December 31, 2025

Dear Friends,

This week, three Jewish men and one Jewish woman prayed with me according to the pattern of Luke 18:13 & Romans 10:9. It was “Jewish Week,” it seems.

The woman is an older physician. She wrote:

“Dr Tour, I am Jewish by birth and recently became interested in exploring Congregation Beth Messiah. I have spoken to the rabbi and other members of the congregation about Yeshua, who he really was, and continue to have great difficulty in believing in the resurrection which to me seems impossible. The latter is what has prompted to contact you. I look forward to the opportunity to discuss this at your convenience. Respectfully,“

We met, I showed her the evidence, and she readily received. Here is part of what she wrote to me afterward:

“Dear Dr Tour, It was an honor and privilege to have the opportunity to meet with you and I am truly appreciative of your time. It was a lot to take in and my goal was to learn and think about the New Covenant and approach it with some guidance. You have certainly accomplished that and I plan to do so at my own pace and in my own time… You have certainly done something to my soul that no one has done before…”

But she is scared to realize what this will do to her husband and their marriage, which she said is already under stress. Pray for her.

The next is a man from New York, very close to where I grew up, and he is about my age. He studied chemistry as an undergraduate, and then got an MBA. Here is a portion of what he wrote to me before we met:

“I’ve been struggling for years with my faith or what little there is of it. I am a Jew by birth but never got a Bar Mitzvah. Starting earlier this year I began to study the Hebrew alphabet and memorized it by listing the sounds in parallel to the English alphabet – aleph, ayin, bet, chat, dalet and so forth – in an attempt to justify calling myself Jewish. (My wife of over 40 years is not Jewish.)…As a Jew and given the disproportionate number of Jews who have made tremendous contributions to society I feel that I should have been able to achieve more given my Jewish “genes” but failed (and I take full responsibility for my faults and failures). I feel that if I accept Jesus as the Messiah that I would be a traitor to Judaism. As an aside I didn’t know who you were until I read an article in The Epoch Times about your method of recovering rare earth metals from electronic waste.”

We met. This man was charged and ready to receive after hearing the gospel and the evidence for the resurrection. He said, okay, let’s do it, as if he were about to dive into a raging river. I assured him that he was not being a traitor to Judaism. All the apostles were Jewish, and they referred to themselves as Jews.
Paul refers to himself as:
– “A Hebrew of Hebrews”, Philippians 3:5
– An Israelite, descendant of Abraham, Romans 11:1
– A Hebrew, Israelite, seed of Abraham, 2 Corinthians 11:22
– A Jew, Acts 21:39; Acts 22:3

Importantly, Paul never denies his Jewish identity after conversion; instead, he consistently places it under the lordship of Christ, showing continuity with God’s promises while proclaiming justification by faith alone.

It was later that others referred to them as Christians. The word “Christian” is used only three times in the New Testament, and in every case, it refers to what others called the Jewish believers in Jesus. To such an extent that Peter encouraged us not to be ashamed of that name, but just embrace it, even though it might have been a term originally used in a derogatory sense (1 Peter 4:14).
– Acts 11:26 — outsiders in Antioch called them Christians, maybe even as a derogatory term
– Acts 26:28 — King Agrippa referred to Paul as a Christian
– 1 Peter 4:16 — Peter acknowledges the external label and tells believers how to bear it.

The next is a physician in his 60s. He had been attending a Bible study with Christians for a few years, and I presented him with evidence for the resurrection. I think he was already a believer in Jesus’ resurrection, though he said he was not. I pointed out to him that I think he is already “there” in belief. He immediately covered his face and broke down crying. He knew it was true. The transition to faith in the Messiah carries a stigma for a Jew, and it can be a painful realization. He left the call relieved, while carrying the weight of that decision. 

The last was a young graduate student in the sciences who attended the college Bible study twice, and then came for lunch last Sunday. After lunch, I took him aside and presented the gospel. He embraced the truth and prayed while I could see the struggle in his face. Though coming from a secular Jewish family, the decision was intense for him. When leaving the house, he mentioned to Shireen: “That was an intense time.” She asked, “In a good way or a bad way?” He said, “All good.” He then sent me an email:

“Thank you so much Mr. Tour, it was an honor to talk to you today and be welcomed by your family. I will do what you have said. Humbly, _______”

In all cases, I gave them the daily reading program in the Scriptures, a copy of “Growing in Christ”, an opportunity for weekly meetings with a mentor for discipleship, and an introduction to Mitch Glaser, President of “Chosen People Ministries”.  https://chosenpeople.com/ A ministry to Jews seeking Yeshua (Jesus). Mitch will reach out to them as well.

Romans 1:16
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” This is the programmatic statement. The gospel goes first to Israel, then outward to the nations.

God bless,

Jim Tour