A
Dallas Messianic friend, Marla Hoener recently visited Glenn Beck's TV Studio
snapping this inspiring message. It's a good reminder for the days in which we
are living. No enemy is too big to fall with even the humblest of personal
ability we have to offer to the LORD.
The Contrast of Life in 2019
...yet David slew Goliath with 5 smooth stones
...yet David slew Goliath with 5 smooth stones
The
recent pictures above from Israel underscores what we are up against in life in
2019. We were just rejoicing over the blessing of God this year in a super
abundance of rain and immediately following are racing to stop the fires set
all over Israel. Israel has always been a roller coaster to cover in my
perspective, but it does seem the contrasts of the ups and downs are more
intense than ever before. Which is why it is good to remind ourselves how young
David approached the Goliath battles he faced.
David didn't have much going for him in terms that are respected in a worldly sense, but he did have this, a strong understanding of God's intentions toward Israel and the recognition that the giant that stood mocking the armies of Israel was no threat to His God. "Just who is this uncircumcised Philestine, that he should defy the armies of God?"
While everyone else was intimidated by the brute force threatening them with a flood of insulting words and promises of murderous violence, David just saw an "uncircumcised Philestine. To David, Goliath might be strong and huge, but he was on the wrong side of history picking a fight with the armies of Israel. He was not called the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob for nothing.
It has been a few thousand years since that scene has played out so it is easy for many to forget that our God is still the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. We all may be fighting battles that seem unwinnable to the natural eye, but to the spiritual eye we see the contrast spelled out in the blessings of rain from above upon the land of Israel. "What then shall we say of these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?"
David didn't have much going for him in terms that are respected in a worldly sense, but he did have this, a strong understanding of God's intentions toward Israel and the recognition that the giant that stood mocking the armies of Israel was no threat to His God. "Just who is this uncircumcised Philestine, that he should defy the armies of God?"
While everyone else was intimidated by the brute force threatening them with a flood of insulting words and promises of murderous violence, David just saw an "uncircumcised Philestine. To David, Goliath might be strong and huge, but he was on the wrong side of history picking a fight with the armies of Israel. He was not called the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob for nothing.
It has been a few thousand years since that scene has played out so it is easy for many to forget that our God is still the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. We all may be fighting battles that seem unwinnable to the natural eye, but to the spiritual eye we see the contrast spelled out in the blessings of rain from above upon the land of Israel. "What then shall we say of these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?"
Still it is good to know the facts about the
battles we face and not retreat into a spiritual bubble. Ignoring reality
doesn't change reality, but praying about it can. This is why it is good to
keep a balance between the two contrasts we face —in our own personal lives and
in the prayers we make to under gird the Israeli ministries.
As the apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthians (2 Cor 1) 8-11 "For we do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, of our trouble which came to us in Asia: that we were burdened beyond measure, above strength, so that we despaired even of life. Yes, we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead, who delivered us from so great a death, and does deliver us; in whom we trust that He will still deliver us, you also helping together in prayer for us, that thanks may be given by many persons on our behalf for the gift granted to us through many."
As the apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthians (2 Cor 1) 8-11 "For we do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, of our trouble which came to us in Asia: that we were burdened beyond measure, above strength, so that we despaired even of life. Yes, we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead, who delivered us from so great a death, and does deliver us; in whom we trust that He will still deliver us, you also helping together in prayer for us, that thanks may be given by many persons on our behalf for the gift granted to us through many."
Arrows from Zion
Summarized from the Weekly Summary of Prayer Requests Israeli Ministries by subscription only donna@israelprayer.com
If you follow the news then you know that anti-Semitism rising at an
alarming rate. The increase is so acute internationally there should be warning
bells going off like the phone notifications for incoming Gaza rockets. Just in the most recent news: It is not safe for
Jews to wear kippahs in Germany; home invasions of French Jews are more
frequent - beaten in specific-targeting of Jews; Jews in Brooklyn, New York
City are targets of "skyrocketing" frequency of anti-Semitic attacks.
Anti-Semitism is a plague which is why it is particularly alarming when the
rhetoric comes from Christians. Summarized from the Weekly Summary of Prayer Requests Israeli Ministries by subscription only donna@israelprayer.com
Although Messianic Michael L. Brown is not an Israeli ministry, his report on the Christian anti-Semitism of the TruNews evangelistic broadcast is NEED-TO-KNOW for us all. Dr. Brown reports,
"...in
what must be one of the sickest moments in the history “Christian”
broadcasting, one of the hosts of this network — ironically named TruNews —
gives an altar call for Christians to repent for standing with Israel....The
host, Doc Burkhart, leads his audience in a “sinner’s prayer”.... “Lord, I’m so sorry. I don’t how I
was so deceived. ...“I thought it was a good thing to support the people of
Israel. I thought it was a good thing to help Israel. But now I see it’s just
people using the name of Israel, people using the people of Israel in order to
line their own pockets, in order to build their own kingdoms, in order to make
themselves feel important.”
While I point out that Christians giving to
Jewish organizations who despise Jews who believe in Jesus, this Christian
anti-Semitism is equally appalling. Please read Michael Brown's The Stream
article, Jesus is My Everything, And He Confirms God’s
Promises to Israel. There are two sides of the
ditch we can fall into. This article will help keep us on the straight and
narrow path of God's will.
Barry & Batya Segal of the Jerusalem News
Network give us the flip side, how Israel's UN Ambassador Danny Danon gave a
Bible Speech at the UN that went viral around the world and has been translated
into Spanish, Polish, French, Portuguese and even Turkish. (Watch on YouTube) It was
covered on websites worldwide dubbed the "Biblical speech" and
"the speech defending the rights of the Jewish people." In it Danon read an extremely important
"thus saith the Lord" from Genesis 17:7-8: “I will maintain My covenant between Me and you and your descendants
after you throughout the ages as an everlasting covenant, to be your God
and the God of your descendants after you. I will give to you and to your
descendants after you the land in which you are now residing as aliens, the
whole land of Canaan, as a permanent possession; and I will be their God.”
Cody and Liat Archer are a couple who are part
of the Revive Israel team in Jerusalem. You probably recognize Cody as the
interviewer on Revive-Live
videos on Facebook. The Archer's
write in their personal ministry email, "Our vision is a tribe of
transformed young people! For us, this looks like young people who are rooted
in the Father’s love, are laid down lovers of Jesus and are led by the Holy
Spirit as they reach the lost, make disciples and advance the kingdom of God in
all spheres of society." Here is a video
by Cody that will give you an idea of their vision.
The HaTikva vision is "Bringing Hope to the Needy of Israel in the Name of
Yeshua" which they do practically through several much needed avenues including providing Dental
services, help for at-risk
children through fostering and adoption, and strengthening
Believers in the Name of Yeshua. Dental services may seem odd to you but
dental is not included in Israel's free medical for citizens. It is very high
and out of the reach of most people. This is a practical outreach much
appreciated by needy Israelis. They write, "In April
we treated 268 dental patients while sharing the love of God with each of them."
From KehilaNews.AllIsrael.com/ here are a few of the offerings last week: Sons of God, or sons of the Devil — 1 John 3:1-10 | by Howard Bass | Dugit's outreach More than coffee - HaOgen Cafe redefines hospitality | by Estera Wieja | VIDEO Song of Victory | Dani
Sayag msg at Carmel Congregation | Haredi conscription law about to foil Netanyahu’s
attempt to build a coalition | Kehila
Staff
Revive Israel is dedicated to raising up the
next generation of leaders which a great many are already operating in top
leadership positions throughout the ministry, including Youval Yanay who
operates as the Director of Revive Israel which was founded by Asher Intrater. The focus of this project is Help Reach the Unreached - Project Paul | As Paul said, "It has always been my
ambition to preach the gospel where the Messiah was not known." Romans
15:20. The leaders, Asher Intrater, Youval Yanay, Tal Robin, Jeremiah Smilovici,
explain it this way: "Our agenda
for reaching out to different nations of the world is one thing only – to help
bring revival there through partnership and ministry, as ‘one new man’ in
Yeshua (Ephesians 2:14). We want to raise up apostles, prophets, evangelists,
pastors, and teachers (Ephesians 4:11-16), anointed to bring transformation to
societies and cultures. We want to establish ministry centers in Israel,
equipping believers to go and bear fruit for the Kingdom of God." Click
the link to read the vision in full.
From Maoz Ministries Ari & Shira Sorko-Ram in Tel Aviv , the weekly prayer letter focuses on
the unveiling of the financial aspect of the US peace plan - which Palestinian
leaders have rejected outright. Israelis are also wary, although no one knows
what the rest of the plan even involves. Pray over this, also pray over the
election turmoil in Israel. Only God knows what He wants for Israel right now
because the issues are too thorny for us to be too adamant about. Among other prayer requests are for the persecution
that is plaguing the Beit Hallel congregation in Ashdod. Pray for strength and
unity among the leaders and congregation - with great fruit and breakthroughs
for them. See other prayer requests in the Weekly Summary, if you are a
subscriber or connect directly with the ministry.
A beautiful revelation from
Eric Benson of the House of Victory ministry to addicts which is connected with
the Carmel congregation in Haifa: "One of the
rare and little-noticed flowers that are blossoming at this time are the
flowers on the olive trees. For a brief moment these precious little flowers
beautify the olive trees. These delicate flowers are formed in the shape of
a cross and they help to germinate what will eventually become the olive
itself. As I closely gazed upon one
of the trees on our property, a deep insight came into my spirit. In order
for the olive to be birthed and developed, it needs to be embraced by the
flowery-shaped cross. If we want to grow as children of God, we also need
to embrace the cross. The only way to produce fresh oil and move in the
anointing of God is through the work of the cross in our lives. There will be
no oil and no anointing without the cross. It is our prayer that in this new
season, fresh oil will be produced abundantly." This is also a profound
sign of how Israel is to be saved - not apart from embracing the Cross of
Messiah Yeshua! There is no dual covenant, Israel will only come to faith the
same way every man, woman and child do: through the sacrifice of Yeshua.
The report of all that is going on in this
dedicated, compassionate ministry to men so addicted that society has given up
on them is available for reading in the Weekly Summary if you have a subscription,
or you can contact Eric by email
Ron Cantor's weekly news roundup comes by
subscribing to his mailing list & it is quite good covering things you
might not otherwise see. Several other things from another email Ron sends: VIDEO Developing Mountain Moving Faith | New Israeli Government May Fall Before It Is Born
| PODCAST How the Kibbutzim Saved a Nation Pt.1 | Learn about our December
Up to Zion Israel Tour
An important message by Avner Boskey Hansel,
Gretel and Cohen, who writes: "The
gospel is not only a message birthed in Israel. It remains a message with a
Jewish priority. And it will come into its prophesied zenith when a Jewish King
sits down on a Jewish throne in a Jewish city, and all the nations come up to
Jerusalem, rejoicing in this prophetic fulfillment and worshiping the King of
the Jews. It is not only Jewish people who need to understand the Jewishness of
the gospel. The majority of Gentile believers need to understand it and embrace
it as well!"
From Asher Intrater's Revive Israel: When a
person receives a revelation of Yeshua, he becomes a member of the Ecclesia,
the universal New Covenant community of faith, Rock and
Key | VIDEO How to succeed in Ministry | Cody Archer sits with Daniel C Juster | VIDEO End Time Revival & Tribulation | Yeshua Chai is an
internet TV channel that broadcasts 24/7 Messianic content.
Israel Pochtar has exciting news: "We are
so excited and thankful to announce that we have passed all of the permit
requirement for our new building! Hallelujah! Now the time has come for our
official application to the city hall of Ashdod for a permit of occupancy
(Certificate no. 4 in Israel), allowing us to physically start installing
equipment, furniture, and decor, and hosting our Shabbat services."
Israel continues, "It is no secret that
if you preach the Gospel, you will encounter opposition. That has been the case
for us for many years, we haven't stopped actively preaching the gospel, and as
a result we are continually facing with persecutions and harsh opposition."
Please remain in prayer for the congregation!
This weekend they are putting on their Women's Conference "Accept Your Calling". "This conference has made tremendous strides throughout the past few years, and the lives of hundreds of women have been touched by the love of God and the saving knowledge of Yeshua through this conference. Many of the women in attendance are new Jewish immigrants who have emigrated from lands where they knew tremendous hardship due to anti-semitism and poor economic circumstances. Watch our video."
This weekend they are putting on their Women's Conference "Accept Your Calling". "This conference has made tremendous strides throughout the past few years, and the lives of hundreds of women have been touched by the love of God and the saving knowledge of Yeshua through this conference. Many of the women in attendance are new Jewish immigrants who have emigrated from lands where they knew tremendous hardship due to anti-semitism and poor economic circumstances. Watch our video."
Ye'shi Reinhardt of the humanitarian Hands of
Mercy ministry in S'derot says THANK YOU to "ZION'S HOPE reaches out once
again with HANDS OF MERCY to provide volumes of food and comfort to hundreds of
victim families and individuals who recently suffered waves of deadly rocket
attacks in S'derot from nearby Gaza. Though the gracious support of SAMARITAN'S
PURSE, international volunteers enthusiastically spend hours to pack sacks of
emergency food for the hungry and traumatized families."
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
CONTINUE to PRAY for the urgent healing needs of EDDIE SANTORO and Jacob Damkani | Ronit Bender is awaiting repair of
leaking heart valve. Please pray that no weapon formed against all three of
these shall prosper & that miracles of healing will flow. | Martin Sarvis has undergone
arthroscopic surgery and is now in the healing process. Surgery was successful
and now will have physiotherapy for a couple of months.
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.
The Jewish Mystique
The Jewish Mystique
by
Donna Diorio
When I
was about twenty-one I read a book called, The
Jewish Mystique.
I had a job with a success guru who put on seminars for chiropractors six times
as year. It was there I first became fascinated by all the Jews I was meeting,
most of them from the East Coast.
Recently
I remembered this book so I searched it out online. One review referred to
"the Jewish Question" several times and I was almost embarrassed that
I had read the book. Then I saw that Dennis Prager names it as one of the books
that most influenced him, so I guess I am safe in saying it was the foundation
of my first attempts to understand the Jews. It would be another ten years
before I began to really being to understand the Jews as the Bible became my
sole guide for understanding.
It has taken thirty-six years of going through all the learning curves, and finally being strategically focused in observing the Israeli Messianic Jewish ministries for the past eighteen years, but I am no longer fascinated by all things Jewish. Fascination drew me to discovery of the Messianic movement, but fascination matured into an earnest desire to see God's plan for the Jews and all the nations to be fulfilled. Without the increase of the faith of Yeshua in Israel, God's plan is in a holding pattern.
It has taken thirty-six years of going through all the learning curves, and finally being strategically focused in observing the Israeli Messianic Jewish ministries for the past eighteen years, but I am no longer fascinated by all things Jewish. Fascination drew me to discovery of the Messianic movement, but fascination matured into an earnest desire to see God's plan for the Jews and all the nations to be fulfilled. Without the increase of the faith of Yeshua in Israel, God's plan is in a holding pattern.
Just as
surely as God puts a stirring in our hearts for the Jewish people, a
fascination, if you will, it is a phase that Christians drawn to the Messianic
movement need to mature out of. Don't be shocked, but we need to move from our
of our fascination with "all things Jewish" and let our hearts be
captured by God's ultimate plan in drawing us to them. It is for His return to
the Jewish people with salvation through Yeshua - the gospel that is preached
by the Israeli Jewish ministries in the way that only they can.
There
has always been a remnant of Jewish faith in Yeshua, but today God has begun to
restore His Jewish people in Israel, and not just physically, but spiritually.
Not just the restoration of their homeland Israel, but to the faith that He
promised He would one day open their eyes to. It is a restoration of faith that
is going on worldwide, but the restoration of Messianic faith in Israel is
God's epicenter of what He is doing in our day.
If we
remain fascinated by Jewish things more than by God's plan for faith to arise
in Israel, that we will easily downplay or dismiss entirely the great mantle of
Israel's salvation that is upon the shoulders of the Israeli believers and the
ministries who are leading and discipling them.
Most often
I hear the idea that the Christians from the nations have the mantle from God
to win the Jews because they are "to
make Israel jealous".
If we want to make Israel jealous of our faith, we can't do it by disregarding
the Israeli Messianic Jews who are of "like precious faith". Will any
unsaved Jew have respect or jealousy for our faith if we are so easily
convinced to treat Jews who believe in Jesus as "traitors" to the
Jewish people, and to be avoided by any Christian who wants to have a
relationship with organizations helping Israelis? Lots of Christians need to
think this point through!
To make Jews jealous of our faith, Christians must not only have hearts to help Israelis, but we also have to respect, love and support the Israeli believers who are as "living letters" to their countrymen of the faith in Israel's Messiah. As Isaiah 8:18 declared: "Behold, I and the children whom the LORD has given me are for signs and for wonders in Israel from the LORD of hosts, which dwells in mount Zion."
To make Jews jealous of our faith, Christians must not only have hearts to help Israelis, but we also have to respect, love and support the Israeli believers who are as "living letters" to their countrymen of the faith in Israel's Messiah. As Isaiah 8:18 declared: "Behold, I and the children whom the LORD has given me are for signs and for wonders in Israel from the LORD of hosts, which dwells in mount Zion."
We will
never make Israel jealous with this support become complete. It is time for
Israel-supporting Christians to put off the spiritually childish fascination
with Jewish things and grew into the mature focus of God's plan for the
salvation of "all Israel". The hour has come. — Donna Diorio
donna@israelprayer.com or donna@d10r10.com
THANK YOU to those who have considered this ministry worthy of financial support.
Donations appreciated | paypal.me/DonnaDiorio
Or by postal mail make donations payable to the order of Donna Diorio
P O Box 111302 Carrollton, Texas 75006
I do not have tax exempt status.
