 |
Aug. 7, 2017
 |
|
| Dr Erez Soref President of ONE FOR ISRAEL |
Shalom!
This week we have an amazing story of a Jewish man who was beaten into a coma, but as he came to know Yeshua, he slowly came to the shocking realization that he must also forgive his attacker.
"Something in my heart began to change", explains Jonathan. "Almost every message of Yeshua is about forgiveness - he says that we must love our enemies bless those who curse us and do good to those who persecute us."
|
 |
Can you imagine if everyone around here actually started to do what Yeshua said? To love their enemies, to pray for those who are persecuting them? To forgive deep wounds and bless the ones who caused it? The Middle East conflict would be over!
Yeshua holds the true key to peace, and so we will not stop proclaiming his Gospel of Peace - the true liberating force in the universe. Forgiveness and freedom! Peace between man and God, man and his brother! Moreover, we are committed to discipling sons and daughters of the King here in Israel, both Jew and Arab, training both new and mature believers in righteousness.
Whether people come from a Jewish, Muslim, or nominally Christian background, we all need to grow in our faith so that we can live lives worthy of him, to truly live as he called us to, and to correctly divide the word of truth.
"Make every effort to present yourself before God
as tried and true, as an unashamed worker
cutting a straight path with the word of truth."
(2 Timothy 2:15)
STUDENT IN THE SPOTLIGHT:
This is David, one of our students in the Russian program, and pastor of not one but two Russian speaking congregations! He was eager to gain proper academic training in theology, and we have loved getting to know him.
Although an upstanding pastor today, life was not always so squeaky clean for David.
He was born in Georgia and immigrated to Israel at the age of 21, but due to the great difficulties of adapting to a new country, David began to use heavy drugs and became deeply addicted for eight years. David's life was completely destroyed; relations with his family and friends seemed hopelessly ruined. But one day he visited local congregation in Haifa where he was touched by God. From that moment, David's life began to change.
Soon, David went to a Messianic rehabilitation center, where God began to work in his life. Instead of suffering the excruciating experience of coming off drugs "cold turkey" the Lord made it so that David fell asleep and woke up only after nine days! After that, the Lord healed him of Hepatitis C, restored relations with his family and friends, and gave him a wife and two daughters. Today David is the pastor of the of the "Living Israel" congregation in Rishon leZion, near Tel Aviv. Within two years he opened three congregations in the city, two of which he is the senior pastor. David has a vision to plant a fourth congregation, after that a fifth, sixth, seventh, and so on, so that Russian-speaking Israelis will know that there is a Living God in Israel.
Why Bother Reading the Lists in the Bible?
You don't have to go far in either the Hebrew Scriptures or the New Testament before you hit them - those lists of unpronounceable names! The lists and genealogies in the Bible have been a source of much consternation (and sometimes merriment) as hapless readers struggle through exotic and multi-syllabled Middle Eastern names in their Bible study groups. Do we really have to bother with these lists? Is it so bad to just skip them? Continue reading...
Tu B'Av: A Day of Love in Jewish Tradition
The ancient tradition of the Jewish "Day of Love" is on "Tu B'Av" or, the 15th of the Jewish month of Av, which like all Jewish days, starts at sunset the day before, and continues until sunset the following day. The theme of love and marriage is so important in Judaism, and indeed the Bible, not only to be fruitful and multiply, but because it manifests the plans, heart and nature of God, right before our eyes. The very definition of true love. Continue reading...
|
|
|
| |
|
