Evangelical Christian tour groups keep coming to Israel - Joel Rosenberg

Some of The Joshua Fund tour group on the Golan Heights, visiting the Syrian-Israeli border.

Evangelical Christian tour groups keep coming to Israel, despite new wave of terrorism. Here’s the latest. by joelcrosenberg  Nov. 3, 2015 (Jerusalem, Israel) -- It's been a very challenging Fall here. We're experiencing a wave of terrorism that's been encouraged and incited by Palestinian leaders. It's making big headlines and raising concerns that a "Third Intifada" may be erupting. On September 17th, Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas said publicly,"Every drop of blood that has been spilled in Jerusalem is holy blood as long as it was for Allah. Every Martyr (Shahid) will reach Paradise, and everyone wounded will be rewarded, Allah willing." Since then, at least 153 Israelis have been wounded, and 11 Israelis have been killed. Yet, remarkably, Evangelical Christians from all over the world are continuing to come to tour the country and bless Israel, and for this I am deeply grateful. Nearly 200 Evangelicals just spent nearly two weeks here in the Land with The Joshua Fund on our "Prayer & Vision Tour," and we only had a handful of cancellations, despite the violence. [Please scroll through our "Epicenter Team" page on Facebook or through my Twitter account over the past two weeks to see lots of pictures from our tour.] Nearly 150 Evangelicals are here right now with Tony Perkins and Gen. Jerry Boykin on the Family Research Council's first-ever tour of Israel. Indeed, I've had the joy of spending the last several days touring with them, addressing these folks on the Southern Steps of the Temple Mount and on the Mount of Olives, and answering their many questions. Today and tomorrow, Tony and I will join Dr. Jerry Johnson, president of NRB (National Religious Broadcasters) and a group of high-ranking Israeli and European government and business leaders for the Jerusalem Leaders Summit. It's been enormously encouraging to the Israeli people, the tourism industry, and government leaders to see Christians continuing to come to show our love and solidarity. As the world increasingly turns against Israel at the U.N. and in other international forums, Israelis often feel very much alone. But the steadfast love of Bible-believing Christians is very moving and unexpected here. Especially now. Thank you -- all of you -- for your faithful prayers for restored calm and security. Please keep praying. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem. Pray for the Lord to comfort and heal all those who have been wounded. Pray for what the Bible calls "peace that passes all comprehension" for the families and friends of those who have been killed. Pray for the Lord to comfort and heal the deep emotional wounds of Palestinian families whose loved ones have turned into terrorists have been captured or killed as they have attacked Israeli citizens. Pray for security forces to have favor and success in stopping terror attacks and restoring the rule of law. The good news is that Israeli security forces have learned over the years how to stop terrorist suicide bombing attacks. They have also created the Iron Dome system to neutralize the impact of rocket attacks by Hamas and other terror groups in Gaza. The bad news is that the terrorists have resorted to using kitchen knives, meat cleavers, broken bottles and cars to attack Israeli civilians, police officers and border guards. Pray that the Lord restrains those who want to do evil, thwarts their plots, and brings them to justice -- and that the Lord would dramatically change the hearts of Palestinian leaders who are inciting young people to attack and kill Jews. Pray for wisdom for Israeli leaders to know exactly how to handle the situation, while also showing compassion towards Israeli Arabs who are citizens of the Jewish State, and compassion on Palestinian Arabs who are not terrorists and are suffering even further because of the actions of evil doers. Pray that the Lord would knit together the hearts of Jewish and Arab followers of Jesus Christ, that we would not let the current violence and tensions divide us, but rather unite us in love, in prayer for the nation and region, and in humble service towards one another. Pray above all that the Holy Spirit would dramatically and supernaturally open the eyes of the lost and the spiritually blind to the truth that Jesus is the Christ foretold in the ancient Biblical prophecies and that only by faith in His death and resurrection can any of us have true divine forgiveness of our sins, peace with God, and hope in this increasingly dark world. In the days ahead, I hope to share with you more about the Joshua Fund tour. It was a very special time of Bible teaching, prayer, worship, caring for the poor, meeting with Jewish and Arab pastors and ministry leaders, and seeing amazing Biblical sites. In the days ahead, I also plan to share with you more about the roots of the current violence, about the rumors sweeping through the Palestinian community that Israel is about to destroy the Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa Mosque and build the Third Temple, and the pattern of incitement to violence that we are seeing among far too many Palestinian political and religious leaders. But for now, I just want to reiterate my heartfelt thanks to all the Christians who are continuing to come to Israel to show the Lord Jesus' love for Jews and Arabs, thank Christians around the world who are praying for us here, and to ask you all to keep praying. That's the most important thing you can do, and Lord knows we need your prayers as much as we ever did. It's not just a physical war underway in this region, it's a white-hot spiritual war, as well. So thank you, and God bless you. ——————————– To order The Third Target online through one of several major outlets, please click here — or go to your favorite bookstore in your community. Follow on Twitter — @joelcrosenberg Receive every blog post automatically via the RSS feed. Invest in The Joshua Fund (www.joshuafund.net), our non-profit organization to educate and mobilize Christians to bless Israel and her neighbors in the name of Jesus, care for the poor and needy with food and other humanitarian relief, and strengthen the Church in the epicenter. Read our latest Donor Report, and make a tax deductible, secure, on-line contribution. joelcrosenberg | November 3, 2015 at 11:03 am | Categories: Uncategorized | URL:http://wp.me/piWZ7-3nK

Interview with an Iraqi pastor on the terrible persecution Christians in Iraq are facing - Joel Rosenberg

Joel Rosenberg I have just interviewed an Iraqi pastor on the terrible persecution Christians in Iraq are facing. Please listen & share with others. by joelcrosenberg

(Washington, D.C.) -- Right now, we are witnessing horrific war and bloodshed and lawlessness in the epicenter. We are seeing some of the worst persecution in the modern history of the Middle East unfold before our eyes. Radical Islamic extremists are crucifying and beheading Christians, forcing followers of Christ to convert or die, driving Christians from their homes and looting all their possessions. This is particularly true in Iraq and Syria, where genocidal conditions are emerging.

Much of the world is silent, but the Church must not be. We must stand with our brothers and sisters in Christ -- pray for them, love them, stand with them, encourage them, and help them in every practical way we can. We also need to love and care for Muslims and others who are being mercilessly attacked by the Radicals. They are sheep without a shepherd, harassed and helpless.

We must urge world leaders to take decisive actions to stop the advances of the Radicals and do everything to defeat these forces of evil and wickedness and protect the innocent.

We must also give Christians in the region the opportunity to speak to the rest of the world, to tell us what they are facing and how we can help.

On Tuesday, I had the opportunity to interview by phone a dear Iraqi pastor who loves Jesus Christ and is right in the middle of the crisis. I've known him for years. As founder and Chairman of The Joshua Fund, I've had the opportunity to visit Iraq four times to encourage him and other Iraqi pastors and Christian lay leaders, hold pastors retreats, provide humanitarian relief, and so forth. Our team and I decided to do this interview to help our brother speak to you directly, so you could hear his voice and his heart and get a glimpse of the enormous dangerous and pressures he and other Christians face inside Iraq at this hour.

The interview runs about 20 minutes. I hope that you will listen to all of it, and share it with others. You can listen by clicking here.

Then please take time to pray for this humble, faithful pastor, and his family, and the flock he shepherds. Please pray, too, for the many, many families who are fleeing from the Radicals and coming to him for shelter.

The Joshua Fund is providing financial assistance right now to care for Christians fleeing from this storm of extremism. Please consider giving a generous financial gift to The Joshua Fund as our team stands with these brothers and sisters in their darkest hours.

At the same, let's maintain a Biblical perspective on all that's happening. Bible prophecy warns us that such terrible things are going to happen in the last days before the return of Christ. Indeed, they are signs that the return of Jesus and the establishment of His kingdom is getting closer. Therefore, as we study the Scriptures, let us not lose heart. Rather, let us be motivated to love our neighbors, and love our enemies, and care for the persecuted church in the Middle East and around the world. We may not have the power on our own to stop such evil. But we can help our brothers and sisters to stand firm in the Lord, and be to brave in sharing the Gospel and to show compassion to the helpless, and to be true lights in the darkness.

Consider the following Scriptures:

"As He was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, 'Tell us, when will these things happen, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?' And Jesus answered and said to them, 'See to it that no one misleads you. For many will come in My name, saying, "I am the Christ," and will mislead many. You will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes. But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs. Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name. At that time many will fall away and will betray one another and hate one another. Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many. Because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved. This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come." (Matthew 24:4-14)

^"Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming. But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into. For this reason you also must be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will." (Matthew 24:42-44)

“But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’ Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’ Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink;I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.’ Then they themselves also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You?’ Then He will answer them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” (Matthew 25:31-46)

joelcrosenberg | August 14, 2014 at 12:57 pm | Categories: Uncategorized | URL:http://wp.me/piWZ7-37d

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Our family is moving to Israel. We’d be grateful for your prayers. Joel Rosenberg

Our family is moving to Israel. We’d be grateful for your prayers. by joelcrosenberg

August 13, 2014

Dear Friends –

Greetings from Northern Virginia! We hope you are enjoying the Lord and this beautiful summer.

Lynn and I are writing to share with you several significant changes in our lives. We are excited about them and we would deeply appreciate your prayers.

First, we are moving to Israel as a family. For the last several years, we have sensed God calling us to immigrate to the land of Israel (to “make Aliyah”) and follow the path of our forefathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Based on my Jewish roots on my father’s side, the State of Israel has granted us citizenship. We are now dual citizens of the United States and Israel, and are deeply grateful to the Lord for making this possible in His timing and by His grace.

So, after twenty-four years living in the Washington, D.C. area, we have packed our bags, rented out our home, and are moving to Israel. We have rented and outfitted an apartment there and will soon begin the process of intensive Hebrew study. Lord willing, I will continue to write books, write Flash Traffic and blog updates, and do media interviews from there. I also look forward to returning to the States on a regular basis for book tours, board meetings, and speaking events.

It’s going to be a game-changer for all of us, and it’s going to be difficult to leave family and friends whom we love so much. That said, the boys are excited about this new adventure God is taking us on, and so are we. We know it’s going to be very challenging to assimilate into a different culture -- and to become fluent in a new language -- but we’re eager to obey the Lord and get started. 

Second, we are excited about changes taking place at The Joshua Fund. As many of you know, Lynn and I founded TJF in 2006 to educate Christians about God’s love and plan for Jews and Arabs in the Middle East; mobilize Christians to pray for and invest in God’s work in the epicenter; strengthen the Church in the region; and care for the needy and vulnerable. It has been such a wonderful and rewarding eight years and now we are eager to serve in new ways.

Last December, I stepped down as President and CEO of TJF so I could devote more time to my numerous other responsibilities, and prepare for this transition to Israel. The board was very supportive of that decision and the Lord has provided a solid, competent and experienced leadership team to guide the ministry on a day-to-day basis.

Lynn and I plan to stay fully engaged with the organization as founders and Board members, and I have recently accepted the Board’s appointment as TJF Chairman. In this capacity, I will continue to: 1) mobilize Christians around the world to bless Israel and her neighbors in the name of Jesus; 2) participate in key TJF events (prayer and vision trips, Epicenter Conferences, pastors’ conferences/retreats, etc.); and 3) promote the work and heart of TJF internationally.

Moving to Israel during a war may seem crazy to some, but we are at peace that this is what the Lord is calling us to do. Indeed, we count it an honor to stand with our Israeli and Palestinian friends to pray for the peace of Jerusalem, as the Psalmist commands. Our hearts grieve for those on both sides of the border who are suffering because of this war, and we want to serve them and care for them in any way we can. The Lord Jesus said in Matthew 5:9, “Blessed are the peacemakers.” We trust the Lord will show us how in some small way we can serve Him in a Land still so in need of His grace and peace.

We’re so glad to be able to share with you this update now that our path forward has become clearer. Again, we would deeply appreciate your prayers for wisdom and discernment, for courage and strength, and patience and joy through the many challenges that lie ahead. We’d also be grateful for your grace and patience in this season ahead as we try to adjust to an entirely new life, new time zones, and the challenges of communicating from so far away.

On behalf of Lynn and the boys, let me conclude by saying that we love you so much and we’re so grateful for your kindness and your faithful prayers. God bless you.

In Christ,

Joel C. Rosenberg

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• Learn more about The Joshua Fund (www.joshuafund.com). This is an organization my wife and I founded in 2006 to educate and mobilize Christians to bless Israel and her Arab neighbors in the name of Jesus, including caring for the poor and needy with food and other humanitarian relief. Read our 2013 Donor Report. Please pray for our team, especially as they care for Jews and Arabs in the region. And please prayerfully consider making a generous, tax deductible, secure, on-line contribution.
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