ON TOPIC | RAYMOND L. GANNON
S
oon aſter experiencing both salvation and Spirit-baptism in late summer 1962, I felt the Spirit’s call to proclaim to “all Israel” God’s sole means to redemption, Yeshua. Just
starting high school, I would impatiently wait till Bible college graduation in May 1970 to launch into the 535,000-strong Jewish community of Los Angeles.
Neither I nor my beautiful Greek bride, Kassiani, were Jewish. Our exposure to the Jewish world had been limited to wide reading and occasional witnessing in San Francisco during college years. Lacking training, we were compelled to rely extensively upon the Spirit of God. We constantly prayed to stay “out of the way” of the God who was so eager to manifest His glory to “all Israel”
Aſter a brief experiment with a storefront in North Hollywood, we began a chain of Jewish home Bible studies. Designed to present the reality of Yeshua to non-believing Jewish People, we tailored our meetings to be culturally sensitive and relevant to the Jewish community. Scores of Jewish People began atending our Jewish home groups in Beverly Hills, Hollywood, Culver City, and Covina.
Reaching in the
and call the Jewish people to emunah (faithfulness) to God in Yeshua.
Kassiani and I, then age 22, moved into a Jewish senior citizens’ apartment complex (by some miracle) on Fairfax Avenue in Los Angeles. Untrained for Jewish ministry and without professional connection, we nonetheless opened our home for a weekly Bible study. Although our geriatric Jewish neighbors mocked us as still being “wet behind the ears,” God confirmed our bold witness of Yeshua with multiplied signs of miraculous healings. One Jewish lady broadcasted her stunned realization outdoors: “God listens to him!” Our Gospel was both true and Jewish-fiendly!
Singing both worshipful and Scripture-based Hebrew songs,
Los Angeles ofHeart
wearing yarmulkes, and inviting the full manifestation of God’s Spirit among us, we provided a very unique religious atmosphere. Like the New Testament, it was both Jewish- friendly and uncompromising in its presentation of Gospel truth.
As we systematically taught the Hebrew prophets (e.g., Isaiah), bringing out both Jewish history and spiritual meanings of biblical texts, Jewish People kvelled (glowed). At long last they finally had opportunity to learn the Scripture, celebrate the rich features of their Jewish culture, and have a rich personal encounter and genuine spiritual experience with the God of Israel. Here too they could bask in the reassuring
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JewishVoiceToday.org | November/December 2011 Jews
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