The latest trivia question: Where were you when Obama was sworn in as the 44th and first black president of the United States of America?
Answer: If you weren’t in D.C., you should have been enjoying the Pizza of Change in Jerusalem.
The First Rains
September 27, 2008 by Leave a Comment
Many, if not most people would think a rain shower would be a downer during a congregational picnic. And, perhaps in some places that would be true.
However, we haven’t seen rain in almost six months. So, our congregation saw the rain as something to rejoice over. We thanked the Lord for his gift, kept the grill going, and tried to huddle under the trees as much as possible until the showers passed.
In the spring, we saw the green hill sides quickly turn to gold, indicating an absence of water. That cycle will begin to reverse soon: the hill sides will start to trade in their golden tone for a beautiful, lush green.
In the next six months, we will get our yearly allotment of water, and our prayer is that God will be very generous toward us.
For the last four years we have had less than our average annual rainfall, which finally created a critical situation. So much so that the government passed a new water conservation law that increased the cost of water used for gardens by almost 100%. Normally restrictions target farms and those that want to wash their cars at home: farms are typically forbidden to water during the middle hours of the day based on the thought that during the hot summer days more water will be needed due to evaporation; and it is forbidden to wash a car at home (though commercial car washes are allowed). So, when private gardens are targeted with restrictions, it is clear, we are in a water crisis. Hopefully, the rain this year will be abundant.
“…fearing those who were of the circumcision.”
June 30, 2008 by 3 Comments
“…for before certain men came from James, he [Peter] would eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing those who were of the circumcision.” (Galatians 2:12)
“The mission against Jews” is a common way orthodox Jews refer to people in Israel, Jews or gentiles, who believe in Yeshua. And social pressure is one of the main weapons that orthodox Jews use in their battle against those whom they oppose. (See John 9:22 for another NT example.)
There are a few “anti-missionary” organizations that have the goal of protecting Jews from the “dangers” of believing in Jesus. Yad L’Ahim is the most well known, but there might be others. It’s hard to tell how many organizations there might be because much of their efforts are done anonymously as can be seen in the photo below.
Recently, one of these organizations placed flyers in the mailboxes of a particular neighborhood. On that flyer they included the photos, names and addresses of 5 pastors of Hebrew speaking, Jesus believing congregations in Jerusalem. The sixth box (outlined in red) contained a not so subtle warning: Your photo could be here. Often, such a warning creates a fear of “those of the circumcision” that for all practical purposes silences believers in Yeshua.
The fear of man is a very real fear both in the NT period and now, and it is something that fellow believers around the world should pray for Israeli believers to overcome. I know four of the five men highlighted in the flyer, and am confident that they will not be silenced. In fact, for at least one of them, this isn’t the first time his picture has been used in such a way.
As the local believing community continues to grow, the anti-missionary groups are becoming more determined to stop the message. And to the degree that humiliation doesn’t work, more severe means of opposition will be implemented. Just this year, among the lesser known actions, there have been some very headline grabbing attempts to resist “the mission.” Among those were the near assassination of Ami Ortiz, the son of a messianic pastor in Ariel. Ami, made the mistake of opening a Purim holiday package that had been left at his home. Inside that package of candies was a bomb. See one report here, or search YouTube for a variety of video reports and testimonies of that event.
In Or Yehuda, a small town next to Ben Gurion Airport, a bunch of Ethiopian New Testaments was gathered and burned in a public demonstration against “the mission.” This action was instigated by the deputy mayor of Or Yehuda. See the article here where the deputy mayor tries to get the toothpaste back in the tube.
