Israel Media Ministries - Reaching Religious Jews Together - Ze'ev Nevo

    Ze'ev Nevo, Founder

Reaching Religious Jews Together

Shalom! Did you know that there are religious Jews that believe in Jesus? Yes there are! We can find them in Israel, the US and around the world - and with God's grace and your prayers and support, many more are coming!

Now that all the presents have been opened, the tree is back in storage and Santa Claus has left the building, it's time to refocus on the great commission that God gave us all - to reach the lost with the greatest gift of all - the message of salvation through Jesus!

I am excited to tell you that 2014 will be a great year for the Gospel. A few months ago Israel Media Ministries has begun working on a new big outreach to the religious Jews. This will be the most comprehensive evangelistic outreach that we did so far. I am so blessed and humbled to work on this project with Dr. Michael Brown, who is widely considered the world's foremost Messianic Jewish apologist.

Dr. Michael Brown

Dr. Brown, who is also graciously serving on our Board of Directors, had a tremendous contribution to the fact that my own father, Joseph, came to faith in Jesus, when he was over 80 years old.

That priceless moment happened just about 18 months before my dad passed and went to be with the Lord. There is no doubt in my mind that my dad's salvation was also instrumental to the salvation of my mom, Ruth, a few years later in 2012. I say all this for you to get a sense of how much I appreciate the apologetic work of Dr. Michael Brown and how it is being used by God for reaching the Jewish people for Jesus - even the most Orthodox Jews you can imagine.

My dad was raised as an Orthodox Jew. After losing his entire family in the Holocaust, he kind of lost faith in God and became secular. It was late in his seventies when I, his only son, came to faith in Jesus.

My dad had many objections to my new faith, many Jewish Objections. You can envision how thrilled I was when I found about a man named Dr. Brown, a Jewish follower of Jesus himself, who wrote a series of books called "Answering Jewish Objections to Jesus." To me, it was like I found a treasure! Finally - answers to every possible Jewish objection to Jesus. What depth! What knowledge of the scriptures and the Jewish belief system! How courageous!!

First I presented to my dad just one of the books (there are 5 total.) Even though it was in English and not in Hebrew, my dad read it from front to back. He simply couldn't put the book down. When my dad turned 80 I knew exactly what gift I should give him... and when I handed him the other 4 books in the series, my dad looked at me and said: "You couldn't have given me a better gift!" I am sure you can imagine how encouraging it was for me to hear that!!

My dad continued to read Dr. Brown's books; very diligently, very consistently, contemplating on one Jewish objection after the other. At the same time someone came up to me with a great idea - "maybe you can reach Dr. Brown and ask him if he will be willing to speak on the phone with your dad?" I was able to contact Dr. Brown through another evangelist that I was serving with.   

When Dr. Brown heard that there is an 80 years old Jewish Holocaust survivor in Israel who is reading his books with great appreciation while fighting cancer - he obviously agreed wholeheartedly. A date and a time were set for Dr. Brown to call from the US to Israel and speak with my dad. It was during that telephone conversation when my father said for the first time "I am convinced that Yeshua is the Messiah!"

A few years later, I met Dr. Brown personally for the first time when he visited Israel. God's timing in arranging this meeting was absolutely amazing. It was shortly after my family and I moved to the US to start Israel Media Ministries. I was still in the process of obtaining a US permanent residency. For that I had to go back to Israel for an interview with the US counselor in Jerusalem. 

There was no telling when this interview will be, so we already moved to the US, waiting for an official letter from the counselor's office. Obviously, I had zero control on the date this meeting in Israel will take place - but God sure did!

When the letter arrived, I jumped on a plane back to Israel. The first thing I did when I arrived to Israel was to call a couple of friends of mine who pastor a congregation in Jerusalem. "This is interesting timing," they said, "Do you know who is in Israel now? Dr. Brown. He is teaching our group in just a few days. Why don't you join us?"

And so I did. It was only then when I met Dr. Brown that I realized that his ministry center is in the Charlotte area... just about 30 minutes' drive from where we moved to ourselves!!

The following day I was invited to a dinner in the Jerusalem area to which Dr. Brown was invited too. As all of us held hands and prayed before the meal, I knew without a shadow of a doubt that I received a word from the Lord. When I overcame my shyness (being the youngest) I shared it with all that were there. Dr. Brown asked me more specifically what I meant and had a witness that it is indeed from the Lord.

That was the day that the vision for this evangelistic project was conceived. It was just over three years ago. That's quite a long "pregnancy" but it will be well worth the wait. As I am writing these lines to you this vision is becoming reality - and in a few months it will be born! I trust that many Jews, including many Orthodox Jews, will come to faith in Messiah Yeshua (Jesus) and be born again into the Kingdom of God. God's Word never returns void!! (Isaiah 55.11)

There is still a lot of work to be done for this big project to be completed, as the plan is to have it in multiple languages to enable us to reach Jewish people in their own heart language, whatever their background is and whenever they are on the globe.

There is also a lot of work to be done in general terms when it comes to Jewish evangelism, as only a very small percentage of the Jewish people believe in Jesus. Well over 99% of us Jews are still waiting for someone to come and share the Gospel with us.

"...my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved. For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal in not based on knowledge... How will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in Him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?" (Romans 10:1-2, 14)

Your partner for Israel's salvation,

Ze'ev

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By Ze'ev Nevo

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Guidance...

Remarkable Pictures of Jewish Communities in the Middle East

Israel's History - a Picture a Day (Beta)

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Remarkable Pictures of Jewish Communities in the Middle East More Treasures from the University of California-Riverside Collection Posted: 27 Dec 2013 01:13 AM PST Jewish scribes at the “Tomb of Ezekiel” near Babylon, Kefil,  Mesopotamia (Iraq)  (Credit: Keystone-Mast Collection, California Museum of  Photography at UCR ARTSblock, University of California, Riverside) The Jews of Iraq The vast Keystone-Mast Collection at the California Museum of Photography contains many photographs of Jewish communities -- now extinct -- from across the Muslim world.   We believe most of the undated pictures in the University of California - Riverside Archives were taken between 1898 and 1930   "Jewish Cobblers Repairing Shoes for  Arabs, near Mosul, Mesopotamia" Using pictures we found in the Library of Congress archives two years ago, Israel Daily Picture has already explored many of the Jewish communities in Iraq, Egypt, Tunisia, Syria, and Turkey.  Click on the country to view earlier postings.   Today, we present the UCR's vintage pictures of  the Jews of Iraq.  Suffering from pogroms, persecution, and confiscation of property, most of the Jews of Iraq left the country by 1951.  The "Jews of Iraq" is Part 1 of a series that will include vintage pictures of Jews of Egypt, Syria and Turkey.  Click on the pictures to enlarge.  Click on the captions to view the original pictures.  Jews of Mosul (Credit: Keystone-Mast Collection,  California Museum of Photography at UCR) Inside Ezekiel's Tomb (circa 1931, Library of Congress). Also view Israel Daily Picture feature on Ezekiel's Tomb  Persian ceiling of ancient synagogue at Ezekiel's Tomb (Credit: Keystone-Mast Collection,  California Museum of Photography at UCR) "Principal Street, Baghdad, Where the Jews and  Moslems Throng, Mesopotamia." Prior to World War II, 80,000 Jews lived in Baghdad. (Credit: Keystone-Mast Collection, California Museum  of Photography at UCR)  "Tomb of Ezra, Mesopotamia. Near Koma, on the  Shatt-el-Arab, (lower Euphrates. and Tigris). East over  lower Tigris to Shrine dear to Jews." (Credit: Keystone-Mast Collection, California Museum  of Photography at UCR) "Picturesque homes of wealthy Jews along the Tigris River in North Baghdad, Mesopotamia."  Note the woman in the window and the boat, a  "kufas" row boat on the Tigris. (Credit: Keystone-Mast  Collection, California Museum of Photography at UCR) "Jewish families of the well-to-do at the wharf,  Baghdad, Mesopotamia." (Credit: Keystone-Mast  Collection, California Museum of Photography at UCR)  Building a "kufas" boat.  Click here to see how many people fit in a kufas. (Credit: Keystone-Mast Collection, California Museum  of Photography at UCR) For more information on the Jews of Iraq and the Tomb of Ezra visit Point of No Return, Jewish Refugees from Arab Countries. In 2003, a U.S. Defense Department analyst, Harold Rhode, uncovered a vast cache of ancient Jewish documents in the flooded basement of the Iraqi Intelligence Headquarters. He led an effort to save the historical documents and bring them to the United States for restoration. The restoration has been completed, but Iraqi Jews around the world are protesting the U.S. Government's plan to return the documents to the Iraq government.

Leadership Through Love - Steve Martin (New Book in 2014)

 

Every person serving with a ministry, church, business or in the home has gifts from the Lord to use in that service. If we understand what our gifts are, we can best contribute in the needed work.

I dedicate this book to each of you who are giving yourself in love for His purposes. In this you will find fulfillment and joy, as you serve your fellow man. This indeed pleases our Lord. 

Steve Martin

Founder/President

Love For His People, Inc.

A Few Endorsements

Wow! What a great practical book for administration. I have watched Steve oversee several ministries. I know of no better administrator than my friend, Steve Martin. I highly recommend that you read this book.

Dr. Peter Wyns, President, Christians for Messiah Ministries and Pastor of Antioch International Church. Grandson of Derek Prince.

In a rough and tumble world marred by the superficial and the phony, where nothing can be counted on, Steve Martin maps out a straight-line path for Christian organizations. In reality, it's a book on how to steward the factors that too often get side-tracked when navigating a significant call of God. 

It's a down-to-earth manual of wisdom needed to enable Christian organizations to keep their eye on the big picture, while building a firm foundation to enable it to happen. Steve writes from the stance of one who has served in key administrative roles in a number of key ministries. Every ministry head and administrator will profit from this straight forward operating wisdom.

Morris Ruddick
Entrepreneur, Author, Minister, Consultant and Business Coach


Steve - I read your excellent book! I want to share this: I've known Steve now for several years. He's a man of faith and a man of action! Both are desired in true men of God. Steve is a manager - management is something he knows and can help you with. His future may be in ever-expanding ways, but he can help you manage. Read this book intently - honor the Lord by letting it wash over you and help you become the Manager that God intends you to be. And Steve, thanks for the book - thanks for your honesty and openness! Amen and blessing!”

Robbie Phillips, Founder, Present Word Ministries, Columbia, SC


Every now and then you have the privilege to get to know someone whose character and life radiate honesty, sincerity, loyalty and Christian love. Steve Martin is that type of person. I first met Steve at a Messianic conference in Charlotte, NC, in 2007. One of the things I quickly noticed about Steve was how "approachable" he was. 

Even though he was the US Director of an international ministry, he still had time to talk with people at the conference and demonstrated a genuine interest in helping to bring about a network of Believers, as well as area groups and churches, for the purpose of serving the Lord more effectively. As the years have passed I've come to realize just how deep Steve's roots of love and service for the Lord are.

It has been exciting to walk with Steve as he's "stepped out of the boat" and moved ahead with the vision the Lord gave him for LOVE FOR HIS PEOPLE - a ministry that helps connect Believers around the world with the people of Israel. He is a husband, father and grandfather. 

Steve, and his wife Laurie, serve as leaders of the Ahava Love Band, a group of singers and musicians who provide praise and worship at area assemblies. Whether you call him Messianic, a part of the "one new man", or a "Jewish Rooter", if there's anyone who knows how to demonstrate "Leadership Through Love", it's Steve Martin.

Curtis Loftin, Founder, Beit Yeshua Lincolnton, NC


Just finished reading Steve Martin’s new book, “Leadership Through Love” - Steve’s heart of goodness and faithfulness to His God shines on every page. Of great importance is the practical hands-on wisdom that comes from actually leading through love, giving integrity to the words that are written. Steve’s sense of humor always kind of sneaks up on me, and I found myself chuckling so many times at his stories and honest, from-the-heart insights! 

 It is the mandate of all of us who follow the One called Faithful and True to complete the work that our Father has given us, and Steve’s book will shine the light on how to do just that, whether you are an administrator or leader in the secular marketplace or in volunteer or paid ministry positions. Loving leadership – a high calling – Steve’s done it, and it shows in this book!

Cathy Hargett, Founder/Director, Highway to Zion Ministries


Reading Steve Martin’s new book ‘Leadership through Love’ led me to a tear and a quick repentance. How often we can overlook the journey for the objective - what we do as opposed to who we are. Steve uses his life testimony to shine light on the importance of loving relationship in the workplace. It is good to be reminded of that, in spite of our great visions. The higher we climb in the Kingdom the greater the responsibility and the more numerous the people we need to serve and love. I thoroughly recommend this book to all in business and ministry. Thank you Steve for reminding me to love the people I work with.

Martin Powell, Kingdom Talents, Owner

I had the pleasure of working on an almost daily basis with Steve Martin for many years while he served several Christian ministries. While Steve had the control of whether we worked together, he always made me feel we were working as a team with a common reward in serving God. He enjoyed my family as I did his. He is intelligent, thoughtful, patient to the extent he could be, a good listener, open to new ideas, joyful and passionate about serving the Lord. The projects may be over long ago but not the bond we hold to this day.

George Payne Write Hand Publishing Andalusia, Alabama


Thanks for the opportunity to read and review this book. I enjoyed it and thought it had some really great insights. I wish I had this back in my "corporate" days. You are a good writer too. In a world filled with an ever increasing list of ‘how to’ books, Steve Martin has provided one which clearly sets itself apart from the rest. He presents a concise look at the art/science of management and leadership based not on academia but on real life experiences founded on God’s Word and powered by the Holy Spirit. 

Based on his vast personal experiences in leadership, reinforced by insights received from others, Steve provides truly practical instruction in how to lead and manage an effective organization whether it consists of one or one thousand people. If you are a manager, leader, or hope to one day become one, this book is a must read.

Dr. Richard E. Tompkins, President, Explore Truth Ministries. SC


My third book is coming in February 2014. 

Hope you get it! 

Steve Martin

ISRAEL'S CHRISTIAN Awakening - WALL STREET JOURNAL

Wall Street Journal

Israel's Christian 

Awakening

A Controversial New Movement Wants to 

Cooperate More Closely With the Jewish State

By 

ADI SCHWARTZ

Dec. 27, 2013 

As Christmas neared, an 85-foot-high tree presided over the 

little square in front of the Greek Orthodox Church of the 

Annunciation in Nazareth. Kindergarten children with Santa Claus 

hats entered the church and listened to their teacher explain in 

Arabic the Greek inscriptions on the walls, while a group of 

Russian pilgrims knelt on their knees and whispered in prayer. 

In Nazareth's old city, merchants sold the usual array of 

Christmas wares.

This year, however, the familiar rhythms of Christmas season 

in the Holy Land have been disturbed by a new development: 

the rise of an independent voice for Israel's Christian community, 

which is increasingly trying to assert its separate identity. For 

decades, Arab Christians were considered part of Israel's 

sizable Palestinian minority, which comprises both Muslims 

and Christians and makes up about a fifth of the country's 

citizens, according to the Israeli government.

But now, an informal grass-roots movement, prompted in 

part by the persecution of Christians elsewhere in the region 

since the Arab Spring, wants to cooperate more closely with 

Israeli Jewish society—which could mean a historic change in 

attitude toward the Jewish state. 

"Israel is my country, and I 

want to defend it," says Henry Zaher, an 18-year-old 

Christian from the village of Reineh who was visiting Nazareth. 

"The Jewish state is good for us."

LOOKING UP: Celebrating Christmas in Nazareth, 

December 2012 Reuters

The Christian share of Israel's population has decreased 

over the years—from 2.5% in 1950 to 1.6% today, according 

to Israel's Central Bureau of Statistics—because of migration 

and a low birthrate. Of Israel's 8 million citizens, about 

130,000 are Arabic-speaking Christians (mostly Greek 

Catholic and Greek Orthodox), and 1.3 million are 

Arab Muslims.

In some ways, Christians in Israel more closely resemble 

their Jewish neighbors than their Muslim ones, says 

Amnon Ramon, a lecturer at the Hebrew University of 

Jerusalem and a specialist on Christians in Israel at the 

Jerusalem Institute for Israel Studies. In a recent book, 

he reports that Israeli Christians' median age is 30, 

compared with 31 for Israeli Jews and only 19 for 

Israeli Muslims. 

Israeli Christian women marry later than 

Israeli Muslims, have significantly fewer children and participate 

more in the workforce. Unemployment is lower among 

Israeli Christians than among Muslims, and life expectancy 

is higher. Perhaps most strikingly, Israeli Christians actually 

surpass Israeli Jews in educational achievement.

As a minority within a minority, Christians in Israel have 

historically been in a bind. Fear of being considered 

traitors often drove them to proclaim their full support 

for the Palestinian cause. Muslim Israeli leaders say that 

all Palestinians are siblings and deny any Christian-Muslim 

rift. But in mixed Muslim-Christian cities such as Nazareth, 

many Christians say they feel outnumbered and insecure.

"There is a lot of fear among Christians from Muslim reprisals,

" says Dr. Ramon. "In the presence of a Muslim student in one 

of my classes, a Christian student will never say the same things

 he would say were the Muslim student not there."

"Many Christians think like me, but they keep silent," says 

the Rev. Gabriel Naddaf, who backs greater Christian 

integration into the Jewish state. "They are simply too afraid." 

In his home in Nazareth, overlooking the fertile hills of the 

Galilee, the 40-year-old former spokesman of the Greek Orthodox 

Patriarchate in Jerusalem is tall and charismatic, dressed in a 

spotless black cassock. "Israel is my country," he says. "We 

enjoy the Israeli democracy and have to respect it and fight for it."

That is the idea behind the new Forum for Drafting the 

Christian Community, which aims to increase the number of 

Christians joining the Israel Defense Forces. 

It is an extremely 

delicate issue: Israeli Arabs are generally exempt from military duty, 

because the state doesn't expect them to fight their brethren among 

the Palestinians or in neighboring Arab countries. Israeli Palestinians, 

who usually don't want to enlist, say they often face discrimination

 in employment and other areas because they don't serve.

"We were dragged into a conflict that wasn't ours," says 

Father Naddaf. "Israel takes care of us, and if not Israel, 

who will defend us? We love this country, and we see the 

army as a first step in becoming more integrated with the state."

According to Shadi Khaloul, a forum spokesperson, the total 

number of Christians serving in the Israeli military has more than 

quadrupled since 2012, from 35 to nearly 150. This may seem a 

drop in the ocean, but it was enough to enrage many Palestinian 

Israelis. Father Naddaf says that his car's tires were punctured 

and that he received death threats, worrying him enough that he 

got bodyguards. 

Hanin Zoabi, an Arab-Muslim member of the 

Israeli parliament, wrote Father Naddaf a public letter calling him 

a collaborator and accusing him of putting young Christians 

"in danger." "Arab Palestinians, regardless of their religion, should 

not join the Israeli army," Ms. Zoabi told me. "We are a national 

group, not a religious one. Any attempt to enlist Christians is part 

of a strategy of divide-and-rule."

Many Arab Christians don't see it that way. "We are not mercenaries," 

says Mr. Khaloul, who served as a captain in an IDF paratrooper 

brigade. "We want to defend this country together with the Jews. 

We see what is happening these days to Christians around us—

in Iraq, Syria and Egypt."

Since the Arab revolutions began in Tunisia in 2011, many 

Christians in the region have felt isolated and jittery. Coptic 

churches have been attacked in Egypt, and at least 26 Iraqis 

leaving a Catholic church in Baghdad on Christmas Day were

 killed by a car bomb. Islamists continue to threaten to enforce 

Shariah law wherever they gain control.

The Christian awakening in Israel goes beyond joining the IDF. 

Some Israeli Christian leaders now demand that their history and 

heritage be taught in state schools. "Children in Arab schools in 

Israel learn only Arab-Muslim history," says a report prepared 

by Mr. Khaloul and submitted to Israel's Ministry of Education, 

"and this causes the obliteration of Christian identity."

Some Israeli Christians even recently established a new 

political party, headed by Bishara Shlayan, a stocky, blue-eyed 

former captain in the Israeli navy who told me that he once beat 

up an Irish sailor in Londonderry who called him an "[expletive] 

Jew." 

The new party is puckishly called B'nai Brith ("Children of 

the Covenant"), and Shlayan says it will have Jewish as well as 

Christian members. Nazareth's mayor, Ramez Jaraisy, recently 

told the Times of Israel that Shlayan was a "collaborator" with 

the Israeli authorities.

"The current Arab political establishment only brought us hate and 

rifts," says Mr. Shlayan. "The Arab-Muslim parties didn't take care 

of us. We are not brothers with the Muslims; brothers take care of 

each other." 

Mr. Shlayan, who advocates better education, housing 

and employment for Israeli Christians, says he also dreams of turning 

Nazareth into an even busier tourist spot by erecting the world's 

biggest statue of Jesus.

Should this Christian awakening succeed, it would be yet another

 notable shift in the balance of power among religious groups 

in the Middle East.

—Mr. Schwartz is a former staff writer and senior editor 

for the Israeli newspaper Haaretz.