Jeff Miller
“For
though I am free from all men, I have made myself a
slave to all, so that I may win more. To the Jews I
became as a Jew, so that I might win Jews; to those
who are under the Law, as under the Law though not
being myself under the Law, so that I might win
those who are under the Law; to those who are
without law, as without law, though not being
without the law of God but under the law of Christ,
so that I might win those who are without law. To
the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak; I
have become all things to all men, so that I may by
all means save some. I do all things for the sake
of the gospel, so that I may become a fellow
partaker of it” (1 Corinthians 9:19-23)
I have had a very interesting
life, with some unique experiences. I was born and
raised in a middle-class, Jewish home. Though not
very religious, we went to temple for most of the
holidays, and kept many of the Jewish traditions. I
was BarMitzvah at 13, after years of Hebrew school
and religious training. My religious training
consisted of bouncing super balls, trading comic
books and flipping baseball cards. We read Bible
stories in books about Jewish people, but I never
owned nor even saw an Old Testament. I saw the “Tenach”
(Torah - the first 5 books of the Old Testament).
And we had prayer books as well.
My religious books were a
joke. They made Bible stories sound as believable
as Aesop’s fables – it was very liberal teaching. I
was a teen; I had no need for religion I figured
anyway. I supposed if there was a God, and a life
hereafter I would go to the good place because I was
a “good guy.” If not, I figured my body would make
good fertilizer when I died. The only time in my
whole life to when I was an adult, I heard the name
of Christ, was as a curse word. I also was called a
“Christ-killer” in
elementary school. I had no idea who Christ really
was, only that I didn't kill him. I knew Catholics
and some people from other religions. But, I was
taught that if you were not a Jew, you were a
Christian. I knew Christians hated and persecuted
Jews all throughout their history. So all my
friends were people who kept their religious beliefs
to themselves. I just grew up doing my thing, being
a bit of a trouble maker, in school. I thought I
was kind of slick, managing to get away with all my
antics. I was a smart mouthed, trouble making punk.
The only time anybody ever
tried to tell me about Jesus was my Junior year in
High School. He was a Catholic that told me he had
been “born again,” and
was now a Baptist. I mocked him and wanted nothing
to do with some crazy religious fanatic.
I wanted to be rich, to have
new cars, travel, etc. My God was money. I couldn't
wait to graduate and find a good paying job. I
figured if I had money, I'd surely be happy. I
found a good job and spent money like it was going
out of style. I ran up debts like my job and bank
account would last forever. Unfortunately work
became slow and I was laid off.
I had a scam going with a
buddy. We went into stores and changed price tags
on items to real cheap prices, purchased them and
sold them at a profit. I thought it was just
getting a bargain, not stealing, the store could
afford it. One day my buddy said it was wrong, it
was stealing. He said since he is "a
Christian, it must stop." I was livid. He
was messing up my money making scheme.
That started a very intense
period in my life. I started challenging him on
what he believed and why he believed it. He had few
answers. This incensed me even more, that he'd give
up our scam for nothing. Although I'd never admit
it to him, I felt empty inside. I had chucked
Judaism and tried worshiping things but they didn't
satisfy. About this time he started going to
college so I figured I'd check out college too. Why
not? Maybe the answers I was seeking could be found
in knowledge. I took some courses in Philosophy,
Psychology and World religions. I was interested
what was going on out there. I was surprised to see
that there were some differences in religions. I
had thought they all believed the same thing. I
checked out some Korean religion where they prayed
to this thing on the wall called a Buddhist "gonyo."
But nobody could even tell me what they were saying
except it was supposed to make you rich and all that
good stuff. I also checked into some other
religions like Jehovah's Witnesses and Mormons, but
they didn't seem right to me. I was on a quest for
"truth" and would leave no stone unturned on my
quest, except Christianity. I knew Jews don't
become Christians. My conversations/arguments with
my friend increased in relation to Christianity.
This searching process continued over a couple of
years. I decided one day to see what was in this "Bible"
I had heard about.
There was a Christian bookstore
at a local mall, and I decided to go in and buy this
Bible. I remember being very cautious as I went
into the bookstore to be sure nobody I knew was
around. I'd hate to be seen in that place, I was
shocked that there were so many Bibles. This search
sure wasn't getting any easier. The manager helped
me pick out a Bible and I went out in the mall to
start reading it. I had many questions and few
answers. I figured I could debunk this Christian
stuff and move on to the next step. I decided I'd
start at the beginning of the New Testament, with
Matthew. I challenged God before starting. I said,
"If You are who You say You
are, then show me why the Jews don't believe in
Jesus." It was a challenge I assumed He
couldn't answer. When I read Matthew 28:11-15
(Where the chief priests paid the soldiers money to
lie about Jesus), I was shocked. God answered my
question and I knew all those years I had been lied
to. I then told God I believed in Him, and Jesus.
I honestly didn't know what I
believed in but knew truth had just smacked me in
the face and woke me up. My next concern was, what
do I do next?
My buddy was going to a
Catholic Church and so I wound up there. My first
mass felt very strange. I knelt on the floor the
whole time. I had no idea they had kneelers. This
was the first time, I had been in any church in my
lifetime. I was baptized, confirmed and had first
communion after going to some religious classes. I
really got into novenas, prayers to saints and Mary,
and every other ritual I could find. I had no idea
what I was doing but the church said it was the
thing to do so I listened and responded.
Catholicism was very much like
Judaism, with a little of Jesus thrown in. Many
rituals, prayers and much tradition. I assumed all
churches were the same anyway. During this time,
while going to school at Cleveland State, I became
involved in the Newman Center. It is an on campus
group of Catholics. They were people my age that I
could talk to and they even had guitar mass, which I
really enjoyed.
In retrospect, like my
ancestors after being set free I returned to
slavery; trying to earn my salvation, hoping I was
good enough to get to heaven. I read my Bible less
and less. I had no concept of grace. Ignorance is
not bliss. Religion is the opiate of the masses.
I began to have discussions
with other students and the Priests, and had more
questions than answers. I was confused; things just
didn't seem to agree with the Bible at times. I saw
the hypocrisy in the priests, in others and
especially in myself. One day I walked down the
street to downtown Cleveland and met a man that
would change my life.
It is amazing how God can
change a person. It is also amazing how He puts
people in our lives at just the right time.
Coincidence? Nope - Godincidence! If I had met this
man before I would have mocked him or at best
ignored him. Yes, me, Mr. Cool, became a fool, a
fool for Christ, like in 1 Corinthians 1:18-25.
This middle-aged black man was standing outside the
May Company store, on Public Square, in downtown
Cleveland. He was preaching and singing with his
guitar. I had never met anybody so bold in my life,
and so I stopped to talk to him. His name was Orris
Price and he ran a Downtown Bible club. I thank God
for this man because I don't know what would have
happened to me if I hadn't met him. This shows the
importance and impact one person can have on
another. The other thing I'll never forget is that
God can use anybody, if they are willing. God used
a donkey to talk to Balaam, he can use me (Numbers
22:23-25).
Mr. Price took me under his
wings and mentored me. I felt like a fish out of
water at first. For instance, I had never heard all
these hymns before. I had many questions, Why
this? Why that? Is the Catholic church teaching me
the truth? The Lord equipped him with wisdom. He'd
say, "Read your bible; what does it say?" He forced
me into the Word of God. He challenged me: "Don't
just tell what you believe, tell me why you believe
it!" He taught me to street preach, wearing a
sandwich board on the streets, with Isaiah 53:5 on
one side and another scepter on the other side. I
began to visit many of the Black Baptist Churches in
the area, wearing my Jesus made me kosher (kasrite),
clean-fit for service.
Through the years as I grew in
the Lord, many doors have opened. Many of them were
dealing with teens, and they are my heart’s burden.
I was never told as a teen about Jesus and have
dedicated my life to giving teens at least the
opportunity to hear the Gospel. I have worked for
inter-varsity, campus life and was even youth pastor
for a few years at a Baptist church. Through the
years the Lord has continued to work in my life, and
has taught me very much. I have had the privilege
to be blessed by many great friends on and
off-line. I have traveled all over the US, seeing
this awesome country. I am under construction, and
unsure what is in store for me next. I have no
Bible degree, but attend the school of hard knocks.
Graduate in heaven. I have completed some series
from Moody Bible correspondence school. And would
enjoy taking more classes when able to. My life is
an open book, if anybody has any questions, ask me
and I will answer. I am available to speak to any
group anytime and anyplace that the Lord leads.
In my years as a Christian,
after not growing up in the church, I have a few
observations. I am saddened by many who have never
read the Old Testament. If you want to understand
the Church you need to understand Israel, and if you
want to understand the New Testament you need to
understand the Old Testament. Also, the Church has
lost its Jewish roots, I was shocked to find out
that Jesus and the disciples were Jewish. If the
church has any intention of reaching the Jews it
needs to understand Jewish holidays and basic
Judaism. My life verse is 1 Corinthians 9:19-23.
If we want to win someone to Christ we need to
understand them; walk a mile in their shoes. We
need not be so quick to judge each other. We need
to be known for our love. It has been said that the
Christian army is the only army that shoots its
wounded.
Also the lack of money spent on
reaching the youth is shamefully they are our most
precious resource. There is a great battle going on
for the minds of our kids and we are not winning. I
call myself a “completed Jew” because Jesus made me
whole Before Christ. I knew part of the story but
when I accepted Jesus into my life, He completed me.
I read the New Testament and read as they say, “the
rest of this story". As Michael W Smith said in his
song, "I’m trying to find my
place in this world," so I would appreciate
your prayers. In July of 2002, and in February of
2003, I had cancer surgery. It was a rough time.
I've done better than the doctors predicted. Praise
the Lord. God is faithful. Apparently God has more
for me to do. What, I don't know.
Shalom
Jeff Miller
You may contact Jeff at
JMILL225@aol.com and through
Ron@FridayStudy.org.
