Um, so I decided to put
aside my anger. You know, Scripture has a challenge for, um,
(07:07):
for people like me who who say that God doesn't exist,
but who blame him for everything that's wrong in the world. Right?
And the challenge is, you will seek me and you
will find me when you search for me with all
your heart. And I will be found by you. So
I decided to search. And God in his grace brought
two types of people into my life. As soon as
(07:29):
I came to that point in my life, he brought
Jews for Jesus to cross my path. I got a
track from them in 1975 on the streets. I was furious,
but I kept the tract. Um, and he brought another
group of people into my life. He brought a gentile
Christian family into my life, who loved me enough to
(07:49):
want me to know the truth. They weren't afraid of my, uh,
New York abrasiveness. They weren't worried about offending me. They
wanted me to know the truth and the whole process
took a couple of years. But finally, um, March 14th, 1977,
I came home, I made a cup of tea, I
ate a sandwich, and I asked Jesus to forgive me. And, um,
(08:13):
shortly after that, uh, I reconnected with Jews for Jesus.
I was invited to join the staff. My wife and
I have had the privilege of serving with Jews for
Jesus for G. It's 44 years now. We've lived in
in six different countries. It'd be easier if I just
paid my rent. But, uh, we've lived in six different countries, so.
So that's the short version.
S1 (08:34):
Wow. But such a rich version. Avi, I think that's wonderful.
By the way, I want to point out that after
you came to faith in Christ, you started working for Jews,
for Jesus. And it's significant for those of us who
know and love the history of Jews for Jesus. And
I'm just going to put this out there and ask
you to respond to it on the other side. But
one of the things that Jews for Jesus on the map,
God uses all kinds of things, by the way, to
get his message out there sometimes the Supreme Court case.
(08:56):
So Jews for Jesus and their inimitable style. Handing out
tracks at the airport at LAX. And it became the
stuff of a lawsuit, by the way. So, Avi, you
were smack dab in the middle of all of that.
Come back and share that with us if you can.
Avi Schneider is with us. He is the European ambassador
for Jews for Jesus, although he's an ambassador everywhere for
Jesus Christ. He's authored the book Never Ashamed Stories of
(09:17):
Sharing Faith with Scoffers and Cynics. Later on, I'm going
to open up the phones so that you can ask questions,
because I hope you're talking to scoffers and cynics. We're
going to tell you how to do it better. Back
after this. Are you going through a storm right now?
(09:39):
Do you feel lost at sea? That's why I've chosen
the Mediterranean Sea Rules as this month's truth tool. Robert
Morgan reveals principles that will help you navigate rough waters.
Learn how God is always with you through the storm.
As for your copy of the Mediterranean Sea Rules, when
you give a gift of any amount to in the market,
call eight 7758, that's eight 7758 or go online to
(10:00):
in the market with Janet Parshall. For I am not
ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ. What does that mean?
That's more than just a version memorized in Sunday school
or studied in your small group. It means we live
that we are totally unashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Abby Schneider knows that full well. For over 40 years,
he's been serving with Jews for Jesus all around the world.
(10:22):
He is currently their European ambassador, and he's written a
wonderful book that applies to all people in all times,
in all places, not just how to share the gospel
with our Jewish friends, which I hope you're doing, but
how to share the gospel with anyone. The book is
called Never Ashamed Stories of Sharing Faith with Scoffers and Skeptics. So, Abby,
I put this out there just before the break because
I think it's hugely important because my husband works with
(10:44):
Jay Sekulow. There's a whole bunch of intersections here. But
tell me about the LAX case and Jews for Jesus,
and how in many respects, God used that case to
put Jews for Jesus on the map, so to speak.
S5 (10:55):
Well, I have to say that Jews for Jesus, by
God's grace, had been on the map for quite some time.
I just had the privilege of maybe, uh, turning up
the burner a little bit. But, uh, it was, uh,
I think it was 19. It must have been 1983. Uh,
and I had the privilege of serving as the, uh,
the Los Angeles director of Jews for Jesus at the time.
(11:15):
And I and my colleagues would regularly go out to, uh,
a number of places, including LAX, Los Angeles International Airport,
to to hand out our broadside tracts and to engage
people in conversations about about the Lord. Uh, and we
could do that at LAX because, uh, technically it was
private property or public property, so there was no law
(11:36):
against it. So one day I'm in one of the
terminals and I'm handing out my tracks, and this, uh,
officer comes over to me and he says in a
very polite way, uh, you can't do this. You have
to leave. And I said, what do you mean, I
can't do this? He said, you can't do this. I said,
of course I can do this. It's public property. It's
guaranteed by the First Amendment. And he said, oh, no, no, the, uh,
(11:56):
the l a s board of directors, uh, uh, suspended
the First Amendment.
S1 (12:00):
Oh.
S5 (12:01):
I said I said, you're right. Right. I, I said,
I beg your pardon. I said, they suspended the First Amendment.
He said yes. And I said, boy, you just told
that to the wrong person.
S1 (12:16):
You know.
S5 (12:16):
So that started, uh, a long litigation. Uh, we went
to court. We won, of course, in the court. They appealed.
We won in the appellate court. They appealed. It ultimately
went up all the way up to, uh, to the
United States Supreme Court. And when we heard that the
Supreme Court was going to hear the case, we thought
that we had lost something because that meant that somebody
(12:39):
on the Supreme Court thought that there was merit in
Lax's case. So we figured, oh, something's something's not good.
But when it was heard and argued finally, um, in
the Supreme Court. We won nine zero. It was a
unanimous decision in favor of the Constitution, in favor of
our right to, uh, to continue to do what we
(13:02):
were doing. So it's a great victory story. But, you know,
there's there's an important application here for all of us.
You know, it should really serve as a warning. It
should serve as a wake up call that, um, we
can't we can't take for granted, and we can't lose
the opportunities that we have right now to share the gospel.
(13:23):
It is so easy to share the gospel in this country.
What are the what are the the severest repercussions you're
going to face? Someone's not going to like you. You know,
I remember moving to the Soviet Union when it was
the Soviet Union to, to start the work of Jews
for Jesus there with my colleagues. You know, that was
a little more difficult. You know, the repercussions were a
(13:43):
little more stringent, you know, but it's an imperative issue.
We we have we have to seize the the freedom
that we have now and use that because we're going
to stand before the Lord. And he's going to say, and,
you know, I gave you a country where you could
freely proclaim my name. What did you do with it?
What did you do with that freedom?
S1 (14:01):
Wow. By the way, you should know that I have
a sticker right here on my microphone that says Jews
for Jesus. This is what made me think of this,
because you said, well, around a little bit more than,
you know, when you got there. This case put it on.
And this is why you're absolutely right. Jews for Jesus,
established 32 A.D., give or take a year or so. Right?
(14:21):
Just love it. So it did. It really helped to
catapult the fact that Jews for Jesus was now a
household name because they were in the evening news on
a regular basis, and it was a great victory for
religious liberty. And by the way, note to file nobody
can suspend the First Amendment anytime, anywhere they like. So, Avi,
you said something. I want to pull it out because
it was profoundly significant, which is this idea of sharing
(14:43):
the gospel. You and I know that we could rationalize
why we don't till the cows come home. There's no excuse.
We're told to do it. If we're going to live
a life of loving obedience, we respond, yes, Lord, and
we go where we're called. So I love personal stories
because I think we glean the most by hearing a
brother or sister who's had to do this. So you
come to faith in Christ, you start out as an atheist,
you realize you're not an atheist. You're given a track
(15:05):
by Jews for Jesus. You go right back to them.
And we just jumped into the fact that you started
working for them. So because there is no shame in
Jews for Jesus, tell me about the first time. If
you can remember it when you shared the gospel, it's
one thing for you to be having your coffee and
your toast and say, okay, Lord, but now you have
to hit the streets yourself. What was that like?
S5 (15:24):
Well, I remember early on when I, um, I was
a volunteer with Jews for Jesus and again, um, um,
I have to just say that your words are so
kind to me, but but to give me a credit
that isn't due, uh, Jews for Jesus had had made
so many waves since its beginning. In fact, we're coming
up to our 50th anniversary. We began officially. Well, we
(15:48):
began 2000 years ago. But this ministry, this ministry officially
began in 1973. I didn't get saved till 77 and
become involved until then. So they were pretty, pretty active
for those first four years, causing a lot of waves
in New York and San Francisco and Los Angeles. Anyway,
with that said, um, one of the first times that
(16:11):
I remember, uh, sharing the gospel was when I was, um,
a volunteer with Jews for Jesus. And, uh, I was
invited by one of their workers to go down to
Los Angeles. Where was it? It was a Westwood. And
we were handing out tracts, and I didn't know what
was going to happen. And I'm, uh, I'm handing out tracks.
(16:32):
And before we'd gone out, the person who invited me to, uh,
to come with him, he was discipling me, uh, and
we were going through the book of Romans, and, uh,
he said to me at one point in the in
the middle of the discipleship session, he said, he said, um,
what are you doing? Um, when? When we're done with
the session. I said nothing much. He said, um, would
(16:53):
you like to come with me and hand out some tracks?
I said, no.
S1 (16:58):
Let me leave it there. Let me leave it there. Okay.
You said no. Okay, we're going to keep our friends hanging.
But obviously I bet that answer gets changed. And I
want to hear how that happened. Ivy Snyder is with us.
He's the European ambassador currently for Jews for Jesus, serving
that wonderful ministry around the globe. He's the author of
a book that is so timely because we live in
a world just surrounded by scoffers and skeptics. But you
(17:18):
know what? There's the other s word. They're still seeking.
Don't forget that for one minute. Never ashamed. Stories of
sharing faith with scoffers and skeptics. More with Ivy Snyder
right after this. Never ashamed. It's the new book that
(17:44):
Ivy Snyder has written. Ivy is the European ambassador for
Jews for Jesus. And I want to get right back
because I just asked Avi the question about what it
was like the first time he went out and shared
the gospel on the street. So he's studying the book
of Romans. Someone says, what are you doing after this?
And he said, you want to go out and hand
out tracts? And the answer was no. But we all
know the story. Avi doesn't end there, so please continue.
S5 (18:05):
Sure. He'd said to me, Will you come out? Would
you like to come out and hand out tracks with me?
I said, no. He said, okay, will you come out
and hand out tracks with me? I said, yes, and
so I went because I knew it was the right
thing to do, even though every bone in my body
didn't want to go, you know, and, uh, nothing really
disastrous happened. It was it was an interesting experience. We
(18:26):
were we were down in Westwood and we were handing
out literature. And at one point, this very, very irate
Jewish woman came up to me and she just she
just railed. She just laced into me. I don't I
don't remember a word that she said. And I just
stood there and it hurt. And the only thing that
I remember from her, from her, uh, barrage of words was, uh,
(18:49):
at the end she said to me, why are you here?
And I don't know why I said this, but when
I said it just came out, I said, because I love.
I didn't even know what I meant by that. But
my words froze her and she just stared at me
and the anger disappeared, and she shook her head in
(19:12):
absolute befuddlement, and she walked away. Um, so you know
I wasn't beaten up that time. Nothing terrible happened. But
she heard the gospel. And, you know, later on, I
was thinking to myself, years later, I was thinking, what
did I mean when I said, I love? And I
think that maybe what I meant was that I was
(19:33):
learning to love the Lord. But, you know, Jesus said
that if we love him, we'll keep his commandments. And
what did he command us to do? Commanded us to
tell people about him.
S1 (19:44):
You write this book. In fact, I fact, I want
to point this out. You make it very clear that
your book, Never Ashamed is not a how to book.
If anything you say, it's a why book. And I'm
so glad you did that. Because if we don't understand
why we are directed by our most high and glorious
king to go out and share his message, then there
are all the how to's are meaningless. So I want
to go back to some enumerated points that you talked about.
(20:06):
So give me. In fact, you have a whole section
called Why Share the Gospel? I put out a couple
of things already and said that we're supposed to go
until there's a directive in Scripture to be able to
do that, that it should be the natural overflow of
our heart, that it should break our heart, that there
are people who will step into eternity without Jesus. And
we need to tell them he's not willing that any
should perish, and then turns around and gives us the
opportunity to share that good news. But expand on that,
(20:28):
because you have many more points on why we should
share the gospel.
S5 (20:31):
We must share the gospel, number one, because it's it's
a commandment. Number two, because it's an imperative. The gospel
is not a choice. The gospel is a commandment. and
it's an imperative that we that we really have to,
to take up. I think that there are there are
(20:52):
probably two things, two categories of things that stop most
of us from being willing to share the gospel. One
is fear. Uh, and the and the other is is ignorance.
Which which would you like me to tell you about
first fear?
S1 (21:08):
I bet that's a big reason for a lot of
people listening. Fear.
S5 (21:11):
It really is. Uh, and, you know, there are a
number of fears. In fact, there are there are at
least five fears, uh, enumerated in the scriptures. The apostle
Paul wrestled with, with three of them, uh, the fear
of abandonment, the fear of of harm, the fear of
fruitful labor. Uh, Moses struggled with two others. The fear
(21:32):
of incompetence, the fear of rejection. I think in a
society like ours in the West, um, I think the
strongest fear that we grapple with is the fear of rejection. Um,
we don't admit that we're ashamed of the gospel, but
we are. We're ashamed when. When we. When we choose silence.
(21:53):
Even though God has told us to speak, we fear
the rejection of people more than we fear the reproach
of the Almighty God. But we don't. We don't call
it fear. You know what we do? We flatter ourselves.
We say, well, I don't want to offend anybody, but
that's not really true. What we mean is, I don't
(22:14):
want that person to dislike me. I don't want that
person to get angry with me, because the most important
thing in my life is that everybody likes me. In fact,
that's why Jesus died and rose from the dead, right?
So that everybody will like me and think that I'm
a wonderful person, right? No.
S6 (22:29):
You know, not exactly.
S5 (22:32):
You know, long ago we choose for Jesus made a
very important strategic discovery. We discovered that what people think
of us is not the issue. What people think of
Jesus Mhm. Is the issue whether or not he's whether
or not people have had the opportunity to hear the
only message that can rescue us from sin and death.
(22:53):
That's the issue. Can I, can I make you a promise.
This is dangerous, right? I'm going to make you a promise.
May I do that, please? I, I promise you, I
promise anybody listening to this that if you spend hours
each week in deep study of the word, if you
spend hours each week in deep, fervent prayer and then
(23:14):
you share the gospel, people still will not like you.
That's a promise. Okay.
S1 (23:19):
You know.
S5 (23:20):
That's the power of the gospel. The gospel divides. It
takes away our opportunity to be neutral. And we have
to be. We have to we have to grapple with
that fact, and we have to share the gospel unashamedly. Uh,
but it's a fear of rejection that really stops most
of us here in the States, at least in a
Western country.
S1 (23:41):
Yeah, I think you're absolutely right. Avi. Let me take
a break. I love this book. It in my classroom.
You know, I always say this about books that are
particularly personally impacting. It would be required reading. Never ashamed.
Stories of sharing faith with scoffers and skeptics. And I'm
going to give you an opportunity to ask questions. Maybe
you're wanting to do this, but you had an experience
recently where you're going, what did I do wrong? How
(24:02):
could I do it better? What are some better ways
to do it? But again, remember this book Never Ashamed
isn't a how to, although those are certainly in the book.
This is a why. Why we are directed by our
glorious Savior to go and share that imperishable message. 87754836758775483675.
(24:22):
When we come back, I want Abby to share the
story of Dora. More after this. Friends, this is Janet Parshall,
and I want to take a moment to remind you
that today's program is prerecorded so our phone lines aren't open,
but I sure do appreciate your spending the hour with us.
(24:43):
And thanks so much and enjoy the rest of the program.
Are you going through a storm right now? Do you
feel lost at sea? That's why I've chosen the Mediterranean
Sea Rules as this month's truth tool, Robert Morgan reveals
principles that will help you navigate rough waters. Learn how
God is always with you through the storm. As for
your copy of the Mediterranean Sea Rules, when you give
(25:05):
a gift of any amount to in the market, call
877 Janet 58. That's 877 Janet 58 or go online
to in the market with Janet Parshall. What a privilege
to spend the hour with Avi Schneider. He's the European
ambassador of Jews for Jesus, a veteran missionary, former director
of the European work for Jews for Jesus. By the way,
(25:27):
join the ministry in 78. We talked about his time
as the LA director, but he was also part of
what happened when the Soviet Union collapsed. He was actually
serving in Ukraine, and he pioneered Jews for Jesus ministry
in Russia and Ukraine. That's not easy, by the way.
And then he launched works in both Germany and Hungary.
He got his theological training at Fuller Theological Seminary, the
(25:49):
School of Missions. He joins us today because he's written
a wonderful book that applies to all of us who
have been asked by our great and glorious King, compelled
to share the good news. It's called Never ashamed Stories
of sharing faith with scoffers and skeptics. So, Abby, one
of the delicious parts of this book is that you
weave stories throughout, which I think is just wonderful. You
(26:10):
can talk about the why, and then you apply it
to stories of interactions that you've had in your life.
I was fascinated with Dora's story over 100 years old,
part of Lenin's revolution. Boy, talk about looking history in
the face. Tell me about that interaction.
S5 (26:23):
Yeah, I met her. This was back in the 80s
before my wife and I moved to the Soviet Union.
Although I think God was already preparing us to make
that move. And, uh, she was, um, a hundred years
old then, uh, a Jewish woman living in, um, a
retirement home and nursing home. She claimed to be a
Marxist and an atheist, but she really wasn't. And she
(26:44):
had a strong Jewish identity and she had a strong
interest in Jesus. So I would come by and I
would we would talk about the dialectics of faith. If
you know anything about Marxist terminology. So, um, one day, um,
we're talking and she looks at me and she says,
you know, Avi, um, I know, uh, who you are,
(27:05):
but but I don't really know who you are. I
don't know what you do. What do you do, Avi?
I know what you believe, but what do you do?
And I said, well, Dora, you know, I meet and
talk with people like you. I, uh, write articles, um,
I conduct, uh, uh, discussions. I hand out literature on
the streets. And as soon as I said that, it
(27:25):
was like a light bulb went off over her head
and she said, ah, you're a provocateur. And I said,
that's right, Dora, I'm a provocateur. Um, so I finally
gave her a word that she could she could, uh,
hang her, uh, her her hands around. You know, you
said something a moment before. Before the break. You're talking about, um,
(27:47):
the why of why we must share the gospel. And
I wanted to mention, if I may, that that one
of the reasons, aside from it being an imperative, it's
the only message of hope. We live in a hopeless world,
and we're the only people with a genuine word of hope.
And that hope is the gospel. Um, may I tell
you another quick story? You know.
S1 (28:07):
Please.
S5 (28:08):
One of the reasons we know that Jesus, we know
that Jesus was Jewish because he was always telling stories. So, uh,
I'll tell you another story, if I may, but it
has to do with hope. Um, I went to see
a young woman. Her name was Leslie, and she was dying.
She was in the hospital. And, um, we talked about
unimportant things for for a few minutes. Uh, she said
(28:29):
politely to me. She said, you know what's going on
in your life? And I said, well, life's a storm.
And she said, oh, really? What storms are you going through?
And I realized, well, I said, well, they're they're nothing
compared to what you're going through. And then I said, Leslie,
tell me, how can I pray for you? And it
was as though my question gave her the emotional freedom
to drop her front. And she just she just started
(28:50):
to weep. So I let her weep. And then after
a moment, she looked at me and she said, in
a very pointed way, she said, can your Jesus heal me?
So I said, yeah, if he wants to. But that's
such a minor miracle. And she said, how is that
a minor miracle? I'm dying. I said, it's a minor
(29:12):
miracle because you're still going to die. Everybody dies. And
I said, but there's a major miracle that he always
performs whenever we ask. And she said, what miracle is that?
I said, he forgives our sins, and he gives us
the gift of eternal life. Then explained the gospel. And
I said to her, Leslie, if you ask Jesus to
(29:32):
forgive you, if you make a commitment to follow him
in whatever time you have left, he'll forgive you. then
if you ask him to heal you. Maybe he'll heal you.
Maybe he'll live another 60 years. Or maybe he won't
heal you. Maybe he'll be dead in a month. But
if you die in a month, I'll be jealous.
S1 (29:50):
Mm.
S5 (29:51):
She said what? She said. Why would you be jealous?
I said because you'll see him before me. And that's
not fair. So she gave her heart to the Lord.
First she prayed and asked him to forgive her. And
he said yes to that prayer. And she prayed and
asked him to heal her. And he said no to
that prayer, and she died within the month. Listen, Leslie
is a lot happier right now than you or me.
(30:15):
She's dancing in the presence of the Lord, you and I,
we're still navigating through the storms, you know. Now, the
reason I'm mentioning this, the reason I mention this story
in the book, is because no one could help her.
No one had any word of hope for her. The
doctors had no hope. The nurses had no hope. The
rabbi on staff at the hospital had no hope. I
was the only person with a genuine word of hope,
(30:39):
the gospel, for us to keep that hope to ourselves.
It's just wrong. It's shameful. And that's why we mustn't
be ashamed.
S1 (30:49):
Amen. Amen. Have you asked this question in the book?
And I'll ask it of you now? Can people be
secret believers?
S5 (30:57):
I would say no. I know that's a difficult answer. Okay.
And I'm very, very familiar with the prices that people
pay when they come out in the open. So. So
to speak. But, um, ultimately, you can't keep your faith
(31:17):
in him, uh, under wraps, even if it should cost
you your life. You know, history is full of men
and women who had the courage to openly believe and
who lost their lives, and the church advanced because of it. Um,
if God should call us to make that much of
a sacrifice, we should be willing to make it. You know,
those of us who come from what I call gospel
(31:39):
resistant cultures, perhaps we understand a little bit better. Uh,
this this difficulty of, uh, of coming out into the open,
and I'm not I'm not, you know, I'm not disparaging.
I'm not speaking ill of people who who have believed
and who wrestle with coming out into the open about that.
I'm sensitive to that. But what I'm saying is that ultimately,
(32:03):
we have to be willing to stand up on a
mountain and let people know who we are, because it's
going to affect other people's lives. We mustn't be ashamed.
We have to be open about the gospel. You know,
for me, for me to be ashamed of, for me
to be silent about my faith in Jesus, even if
(32:23):
I say I love him, even if I say I
follow him and everything else, you know, it kind of.
It would be a little bit like me being ashamed
of my wife. You know, I don't want you to know. Married,
you know. Do I love my wife? Oh, sure. Do
I want to spend my life with her? Absolutely. But
I don't want you to know that I'm married to her.
You know, that doesn't make any sense. You know, if
she really means something to me, of course. I want
you to know who she is. Well, it's it's even
(32:45):
more with our savior. You know, we're his bride. We
belong to him. And, um, ultimately, we have to let
people know the one who's found us and the one
whom we have found.
S1 (32:58):
Amen. Amen. You talk about using our voices forcibly. Why
is that necessary? I mean, if you cannot be a
secret believer. And I so appreciate your empathetic and discerning response,
that to be an open believer in the United States
bears little or no resemblance to living in a repressed
nation where Christianity is outlawed, or by saying yes, Lord
(33:20):
publicly is the equivalent of signing your death sentence. We
don't have a point of reference for that here in
the West. But then you tell us, and this is
these are universal truths. Why is it imperative that we
use our voice forcibly? And what does that mean?
S5 (33:32):
Well, we must use our voice because of the opportunity
that's in front of us. Um, there's there's a false
teaching today. Uh, and it's become very, very popular. Um,
the teaching is that it is sufficient just to live
a Christian lifestyle. That's a sufficient testimony in and of itself.
(33:53):
People talk about being a silent witness. There's a there's
a phrase that's ascribed to, uh, Francis of Assisi that
people like to, uh, bandy about. The phrase is, uh,
always be ready to preach the gospel if necessary, even
use words. Well, there are two problems with that phrase.
Number one, Francis never said it. Uh, all of his
(34:15):
biographers deny that he ever said that. Okay. But more importantly, um,
that thinking betrays, uh, it reveals a basic misunderstanding of
the nature of the gospel message. Um, the gospel message
is a content driven message. There. There are two types
(34:37):
of messages in the world. There are messages that are
driven by conduct. Um, parental love is a conduct driven message.
Children know they are loved by their parents, by their
parents conduct long before they understand any words. Okay, but
there are other messages that are content driven messages. I'll
give you an example. Let's say I have to fly
(34:57):
from Budapest to Warsaw tomorrow and I have to be
on flight Europa Airlines one, two, three. And I have to, uh, be, uh,
at the gate at 930. I have to be there
15 minutes before I have to check in. I have
to go through security on the right day. I have
to be at the right gate. Are you going to
love me onto that plane? Are you going to get
(35:18):
me onto that plane on the right day, at the
right time? By your conduct? No. There's information that I
need to know. And that information has to be communicated
to me in a way that I can understand and
hopefully believe whether or not I receive it from you
is really not your responsibility. Communicating it to me clearly
(35:39):
in a loving way so that I can receive it.
That's your responsibility. Whether or not I choose to accept
that information and get on that plane is another issue. Well,
that's a content driven message. The gospel is a content
driven message. If there's information about our sin, about our
need to repent and make a commitment to follow him,
(36:02):
and that has to be communicated in words.
S1 (36:07):
I told you, the book is fantastic and this is
why I love Jews for Jesus. Rabbi Schneider is with us.
He's the author of Never Ashamed Stories of Sharing Faith
with Scoffers and Skeptics. We're going to take a break
and come right back. I've got a link, by the way,
to Jews for Jesus on my information page. If you're
not familiar with this marvelous ministry, check it out. I
want you to learn more. Back after this. Never ashamed.
(36:36):
Stories of sharing faith with scoffers and skeptics. It's the
new book by Avi Snider, who is the European ambassador
of Jews for Jesus. He's been serving in that wonderful
ministry for over 40 years. Avi, in this last segment
in an hour that's gone far too fast, but has
been so rich in content. I want to talk about
the little man on the little old man on 57th Street,
and then I want to jump all the way to
(36:57):
the Ukraine, because there's some interesting aspects to both of
these stories. Tell me first about this little old man
and how he became. This story becomes a launching pad
for things again, for us to understand on the command
the why of sharing the gospel.
S5 (37:13):
Well, this was 1967. I was 16 years old. So
if you're good with mathematics, you can figure out how
ancient I am really quickly. I was walking down the
street in New York City, where I lived, where I
grew up. Um, it was right at the time of
what history now calls the Jesus Revolution. There was a
(37:35):
real revival in North America from about 1967 to 1977.
Didn't really spill over into Europe. It was a North
American phenomenon. But millions of people got saved in that
ten year period of time in North America, including thousands
of young Jewish men and women. Actually, that was the
birth of the ministry of Jews for Jesus. We grew
(37:55):
out of that move of God. Anyway, 1967 I'm 16.
I'm walking down the street and I see this little
old man hovering against the side of a building, and
he's handing out little pieces of paper. I watch him,
and as I'm watching him, I'm thinking to myself, this
is so strange. I'll bet this has something to do
with God. So as a joke, I decided to take
(38:22):
one of his little pieces of paper. And I was right.
It had something to do with God. It had the
words of John 316 from the old King James Version
written on it. Okay. God so loved the world that
he gave his only begotten son, that whoever believes in
him will not perish but have everlasting life. And as
a joke, I decided to memorize those words so that
(38:44):
I could boast to my friends at school that I
knew a verse from that other book. The book that
we Jews aren't supposed to read. To my knowledge, to
my knowledge, that's the first gospel seed that the Lord
planted in my life. Now, there might there might have
been others that I don't know about, but that's the
first gospel seed that I know about that he planted
(39:06):
in my life. And the point is this from 1967,
with that seed until 19 until March of 1977, when
I finally gave my heart to the Lord, there were
so many other instances. There were other seeds. There was
that Jews for Jesus tract in 1975. There were conversations,
some of them long, some of them a word in passing.
(39:28):
There were so many seeds. But the point is, none
of those seeds were wasted. None of it was wasted.
God promises. In Psalm 126 he says, he who sows
with tears will reap with joy. Whether we even see
the result or not, it doesn't matter. The proclamation of
(39:50):
the gospel is never in vain. The prophets didn't live
to see the fruits of their labors. We're the fruit
of their labors. Whenever we share the gospel in any fashion,
God is using that proclamation of the gospel to accomplish
whatever it is he wants to accomplish. Whether it's the
fruit of saving faith, whether it's the fruit of division,
(40:12):
whether it's the fruit of, of of, of our own sanctification,
there are at least eight fruits that he's always producing.
Whenever the gospel is shared, therefore, our labor is never
in vain. You know, um, I have one regret about
that little old man. I can't remember what his face
looked like, but I've made a decision. After Jesus has
(40:37):
come back and we're all together, I'm going to know
who he is. So I'm going to go up to
him one day, and I'm going to tap him on
the shoulder. I'm going to come up to him from behind,
and I'm going to tap him on the shoulder, and
he's going to turn around, and I'm going to look
at his face, and I'm going to say to him,
in 1967, you gave a 16 year old boy a
(41:00):
piece of paper, and the words on that piece of
paper started to change his life. And I think I
know what he's going to say. He's going to look
at me and he's going to shrug, and he's going
to smile, and he's going to say, yeah, I know
I read Psalm 126.
S1 (41:20):
Oh my goodness, what a wonderful story. Abby, I would
be remiss particularly when the country of Ukraine is all
over the headlines and people are praying and putting out
their blue and yellow flags. Tell me some stories about Ukraine.
Tell me about Connie. Tell me about some lessons that
we can learn from the time you served the Lord there.
S5 (41:37):
Well, actually, I'd like to tell you about a very
recent story. First, I was just there visiting, uh, friends
and colleagues. I, uh, I was in Poland, and I
crossed over the border into Ukraine, and, um, I was
talking with a young man named Tolek. Emma Tolek leads
our work in Ukraine. And, you know, it's by no
means an easy time there. Obviously, you know, anybody who's
(41:59):
watching the news knows something of what's going on. Um,
but he told me that in the midst of, of
of all the, uh, displacement and all the, the, the
horrors that are happening, he said that on on the
Polish Ukrainian border, he said, um, uh, Polish men and
women who were raised in a traditional Catholic, uh, framework
(42:25):
are giving their hearts to the real Jesus, he said
on the Ukrainian side of the border, Ukrainian men and
women who were raised in a traditional Orthodox Eastern Christian
tradition are giving their hearts to the real Jesus, he said.
Jewish men and women are giving their hearts to the Lord,
he said. Atheists are asking them for prayer. And he
(42:47):
summed up the whole thing with a phrase that that
ought to be immortalized. He said, it's a bad time
for Ukraine. It's a good time for the gospel. It's true.
Very often these are the kinds of circumstances that that
that provoke people to look above themselves, to ask the
(43:07):
question from where does my help come? Because they know
that it's not going to come from within themselves.
S1 (43:12):
Yes. Amen. Let me expand on that, if I may.
That's such a precious lesson. So here in the United States,
we've got stress levels at record highs. People are worried
about gas prices and food and inflation. They're worried about
what the future might hold. So we could say, I
think with some impunity that it's a bad time for America,
but it's a good time for the gospel. And what
a way to end this conversation that, again, it's always
(43:35):
the right season to share that hope that resides within
us in and out of season, we're told, but particularly now,
that compelling, that directive, that great and holy King who says,
go and tell that message has always been important. And
I think what we're reminded of today is there are
no shortage of hurting people, skeptics, some yes scoffers, absolutely
(43:57):
seekers always. So I hope you'll read Abby's book. I
hope you'll be encouraged. I hope you understand the why
of our being obedient in sharing the good News of
the gospel of Jesus Christ. And while you're at it,
take some time to check out the wonderful ministry of
Jews for Jesus just precious, precious, life changing ministry. My
heartfelt thanks to a wonderful hour of conversation with Avi
(44:18):
Schneider and to be with you friends. Thanks so much.
We'll see you next time on In the Market with
Janet Parshall.
Hi friend, thanks so much for downloading this broadcast and
it is my hope that you'll hear something that will
challenge you, grow you up in him, and get you
out into the marketplace of ideas. But before you start listening,
let me take a moment and tell you what this
month's truth tool is. It's the Mediterranean Sea Rules by
Robert Morgan. I talked to him often on the air
because he's such a superb writer, and in this particular book,
he takes the story of Paul's shipwreck, recorded in the
(00:20):
book of acts, and gives us ten principles of how
we push through the storm, learning to trust in God
and all that he has done for us. It's a
magnificent book. It's a short book, and in typical Robert
Morgan writing style, it is a powerful book. I strongly
recommend that you have a copy of The Mediterranean Sea Rules,
because trust me, every single one of us will find
(00:40):
ourselves on stormy seas at some point in our voyage
through life. As for your copy of the Mediterranean Sea
Rules by calling 877 58, that's 877 Janet 58 or
go online to in the market with Janet Parshall. Scroll
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My way of saying thank you because we are listener
(01:01):
supported radio. Your gifts keep this broadcast on the air.
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(01:22):
at in the Market with Janet Parshall. Again the truth
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please enjoy the broadcast. Hi friends. This is Janet. Partial.
Thanks so much for choosing to spend the next hour
with us. Today's program is prerecorded so our phone lines
(01:43):
are not open. But thanks so much for being with
us and enjoy the broadcast.
S2 (01:47):
Here are some of the news headlines we're watching.
S3 (01:49):
The conference was over. The president won a pledge.
S4 (01:51):
Americans worshiping government over God.
S3 (01:53):
Extremely rare safety move by a nation.
S4 (01:56):
17 years. The Palestinians and the Israelis negotiated This.
S3 (01:59):
Idea is not new.
S1 (02:14):
Hi, friends. Welcome to In the Market with Janet Parshall.
Question for you don't need to use a lifeline or
call a friend. When is the last time you told
somebody about Jesus? Think about that for a minute. You
understand that the directive to tell people the good news
is not a special gifting given to some people. It
is not a special calling bequeathed to certain followers of
(02:35):
Jesus Christ. It is a directive to every single one
of us, which really sort of begs the question, does
it not? I mean, if you have accepted what Christ
did for you on the cross. If you've confessed with
your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your
heart that God has raised him from the dead, you're saved.
And the minute you die, you will be absent from
this body and present with the Lord. Your eternity will
(02:56):
be in the presence of Jesus for the rest of time.
That doesn't take your breath away. Hello. Wake up, O sleeper.
As Paul said, that's the most exciting news any of
us have ever heard. In fact, it's the cure for death.
Death is so awful, so ugly, so horrific that Christ
said I will conquer it. So the grave no longer
gets to declare victory and the sting of the grave
(03:17):
has been removed forever. In other words, you and I
have been given the cure for death. We have to
be prodded to tell somebody about that good news. We
have to be nudged to get out there into the
marketplace of ideas and tell somebody about Jesus. Isn't that
the natural overflow of the heart? The Bible talks about
that out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks.
(03:39):
If your heart isn't overflowing with the good news of
Jesus Christ, you're sleeping. Wake up, O sleeper. So we're
going to tell you how to do this because the
gospel changes everything. And I don't get it. I'm telling you.
And I say this with great humility before a holy God.
I wouldn't do it this way. I would fine tune
specially gifted people who would be the singular mouthpieces for
(04:02):
the message of the cross, but that's not what he does.
He gives this imperishable message means nothing, and no one
can ever take it away. Minimize it, minimize it, augment it.
Footnote it, whatever you want to do. It's imperishable. It
applies to all people in all times and all places.
And what does he do? He pours it into not
Royal Doulton China. He puts it in earthen vessels, cracked, flawed,
(04:23):
fractured earthen vessels, and says, now go and pour out
that message. And even with that, we don't go. So
we're going to talk about how to get you excited
to get out there and to never be ashamed of
the gospel of Jesus Christ. Can I just say on
a personal note, I absolutely love the ministry of Jews
for Jesus. I have loved and supported and prayed for
them for years and years and years. I love their boldness.
(04:44):
I love the way that they are absolutely unashamed. I
love the way they take it to the streets, boy.
And they just tell people about Jesus. And I'm sure
they've suffered a whole lot more than the slings and
arrows of outrageous commentary. But they don't care. They care
that people are going to step into eternity tonight without Jesus.
And that's a thought they cannot bear. And neither should we.
So we're going to talk to Avi Snyder, who is
(05:06):
the European ambassador for Jews for Jesus, this marvelous organization.
And I'm going to use their words to define them,
an organization that relentlessly pursues the pursues the salvation of
the Jewish people and helps Christians gain a deeper understanding
of the Jewish historical and cultural context of their faith.
Ivy's written a fabulous book called Never Ashamed Stories of
(05:27):
Sharing Faith with Scoffers and Cynics. Boy, do we need
a book like that today, right, Avi? Thank you from
the bottom of my heart for who you are, for
what you do, for the gift of an hour of
your time that I cannot ever possibly give back to you.
And thank you for nudging us to be like Jews
for Jesus, relentlessly, unashamedly sharing the gospel. But I was
thinking as I was reading the book, I absolutely. And
(05:49):
by the way, welcome back. It's so good to have
you on the program again. I would be wrong if
I did.
S5 (05:53):
It's so good to be with you.
S1 (05:54):
Oh, Avi. Thank you. I need to hear your story again.
How does a good Jewish boy come to find Yeshua?
Tell me your story.
S5 (06:00):
Well, I'll give you the short version. I grew up
in a very, very traditional Jewish home in the States,
in New York City, um, a very traditional home. But
by the time I was in my early 20s, I
would define myself as a Jewish atheist first. Jews. That's
not a contradiction in terms. There are many Jewish people, uh,
who who define themselves as atheists. I was angry with God,
though I wasn't really an atheist. I was just angry.
(06:22):
I was angry because of the Holocaust. I was angry
because I thought my life was was pointless. And one
day I got so furious that I literally shook my
fist at the ceiling and I screamed at the top
of my lungs. I said, how dare you do this
to me? How dare you? How dare you create a
pointless universe and put me in the middle of it,
you know? And then? Then this thought came to me.
(06:43):
Now you know I didn't hear a voice. No bells,
no flashing lights. But this thought was as clear as
a voice, and the thought was, you're angry, huh? Well,
who are you angry at? I thought you said you
were an atheist, You know, that's when I realized that
I wasn't an atheist. Um, so I decided to put
aside my anger. You know, Scripture has a challenge for, um,
(07:07):
for people like me who who say that God doesn't exist,
but who blame him for everything that's wrong in the world. Right?
And the challenge is, you will seek me and you
will find me when you search for me with all
your heart. And I will be found by you. So
I decided to search. And God in his grace brought
two types of people into my life. As soon as
(07:29):
I came to that point in my life, he brought
Jews for Jesus to cross my path. I got a
track from them in 1975 on the streets. I was furious,
but I kept the tract. Um, and he brought another
group of people into my life. He brought a gentile
Christian family into my life, who loved me enough to
(07:49):
want me to know the truth. They weren't afraid of my, uh,
New York abrasiveness. They weren't worried about offending me. They
wanted me to know the truth and the whole process
took a couple of years. But finally, um, March 14th, 1977,
I came home, I made a cup of tea, I
ate a sandwich, and I asked Jesus to forgive me. And, um,
(08:13):
shortly after that, uh, I reconnected with Jews for Jesus.
I was invited to join the staff. My wife and
I have had the privilege of serving with Jews for
Jesus for G. It's 44 years now. We've lived in
in six different countries. It'd be easier if I just
paid my rent. But, uh, we've lived in six different countries, so.
So that's the short version.
S1 (08:34):
Wow. But such a rich version. Avi, I think that's wonderful.
By the way, I want to point out that after
you came to faith in Christ, you started working for Jews,
for Jesus. And it's significant for those of us who
know and love the history of Jews for Jesus. And
I'm just going to put this out there and ask
you to respond to it on the other side. But
one of the things that Jews for Jesus on the map,
God uses all kinds of things, by the way, to
get his message out there sometimes the Supreme Court case.
(08:56):
So Jews for Jesus and their inimitable style. Handing out
tracks at the airport at LAX. And it became the
stuff of a lawsuit, by the way. So, Avi, you
were smack dab in the middle of all of that.
Come back and share that with us if you can.
Avi Schneider is with us. He is the European ambassador
for Jews for Jesus, although he's an ambassador everywhere for
Jesus Christ. He's authored the book Never Ashamed Stories of
(09:17):
Sharing Faith with Scoffers and Cynics. Later on, I'm going
to open up the phones so that you can ask questions,
because I hope you're talking to scoffers and cynics. We're
going to tell you how to do it better. Back
after this. Are you going through a storm right now?
(09:39):
Do you feel lost at sea? That's why I've chosen
the Mediterranean Sea Rules as this month's truth tool. Robert
Morgan reveals principles that will help you navigate rough waters.
Learn how God is always with you through the storm.
As for your copy of the Mediterranean Sea Rules, when
you give a gift of any amount to in the market,
call eight 7758, that's eight 7758 or go online to
(10:00):
in the market with Janet Parshall. For I am not
ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ. What does that mean?
That's more than just a version memorized in Sunday school
or studied in your small group. It means we live
that we are totally unashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Abby Schneider knows that full well. For over 40 years,
he's been serving with Jews for Jesus all around the world.
(10:22):
He is currently their European ambassador, and he's written a
wonderful book that applies to all people in all times,
in all places, not just how to share the gospel
with our Jewish friends, which I hope you're doing, but
how to share the gospel with anyone. The book is
called Never Ashamed Stories of Sharing Faith with Scoffers and Skeptics. So, Abby,
I put this out there just before the break because
I think it's hugely important because my husband works with
(10:44):
Jay Sekulow. There's a whole bunch of intersections here. But
tell me about the LAX case and Jews for Jesus,
and how in many respects, God used that case to
put Jews for Jesus on the map, so to speak.
S5 (10:55):
Well, I have to say that Jews for Jesus, by
God's grace, had been on the map for quite some time.
I just had the privilege of maybe, uh, turning up
the burner a little bit. But, uh, it was, uh,
I think it was 19. It must have been 1983. Uh,
and I had the privilege of serving as the, uh,
the Los Angeles director of Jews for Jesus at the time.
(11:15):
And I and my colleagues would regularly go out to, uh,
a number of places, including LAX, Los Angeles International Airport,
to to hand out our broadside tracts and to engage
people in conversations about about the Lord. Uh, and we
could do that at LAX because, uh, technically it was
private property or public property, so there was no law
(11:36):
against it. So one day I'm in one of the
terminals and I'm handing out my tracks, and this, uh,
officer comes over to me and he says in a
very polite way, uh, you can't do this. You have
to leave. And I said, what do you mean, I
can't do this? He said, you can't do this. I said,
of course I can do this. It's public property. It's
guaranteed by the First Amendment. And he said, oh, no, no, the, uh,
(11:56):
the l a s board of directors, uh, uh, suspended
the First Amendment.
S1 (12:00):
Oh.
S5 (12:01):
I said I said, you're right. Right. I, I said,
I beg your pardon. I said, they suspended the First Amendment.
He said yes. And I said, boy, you just told
that to the wrong person.
S1 (12:16):
You know.
S5 (12:16):
So that started, uh, a long litigation. Uh, we went
to court. We won, of course, in the court. They appealed.
We won in the appellate court. They appealed. It ultimately
went up all the way up to, uh, to the
United States Supreme Court. And when we heard that the
Supreme Court was going to hear the case, we thought
that we had lost something because that meant that somebody
(12:39):
on the Supreme Court thought that there was merit in
Lax's case. So we figured, oh, something's something's not good.
But when it was heard and argued finally, um, in
the Supreme Court. We won nine zero. It was a
unanimous decision in favor of the Constitution, in favor of
our right to, uh, to continue to do what we
(13:02):
were doing. So it's a great victory story. But, you know,
there's there's an important application here for all of us.
You know, it should really serve as a warning. It
should serve as a wake up call that, um, we
can't we can't take for granted, and we can't lose
the opportunities that we have right now to share the gospel.
(13:23):
It is so easy to share the gospel in this country.
What are the what are the the severest repercussions you're
going to face? Someone's not going to like you. You know,
I remember moving to the Soviet Union when it was
the Soviet Union to, to start the work of Jews
for Jesus there with my colleagues. You know, that was
a little more difficult. You know, the repercussions were a
(13:43):
little more stringent, you know, but it's an imperative issue.
We we have we have to seize the the freedom
that we have now and use that because we're going
to stand before the Lord. And he's going to say, and,
you know, I gave you a country where you could
freely proclaim my name. What did you do with it?
What did you do with that freedom?
S1 (14:01):
Wow. By the way, you should know that I have
a sticker right here on my microphone that says Jews
for Jesus. This is what made me think of this,
because you said, well, around a little bit more than,
you know, when you got there. This case put it on.
And this is why you're absolutely right. Jews for Jesus,
established 32 A.D., give or take a year or so. Right?
(14:21):
Just love it. So it did. It really helped to
catapult the fact that Jews for Jesus was now a
household name because they were in the evening news on
a regular basis, and it was a great victory for
religious liberty. And by the way, note to file nobody
can suspend the First Amendment anytime, anywhere they like. So, Avi,
you said something. I want to pull it out because
it was profoundly significant, which is this idea of sharing
(14:43):
the gospel. You and I know that we could rationalize
why we don't till the cows come home. There's no excuse.
We're told to do it. If we're going to live
a life of loving obedience, we respond, yes, Lord, and
we go where we're called. So I love personal stories
because I think we glean the most by hearing a
brother or sister who's had to do this. So you
come to faith in Christ, you start out as an atheist,
you realize you're not an atheist. You're given a track
(15:05):
by Jews for Jesus. You go right back to them.
And we just jumped into the fact that you started
working for them. So because there is no shame in
Jews for Jesus, tell me about the first time. If
you can remember it when you shared the gospel, it's
one thing for you to be having your coffee and
your toast and say, okay, Lord, but now you have
to hit the streets yourself. What was that like?
S5 (15:24):
Well, I remember early on when I, um, I was
a volunteer with Jews for Jesus and again, um, um,
I have to just say that your words are so
kind to me, but but to give me a credit
that isn't due, uh, Jews for Jesus had had made
so many waves since its beginning. In fact, we're coming
up to our 50th anniversary. We began officially. Well, we
(15:48):
began 2000 years ago. But this ministry, this ministry officially
began in 1973. I didn't get saved till 77 and
become involved until then. So they were pretty, pretty active
for those first four years, causing a lot of waves
in New York and San Francisco and Los Angeles. Anyway,
with that said, um, one of the first times that
(16:11):
I remember, uh, sharing the gospel was when I was, um,
a volunteer with Jews for Jesus. And, uh, I was
invited by one of their workers to go down to
Los Angeles. Where was it? It was a Westwood. And
we were handing out tracts, and I didn't know what
was going to happen. And I'm, uh, I'm handing out tracks.
(16:32):
And before we'd gone out, the person who invited me to, uh,
to come with him, he was discipling me, uh, and
we were going through the book of Romans, and, uh,
he said to me at one point in the in
the middle of the discipleship session, he said, he said, um,
what are you doing? Um, when? When we're done with
the session. I said nothing much. He said, um, would
(16:53):
you like to come with me and hand out some tracks?
I said, no.
S1 (16:58):
Let me leave it there. Let me leave it there. Okay.
You said no. Okay, we're going to keep our friends hanging.
But obviously I bet that answer gets changed. And I
want to hear how that happened. Ivy Snyder is with us.
He's the European ambassador currently for Jews for Jesus, serving
that wonderful ministry around the globe. He's the author of
a book that is so timely because we live in
a world just surrounded by scoffers and skeptics. But you
(17:18):
know what? There's the other s word. They're still seeking.
Don't forget that for one minute. Never ashamed. Stories of
sharing faith with scoffers and skeptics. More with Ivy Snyder
right after this. Never ashamed. It's the new book that
(17:44):
Ivy Snyder has written. Ivy is the European ambassador for
Jews for Jesus. And I want to get right back
because I just asked Avi the question about what it
was like the first time he went out and shared
the gospel on the street. So he's studying the book
of Romans. Someone says, what are you doing after this?
And he said, you want to go out and hand
out tracts? And the answer was no. But we all
know the story. Avi doesn't end there, so please continue.
S5 (18:05):
Sure. He'd said to me, Will you come out? Would
you like to come out and hand out tracks with me?
I said, no. He said, okay, will you come out
and hand out tracks with me? I said, yes, and
so I went because I knew it was the right
thing to do, even though every bone in my body
didn't want to go, you know, and, uh, nothing really
disastrous happened. It was it was an interesting experience. We
(18:26):
were we were down in Westwood and we were handing
out literature. And at one point, this very, very irate
Jewish woman came up to me and she just she
just railed. She just laced into me. I don't I
don't remember a word that she said. And I just
stood there and it hurt. And the only thing that
I remember from her, from her, uh, barrage of words was, uh,
(18:49):
at the end she said to me, why are you here?
And I don't know why I said this, but when
I said it just came out, I said, because I love.
I didn't even know what I meant by that. But
my words froze her and she just stared at me
and the anger disappeared, and she shook her head in
(19:12):
absolute befuddlement, and she walked away. Um, so you know
I wasn't beaten up that time. Nothing terrible happened. But
she heard the gospel. And, you know, later on, I
was thinking to myself, years later, I was thinking, what
did I mean when I said, I love? And I
think that maybe what I meant was that I was
(19:33):
learning to love the Lord. But, you know, Jesus said
that if we love him, we'll keep his commandments. And
what did he command us to do? Commanded us to
tell people about him.
S1 (19:44):
You write this book. In fact, I fact, I want
to point this out. You make it very clear that
your book, Never Ashamed is not a how to book.
If anything you say, it's a why book. And I'm
so glad you did that. Because if we don't understand
why we are directed by our most high and glorious
king to go out and share his message, then there
are all the how to's are meaningless. So I want
to go back to some enumerated points that you talked about.
(20:06):
So give me. In fact, you have a whole section
called Why Share the Gospel? I put out a couple
of things already and said that we're supposed to go
until there's a directive in Scripture to be able to
do that, that it should be the natural overflow of
our heart, that it should break our heart, that there
are people who will step into eternity without Jesus. And
we need to tell them he's not willing that any
should perish, and then turns around and gives us the
opportunity to share that good news. But expand on that,
(20:28):
because you have many more points on why we should
share the gospel.
S5 (20:31):
We must share the gospel, number one, because it's it's
a commandment. Number two, because it's an imperative. The gospel
is not a choice. The gospel is a commandment. and
it's an imperative that we that we really have to,
to take up. I think that there are there are
(20:52):
probably two things, two categories of things that stop most
of us from being willing to share the gospel. One
is fear. Uh, and the and the other is is ignorance.
Which which would you like me to tell you about
first fear?
S1 (21:08):
I bet that's a big reason for a lot of
people listening. Fear.
S5 (21:11):
It really is. Uh, and, you know, there are a
number of fears. In fact, there are there are at
least five fears, uh, enumerated in the scriptures. The apostle
Paul wrestled with, with three of them, uh, the fear
of abandonment, the fear of of harm, the fear of
fruitful labor. Uh, Moses struggled with two others. The fear
(21:32):
of incompetence, the fear of rejection. I think in a
society like ours in the West, um, I think the
strongest fear that we grapple with is the fear of rejection. Um,
we don't admit that we're ashamed of the gospel, but
we are. We're ashamed when. When we. When we choose silence.
(21:53):
Even though God has told us to speak, we fear
the rejection of people more than we fear the reproach
of the Almighty God. But we don't. We don't call
it fear. You know what we do? We flatter ourselves.
We say, well, I don't want to offend anybody, but
that's not really true. What we mean is, I don't
(22:14):
want that person to dislike me. I don't want that
person to get angry with me, because the most important
thing in my life is that everybody likes me. In fact,
that's why Jesus died and rose from the dead, right?
So that everybody will like me and think that I'm
a wonderful person, right? No.
S6 (22:29):
You know, not exactly.
S5 (22:32):
You know, long ago we choose for Jesus made a
very important strategic discovery. We discovered that what people think
of us is not the issue. What people think of
Jesus Mhm. Is the issue whether or not he's whether
or not people have had the opportunity to hear the
only message that can rescue us from sin and death.
(22:53):
That's the issue. Can I, can I make you a promise.
This is dangerous, right? I'm going to make you a promise.
May I do that, please? I, I promise you, I
promise anybody listening to this that if you spend hours
each week in deep study of the word, if you
spend hours each week in deep, fervent prayer and then
(23:14):
you share the gospel, people still will not like you.
That's a promise. Okay.
S1 (23:19):
You know.
S5 (23:20):
That's the power of the gospel. The gospel divides. It
takes away our opportunity to be neutral. And we have
to be. We have to we have to grapple with
that fact, and we have to share the gospel unashamedly. Uh,
but it's a fear of rejection that really stops most
of us here in the States, at least in a
Western country.
S1 (23:41):
Yeah, I think you're absolutely right. Avi. Let me take
a break. I love this book. It in my classroom.
You know, I always say this about books that are
particularly personally impacting. It would be required reading. Never ashamed.
Stories of sharing faith with scoffers and skeptics. And I'm
going to give you an opportunity to ask questions. Maybe
you're wanting to do this, but you had an experience
recently where you're going, what did I do wrong? How
(24:02):
could I do it better? What are some better ways
to do it? But again, remember this book Never Ashamed
isn't a how to, although those are certainly in the book.
This is a why. Why we are directed by our
glorious Savior to go and share that imperishable message. 87754836758775483675.
(24:22):
When we come back, I want Abby to share the
story of Dora. More after this. Friends, this is Janet Parshall,
and I want to take a moment to remind you
that today's program is prerecorded so our phone lines aren't open,
but I sure do appreciate your spending the hour with us.
(24:43):
And thanks so much and enjoy the rest of the program.
Are you going through a storm right now? Do you
feel lost at sea? That's why I've chosen the Mediterranean
Sea Rules as this month's truth tool, Robert Morgan reveals
principles that will help you navigate rough waters. Learn how
God is always with you through the storm. As for
your copy of the Mediterranean Sea Rules, when you give
(25:05):
a gift of any amount to in the market, call
877 Janet 58. That's 877 Janet 58 or go online
to in the market with Janet Parshall. What a privilege
to spend the hour with Avi Schneider. He's the European
ambassador of Jews for Jesus, a veteran missionary, former director
of the European work for Jews for Jesus. By the way,
(25:27):
join the ministry in 78. We talked about his time
as the LA director, but he was also part of
what happened when the Soviet Union collapsed. He was actually
serving in Ukraine, and he pioneered Jews for Jesus ministry
in Russia and Ukraine. That's not easy, by the way.
And then he launched works in both Germany and Hungary.
He got his theological training at Fuller Theological Seminary, the
(25:49):
School of Missions. He joins us today because he's written
a wonderful book that applies to all of us who
have been asked by our great and glorious King, compelled
to share the good news. It's called Never ashamed Stories
of sharing faith with scoffers and skeptics. So, Abby, one
of the delicious parts of this book is that you
weave stories throughout, which I think is just wonderful. You
(26:10):
can talk about the why, and then you apply it
to stories of interactions that you've had in your life.
I was fascinated with Dora's story over 100 years old,
part of Lenin's revolution. Boy, talk about looking history in
the face. Tell me about that interaction.
S5 (26:23):
Yeah, I met her. This was back in the 80s
before my wife and I moved to the Soviet Union.
Although I think God was already preparing us to make
that move. And, uh, she was, um, a hundred years
old then, uh, a Jewish woman living in, um, a
retirement home and nursing home. She claimed to be a
Marxist and an atheist, but she really wasn't. And she
(26:44):
had a strong Jewish identity and she had a strong
interest in Jesus. So I would come by and I
would we would talk about the dialectics of faith. If
you know anything about Marxist terminology. So, um, one day, um,
we're talking and she looks at me and she says,
you know, Avi, um, I know, uh, who you are,
(27:05):
but but I don't really know who you are. I
don't know what you do. What do you do, Avi?
I know what you believe, but what do you do?
And I said, well, Dora, you know, I meet and
talk with people like you. I, uh, write articles, um,
I conduct, uh, uh, discussions. I hand out literature on
the streets. And as soon as I said that, it
(27:25):
was like a light bulb went off over her head
and she said, ah, you're a provocateur. And I said,
that's right, Dora, I'm a provocateur. Um, so I finally
gave her a word that she could she could, uh,
hang her, uh, her her hands around. You know, you
said something a moment before. Before the break. You're talking about, um,
(27:47):
the why of why we must share the gospel. And
I wanted to mention, if I may, that that one
of the reasons, aside from it being an imperative, it's
the only message of hope. We live in a hopeless world,
and we're the only people with a genuine word of hope.
And that hope is the gospel. Um, may I tell
you another quick story? You know.
S1 (28:07):
Please.
S5 (28:08):
One of the reasons we know that Jesus, we know
that Jesus was Jewish because he was always telling stories. So, uh,
I'll tell you another story, if I may, but it
has to do with hope. Um, I went to see
a young woman. Her name was Leslie, and she was dying.
She was in the hospital. And, um, we talked about
unimportant things for for a few minutes. Uh, she said
(28:29):
politely to me. She said, you know what's going on
in your life? And I said, well, life's a storm.
And she said, oh, really? What storms are you going through?
And I realized, well, I said, well, they're they're nothing
compared to what you're going through. And then I said, Leslie,
tell me, how can I pray for you? And it
was as though my question gave her the emotional freedom
to drop her front. And she just she just started
(28:50):
to weep. So I let her weep. And then after
a moment, she looked at me and she said, in
a very pointed way, she said, can your Jesus heal me?
So I said, yeah, if he wants to. But that's
such a minor miracle. And she said, how is that
a minor miracle? I'm dying. I said, it's a minor
(29:12):
miracle because you're still going to die. Everybody dies. And
I said, but there's a major miracle that he always
performs whenever we ask. And she said, what miracle is that?
I said, he forgives our sins, and he gives us
the gift of eternal life. Then explained the gospel. And
I said to her, Leslie, if you ask Jesus to
(29:32):
forgive you, if you make a commitment to follow him
in whatever time you have left, he'll forgive you. then
if you ask him to heal you. Maybe he'll heal you.
Maybe he'll live another 60 years. Or maybe he won't
heal you. Maybe he'll be dead in a month. But
if you die in a month, I'll be jealous.
S1 (29:50):
Mm.
S5 (29:51):
She said what? She said. Why would you be jealous?
I said because you'll see him before me. And that's
not fair. So she gave her heart to the Lord.
First she prayed and asked him to forgive her. And
he said yes to that prayer. And she prayed and
asked him to heal her. And he said no to
that prayer, and she died within the month. Listen, Leslie
is a lot happier right now than you or me.
(30:15):
She's dancing in the presence of the Lord, you and I,
we're still navigating through the storms, you know. Now, the
reason I'm mentioning this, the reason I mention this story
in the book, is because no one could help her.
No one had any word of hope for her. The
doctors had no hope. The nurses had no hope. The
rabbi on staff at the hospital had no hope. I
was the only person with a genuine word of hope,
(30:39):
the gospel, for us to keep that hope to ourselves.
It's just wrong. It's shameful. And that's why we mustn't
be ashamed.
S1 (30:49):
Amen. Amen. Have you asked this question in the book?
And I'll ask it of you now? Can people be
secret believers?
S5 (30:57):
I would say no. I know that's a difficult answer. Okay.
And I'm very, very familiar with the prices that people
pay when they come out in the open. So. So
to speak. But, um, ultimately, you can't keep your faith
(31:17):
in him, uh, under wraps, even if it should cost
you your life. You know, history is full of men
and women who had the courage to openly believe and
who lost their lives, and the church advanced because of it. Um,
if God should call us to make that much of
a sacrifice, we should be willing to make it. You know,
those of us who come from what I call gospel
(31:39):
resistant cultures, perhaps we understand a little bit better. Uh,
this this difficulty of, uh, of coming out into the open,
and I'm not I'm not, you know, I'm not disparaging.
I'm not speaking ill of people who who have believed
and who wrestle with coming out into the open about that.
I'm sensitive to that. But what I'm saying is that ultimately,
(32:03):
we have to be willing to stand up on a
mountain and let people know who we are, because it's
going to affect other people's lives. We mustn't be ashamed.
We have to be open about the gospel. You know,
for me, for me to be ashamed of, for me
to be silent about my faith in Jesus, even if
(32:23):
I say I love him, even if I say I
follow him and everything else, you know, it kind of.
It would be a little bit like me being ashamed
of my wife. You know, I don't want you to know. Married,
you know. Do I love my wife? Oh, sure. Do
I want to spend my life with her? Absolutely. But
I don't want you to know that I'm married to her.
You know, that doesn't make any sense. You know, if
she really means something to me, of course. I want
you to know who she is. Well, it's it's even
(32:45):
more with our savior. You know, we're his bride. We
belong to him. And, um, ultimately, we have to let
people know the one who's found us and the one
whom we have found.
S1 (32:58):
Amen. Amen. You talk about using our voices forcibly. Why
is that necessary? I mean, if you cannot be a
secret believer. And I so appreciate your empathetic and discerning response,
that to be an open believer in the United States
bears little or no resemblance to living in a repressed
nation where Christianity is outlawed, or by saying yes, Lord
(33:20):
publicly is the equivalent of signing your death sentence. We
don't have a point of reference for that here in
the West. But then you tell us, and this is
these are universal truths. Why is it imperative that we
use our voice forcibly? And what does that mean?
S5 (33:32):
Well, we must use our voice because of the opportunity
that's in front of us. Um, there's there's a false
teaching today. Uh, and it's become very, very popular. Um,
the teaching is that it is sufficient just to live
a Christian lifestyle. That's a sufficient testimony in and of itself.
(33:53):
People talk about being a silent witness. There's a there's
a phrase that's ascribed to, uh, Francis of Assisi that
people like to, uh, bandy about. The phrase is, uh,
always be ready to preach the gospel if necessary, even
use words. Well, there are two problems with that phrase.
Number one, Francis never said it. Uh, all of his
(34:15):
biographers deny that he ever said that. Okay. But more importantly, um,
that thinking betrays, uh, it reveals a basic misunderstanding of
the nature of the gospel message. Um, the gospel message
is a content driven message. There. There are two types
(34:37):
of messages in the world. There are messages that are
driven by conduct. Um, parental love is a conduct driven message.
Children know they are loved by their parents, by their
parents conduct long before they understand any words. Okay, but
there are other messages that are content driven messages. I'll
give you an example. Let's say I have to fly
(34:57):
from Budapest to Warsaw tomorrow and I have to be
on flight Europa Airlines one, two, three. And I have to, uh, be, uh,
at the gate at 930. I have to be there
15 minutes before I have to check in. I have
to go through security on the right day. I have
to be at the right gate. Are you going to
love me onto that plane? Are you going to get
(35:18):
me onto that plane on the right day, at the
right time? By your conduct? No. There's information that I
need to know. And that information has to be communicated
to me in a way that I can understand and
hopefully believe whether or not I receive it from you
is really not your responsibility. Communicating it to me clearly
(35:39):
in a loving way so that I can receive it.
That's your responsibility. Whether or not I choose to accept
that information and get on that plane is another issue. Well,
that's a content driven message. The gospel is a content
driven message. If there's information about our sin, about our
need to repent and make a commitment to follow him,
(36:02):
and that has to be communicated in words.
S1 (36:07):
I told you, the book is fantastic and this is
why I love Jews for Jesus. Rabbi Schneider is with us.
He's the author of Never Ashamed Stories of Sharing Faith
with Scoffers and Skeptics. We're going to take a break
and come right back. I've got a link, by the way,
to Jews for Jesus on my information page. If you're
not familiar with this marvelous ministry, check it out. I
want you to learn more. Back after this. Never ashamed.
(36:36):
Stories of sharing faith with scoffers and skeptics. It's the
new book by Avi Snider, who is the European ambassador
of Jews for Jesus. He's been serving in that wonderful
ministry for over 40 years. Avi, in this last segment
in an hour that's gone far too fast, but has
been so rich in content. I want to talk about
the little man on the little old man on 57th Street,
and then I want to jump all the way to
(36:57):
the Ukraine, because there's some interesting aspects to both of
these stories. Tell me first about this little old man
and how he became. This story becomes a launching pad
for things again, for us to understand on the command
the why of sharing the gospel.
S5 (37:13):
Well, this was 1967. I was 16 years old. So
if you're good with mathematics, you can figure out how
ancient I am really quickly. I was walking down the
street in New York City, where I lived, where I
grew up. Um, it was right at the time of
what history now calls the Jesus Revolution. There was a
(37:35):
real revival in North America from about 1967 to 1977.
Didn't really spill over into Europe. It was a North
American phenomenon. But millions of people got saved in that
ten year period of time in North America, including thousands
of young Jewish men and women. Actually, that was the
birth of the ministry of Jews for Jesus. We grew
(37:55):
out of that move of God. Anyway, 1967 I'm 16.
I'm walking down the street and I see this little
old man hovering against the side of a building, and
he's handing out little pieces of paper. I watch him,
and as I'm watching him, I'm thinking to myself, this
is so strange. I'll bet this has something to do
with God. So as a joke, I decided to take
(38:22):
one of his little pieces of paper. And I was right.
It had something to do with God. It had the
words of John 316 from the old King James Version
written on it. Okay. God so loved the world that
he gave his only begotten son, that whoever believes in
him will not perish but have everlasting life. And as
a joke, I decided to memorize those words so that
(38:44):
I could boast to my friends at school that I
knew a verse from that other book. The book that
we Jews aren't supposed to read. To my knowledge, to
my knowledge, that's the first gospel seed that the Lord
planted in my life. Now, there might there might have
been others that I don't know about, but that's the
first gospel seed that I know about that he planted
(39:06):
in my life. And the point is this from 1967,
with that seed until 19 until March of 1977, when
I finally gave my heart to the Lord, there were
so many other instances. There were other seeds. There was
that Jews for Jesus tract in 1975. There were conversations,
some of them long, some of them a word in passing.
(39:28):
There were so many seeds. But the point is, none
of those seeds were wasted. None of it was wasted.
God promises. In Psalm 126 he says, he who sows
with tears will reap with joy. Whether we even see
the result or not, it doesn't matter. The proclamation of
(39:50):
the gospel is never in vain. The prophets didn't live
to see the fruits of their labors. We're the fruit
of their labors. Whenever we share the gospel in any fashion,
God is using that proclamation of the gospel to accomplish
whatever it is he wants to accomplish. Whether it's the
fruit of saving faith, whether it's the fruit of division,
(40:12):
whether it's the fruit of, of of, of our own sanctification,
there are at least eight fruits that he's always producing.
Whenever the gospel is shared, therefore, our labor is never
in vain. You know, um, I have one regret about
that little old man. I can't remember what his face
looked like, but I've made a decision. After Jesus has
(40:37):
come back and we're all together, I'm going to know
who he is. So I'm going to go up to
him one day, and I'm going to tap him on
the shoulder. I'm going to come up to him from behind,
and I'm going to tap him on the shoulder, and
he's going to turn around, and I'm going to look
at his face, and I'm going to say to him,
in 1967, you gave a 16 year old boy a
(41:00):
piece of paper, and the words on that piece of
paper started to change his life. And I think I
know what he's going to say. He's going to look
at me and he's going to shrug, and he's going
to smile, and he's going to say, yeah, I know
I read Psalm 126.
S1 (41:20):
Oh my goodness, what a wonderful story. Abby, I would
be remiss particularly when the country of Ukraine is all
over the headlines and people are praying and putting out
their blue and yellow flags. Tell me some stories about Ukraine.
Tell me about Connie. Tell me about some lessons that
we can learn from the time you served the Lord there.
S5 (41:37):
Well, actually, I'd like to tell you about a very
recent story. First, I was just there visiting, uh, friends
and colleagues. I, uh, I was in Poland, and I
crossed over the border into Ukraine, and, um, I was
talking with a young man named Tolek. Emma Tolek leads
our work in Ukraine. And, you know, it's by no
means an easy time there. Obviously, you know, anybody who's
(41:59):
watching the news knows something of what's going on. Um,
but he told me that in the midst of, of
of all the, uh, displacement and all the, the, the
horrors that are happening, he said that on on the
Polish Ukrainian border, he said, um, uh, Polish men and
women who were raised in a traditional Catholic, uh, framework
(42:25):
are giving their hearts to the real Jesus, he said
on the Ukrainian side of the border, Ukrainian men and
women who were raised in a traditional Orthodox Eastern Christian
tradition are giving their hearts to the real Jesus, he said.
Jewish men and women are giving their hearts to the Lord,
he said. Atheists are asking them for prayer. And he
(42:47):
summed up the whole thing with a phrase that that
ought to be immortalized. He said, it's a bad time
for Ukraine. It's a good time for the gospel. It's true.
Very often these are the kinds of circumstances that that
that provoke people to look above themselves, to ask the
(43:07):
question from where does my help come? Because they know
that it's not going to come from within themselves.
S1 (43:12):
Yes. Amen. Let me expand on that, if I may.
That's such a precious lesson. So here in the United States,
we've got stress levels at record highs. People are worried
about gas prices and food and inflation. They're worried about
what the future might hold. So we could say, I
think with some impunity that it's a bad time for America,
but it's a good time for the gospel. And what
a way to end this conversation that, again, it's always
(43:35):
the right season to share that hope that resides within
us in and out of season, we're told, but particularly now,
that compelling, that directive, that great and holy King who says,
go and tell that message has always been important. And
I think what we're reminded of today is there are
no shortage of hurting people, skeptics, some yes scoffers, absolutely
(43:57):
seekers always. So I hope you'll read Abby's book. I
hope you'll be encouraged. I hope you understand the why
of our being obedient in sharing the good News of
the gospel of Jesus Christ. And while you're at it,
take some time to check out the wonderful ministry of
Jews for Jesus just precious, precious, life changing ministry. My
heartfelt thanks to a wonderful hour of conversation with Avi
(44:18):
Schneider and to be with you friends. Thanks so much.
We'll see you next time on In the Market with
Janet Parshall.
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