Wednesday, May 22, 2019

Fake Jews is Fake News | ArrowsFromZion 5/22/19



FAKE JEWS is FAKE NEWS

The Hebrew Magazine pictured is an article in a Yad L'Achim mailer sent out to warn Israelis of "missionaries" among them. The accusation is that they are "fake Jews" trying to trap Jews into becoming Christians with a false observance of Biblical Hebrew holiday and religious services. 

What they think is a 'trick' to entrap, is really just authentic Messianic Jewish expression of faith that was the common first century, apostolic Jewish life anyone can read about in the New Testament.

But we need to talk more about the misconceptions of unsaved Jews. Why? Because Israel-supporting Christians must come to grips with the fact that Messianic believers as "Fake Jews" is nothing more than FAKE NEWS. TRUTH: We share like precious faith.



FAKE JEWS is FAKE NEWS
& Other Misjudgments of Messianic Jews


When I looked in my photo files for a graphic depiction to go with my theme this week of Fake Jews is Fake News, I went straight to my "Persecution" folder. Over the years I have copied dozens of photographic depictions of persecution against the Israeli Messianic congregations with everything from mobs invading congregations to arson attacks; from "Wanted" posters with pictures of congregational leaders to the slick print ads and magazines like the one pictured above from Yad L'Achim.

If you don't know, Yad L'Achim is one of the most aggressive ultra-Orthodox "anti-missionary" groups in Israel. The lead the misinformation war against the Jewish believers in Jesus. But just to keep it in proper spiritual context, if this was the first century of faith in Israel, then the apostle Paul would have been a member of Yad L'Achim before Yeshua was revealed to Shaul.  In other words, refrain from hating them even as you hate the things they do because they could very well be tapped by God in the future to come the knowledge of the true Messiah of Israel. Bible prophecy indicates, "and they will look on Me, the One they have pierced. They will mourn for Him as one mourns an only child, and weep bitterly for Him as one grieves a firstborn son."

We are not there yet, but we are well underway as the Israeli Messianic Jews are the main facilitators of the salvation of "all Israel". That is why there is such spiritual opposition to who they are, the representative of the Israeli Messiah in the nation of Israel. They are misjudged by the Jews and misunderstood by the Christians, but they are chosen of God to bring the message of Good News to Israel and that is what they are doing despite the opposition and despite the lack of support from the majority of international Christians. That too is destined by God to change.

It is a blessing that the very day I sat to begin this "Fake Jews is Fake News" issue, a new article by Daniel Juster came out called, "Mina Fenton's Worst Nightmare". Here are just a few excerpts to give you a gist of Juster's article but I recommend reading it all. It will change your vision for the Israeli ministries in a powerful way. Dan writes:
"Mina Fenton’s worst fear is that Messianic Jews would be successful and that great numbers of Jews in Israel would become disciples of Yeshua. She thinks this would destroy the Jewish people. Who is Mina Fenton? She was an Orthodox Jew who served on the Jerusalem City Council. Had she gone on a campaign against Messianic Jews? No, not Messianic Jews, but against Christian Zionist organizations! ....Because she claimed that Christian Zionist organizations are fronts for “missionizing” Jews. In addition, Christian Zionist organizations, in her view, lower the resistance of Jewish people against Christian belief.

"....Materially, Mina Fenton was and is wrong. Christian Zionists organizations do not focus any evangelistic efforts on the Jews. Their role is to garner support for Israel from around the world.  However, they are of different minds concerning sharing their faith with Jews....None of them will denounce Messianic Jews, which Mina Fenton would require for any relationship.
"Of course, Christian Zionists generally accept that Messianic Jews are part of a movement raised up by God, even though most Messianic Jews are not directly part of the Christian Zionist movement per se. In addition, the Christian Allies Caucus requires all Christians with whom they work to expressly vow to not engage in proselytism. Some Christian Zionist organizations have refused to do this, while others have agreed. With regard to Mina Fenton’s campaign, the focus was on the organizations that accepted the vow! She opposed them anyway!

"Mina Fenton is important for two reasons: not because she was right – she was terribly wrong. In this time of world abandonment of Israel, Christian support is absolutely crucial. She was really doing damage to the cause of Israel. She is important because she revealed the mind-set of a significant segment of Jews in Israel. The visceral hatred of Christianity and anything with parallel beliefs like Messianic Judaism is important to understand and to combat with great prayer, love and negotiation with Israeli officials.
Secondly, Mina Fenton unknowingly anticipated prophetic fulfillment.  According to the Bible, true Christians (Gentile believers in Romans 11) will play a significant role in making Israel jealous. Their mercy will soften hearts; and this is happening today. There are many articles in the Jewish press in Israel that call Evangelicals “our best friends.” Mina Fenton did not want hearts to be softened towards the gospel.

"What If Messianic Jews were fabulously successful? For Mina Fenton and her ilk, Jews embracing Yeshua is a great existential danger to the State of Israel and the Jewish people. So, I want to respond by painting a word picture of a very successful Messianic Jewish movement in Israel. I believe we are to pray for this success, and I believe it is possible.

"....There would be an influence for reverencing the Law of God, not in the Rabbinic way of multiplied legal restrictions added to the Bible, but in the broad biblical lines of Law which have application to both universal morality and to Jewish life today. This would elevate the whole of Israel as a more law abiding society, both in regards to moral and civil law. At the present time, Israeli society is very lawless. The true Torah of God would be extolled through Messianic Jewish influence. As a consequence, the conscience of the people of Israel would be restored and the whole tone of society would improve. Abortion would be greatly diminished. Sexual immorality and prostitution would decline and fidelity in marriage and family would increase. Because Messianic Jews do not live in an Orthodox ghetto, they could be an influence in much greater ways than the Orthodox. Corruption in government would diminish and political leaders would act with greater integrity. Some Messianic Jews would even serve in government! New Age spirituality would greatly diminish. …In the Torah, involvement in these practices is a capital offense. Yet, it is common in Israel. There is even an Orthodox Jewish form of such magic in some Kabalistic practices." 

Do you see how all Israel will be impacted by the increase of Israeli Jewish believers in Yeshua? What a powerful picture Dan Juster has painted for us! Please read his whole article here. 


Daystar's Jerusalem Studio torched & destroyed

I certainly didn't expect to be reporting this when I set the course for this issue of ARROWS to be focused on the reality of religious persecution in Israel. It is always important to underscore that not all Israelis harbor an aggressive ill-will toward believers, whether they are Messianic Jews, or Christians. In fact, it is a super-minority that do these type of things.

Over the two decades Israeli Messianic Jews have been the targets of several firebombings from Kiryat Yam to Arad, and the most grievous when a 15-year old boy of pastors in Ariel was nearly mortally wounded in a package bomb attack. In contrast, usually Christian buildings have only suffered vandalism.  The firebombing of Daystar's Jerusalem Studios marks an uptick in destruction.
                The day following Chris Mitchell's reporting, the Jerusalem Post has followed up with their first news of the arson attack, and add some key details about surveillance footage of the perpetrator. Their headline indicates the arson was done in the overnight hours of Shabbat, which they seem to be trying to point away it being an act of a religious Jew.  I don't rule out Arab perpetrators, after all, the studio is located in Abu Tor which is a Palestinian neighborhood in Jerusalem. But I also know that Israel really, really doesn't want to discover it was Jewish religious extremists either.  Israel-supporting Christians need to be able to deal with the truth no matter where it leads and remain committed to what GOD wants for their support of Israel.

Christian Broadcaster Daystar's Jerusalem Studio Destroyed by Firebomb | Chris Mitchell 5/20/2019 |The Jerusalem studio of Daystar, one of the largest Christian networks in the world, was firebombed over the weekend. The attack destroyed Daystar's new studio but the network plans to rebuild.  The fire began early Saturday morning when an arsonist threw a firebomb into the facility.  

Christian Broadcasting Studio Attacked by Arson on Shabbat Morning | Daystar is a pro-Israel Christian network. The studio is located in Abu Tor and had been undergoing extensive renovations for more than one year | Jerusalem Post | "Dave Sharett, the contractor overseeing the renovations told the Post that security cameras captured the arsonist in the act. “They see the explosion, then the fire,” he described. “The next second, you see a rope going over the balcony and him climbing down the rope. He goes down to the floor below, gathers the rope and runs off.”

                "Sharett said police have two theories about the incident. The first is that the crime was religiously motivated because “the TV station is Christian and its Ramadan and Muslims are upset and blah, blah, blah,” he said.

                "The other theory is that it was an Arab employee of an adjacent studio who recently became upset with some of the workers at the Daystar studio. That employee has not returned to work since the incident, according to Sharett."


Arrows from Zion
Summarized from the Weekly Summary of Prayer Requests Israeli Ministries by subscription only donna@israelprayer.com
See Ron Cantor of Messiah's Mandate opens with "Thank you so much for being a "lover of Zion". Somehow, the media has turned Zionism into a dirty word. A Zionist is someone who believes that God fulfilled His promise to the Jewish people, when He re-gathered the exiles of Zion and restored the nation of Israel. It is the greatest sign of His faithfulness to, not just Israel, but believers everywhere! I am a Zionist! Are you?"

Israel Pochtar of the Beit Hallel congregation shares what they are doing with their Alpha Course, a discipling program over 8 weeks —and get this! 25 non-believers will be participating! "These folks are Jewish Israelis whom have shown openness and interest in the Gospel of Yeshua, and are eager to learn from the Bible, to understand who their Jewish Messiah, Yeshua, really is." Wonderful, right?! Pochtar writes, "Participants always testify of how much their lives have changed, of how their marriages have been strengthened, and of how they are flourishing in the newfound love and joy they've discovered in God's presence." Please pray for the participants.

Israel also gives a super report on taking their leadership team up to the Galilee for a 3-day retreat. Please pray for the leadership team. To read more in-depth connect directly with the ministry or read it in the Weekly Summary, if you are a subscriber.

There has been a changing of the guard at the Beit Immanuel congregation in Jaffa, as David Lazarus installed the next generation of pastoral leadership  —Aleksey Raikhstadt. David sent his report on the congregational service with pictures of the event.


Last week I told you that for every organization that Christians like to donate to help Israel through non-believer organizations, there are Israeli believers ministering to the same need. We need to get on the same page with God in this matter, which is why I'm drawing your attention to the wonderful work of the Aliyah Return Center in the Jordan River area. Watch this VIDEO on Facebook with Cody Archer interviewing Chaim Malespin, the Aliyah Return Center Director of Operations.  This is a beautiful village for helping new immigrants transitioning into the land more easily —and there are great opportunities for Christians to serve in Israel through the ministry. If you want to give your Christian young people a vision for Israel, how about helping them see for themselves Summer of Purpose 2019. Here is the latest ministry letter read online here

From the Intercessors for Israel in Jerusalem, here is one very important prayer point along with a link to  read in full online. Pray for "Coalition formation - Since the elections in April, Benjamin Netanyahu has been working to form a coalition government. He has been faced with varying demands by smaller parties vying for position and power within the coalition. Many of these demands are in direct opposition from those of other groups and no one seems prepared to compromise. In the face of this situation, Netanyahu has not been able to move forward in the formation of a government. He has been granted a 2 week extension to continue negotiations. If he is not able to form a government, first opportunity will go to the opposition. If no one is successful, we would be faced with going to new elections."

Avner Boskey has written an article that may help Christians you know to catch the revelation that God has always had a plan-in-progress that led back to the restoration of Israel spiritually. The article is ♥ Israel's destiny - Two prophetic sons (and I ♥  it!) Avner writes, "The Jewish people are a living billboard to the nations. Study our history and you will understand God’s ways, His heart and His strategies. That is what I (and the Bible call) "the fruit of the Fig Tree" (Proverbs 28:18)

Maoz Ministries, Ari & Shira Sorko-Ram, like many of the senior congregational leaders in Israel, stepped out of their pastoral role a few years back passing the baton to a younger generation of ministry leaders in the Tel Aviv, Tiferet Yeshua. But that doesn't mean they retired! They are just more focused on the alignment with Christian leaders in many nations, and continuing to press into development of tools to enrich the whole body of Messiah in Israel. One of those areas is their translation and book publishing in the Hebrew language. Read the story here and Give Israelis Books of Faith.  Did you know that the Maoz Israel Report is available online in: Spanish | Hebrew | Russian | German | Portuguese | Korean?


More from Juster on fierce oppo to Messianic Jews in Judeo-Christian Values | Also 2 primary oppo to Biblical  faith The World View Question |Why Israel is NOT aparteid Zionism And Justice |To hold a negative slant on the modern State of Israel, one must be Re-Interpreting Scripture


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. NEW: Martin Sarvis has undergone arthroscopic surgery for a torn rotator cuff in his left shoulder. He will be in a shoulder/arm immobilizer for a month followed by physiotherapy to regain use of his arm. Since he needs his arm for typing and as a pianist in his worship leading at Succat Hallel, this is a significantly urgent request for successful surgery & fast, complete healing.

    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.

Teaching Articles 

 by Dr. Daniel Juster  
Jerusalem Restoration from Zion (Tikkun from Zion) 
www.restorationfromzion.com  tikmin@tikkuninternational.org   www.tikkunministries.org USA offices: PO Box 2997 Gaithersburg, MD 20886-2997  Dan on Facebook Donate: https://tikkun.tv/dan-patty-give-restoration-zion/

Judeo-Christian Values A Surprising Controversy | Some years ago, a surprising controversy was covered by the Israeli press. The debate concerned plans of Israelis and Christian Zionists organizing joint events to support the State of Israel. One of the most important sponsoring organizations is the Christian Allies Caucus of the Israeli Knesset.  Amazingly, a woman on the Jerusalem City Council, Mina Fenton, succeeded in gaining a high level rabbinic ruling against these events. The rabbis declared it a violation of Halakhah (Jewish Law) for Jews to participate in these events. This decision was reviewed by the Chief Rabbis of Israel.

Fenton was a fierce opponent of Christian Zionists. This is foolish beyond belief because Christian Zionists are the backbone of support for the State of Israel in the United States and several other countries. Read more, click title.

Here are several other exceptional articles by Dan Juster: The World View Question | We are presently living with two primary opponents to our Biblical faith.  One is Islam and the other is Secular Relativism.

Zionism And Justice | Ten or so years ago I walked into an airport bookstore and saw Jimmy Carter's (then) new book on Israel and the Palestinians. At the time, there was been quite a commotion over this book. Carter used the word 'apartheid' to describe the potential of Israeli policies - I feared the worst. . . . For the sake of our readers then and now, I think it is important to have a short and solid statement of response. Messianic Jews are Biblical Zionists.  Zionism is the view that it is important for Jews to return to the Land of Israel and that this is a just and right cause.  Biblical Zionists add that this land has been given to the Jewish people as their homeland, which is a Scriptural teaching. There is a  clear promise of a returning to the Land repeated again and again throughout scriptures. The question remains, where should followers of Yeshua stand, both Jew and Gentile?

Re-Interpreting Scripture | Some years ago, I was asked to review two books that have a very negative slant on the modern State of Israel. I wrote a lengthy letter to one of the authors and have had extensive dialogue with the brother who recommended one of the books. Both books emphasize in detail Israel's sins against the Palestinian Arabs (as if this should change our understanding of what Scripture says?).  There is plenty of factual material for both Israelis and Palestinians to make a one sided case against the other. However, the most alarming assertion in these books was that because the New Testament does not explicitly emphasize the promise of the Land to the Jewish people, this must not be a continuing promise. In addition, both authors held that the New Testament re-interprets the Old Testament and universalized the idea of the Promised Land as a place for all God's people. "The meek shall inherit the earth."

Dan Juster is one of the Jewish elders whose deep theological knowledge and Spirit-inspired thinking has most impacted the Messianic movement since its rise in the late 1960's. To donate to this important voice in Israel and internationally, donate here. If you would like to receive Tikkun.TV articles, Send email to webmaster@tikkunministries.org to be added.




Donna Diorio 
donna@israelprayer.com or donna@d10r10.com
 
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I do not have tax exempt status. 




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