.png){kind=small}
n Genesis 12 we see that God called Abram to follow Him and that He promised Abram’s descendants would become a great nation. As we continue to read through the Old Testament, we see that God chose Israel to be the nation that would bring about His glorious plan of redemption on the earth.
Unfortunately, many Christians today don’t understand that Israel, God’s chosen people, are still playing a part in God’s plan of redemption for the world. Their calling as a nation did not cease to exist at the cross and resurrection, nor after the early church was established.
Paul writes to the Gentile Church in the book of Romans to explain how God plans to use both the Jews and the Gentiles to bring about world revival.
In Romans 11:11-12 he writes,
“SO I ASK, DID THEY [ISRAEL] STUMBLE IN ORDER THAT THEY MIGHT FALL? BY NO MEANS! RATHER, THROUGH THEIR TRESPASS SALVATION HAS COME TO THE GENTILES, SO AS TO MAKE ISRAEL JEALOUS. NOW IF THEIR TRESPASS MEANS RICHES FOR THE WORLD, AND IF THEIR FAILURE MEANS RICHES FOR THE GENTILES, HOW MUCH MORE WILL THEIR FULL INCLUSION MEAN!”
Although there were many Jewish people who believed in Jesus as the Messiah after His resurrection, the religious elite and the leaders of the nation—as a whole—rejected the idea of Jesus as the fulfillment of their scripture and as their long awaited redeemer. Because of this, God called Peter and several other apostles to begin sharing the news of salvation with the Gentiles. As we see in Acts 10 and 11, the Jews were shocked that God poured out the Holy Spirit on the Gentiles, thinking that Jesus’ message was only for them. Peter however exclaims in Acts 10:34, “Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears Him and does what is right is acceptable to Him.”
The spread of the gospel to the Gentiles was part of God’s plan all along, but God never meant for the Gentiles to receive the gospel and forget about Israel. In fact, as mentioned in Romans 11, Paul said the gospel came to the Gentiles “to make Israel jealous.” Part of the calling of Gentile believers is to provoke Jewish people to become jealous of the relationship Gentiles have with God, so that they wake up and realize that Jesus came first to save Israel, and He truly is the Jewish messiah! Paul goes on to say that if the nations (the Gentiles) received the rich blessing of salvation when Israel rejected Jesus as the Messiah, who can imagine what will happen in the nations once Israel also chooses Jesus as their savior and Messiah? In fact, this “full inclusion” of Israel will be so wonderful, it will be “life from the dead” (Romans 11:15).
So what does all this mean for Gentile believers today?
If you are not Jewish, it is important for you to remember your calling to provoke Jewish people to jealousy with your faith in Jesus. Additionally, it is important for you to begin praying with expectation for the Jewish people to have the veil removed from their eyes to see Jesus as their Messiah. Why? Because they are God’s chosen people, the ones Jesus set apart to bring salvation to the nations. And further, because the promise of “life from the dead” means that God intends for there to be a great revival of hearts in the nations when the Jewish people begin to follow Jesus.
[The] promise of “life from the dead” means that God intends for there to be a great revival of hearts in the nations when the Jewish people begin to follow Jesus.
It’s a win/win situation for both Jew and Gentile! The outpouring of the Holy Spirit was not just for the Jews, but also the Gentiles. So too as we look to present day, we know the outpouring of the Holy Spirit is not meant to just linger in the Gentile Church. That outpouring must be taken back to the Jewish people. When that happens, the whole world will be blessed!
Today there are more Jewish people coming to faith in Jesus as the Messiah than have been recorded in history since the split of the Jewish and Gentile church. Even in light of that fact, the Jewish people are still considered an unreached people group, with .23% of Jewish people in Israel claiming Jesus as Lord.
As you fast and pray for the Lord of the Harvest to ekballo laborers into the nations, pray that God will ekballo laborers to Israel and to the the Jewish communities around the world. Let’s believe for the greatest awakening and revival our world has ever seen! It’s a promise from the Lord Himself as we align with His desire for both Jew and Gentile to be saved.
