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Juri Popov, pastor of a local Russian congregation, summed it up best. He said there was a “change in the atmosphere” just before our recent evangelistic meeting in Brighton Beach, New York, home to 100,000 Russian Jews. Outreaches in the past had been plagued by poor attendance and heavy opposition, Juri said. This time was different.

Sid called it the “beginning of a new era in Jewish harvest.” He noted that it had been almost 20 years since he had seen this kind of fruit. In the early 1990’s Sid pioneered a Russian-speaking congregation in Brighton Beach, which continues today.

When we first arrived at the Millennium Theater in the heart of Brighton Beach, we saw that no anti-missionaries had turned out to protest. This was definitely an answer to prayer!

On the street corners near the theater, volunteers from Pastor Juri’s congregation (Beth Shalom Center) distributed flyers about the meeting to the multitudes of Russians who passed by. The forecast for the day had been for cold temperatures and possibly rain. Instead, it was warm and partly sunny.

Vitaliy Fishberg, our local contact who organized the event and the advertising, took me across the street where I could see an electronic billboard on top of the theater featuring our video advertisement, in rotation with others. We had also run ads on Russian-speaking television and radio and in the Russian newspaper inviting people to a lecture on the supernatural and promising that there would be miracles. How many would come?

A half hour before the lecture started, the theater put out extra chairs. Would we even need them?

Not to worry! The theater was packed. There were even people standing in the back of the auditorium and along the sides. In all, we had over 400 — a tremendous turnout!

Vitaliy welcomed the people and introduced a short video showing healing testimonies from our television program, It’s Supernatural! Since this event was advertised as a lecture, we did not intend to include anything religious so early in the meeting. However, the name “Jesus” was mentioned two or three times on the video. At that point, two women got up to leave, but appeared to change their mind after they heard there were going to be healings.

The audience then welcomed Sid with a warm ovation. Aided by a Russian interpreter named Anna, Sid shared about his encounters with the supernatural. As a young man from an Orthodox Jewish home, he quickly discovered that everything he thought would make him happy — marriage, a child, a great job — just didn’t satisfy. So he decided that if he could make $1 million by the time he was 30, he would be happy.

When he reached age 29 and saw that he wasn’t going to meet his goal, Sid left his wife, daughter, and job and went searching for fulfillment in the New Age. At first, things seemed to go well. On one occasion, Sid had the thought that he wanted to start his own business. Shortly afterward, a Christian businessman offered him free office space and use of a secretary.

 But soon it became obvious that the “spirit guide” inside of him was actually a demon. Sid was no longer in control. The same Christian businessman who provided the office space explained to Sid that the New Age practices he was pursuing were prohibited by his own Jewish Scriptures. Then Sid read a book that showed many Jewish people who embraced the dark side of the supernatural ended up dead. He was terrified.

On the worst night of his life, Sid cried out — “Jesus help!” The next morning, he discovered that he had been set free of the demonic presence and filled with God’s “liquid love.” God instructed Sid to return to his wife and daughter. He gratefully obeyed. His life had been transformed.

As it became clear to the Russian Jewish audience that Jesus was the central theme of the event, a few left. But others came forward to take their seats.

During the lecture, Sid asked for those with pain in their body to stand. A large number did so. Then he spoke forth a word of knowledge that many were being healed. When Sid asked for those who had pain leave their body to raise their hand, about 25-30 indicated they had received an instant miracle.

Sid invited a few of those who had been healed to come forward to testify, but only two were willing. Perhaps most were shy about standing in front of such a large crowd.

Then, the atmosphere turned electric. An older woman who had been sitting in her wheelchair started walking toward Sid from the right side of the auditorium. Her caregiver excitedly shared that this woman had not been able to walk for at least five months. The audience responded with a hearty applause. After this miracle, there was a tangible increase in the faith level of the Russian Jews.

Several times, Sid proclaimed that the “river of God” was present in the meeting and healings were taking place. In child-like faith, members of the audience would “jump into the river” as they hopped in place.

Sid then declared that the God of Israel was performing the healings in Jesus’ name. When he asked for all those who wanted to know God to stand, most of the people did so. We learned later that about 265 also filled out information cards to receive a free copy of Sid’s evangelistic book, They Thought for Themselves, in Russian. The local congregations will be following up on the names.

Pastor Alana, who leads the congregation Sid started in that area years ago, said: “In all of my time of ministry in Brooklyn, I have never seen so many people stand up to receive the ‘prayer of salvation’ led by Sid. After this outreach, I feel even more determined to reach the Russian Jews in Brooklyn.”

Sid reports that he has never heard of such a large number of Jewish people being saved in one meeting in the United States.

It’s Supernatural! board member, Warren Marcus, was on hand to videotape the event. Days later, he wrote: “I am still overwhelmed by what happened…. Tears filled my eyes when the people stood to accept Jesus. I wished my own Russian grandparents could have been alive to experience this. As I traveled back home, I found myself weeping with joy. It continued the next day. Even now as I share this I am overcome with emotion.”

Truly, in Brighton Beach, “Little Russia by the Sea,” there has been a change in the atmosphere. Thank you for praying and giving. You are part of the great victory!

Bob DuVall is Vice President of Communications for It’s Supernatural!

Dear Mishpochah,
I had not held a Jewish evangelistic event in New York in over a decade. When Russian Jewish revival broke out close to 20 years ago, I started a Russian Jewish congregation in Brooklyn, New York. Every week, Jewish people were coming to the Lord. Although the congregation exists today, the Jewish evangelism stopped.

But yesterday morning marked the beginning of a new era in Jewish harvest. By faith, I rented the most popular theater in Brighton Beach, New York, an area that is home to 100,000 Russian Jews in a ten-block radius. We passed out flyers announcing a lecture on the supernatural. We also promised many who attended the lecture would be healed.

I did not know if anyone would show up. We set up 350 seats and had over 400 people (mostly unsaved Russian Jews). After witnessing healing miracles, the majority of the people stood up to make professions of faith. The most dramatic miracle was a woman who was able to walk after at least five months of being wheelchair-bound. We have entered the Jewish harvest!

God has downloaded new strategies to capture this great Jewish harvest. But it will take large sums of money. I believe in the midst of recession, God will bless His people with an abundance of finances to pour into Jewish revival.
Steve Foss is a prophet who has the most unique and balanced teaching on prospering in tough economic times I have ever studied.

He believes there is a window of economic opportunity coming that will allow us to prepare for when the whole economy falls apart.

Although Steve believes in sowing and reaping, he explains why it doesn’t work for many people. His two-DVD set, God’s Provision in Hard Times, is jam packed with supernatural wisdom to capitalize on the great wealth transfer. “The wealth of the sinner is stored up for the righteous” (Proverbs 13:22).

I want you to prosper in tough economic times and partner with me in the great Jewish harvest, which will unite Jew and Gentile to form the One New Man to reach the entire world!

Shalom and Love,

Sid Israel Roth

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright ©1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.