Missionary organization sees 'marked increase' in Jews converting to Christianity

Christian Witness to Israel (CWI), one of the world's oldest missionary organizations, has stated that there has been a notable rise in the number of Jews turning to Christ.

The organization, which focuses on exclusively trying to convert Jews to Christianity, will be commemorating its 175th anniversary this month in Oxford, and the event at St. Aldates church will celebrate what it describes as a "marked increase in the number of Jewish people coming to faith."

"Jewish people are not beyond the grasp of God's saving power. We are excited by a future where Jewish people love and embrace the Messiah who came to set them free," said CEO Joseph Steinberg, according to Christian Today.

"We want the Church to rediscover its confidence that Jesus saves – even Jewish people – and get behind our work so that the whole world may come to know God's saving power," he added.

The event, which will be held on Jan. 27, will celebrate CWI's work in the past including its 'House of Refuge' during the Holocaust as well as its present-day missionaries in Israel, France, Holland, Hungary, Bulgaria, the USA and the UK.

According to a statement from the charity, its international team of missionaries has reported 60 Jewish people coming to Christ in the last two years.

CWI's work has been regarded as controversial by some Christians, who believe that it is inappropriate to convert Jewish people to Christianity. In 2015, the Roman Catholic Church has renounced attempts to convert Jews.

Another evangelical group that focuses on drawing Jews toward Christ has recently commissioned a survey that found that one in five Jewish millennials believe that Jesus was God in human form.

The study, commissioned by Jews for Jesus and conducted by the Barna Group, revealed that 21 percent of Jewish millennials believe that Jesus was "God in human form who lived among people in the 1st century" while 28 percent "see him as a rabbi or spiritual leader, but not God."

Forty-two percent of 599 respondents said they celebrate Christmas and one-third believe that "God desires a personal relationship with us." A majority has said that one can still be Jewish while holding other faiths.

The survey, which has a margin of error of 2.5 percent, further revealed that only four percent of Jewish millennials would refrain from a serious relationship with a non-Jew, although 70 percent are committed to raising their children as Jewish.

According to the Jews for Jesus website, there are about 30,000 to 125,000 Jews across the globe who believe in Jesus.