NEWSLETTER- APRIL 2011
Dear praying friends,
Greetings of Shalom in this uncertain season and writing from the eye of the storm
It is said that "the Hebrew word Shalom means much more than peace, hello or goodbye. In essence it means: Completeness, wholeness, health, peace, welfare, safety soundness, tranquility, prosperity, perfectness, fullness, rest, harmony, and the absence of agitation or discord. This is the highest form of greeting somebody, and with this we greet you in His precious name." (See Phil. 4: 6-7)
The Middle East today and the new window of opportunity
Watching the world news, we have seen the downfall of 2 authoritarian regime of the Arab world crumbling in a space of just 2 months. This domino effect which started in Tunisia and Egypt will not end there. The Arab populations of the Middle East and North Africa want freedom. They have been exposed to satellite TV, Facebook and YouTube and know there is an alternative to their political regime. Now, our eyes are fixed on the Lord asking Him for His wisdom in discerning the times we are in. For us believers living in Israel, and seeing our neighbors around us in turmoil, we are praying and watching the troubles we see now in Bahrain, Jordan, Saudi and mostly are waiting to see what will happen in Iran and Syria. For we know that:
1) Yeshua is coming back to Jerusalem. Maranatha!
2) He is preparing His return with nations around Israel who will come to faith in Him.
3) There will be a window of opportunity for the gospel to be preached more freely than it has been. The verses in 1 Timothy 2 :1-5 show us the nature of government and why we should be praying for "politics".
4) On the other side we are watching very closely the development of the "Gog & Magog coalition and the tightening of alliance between countries such as Russia, Turkey, Iran, Libya & Sudan.
5) God is punishing the corrupted, enemy of the faith, dictators who persecuted the followers of Jesus in their countries. (I see the down fall of Mubarak linked directly with his failure to stand against the bombing of the Egyptian churches last December. Enough is Enough! ) Yet Egypt has a glorious future as we read in the promises of Isaiah 19 , the same for Syria and Kurdistan (Assyria) : 23 In that day shall there be a highway out of Egypt to Assyria, and the Assyrian shall come into Egypt, and the Egyptian into Assyria; and the Egyptians shall worship with the Assyrians. 24 In that day shall Israel be the third with Egypt and with Assyria, a blessing in the midst of the earth; 25 for that the LORD of hosts hath blessed him, saying: 'Blessed be Egypt My people and Assyria the work of My hands, and Israel Mine inheritance.'
- Egypt has been the symbol for the world. God sent his Son to save the world and He is still desiring to bring salvation to Egypt.
- Egypt has been the place of protection both during the time of Joseph and Moses then even for our Lord and his family during the first two years of his life. God will remember these things and His good plans for Egypt will come to pass, amidst the curse of Islam and the worship of false gods.
- Egypt has a special place among the nations as indicated in Zechariah 14: 16-19
Where they are singled out as a nation that will be spared to come to worship in Jerusalem.
We know this window of opportunity and salvation for the Muslim world is temporary. Israel will also need a great shaking in order to come back to the true living God. Beside a major earthquake this year or the next, the imminent danger of war is still very much present. The present escalation of terror activity in the south and Jerusalem are just a sign that we need to intensify our prayers and intercession in order to see Isaiah 40: 3-5 come to pass.
Weekend retreat (by Sally)
Some say the word retreat means to take a step back. For our congregation, we did just that in order to take a step forward. Last month, 130 of our members went up north to a beautiful hostel by the Sea of Galilee, to spend time fellowshipping and getting to know each other outside of our regular Shabbat services. Together, we visited Taghba, where Yeshua fed over 5000 people with 5 loaves and 2 fishes, walking along the lake path to reach the old town of Capernaum. The highlight of our time, after our joint service with a neighboring Arab congregation, was when 2 of our newest members asked to enter into the waters of baptism. A time of great rejoicing in Heaven and on Earth.
Throughout the weekend, you could see our members talking, sharing, laughing, enjoying each other's company...and building lifelong relationships. Thanks also to Karin who organized a great Mosaic workshop.
We truly took a step back out of our usually busy lives to take a step forward in building His Kingdom…for His glory.
The Word of God, skiing and fellowship - our youth in the south of France (by Ran)
The view was breathtaking, it's been cold, it was inspiring and extremely helpful: South of France! 18 of us, youth & leaders (some, for the first time abroad), had the privilege of spending a week in a ski resort on the Alps. We got to know each other better each day in great moments of laughter alongside with some deep conversations. Every morning after breakfast, we worshiped together and then each one of our staff/leaders would share a short devotion from the book of Proverbs followed by and prayer for the day. We named it: "Wise in the morning" and the idea was to gain more wisdom from the Word of God so we could carry it with us throughout a long and busy day. The ski, despite being great fun, required wisdom and responsibility. On Sunday, we joined the local church in the village of Die, in the service. Worship was a mixture of French and Hebrew, with members of our group joining the local, our girls preformed a dance with a French version of the song "Shema Israel", 2 of our group shared their testimonies, and we prayed together for the sick people in the church. We were treated and hosted so nicely by the people we stayed with, in the 'Maison du Rocher', and had wonderful French meals.
We grew together in the Lord and even recognized some kind of connection between faith, life and skiing: The ups and downs, the slopes and the hills, falling, but always getting back up, sometimes riding alone, and sometimes with a group, learning from the experience of others, following the leaders and even gaining more confidence each day.
What a pleasure it has been to see the glory of God everywhere we went to, to experience a different culture and to realize how similar we all are in the Lord. This week will be definitely a memorable experience for all of us!
Please keep praying for:
* For those living in the South of Israel, for protection against missile attacks that are continuing to be fired and are
reaching as far as Beersheba. Pray for wisdom for Israel's leaders.
* For boldness in sharing Yeshua with the lost sheep of Israel.
* For a bigger meeting place for the congregation.
* For provision for the staff so that they can continue to minister in the congregation as the work grows and develops.
* For needy people, widows & orphans who are in special needs and difficult situations.
"Far be it for me that I should sin against the Lord by stopping praying for you". 1 Samuel 12:23
We wish you a blessed Passover. May you experience God's real freedom in this season.
