Priority Prayer Focus
There is an old saying, "It's the squeaky wheel that gets the grease." Of course that flies in the face of trusting God to supply all our needs without the need of begging for donations. One thing to know in general about Messianic ministries is that over the top appeals for funding donations that we often see among some in Christian ministry, is an embarrassment in the eyes of most Messianic Jewish ministers. That is a good thing I think in general, but as with every of principle of the Kingdom of God there is balance between the two extreme ideas of never asking for donations and always laying a heavy request for support upon those enjoying your ministry.
There is an old saying, "It's the squeaky wheel that gets the grease." Of course that flies in the face of trusting God to supply all our needs without the need of begging for donations. One thing to know in general about Messianic ministries is that over the top appeals for funding donations that we often see among some in Christian ministry, is an embarrassment in the eyes of most Messianic Jewish ministers. That is a good thing I think in general, but as with every of principle of the Kingdom of God there is balance between the two extreme ideas of never asking for donations and always laying a heavy request for support upon those enjoying your ministry.
We can know the truth of this by what happened
in the first century, Acts 6:1 "In
those days when the disciples were increasing in number, the Grecian Jews began
to grumble against the Hebraic Jews, because their widows were being overlooked
in the daily distribution of food." As spiritual as the first Apostles
were, they had to be told by the people that this discrepancy of distributing
resources was leaving a whole group of Greek Jewish widows going without within
the community of faith.
God did not speak directly to the Apostles about
this need as they devoted themselves to His Word and to prayer, but human
beings had to speak up to call their attention to the need. Quite literally, in
order to get the needed "grease" the left out "wheel" needed
to "squeak" up!
Consider this my own squeaking up for
donations to this ministry. And please bear in mind that even though you may
rarely are hard pressed with donation appeals for Israeli Messianic ministries,
I can assure you that the need exists. Please respond to those that are
blessing you spiritually, with material blessing.
Arrows from Zion
Strategically Aimed for the Lord’s Harvest in Israel
Contact info for all the ministries included inside the subscription-only Weekly Summary.
Strategically Aimed for the Lord’s Harvest in Israel
Contact info for all the ministries included inside the subscription-only Weekly Summary.
First up, Mazal tov to Eddie Santoro from the
Ahavat Yeshua congregation in Jerusalem on his 69th birthday! If you have been
on this mailing list then you may remember that Eddie is indeed blessed by God
to celebrate this birthday having overcome a literal death sentence just over
two years ago when doctors diagnosed him with an aggressive brain cancer that
few survive - even with successful surgery. But here it is two years down the
road and Eddie continues to amaze with "all clear" in his follow
up cancer screenings.
Not only did God preserve Eddie's life, but He also did a deep work in Eddie's spirit with a deep revelation of eternity, as Ecclesiastes 3:11 says "also He has planted eternity in their heart, so that no man can fully discover all the work of God from the beginning to the end." Santoro, in his 'wrestling' with God in his own life and death struggle, caught a deeper glimpse of eternity - and also a zeal as never before to pray for God's healing to the sick. It is interesting that in one translation of Eccl 3:11, God 'planting eternity' in our hearts is interpreted to mean giving us a "sense of Divine purpose". That is surely the work God has done in Eddie Santoro's life and I would encourage you to read Eddie's short word the time we have been given inside the Weekly Summary attachment
up cancer screenings.
Not only did God preserve Eddie's life, but He also did a deep work in Eddie's spirit with a deep revelation of eternity, as Ecclesiastes 3:11 says "also He has planted eternity in their heart, so that no man can fully discover all the work of God from the beginning to the end." Santoro, in his 'wrestling' with God in his own life and death struggle, caught a deeper glimpse of eternity - and also a zeal as never before to pray for God's healing to the sick. It is interesting that in one translation of Eccl 3:11, God 'planting eternity' in our hearts is interpreted to mean giving us a "sense of Divine purpose". That is surely the work God has done in Eddie Santoro's life and I would encourage you to read Eddie's short word the time we have been given inside the Weekly Summary attachment
Sally Shiff is an intercessor and liaison for
Kehilat HaMaayan in Kfar Saba. Let me explain quickly about her liaison role.
There are many Israeli Messianic ministries who began life in the United States
and they speak English perfectly. But there are others who are native to other
lands like Russia or Brazil. There are also native Israeli Messianic
ministries. English is a second language to many but for many it is just enough
to 'get by' not great for major communications. This is how Sally is able to
bless her on congregation in Kfar Saba, to be a fluent English-speaking
representative for them. So it is good
to remember that when dealing with some of the ministries of Israel that not
all are fluent English speakers - and that's okay! They are there to minister
to Israelis first and foremost. So give plenty of grace when trying to communicate
with some whose first language is not the same as yours - we're still family!
Sally does a review of 2017 and looks ahead to
2018 and beyond in her prayer letter this month. She quotes one of the
prophetic promises of God to Israel which I long ago latched onto as my own
personally too: “For I know the thoughts that I think toward
you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and
a hope.” (Jer. 29:11). She also
writes, "This year, as it unfolds, I anticipate that we will see things
that we have never seen before, yet read in our Bible. Who would have ever thought that we would see
a President of the United States publicly proclaim Jerusalem the capital of the
Israel, or pull funding from the United Nations?" There is something stirring in Israel and we
are hearing more of the Messianic ministries mentioning it with excitement.
Please read Sally's email which includes prayer points inside the Weekly
Summary attachment
The focus that Katy Smith of the Maoz
Ministries weekly email for Ari & Shira Sorko-Ram is about the rise of
religious persecution against our faith. She writes, "Israel is the only
democratic country in the Middle East, thereby the only one that has freedom of
religion as one of its pillars. That
means whichever religion a person chooses to practice, they must be treated like
anyone else, and enjoy basic human rights.
This is the LAW. However, there are groups of people in this land that
disregard the law, especially where Messianic Jews are concerned. And so, persecution of believers in Israel
continues."
She writes about the rabbinic incitement campaign
against a small storefront ministry in Dimona, as well as the bureaucratic
opposition to the Makor Ha'Tikvah Messianic school which is supported by Maoz
ministries. Please read more inside the attached, subscription-only DOCX Weekly Summary of Prayer Requests from
Israeli Ministries Plus Maoz prayer points
From the team at Revive Israel, an article by
Ariel Blumental 3 Principles of Biblical Leadership from 1 Peter 5,
a video from Cody Archer on Rekindling
the Fire of our first love, and a short Facebook video from Asher
Intrater with Tal Har Report at the End of the AGLOW Europe
Conference. Also there is a short piece on Three Ways to Pray for
Iran, read it inside the Weekly Summary attachment
The IFI, Intercessors for Israel are currently
in their annual Prayer Conference until February. They ask for prayer covering
the intercession in Jerusalem and then traveling to the Golan and the Tel Aviv
area is a time to hearing and praying for His kingdom purposes to be done on
earth and in heaven. If you didn't know,
there are many such conferences with tours combined that are conducted by
Israeli ministries and honestly it is the best way in my opinion to make a
heart to heart, spirit to spirit connection with Israel - through the Messianic
ministries of Israel. Depending upon the ministry you can connect with ministries
whose focus is intercession, worship, evangelism, volunteer opportunities,
tours to connect with multiple congregational works - whatever you are drawn to
in ministry. And you get to see the real Israel and meet the real Israeli
believers and people - not just an exhausting daily bus tour to ancient sites.
(Although most also do partial touring of the sites too)
Please read more of the prayer requests Intercessors
for Israel makes for this current conference-tour inside the Weekly Summary attachment. You will also
see their prayer points for the increase of spiritual warfare since Trump
recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital; Security on Israel's borders and how
to pray about Iran's agenda to "build a Shi'ite Crescent land bridge from
Tehran to the Mediterranean".
Ron Cantor, a young man with abounding energy
judging by all the ministry activities he is involved with, has a couple of
blog posts we think you will like reading: Replacement Theology is Intellectually Dishonest (or
plain dumb!) | Ron Cantor | Forgive me for the frank title, but in this
instance, it is accurate. Replacement theology is the belief that the Jewish
rejection of Jesus resulted in God rejecting Israel, in favor of the Church. The
Church is the new Israel and the old Israel is simply cursed. All of the
promises in the Old Testament to Israel are now to the Church, while the curses
remain the property of the Jewish people."
Also: Hollywood ain’t got noth’n on Moses! | Ron Cantor
| The story of Moses could not have been written by Hollywood’s best
screenwriter. We have an evil king in Pharaoh. We have an oppressed people in
the Israelites. We have a baby redeemer. The story begins with a nervous
Pharaoh, trying to stymie the growth of the Israelite people. But the plan
backfires. “But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and
spread; so the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites.” (Ex. 1:12)
From the Dugit Ministry of Avi and Chaya
Mizrachi, Chaya writes about the Women of Hope conference that she and Norma
Sarvis have put together for the Messianic ladies across Israel. This is a special opportunity for the
believer women to gather together in the Galilee to be blessed and refreshed in
the Word and the Spirit. Please read more inside the Weekly Summary attachment
for prayer points and an opportunity to help defray the costs for putting this
gathering on.
The new location of the Succat Hallel prayer
room is in full swing since New Year's Eve when they hosed a worship night for
the youth. With only one posted invitation,
around 60-70 youth showed up to worship in the New Year before the Lord. Read about it inside the Weekly Summary
attachment and about other news for
Succat Hallel.
Ben Juster who is the operations director for
Tikkun International Ministries was reflecting on the Tikkun timeline of the 40
years of connection between his dad, Daniel Juster, Asher Intrater, Eitan
Shishkoff and Paul Wilbur. It's a powerful heritage that Ben has grown up in
and if you have ever heard Ben minister, you will know that it is a heritage
that he truly inherited personally with great wisdom in the things of the
Spirit. His Tikkun prayer points cover
items for the Acco Katzir Asher congregation that Guy Cohen leads; Pray
concerning the team at Revive Israel in Jerusalem, Dan and Patty Juster's US
itinerary; and the deepening of all Tikkun-affiliated relationships. See more inside
the Weekly Summary attachment
As mentioned earlier, Norma Sarvis (Jerusalem)
and Chaya Mizrachi (Tel Aviv) got together to put on a special ministry event
for the ladies, Daughter of Zion Gathering this weekend in the Galilee. Norma
writes, "The worship leaders and speakers are from Israel, with one coming
from Europe. This being a first-time event, I honestly expected about 80-90
women. As of now, over 150 have registered to come. For Israel, this is a very
large group! Most of the women coming
are 40 years old or younger. They are hungry!" Norma notes with interest that this weekend "the
Torah Portion speaks of “Miriam the prophetess” (Exodus 15:20-21), and the
Haftarah (reading from the Prophets) begins with Deborah a prophetess to whom
the sons of Israel came for wise judgment (Judges 4:4-5) and goes on to speak
of Ya’el, whom God used to defeat an enemy captain (4:21-22). We believe that
it is indeed time for the women of Israel to come together as an army, to hear
the Command of the LORD, and to proclaim the tidings!" Read her prayer
points for the event inside the Weekly
Summary attachment
Husband Martin Sarvis gives his usual
excellent insights on the news of the day that impact Israel with a report on
US VP Mike Pence's visit to Israel where Pence certainly wow'd the house in his
Knesset speech. Please read this glowing
report of Pence's visit inside the Weekly
Summary attachment and
how it differed in good ways from other senior foreign leaders who have
addressed the Knesset. For one thing Pence, in Hebrew, spoke an ancient
blessing that Martin notes, "every Jewish person has known from
childhood". The Knesset chamber "simply exploded" as the Israeli
parliament members jumped to their feet in resounding applause and wide smiles
on all the faces. [see that clip on Facebook here]
Along with other prayer points, Martin
encourages all to read the speech for
themselves at the Jerusalem Post
From Yeshua Israel ministries, Kobi and Shani
Ferguson Why Jerusalem Matters to You | by Shani Ferguson | If Israel is the apple of
God’s eye, Jerusalem is the apple of
Israel’s eye. The center of the
center. The core of the core. The physical location where the presence of
the only Living God dwelt among men. It
is the place where God asked Abraham to offer his only son - and the place
where God himself would ultimately offer His... Read more online. Also listen
to and purchase Shani's new worship song Sapphire Skies
Lastly, a few of the great selections from KehilaNews.com this
week:
The
cost of following Yeshua in Israel and around the world | One For Israel
Staff | Though we are not killed for our faith in Israel, and very rarely
physically hurt, opposition through social, political, judicial and economic
means puts believers under great pressure. ALSO see the VIDEO
from One For Israel as Orthodox
Jewish "anti-missionaries" attempt to ridicule Eitan publicly
Messianic
Believers are among women joining the Israel Air Force fighter pilot course
| Kehila News Israel Staff | The IAF is now actively seeking to recruit more
women to its fighter pilot course and believers, too, have answered this call.
Celebrating
Be’ad Chaim’s 30th Birthday (Israel's Pro-Life Movement is Messianic!)
| Be'ad Chaim Counselor | Only God knows how many babies this wonderful work
has actually saved over the last 30 years. Some of those babies are parents
themselves by now. Some of the Mums have chosen life through reading a leaflet
on the street, or been caused to reconsider by just looking on the website, and
never contacting the office. We give thanks to the Lord for them all.
________________
Life and Death is in the power of the tongue
Please keep in prayer the Israeli ministry
leaders and believers with urgent health needs including the fight for their
very lives:
We're hearing of many in ministry teams in Israel battling with seasonal colds, flu, etc. Pray for a shield of protection around them all - their families, the old and the young | Olga Bikas continues to suffer from chronic, acute back pain. She is getting medication and physiotherapeutic treatments but without any substantial improvement, doctors are now beginning to talk about surgery| Lebanese Christian Pastor Najeeb Attieh had two surgeries on his thighs & a hip replacement Pray for full recovery| Rick Ridings daughter, Esther Moore, miracle needed for cancer battle | Esther Ridings Moore for cancerous tumor to yield to treatment and prayer with full healing | PLEASE CONTINUE PRAYER FOR for HaMaayan congregant Danny Meyuseff suffering poor health on several fronts, David Ortiz, Ami Ortiz, Ruth Nessim| LONG TERM BATTLES | David Stern, David, Leah and Ami, Moshe M.; Michael E, Claude Ezagouri; Baruch & Karen Maayan, Judy, wife of pastor Yaakov K.
Praying the Headlines
In the realm of infuriating news headlines, there's this from the Jerusalem Post:
Kerry to Abbas confidante: 'Stay strong and do not give in to Trump' | JPost | While the White House confirms that since the "Jerusalem Declaration" there has been a complete disconnect between the Palestinian Authority and the Trump administration, it turns out that the previous administration actually maintains contact with PA officials. Ma'ariv reported that former US Secretary of State John Kerry met in London with a close associate of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, Hussein Agha, for a long and open conversation about a variety of topics. Agha apparently reported details of the conversation to senior PA officials in Ramallah. A senior PA official confirmed to Ma'ariv that the meeting took place. . . . The former US Secretary of State also surprised his interlocutor by saying he was seriously considering running for president in 2020.
Teaching Articles
Betting on the Wrong Horse | By Avner Boskey | January 17, 2018 | Speaking the truth to politicians is often a daunting and thankless task. Kings and prime ministers have been known for trying “to make lies sound truthful… and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind” (as George Orwell once said) – while they ignore the wise counsel of YHVH and bet on the wrong horse.
Israeli Ministries on Tours
1/20/18 Marc
Chopinsky
MARC CHOPINSKY helped define the sound of modern
Messianic praise & worship music as one of the primary songwriters and
founding members of Israel’s Hope (along with Paul Wilbur and Rene Bloch). A worshipper at Tents of Mercy in Kiryat Yam,
Israel, Marc has put out a re-release of the top Israel's Hope music.
April 27 & 28 | Houston/Kingwood, TX - The Crossover project with Mitch and Rozalie Jerome and their new congregation called 'My City on the Hill'. I will minister in music as well as speak on 'Destiny, Calling and Identity'.
April 30 & May 1 | Richmond VA - Israel focus fellowship with
Q&A and refreshments. A little music too.
May 2 & 3 | Ashburn VA - Worship Concert and sharing at Ashby Ponds
retirement center in Ashburn VA. Mixed Jewish and Christian folks.
May 5 | Rockville, MD - Son of David Messianic congregation - at 10am - Music and speaking
May 6 @ 11am| Bluemont VA Village Church Music and sharing.
May 12 @ 11am | Washington, DC -
Ahavat Yeshua Messianic congregation - Music and speaking
________________________________________
Donna Diorio
arrowsfromzion@gmail.com or donna@d10r10.com
Please pray about making a financial gift donation.
Make donations payable to the order of Donna Diorio
and mail to:
Israel Prayer P O Box 111302 Carrollton, Texas 75006
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Log in to www.PayPal.com Send donation to: donna@israelprayer.com
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