Arrows from Zion 2/27/2019 A View from Jerusalem

A View from Jerusalem
by Daniel Juster, Restoration from Zion

The Al-Aqsa mosque on the Temple Mount is not the focal point I prefer in Jerusalem photos. Both Islam & Israel need eyes to see another view, which is what Dan Juster writes about this week.-DD

Patty and I moved to the Jerusalem area (Mevaseret Zion) nearly fifteen years ago.  Downtown is only 10 to 15 minutes away when it is not rush hour. It is  amazing how living close by changed our perspective on the city. It is  a great privilege to live in a community of young adults and to be part of the leadership team with Asher Intrater. New planting has already begun. However, in this article, I want to mostly emphasize my perspective on Jerusalem.

The Orthodox Shift in Jerusalem | Jerusalem has become much more Ultra Orthodox than it was twenty years ago. This is through immigration and family growth. The Ultra Orthodox men wear 18th century clothing including large black hats, dark suits and coats. A previous mayor was Ultra Orthodox and had a reputation of not reaching out to all the constituents of the city. He did not give the Christian supporters of Israel the kind of welcome that his predecessors gave, in spite of the strong support of the central government. 

It has been a source of some concern and amazement to me to see Ultra Orthodox in more and more neighborhoods of the city. At present, this is the group that is the least open to the Gospel, yet we do know of some who have embraced Yeshua and his Kingdom. The general sense I get is that the city is more oppressed today than previously. The legalism is much greater than in the past.  The Orthodox seek to block legitimate arteries for travel on the Sabbath. There have been clashes with police authorities as well. The vibrant mixture of populations has lessened and business enterprise seems lest vibrant as well. Terrorism has taken its toll on the city.

Can we really see the leadership of Jerusalem, including the Ultra Orthodox, say "Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord?" We trust so, but it is not by natural eyes that we believe this.

The Secular - Religious Divide | Conservative and Reform Judaism exist in Israel. However, these more liberal varieties of Judaism have not really taken root. The Orthodox control much in the State. The coalition governments of Israel enter into very sad compromises with the Ultra Orthodox to obtain a majority parliamentary coalition. Part of this compromise includes huge sums of money for the Orthodox. The Orthodox schools have more funding than their secular counterparts. These are religious training schools (Yeshivot). Most Ultra Orthodox do not serve in the Army and are given exemptions even though Judaism is not pacifistic. 

While the Modern Orthodox (those of the smaller knitted kippah or skull cap) serve in the Army and are a normal part of the society, the Ultra Orthodox in their various varieties have become a welfare underclass. Unlike in New York where most Ultra Orthodox have to work to make a living, in Israel many simply live on government support. Hence, most secular Israelis who live in the Jerusalem area despise the Ultra Orthodox who have become the dominant Orthodox. Though some Israelis become Ultra Orthodox, most secular Israelis are turned off to religion completely. They point to the Ultra Orthodox as the reason and find them repulsive.

The secular youth are open to everything. They experiment with sex, drugs and New Age religion. There is an emptiness and skepticism. The secular Zionist values of their parents are proving inadequate to give meaning. Some think of leaving Israel to make money. The divine purpose of Israel and a rationale to fight to establish the land elude most.

Bored Orthodox Youth | Yet even in Jerusalem among the Orthodox, the inroads of modernity have been unavoidable. One night after riding home from a dinner out with our close friends, Ron and Elana Cantor, we came across hordes of Ultra Orthodox young people who were acting like teenagers do in many cities. They were cutting up, jaywalking and jay-running across streets, and generally seeking to let off some steam. The great anomaly was their dress. There was a contingent of police present to keep order. I had such a sense that their orthodoxy was not fulfilling to them. Someone we know maintains a ministry to these kids. He holds a Christian rock jam and these kids show up. Amazing! They are listening to Christian rock! Perhaps there will be more openness to the Good News than first appears. Some of these Orthodox kids are experimenting with drugs and other destructive behaviors unbeknownst to their parents.

The One Great Alternative | Of course, every follower of Yeshua would say that He is the only real alternative to Orthodoxy and Secularity. However, the more I observe the scene in Jerusalem, the more I become convinced that the option of following Yeshua is the extraordinarily more attractive alternative.  In New Covenant Biblical faith we find the true answer to both the skeptical secularist and the Orthodox legalist. First we have the attractive figure of Yeshua himself. In the light of His glory all else pales. Can we present Him and His Kingdom in a way that enables others to really see the "Pearl of great price?" 

The New Covenant preserves the promises and purpose of Israel. It gives us a strong rationale to live in the land and rebuild it. We understand the irrevocable gifts and call to Israel. (Rom. 11:29). There is a divine mandate for being Jewish and Israeli.  The secularist does not know this mandate and the Orthodox have a somewhat twisted form of living out this mandate. The follower of Yeshua, by having the mind of the Messiah, is able to receive the good things in the Jewish heritage but also to reject that which is not compatible with the Bible. He provides an answer that is truly spiritual and hopeful. He offers the message of everlasting life. It is the solution to the meaning of life. 

The appeal of life in the Spirit in comparison to Ultra Orthodox is refreshing indeed.  It is through the Spirit that the righteous requirements of the Torah are fulfilled in us (Romans 8:4). We do really have the answer to the terrible split between the religious and the secular. The opportunity is enormous.  Our community of Yeshua disciples includes both Jews that were raised in secular homes and in Orthodox homes.

Jews are Responding to the Good News | A few weeks after our move to Jerusalem, I happened in on Asher as he prayed with a young man from an Orthodox background who had just embraced Yeshua.

Both Orthodox and secular Israelis will only come in significant numbers if we can show an attractive life in the Kingdom and demonstrate the reality of the Kingdom with signs and wonders just as Peter prayed in Acts 4 in the first century. We think we are on the verge of something wonderful. Indeed, the secular-Orthodox divide in Israel is just the situation where the Gospel can flourish.  

  Article available at the Tikkun.TV site where you can also view the full panoramic view of the stunning photograph of Jerusalem featured above.

Arrows from Zion
Summarized from the Weekly Summary of Prayer Requests Israeli Ministries by subscription only donna@israelprayer.com

See Israel Pochtar from the Beit Hallel Family Network of Congregations is already focused on the upcoming Purim holiday (Mar 20-21) where they hope to be able to bless as many of the groups that they minister to as possible, including Israeli soldiers, needy children and new immigrants. They have several ways you can help in the role of "Esther" as the Purim holiday is based on that prophetic picture in the Bible.  Read more by connecting directly with the ministry, or by subscribing to the Weekly Summary of Prayer Requests from Israeli Ministries

The Caspari Media Review notes that Pochtar's Beit Hallel congregation in Ashdod is being targeted yet again for religious persecution attempting to disrupt events at the community center by petitioning the mayor of Ashdod. Pray for the mayor to not allow discrimination of the believers.

Katy Smith writes the weekly prayer request letter from the Maoz Ministries of Ari & Shira Sorko-Ram. This past week her focus was on the rising anti-Semitism in Western Nations. It is remarkable to see this so quickly after the madness of the Holocaust, yet the unmistakable rise is taking place globally. We in the nations who love Israel and know God's love for Israel stand in the gap, praying for our own nations to awaken to God's truth and holding back the global tide of demonic intention to murder the Jews and remove Israel from the nations. We are on God's side - there is no mistake about that!  Pray for protection of the Jews worldwide, against Replacement Theology and for safety on Israel's borders.  Pray also for the Israeli elections - God's choice, no less! - and for the Maoz ministry leadership and associates around the world.

The Yuval Messianic Worship Center for Music and the Arts has a new promotional video to share with you featuring their daily activities focused on "the heart of ministry is worship, a life of worship, an attitude of worship."

From KehilaNews.com  sharing from the Israeli ministries: Chosen people, or myth? by Howard Bass | "Those who would make the Creation account given in Gen. 1 and 2 in the Hebrew Bible a myth open the door for those who say that it is a myth that the Jewish people are God’s chosen people." |

A search for Jewish roots (Part 2) by Caspari Staff |"One area that reflects our connection to the Jewish roots is our relationship with Israel. Can there be room in our theology for the Jewish people now and in the future, or should they be relegated to the past?" |  VIDEO: The Muslim who fights for Israel by Hananya Naftali

Intercessors for Israel in Jerusalem (IFI) the ministry of Ofer Amitai, Eliyahu Ben-Haim and Chuck Cohen  publish their Friday Prayer Points weekly. This week the prayer points with scriptures covered the upcoming Israeli elections;  for the Israeli believers to hear from God for how to vote; for security situations on Gaza, the rules of engagement in warfare against terror groups, northern borders, the Temple Mount;  rain and for their ministry team.

Avi and Chaya Mizrachi of the Adonai Roi congregation in Tel Aviv and the Dugit outreach are putting out their magazine in the new format which can be accessed online. Especially want to draw attention to their article "Why Can't They See?" which covers the top five stumbling blocks Jews have about seeing Jesus rightly: 1. ISRAELIS DON’T REALLY KNOW WHO YESHUA IS |2. THE TRINITY THROWS THEM FOR A LOOP |3. IF I BELIEVE IN JESUS, I AM NO LONGER A JEW | 4. THE CHURCH HAS DROPPED THE BALL | 5. THEY HAVE BEEN BLINDED FOR A TIME  Click here to view more

From Asher & Betty Intrater's Revive Israel ministry in Jerusalem 2 videos:  Cody Archer & Martin Broadman speak on Israel Prayer Journey | Asher on God's Unrelenting Love. Plus Cody's article on Israel’s Unsolved Rift and Asher's book on getting past superficial relationships into the biblical imprint of Covenant Relationships.  To help the Revive Team continue to reach and disciple Israelis

Joel Jelski talks about dreams coming true - a "season that has been an important first step in seeing what was put on our heart become a reality." You've heard the saying "Living the Dream"? Well it doesn't get any better than living the dream that God has given you! Just wrapping up his first time around as a leader in a discipleship program for young men, they have now embarked on a volunteer helps trip to Ethiopia to work in some children's hospitals and schools. His wife Teresa and son Boaz remain behind in Israel, so please prayers for all. Mid-summer the family will head to the US & Mexico with ministry time in Texas during July.

The HaMaayan congregation in Kfar Saba is led by Tony and Orna Sperandeo. Several of their congregants are familiar to our subscribers, Orna Grinman who has a ministry to widows and orphans, as well as Sally Shiff, an intercessor who also acts as the English-speaking liaison for the congregation. They are publishing their monthly ministry newsletter online for easy access.

I loved their typo-graphic of the 2 Cor 4:8-10 which in my nearly 18 years of doing weekly Israeli ministry prayer  request compilations, truly does speak volumes about these Israeli ministries: "We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Yeshua may also be revealed in our body."  Please remember to pray for the financial needs of these ministries who are pressing on in what God gave them to do, despite the drop in help that they all seem to be experiencing for a couple of years now. 

Arni and Yonit Klein of Emmaus Way write that they and several team members are in Eswatini (formerly Swaziland) for meetings with ministry leaders. They will share their "Israel Revealed" course. "On March 7th we are scheduled to have a worship time with the King and Queen Mother, and present them with a proposal to establish an Eswatini house of worship in Israel. Eswatini is the last true monarchy. Thirty years ago, Trans World Radio was given land by a white farmer and has since then been broadcasting the gospel message throughout entire the continent. As a result, this tiny nation has been dubbed the pulpit of Africa. How appropriate to be releasing the message of God’s heart for Israel there." Pray for revelation and God's favor during their ministry there.

Evan Levine writes from the HaTikva Project about their HaTikva Families focus with new of two new adoptive families: Watch this Video They ask you would consider partnering with them to provide aid to the families as there is little to no post-adoptive support provided by the government. They also ask prayer "for these families and children. Pray for their homes. Pray for the right people to step out and partner with us to meet these needs."

Ron Cantor of Messiah's Mandate writes about how life is brimming over at Tiferet Yeshua congregation and the new Nes v’Café where they hold mid-week service and are building toward another congregational plant in Tel Aviv. But the main body of Ron's letter is the shocking day he spent with one of the pastors in the 'mean streets' of Tel Aviv's homeless, sex workers, drug addicts and drug dealers. Moti makes 100-200 meals a week and distributes the food at a soup kitchen run by believers —it was the tragic lives they saw on the streets that Ron says "deeply affected me".  It takes a special kind of believer to minister in this arena of life to people who are really on their last legs of humanity. Yeshua would go there and God bless everyone who has dedicated themselves to pulling some from these fires of hell. If you would like to help the ministry to those souls living in the "New York City of Israel" go here.

Urgent HEALING Needs: Life and Death is in the power of the tongue

Please keep in prayer these Israeli ministry leaders and believers with urgent health needs 

CONTINUED FERVENT PRAYER for EDDIE SANTORO signs of response to chemo has doctors open to giving him more /see update above; and Elisheva's good report last week for Jacob Damkani's rehab |  Ronit Bender is home from the hospital and being watched for more definitive evidence of the leaking heart valve. Please pray that no weapon formed against against all three of these shall prosper & that miracles of healing will flow.

      Ron Cantor's mother-in-law fell breaking her pelvis now in a rehab facility mending. | Martin Sarvis has suffered an injury to his shoulder & is/was scheduled to see doctors, asks prayer for recovery & wholeness |Ruth Nessim has several health issues, one of the most critical is her EYES which has sent her to the hospital many times. Please pray for Ruth in Nahariya|  Olga Bikas’s health condition that seems to have become chronic, with no hope from the doctors for any improvement in the future. This, no doubt, puts an additional emotional and physical burden on our family. Please pray for her acute back pain. | Albert a Messianic leader from southern Israel, has had a successful surgery and an amazing recovery but keep praying for total restoration |  Rania Sayegh asks for prayer of restoration of strength, energy, and complete healing. | In the Acco congregation: Prayer for 5 year old Leon is still very much needed. The bacteria affecting the head injury has been identified as Streptococcus. Up until now all treatment, including steroids has not succeeded in stopping this infection. Pray for his mother and siblings as the past months are taking their toll.

Praying the Headlines | Israeli News You Can Trust

Israel                 Kushner on Trump’s Israeli-Palestinian Initiative: ‘We Want to Bring Peace, Not Fear’ | by Benjamin Kerstein, Algemeiner | White House senior adviser Jared Kushner spoke publicly on Monday for the first time on the details of the Trump administration’s yet-to-be-unveiled Israeli-Palestinian peace plan....  Kushner described the plan as “very detailed,” touching on all aspects of the conflict, including the “redrawing of boundaries and resolving final status issues.”                 Gulf states offering ‘de facto’ recognition of Israel | Yaakov Lappin, JNS.org | It is possible that both sides are also cooperating on covert operations in Iran, according to Mideast analysts.                 Sisi: 'If Jews return to Egypt, we'll build synagogues’   | Herb Keinon, Jerusalem Post | “President Sisi spoke fondly not only of Egypt's past vibrant Jewish community, but also said that should there be a resurgence of the Jewish community in Egypt."                 Exposed: World Council of Churches Spying Against Israel | David Lazarus, Israel Today | Major global Christian organization has dramatically increased its anti-Israel activity, and is possibly breaking the law                 Hamas recruits terrorists from Jerusalem via satellite | Jerusalem Post | Hamas agents used agreed upon codes via Al-Aqsa TV to gain the trust of those they wanted to recruit to carry out terrorist attacks in Israel.                 Palestinians clash with police on Temple Mount amid efforts to end crisis | Jerusalem Post | The Palestinians entered the site, also known as the Gate of Mercy, despite reports that Israel and Jordan had reached understandings to end the crisis over the area.                 Muslims Still Trying to Keep Messiah Out of Jerusalem | David Lazarus, Israel Today | Muslims storm Golden Gate area of Temple Mount; Palestinians hail it as a victory for their cause and for Islam                 Iran launches large-scale maritime war games in the Persian Gulf  | Jerusalem Post                 The Anatomy of a Diplomatic Crisis | by Yaacov Katz, Jerusalem Post | Leaders in both Israel and Poland will need to find a path out of this crisis in a way that preserves Jewish history as well as Polish national pride.                 Can Israel Defeat Hamas Without Toppling It? | Yaakov Lappin, Algemeiner | Despite its radical Islamist ideology and long-term commitment to Israel’s destruction, Hamas in the Gaza Strip is — for now — avoiding high intensity armed conflict.                 Tiny Israel is Fourth Country to go to the Moon | Tikkun.TV Staff | Israel became just the fourth nation to go to the moon, joining Russia, China and of course, the United States. Britain/Western Europe                 EU: Going Full Orwell | by Judith Bergman, GatestoneInstitute.org | The EU has launched a comprehensive Action Plan against Disinformation — protecting Islam.

Guardian Again Falsely Accuses Israel of 'Massacring Civilians' in Gaza | CAMERA Alert | Another smear from the Guardian (British newspaper)                 German Government Records 60% Surge in Violent Attacks Targeting Jews During 2018 | by Ben Cohen, Algemeiner | In yet another dramatic sign of rising antisemitism on the European continent, Germany’s government disclosed on Wednesday that violent attacks...                 Thousands Demonstrate in Paris and Across France Against Surging Antisemitism | by Ben Cohen, Algemeiner | More than 20,000 demonstrators filled the Place de la Republique in Paris on Tuesday night in response to a nationwide call for...                 Europe: Trying to Legitimize Iran's Regime | Giulio Meotti, GatestoneInstitute.org |   |"The E.U. only seems to care about the nuclear agreement and trade ties. It pretends that the regime is legitimate and that Iranians have no alternatives to living under tyranny"                 UK Newspaper Investigation Uncovers Extensive Links Between Top Corbyn Aide and Anti-Israel Terror Groups | by Benjamin Kerstein, Algemeiner | A top aide to controversial UK Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn has long-standing ties to anti-Israel terrorist groups and would likely be denied a... United States                 IPT Launches Two-Part Series About Anti-Semitism on the Left | The Investigative Project on Terrorism (IPT) | Alarming two-part series documenting the sudden rise of anti-Semitism on the left, including Democratic Party politics, the U.S. Congress, the LGBTQ community and the progressive Left.                 Amid a fallout with Turkey, Trump signs legislation blocking transfer of F-35 fighter jets | by Jackson Richman, JNS |                 Israel-hating Islamists Fundraise Off of {US MN-Rep} Ilhan Omar's Anti-Semitism | IPT News                 While hoaxes make headlines, real attacks on Jews keep happening | by Melanie Phillips, JNS | Such falsifications are justified on the grounds that they illustrate a “broader truth.” But they are in fact lies.                 Why The Media Downplay Hate Crimes Against Jews | Ben Shapiro for Jewish Journal | Jews most targeted group in America                 New US envoy on anti-Semitism: No distinction between anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism | JNS.org | “I will work to eradicate the attempted distinction between anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism. There is no distinction,” said United States’ new envoy to combat anti-Semitism.                 New York Times Issues Correction to Front-Page Attack on Netanyahu | by Ira Stoll, Algemeiner | The New York Times has already issued a correction to its latest front-page attack on Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.

Teaching Articles 

Martin Sarvis' The Torah reading for this week 24 February—2 March 2019 is called VaYa’k’hel—“And He Assembled”  Exodus 35:1—38:20.  {Full version in the Weekly Summary}

EXCERPTS: In effect, Exodus 35:4—39:43 carefully repeats what was recorded earlier in Chapts. 25-28 (T’rumah) and subsequent passages.  But here certain details have been clarified.  For instance, unlike the earlier passages, this one makes specific mention of women .  ... Please pray for hearts of Israeli believers to be moved to offer up their craftsmanship and creative energies as a free-will offering to the Most High.  Pray for women and men to be equally valued and recognized in their talents and giftings.  Pray for “cheerful” giving from the heart (II Cor. 9:7) on the part of Israeli believers, both of physical resources and of talents and time, not merely as a mitzva (an obedience to gain favour)—but at the moving of the Holy Spirit within their hearts....

Attempts to observe the prohibition related to fire in the last verse of this passage continue amongst many observant Jews today, in some cases reaching extremes which, to our understanding, go far beyond the original intent of the prohibition. ... Much of the work being described in these chapters would require building a fire to smelt and fashion the metals—melting, bending, shaping and forming everything, from Cherubim of gold, to tools, to ornaments, to bolts and pins of brass. Making the fire involved a lot of work—finding, gathering and chopping the wood, then kindling the flame with a friction method involving much exertion (The one record we have of judgment coming on an individual for breaking this law is found in Numbers 15:32, where the offense was specifically for gathering wood on the Sabbath) .   *Exodus 35:36.  “And He has put it in his heart the ability to teach, in him and Aholiab the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan.” ....

 Last week we read of Betzalel (a descendant of Judah) and Aholiav (of the tribe of Dan)—artisans whom God had filled with all wisdom and grace for performing and overseeing the intricate workmanship required in preparation of the Tabernacle. In this later passage it is mentioned that He also put it in their hearts “to teach.”  Indeed, 36:1 mentions others whom the LORD had filled with artistic grace to work under them (36:1), subject to their wise instruction.  PLEASE PRAY:  that those released in the artistic skills in the congregations in Israel will focus not only on the work allotted to them for their own times—but will be stirred in their hearts with a desire and ability to pass on their wisdom and skill to the men and women of the generation rising after them.

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Donna Diorio 
donna@israelprayer.com or donna@d10r10.com
 
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