Called to Controversy (53 page)
M
oishe asked to have this letter posted on the Jews for Jesus Web site after he died. Many of his obituaries quoted from it and thus fulfilled his desire to preach the gospel, even in death.
Dear friends,
If you are reading this, it means that I have gone on to my reward. As I write this, I can only think of what the Scriptures say and that is, “Eye has not seen, ear has not heard, neither have entered into the heart of man the things that God has prepared for those who love him” (1 Corinthians 2:9). Well, I have a big curiosity and by now, I know.
I don't suppose that I will be writing you any new material, but there are a few articles in the works that might still come through.
As I go, I feel that I have left a number of things undone. I think everyone must feel that way. There were words of appreciation that I looked for an occasion to express, but they didn't come. There were words of regret that I would have expressed to others. And there were words of encouragement that I had for all who were believers.
I'd like to encourage you to stay with Jews for Jesus. I was the Executive Director until 1996. Many things have changed. Some of them definitely for the better and others that I can't say were for the worse, but things that I would not have thought to do. Nevertheless the core of what Jews for Jesus stands for is still central.
As I go, one of the things that concerns me deeply is how much misunderstanding there is among believers. I never thought I would live to see the day when those who know the Lord and are born again were supporting the efforts of rabbis who, frankly, not only don't know Christ, but don't want to know Him.
To be an honest ministry, it can only come from the Holy Spirit; and the Holy Spirit can only indwell those who have the new birth and are born again. Therefore, I would urge you to think very seriously before you support any “ministry” that involves Jewish people and doesn't actually bring the gospel to the Jews.
Likewise, I am concerned over something else that I never thought that I would see or hear and that is, Jews who have become believers in Jesus and have important positions in ministry yet feel that their primary purpose is to promote Jewishness and Judaism to the Jews.
I hope I can count on you to show love and respect for the Jewish people, but Jewishness never saved anybody. Judaism never saved anybody no matter how sincere. Romans 10:9â10 makes it clear that we must believe in our hearts and confess with our mouths the Lord Jesus in order to be saved. There are no shortcuts. There is no easy way. Within Judaism today, there is no salvation because Christ has no place within Judaism.
Aside from these concerns, I want to say that I feel as I have always felt that we stand on the edge of a breakthrough in Jewish evangelism. Just a little more. Just another push. Just another soulâand we will have reached critical mass where we begin generating that energy that the whole world might know the Lord.
I would also encourage you to be faithful to those Bible-teaching, Bible-preaching churches that give spiritual food. More than ever, the church needs faithful members who can be an example to the young people coming in. Maybe there are some features about your church that keep you from being enthusiasticâlook around and see if there might be a better church for you. If there is, join it and enjoy it. If your church is doing a lot right, then stay where you're planted.
I don't expect that Jews for Jesus will be undergoing any turmoil because of my demise. For many years, the leadership has been in competent hands, but this is a time when there needs to be some encouragement. The executive director and the staff need to hear that you intend to continue standing with us.
Anything done for Christ will last. Anything you do to help and encourage Jews for Jesus at this time will have lasting effects on all of us. So instead of saying “good bye,” I'll just say, “until thenâI'll see you in the sky.”
M
OISHE
I
'm thankful to every single family member and friend who took time to contribute to this biography: without your insights and memories, this project would have been impossible. There are too many to name, but I especially need to thank:
Moishe Rosen: Dad, I doubt you're reading book acknowledgments in heaven, but I still want to say that telling the story of your life has been one of the greatest experiences of mine.
Ceil Rosen: Mom, your “first eyes” input was invaluable. And your perseverance and enthusiasm as we teamed up in a project that meant as much to you as it did to meâwhat an unforgettable experience! It's a privilege to be your daughter.
David Brickner: You are not only “the boss” but a dear friend. I had no idea what I was asking for when I wanted to write this book, but your response encouraged me to dig in. You not only gave permission
*
but your eyes lit up over the prospect. The value that you saw in recording Moishe's life story, as well as your confidence that I was right for the job, means more than I can say.
Susan Perlman: Again, you're not only my boss, but a dear friend. Thank you for helping me pick up momentum with this book in 2008, and for patiently allowing me to take far more time to write a much longer book than I originally anticipatedâeven though you knew that no publisher would actually print the full manuscript! You let me do what I felt I needed to do, and I am grateful.
Thanks also to:
Tracy McElhone nee Stiffler, who transcribed hours of tapes from my interviews with Moishe and painstakingly indexed them.
Josh Cohen, my trusty intern in 2007 who did a great job reading through and organizing countless documents for this project.
Bill Proctor, who authored the
Jews for Jesus
book in 1974; from which I adapted for the opening of chapter 22 of this book. He also mentored me when I was his intern in 1977, built my confidence then, and in subsequent years, and gave me the benefit of his expertise when it came to putting together the proposal to “pitch” this book.
Byron Spradlin who made the first contact with Thomas Nelson and wowed us all by saying they wanted to see the book proposalâand in fact the whole manuscriptâbefore I had the nerve to approach them.
Joel Miller at Thomas Nelson, whose enthusiasm for the manuscript was so encouraging, and who actually succeeded in the unenviable task of paring the enormously long manuscript I handed him down to a manageable length.
Heather Skelton, at Thomas Nelson, who pulled together so many details to prepare this book for print.
The many, many friends who kept the writing and publishing of this book in your prayers. You may not know what a difference you made, but I sure do!
Always and most of all, to the One who is the Author and Finisher of faith and of everything else; I hope this book brings honor to him.
*
I work as a full-time writer and editor with Jews for Jesus, so the permission was not to write the book, but to do so under the auspices ofâand as a large part of my work withâthis ministry.
Ben and Rose at house on Federal Blvd in Denver
Rose Rosen 1927
Moishe and his brother Don
Moishe at about five years old
Ceil at fifteen
