 Exploring Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry Thank you for entering my page! Right now, you are probably searching to find out more about Jewish beliefs in Jesus. Perhaps, you are questioning your faith, and are looking at different options. Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry is not a "Messianic Jewish" group in a proper sense, but they tend to be listed on many Messianic Jewish sites and lists, particularly as "Evangelism Helps." As such, I will provide a referenced review of one of their main goals, namely to convert the Jews. The Mission Friends of Israel's mission presents itself as an ally to the Jewish people and a defender of all things Jewish, but in truth it is not. This is their mission: "Our mission is focused in three vital areas: (1) making Christ known through the clear proclamation of the gospel, (2) educating the Jewish and Gentile communities about biblical truths relating to God’s enduring program for the Chosen People and the church, and (3) edifying believers through encouragement and assistance in building effective ministries. "
I think their mission is clear from the above quote-conversion of the Jews! Here is a link to the quote, it is interesting that they talk on the same page how their group was designed to help Jews in the Holocaust and how their fight anti-Semitism, as their goal is to make all Jews into Christians. If all of the Jews become Christians, isn't that accomplishing the goal of destroying the Jewish people just in a different manner than the Nazis. Just a little food for thought....here is the link:
Click Here The Friends of Israel bio on the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (accountants for Evangelical Christian organizations)is a bit more clear about their goals, stating: "Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry is an evangelical faith ministry that makes Christ known through the proclamation of the Gospel to Jewish people and their Gentile neighbors. A trained staff serves in seven countries on four continents. Our outreach includes personal work, Bible studies, "Thank God for Israel" programs, Hebrew-Christian fellowships, seminars, teaching tours to Israel, relief programs, literature distribution, and an audio/video ministry."
Obviously, their ultimate goal is the conversion of Jews to Christianity. Here is the link to the evidence:
Click Here A similar response is found on their profile on MinistryWatch: "The Gospel: Although “friends of Israel,” FOI is careful not to compromise the Gospel. FOI clearly teaches that Israel as a nation is currently in a state of unbelief, and that its citizens, like all people, desperately need to hear and believe the Gospel of Jesus the Messiah (Christ). To this end, FOI publishes materials and conducts seminars designed to help believers effectively share their faith with Jewish persons.
Programs
Can it be more obvious that they are looking to convert Jews? Here is the link to the proof (8th paragraph under "Analyst's Comments", immediately preceding the "Programs" section):
Click Here To Russia Without Love Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry has spent a great deal of time trying to convert Russian Jews. We see this in in the bio of Jeff Starkey, a Christian missionary: "Jeff is a 1992 graduate of the Friends of Israel Institute of Biblical Studies (now known as the Institute of Jewish Studies) in New Jersey. After graduation from IBS he spent two years at Liberty University in Virginia. It was during this time that he felt the specific leading of the Lord into Jewish missions. In 1994 Jeff transferred to Cedarville College in Cedarville, Ohio. During this time he worked with Friends of Israel representative David Hildebrand to establish a Cedarville College student ministry called "Zion's Light." That ministry's focus was to reach out to the Russian Jewish immigrant community in Columbus, Ohio. God used this time to confirm His direction into Jewish missions. Jeff graduated from Cedarville in June, 1997 with a BA in Bible/Missions Emphasis."
Here is the link to the quote, the quote comes from the 2nd paragraph:
Click Here John White of CBInternational missionary group shares a similar story of targetting Russian Jews with Friends of Israel. He states: "And through all this, Russia stayed on my mind! I did my internship for Trinity in Vladivostok, Russia through CBI in the summer of 1998. In Vladivostok, I reaffirmed my interest in Russia and saw the tremendous need for more trained Russian Christian leadership. After returning to school, I spent four months working with Friends of Israel, visiting and sharing the gospel with Russian Jewish people."
Wow, more targetting of Jews by Christians with Friends of Israel-they clearly want Jews to leave Judaism and become Christians! Here is the link to the quote, the quote is in the 4th paragraph on the "What I've been up to" section:
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Institute of Jewish Studies The Institute of Jewish Studies was founded by the Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry, later joining forces with Philadelphia Biblical University. It is their education source for training ministers to convert Jews. According to the Institute website: "In 1987 the Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry (FOI) began the Institute of Biblical Studies (IBS) at their headquarters in Deptford, NJ as a one-year program designed to teach the Bible from a Jewish perspective and to train men and women for ministry. Over the next ten years, IBS graduated over 200 students. In 1996, the Friends of Israel and Philadelphia Biblical University (PBU) agreed to move the program to the campus of PBU, where it became “The Friends of Israel Institute of Jewish Studies, A School of Philadelphia Biblical University.” IJS contributes to the academic program of PBU and the IJS faculty, and students integrate with PBU while continuing as a ministry of FOI."
Here is a link to the quotes, the quotes come from the first paragraph:
Click Here But, what is the purpose of this program. Well, the purpose is to train missionaries and evangelists, particularly those who try to convert Jews. Here is a few quotes from the Institute of Jewish Studies page that demonstrate their missionary goals: The IJS graduates who have earned Certificates in Jewish Studies are equipped to serve in a variety of Christian ministries. An IJS Certificate in Jewish Studies fulfills the requirement of many mission organizations for one year of Bible training. Since1987, IJS has graduated hundreds of students, many of whom now serve as pastors, missionaries, and teachers for various churches, missions and schools. IJS graduates serve as missionaries in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Europe, and Israel. Many use their time of study at IJS as a basis for further education. Our graduates are better able to instruct both Jews and Gentiles about God’s love for His people...How to engender relationships with Jewish and Gentile people in order to share God’s love for them through the gospel."
So, the Friends of Israel train people to evangelize Israel: Here is the link to the quotes, the quotes come from the "Career Opportunities" section and the 4th bullet under the "What You Will Learn" section:
Click Here Missions List Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry is commonly listed among missionary organizations and missionaries that Christian organizations support. You do not get on this list because you are someone's "friend"-you get on the lists by trying to convert others to Christiniaty. Here are just a few organizations that place Friends of Israel in their missionary links: The Christians Missions Network
Click Here Pekin Bible Church (under:"Scott, Bruce and Janet")
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Trinity Bible Church at River Oaks
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New Bethel Baptist Church
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Calvary Church
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His Net Christian Directory
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Vancouver Bible-Presbyterian Church
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Central Baptist Church
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Why Jews Don't Believe in Jesus There are many reasons why Jews do not accept Jesus, and the links below are some of the better explanations on this topic. Of course, if you have questions that are not covered on the links, you can always e-mail me with your questions. An Answer from Rabbi Stuart Federow Click Here
An Answer from Rabbi Shraga Simmons Click Here Ask the Rabbi from Ohr Somayach Click Here Rabbi Tovia Singer Click Here Countermissionary Counseling There are a number of groups that provide Countermissionary Counseling. Here are links to a few of them:
Jews for Judaism
Torah Atlanta
Outreach Judaism
Torah Life and Living Great Sites, Priceless Information
Here are a number of great sites that counter missionaries and explain the differences in belief between Judaism and Christianity, including addressing the Biblical verses that missionaries try to use against the Jews and explaining why the missionaries are incorrect. For the most in-depth analysis of verse by verse questions, go to Messiah Truth (sections on Counter-Missionary: Multi-media training [this can be read without being "multi-media"], Knowing Your Orchard and Judaism's Answer), Jews for Judaism (in their Reference Section (please note that the Isaiah topics tend to be under "Suffering Servant" part of the "Proof Text" section) and the Q & A section of Outreach Judaism. Outreach Judaism Messiah Page Messiah Truth Jews for Judaism Torah Atlanta Counter Missionary Reference Kosher Judaism Escape From Counterfeit Judaism Talking to Kids About Missionaries
Contact Me I am more than happy to answer any questions regarding why Jews do not believe in Jesus or on Jewish beliefs in general. Feel free to e-mail me. There is no such thing as a "stupid question".
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