proclaiming the Gospel to the Jew first and also to the Greek. Shalom and welcome to the Everlasting Nation, a radio ministry of International Board of Jewish Missions. I'm your host Aaron Broughton and it's my delight to be with you today. Romans 116 has been the foundational verse for IBJM since its inception by Dr. Jacob Gardenhouse in 1949. I believe it is also foundational for the missions program for every local church. The gospel that we proclaim is nothing to be ashamed of. As the verse says, it is the power of God unto salvation, to everyone that believeth, to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. I love what the Old Testament scholar Franz Delitzsch said concerning Jewish missions. He said, quote, For the Church to evangelize the world without thinking of the Jews is like a bird trying to fly with one broken wing. The Apostle Paul went on to teach concerning the makeup of the local church consisting of both Jew and Gentile, being the middle wall of partition has been broken down according to Ephesians chapters two and three. The book of Acts, the New Testament epistles, as well as the study of the very early church history shows that this pattern was evident in local churches, Jew and Gentile, one in Messiah. But when we take a broad look at the history of the church through the centuries, the attitude towards the Jews changed especially by the effects of beliefs such as replacement theology. The fallout from this was anti-Semitic attitudes and even persecution of the Jewish people. When we further study the history of worldwide missions, very little has been made mention of Jewish missions and the obedience of the call of Romans 1.16. Dr. Gardenhouse, who founded IBJM, used to tell his preacher boys, it's either to the Jew first or to the Jew last. Somehow we need to reach them with the gospel. Even though little has been written concerning Jewish missions in the history of modern missions, that is not to say that no history of Jewish missions exists. But one name that does come up in history of missions that is familiar to us is that of Count Nicholas Ludwig von Zinzendorf, who greatly influenced the Moravian church, and today we're going to continue our discussion of this man of God. William Carey has often been called the father of modern missions, but Zinzendorf predated Carey and spoke more decisively and acted more intentionally, especially in regards to Jewish missions. He firmly believed that God would not forget the Jews and that one day all Israel would be saved, according to Romans 11, 26. The young Zinzendorf was greatly influenced to have an appreciation of the Hebrew scriptures as his grandmother and aunt read the Bible to him in Hebrew and in Greek. At the age of 21, Zinzendorf acquired a large estate from his family and surrendered it to the Lord for whatever he would use it for. Shortly after this, a group of followers of John Huss, called the Moravians, sought refuge from persecution of the Catholic Church and eventually came to Zinzendorf's estate that was named Herrenhut. At first, Zinzendorf did not know what to make of this pious group, but quickly endeared to their way of life and became a great leader among the Moravians. Because of their beliefs and practices, Zinzendorf and the Moravians were banished for about ten years and literally became pilgrims and strangers even in their own country. Fortunately, a wealthy nobleman offered assistance to them at a run-down medieval castle near Frankfurt, Germany. As Zinzendorf pondered this offer, he discovered that over 50 Jewish and Gypsy families were settled by this castle. With this discovery, he accepted the offer and ministered to the Jewish people there until the banishment was lifted. This place was also significant as Count Zinzendorf conducted his first ordination of Peter Bohler, who was instrumental in the conversion of John Wesley, the Methodist evangelist. Zinzendorf's heart for the Jewish people was evident wherever he went, even offering his quarters on a ship to the Jewish people in need. By these actions, he was regarded as a righteous Gentile. Truly, Count Zinzendorf took the words of Romans 1.16 to heart. He longed to see both Jew and Gentile saved. His practice of praying for and engaging in Jewish missions should encourage us to also be involved in this often neglected mission work. May we have a heart for the Jewish people as well, and diligently do what we can to share the gospel with them. Let us not allow the Jewish people to become the great omission of the local church. In thinking about Zinzendorf in Romans 1.16, I would like to close this program with the words that Count Zinzendorf inserted into the Moravian Sunday Liturgy where it says, May this be our prayer as well. You've been listening to The Everlasting Nation, a ministry of International Board of Jewish Missions. For more information, you can contact us at 423-876-8150 or go online to ibjm.org. Until next time, may God bless and shalom.