Monday, September 12, 2016

Jerusalem Synagogue Defaced With Christian Graffiti - Israel Today Staff

Jerusalem Synagogue Defaced With Christian Graffiti

Monday, September 12, 2016 |  Israel Today Staff
A synagogue in Jerusalem was vandalized overnight, the assailants spray-painting black crosses across the front of the Jewish house of worship.
Police are currently investigating the incident.
Wadi Abu Nasser, a local spokesman for the Catholic Church, condemned the apparent hate crime, stating, “All peoples should respect each other, especially the others’ holy sites.”
Recent anti-Christian vandalism against churches in Jerusalem received heavy press coverage, while such attacks on synagogues typically garner less attention, though they occur no less frequently.
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Finding the Messiah in the aftermath of 9/11 - ONE FOR ISRAEL


Dr Erez Soref President of  ONE FOR ISRAEL 
Shalom!

The God of Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps, and He is our ever present help in times of trouble. No matter what is going on in the world, Yeshua, our Messiah, is always at work - seeking and saving the lost.


FINDING THE MESSIAH IN THE RUBBLE OF 9/11

In the wake of the 9/11 coming around on our calendars again, we think of all those who died and the devastation that was caused. But even in that awful tragedy, God was at work. 

Identifying bodies after the catastrophic attack, Dr Jeff Burkes, a forensic dentist, came face to face with the reality of evil. He understood that if evil was real, then God was also real. Through the horrors of 9/11, he encountered the truth and found his Messiah. Click on here to hear his story.


ORTHODOX JEWISH WOMAN READS THE NEW TESTAMENT
... AND LOVES IT!

Just a couple of days ago, Moti received this message from a young Jewish woman who had been watching our evangelistic videos which challenge the Rabbinic rejection of Yeshua as the Messiah. Here's what she said:

Hi, this is a bit strange for me, but here goes... It turns out that I have seen you and Eitan in youtube videos quite a lot. At first, of course, I thought what many people think (shock horror! Missionaries! Pagans!) but I ended up getting a New Testament and generally thinking it all over by myself, delving deeper into the history of Rabbinic Judaism... I'm not sure about what I believe now (I come from an Orthodox religious home, and all that goes with that). I think that you have raised a lot of good and interesting points but it's so different to where I'm coming from.... that it's - oy, Jesus! I say that with double meaning... Is there a phone number I could call? Someone who could give me some answers to my questions privately? Thank you.

She had a conversation with Moti, in which she told him:

After searching in so many Jewish circles for the truth, I decided to start reading the New Testament, and I was shocked to find a God that shows love without asking for more.



Please pray for her as she discovers the wonderful truth about the Messiah for herself.

The Reward of Saying Yes to God - LARRY DUGGER CHARISMA MAGAZINE


A rainbow awaits you when you say yes to God.
A rainbow awaits you when you say yes to God. (Flickr )

The Reward of Saying Yes to God

LARRY DUGGER  CHARISMA MAGAZINE
Saying yes can be frightening, especially when you are moving out into uncharted waters. Don't allow the unknown to keep you from setting sail. Anchors aweigh!
Without a doubt, I can tell you that my greatest accomplishments and most rewarding achievements were a result of saying yes to something that I honestly would have liked to say no to. Over the years, God has asked me to say yes on more than one occasion. In everything from overseeing the construction of multimillion-dollar building programs to moving hundreds of miles to help struggling congregations, yes is the answer God was looking for.
In each case, I had no way of knowing what the outcome would be. I had to trust that where I was going would be better than where I had been. God doesn't always give us details concerning the future. We have to trust Him, and that can be difficult, especially when we are dabbling in the unknown. Experience has taught me that if God asks me to go somewhere or to complete an assignment, He pays more than minimum wage!
When Noah agreed to build the ark, the directive was clear: Gather your family along with the animals and stay alive.
"But I will establish My covenant with you; you must go into the ark—you, and your sons, and your wife, and your sons' wives with you.19 Bring every living thing of all flesh, two of every kind, into the ark to keep them alive with you" (Gen. 6:18-19).
There is no mention of a reward. Survival was the only reward on the table at this moment. Noah would have to trust God to sweeten the deal once the work was done. It must have been difficult to say yes with only the promise of covenant, but Noah said yes anyway. There was no guarantee of what life would look like on the other side of the flood. Would it be better? Would it be worse? There was no way to tell. It was uncharted territory. In Noah's mind, it must have seemed like a gamble.
Noah had not yet seen the rainbow.
Remember, at this point, God had not shared His dream for the future with Noah. God could have said, "Look up, Noah. Do you see this colorful arch in the sky? It's called a rainbow. That is what will be waiting for you after this flood is over." God did not offer proof of a reward. On the contrary, He had only explained the nightmare that was to come. God spoke of death and drowning, not future blessing and abundance.
Noah was saying yes to an unknown future. He would maintain his relationship with his immediate family, but everything else familiar to him would be washed away. There was nothing easy about signing on to the plan.
After all was said and done and the new first family exited the ark, the reward of saying yes would be all around them. Now it would be easy to say, "That was worth it."
One yes to God can erase a thousand noes. The reward of saying yes will extend far beyond your current circumstances. Noah's entire family benefited from his willingness to say, "I don't know where You're taking me, Father, but I am in!" Noah realized where he was going would be better than where he was. He didn't have to know the future to start working toward it.
You may have no idea what your life will look like if you say yes to God. Maybe you are still holding on to the familiar devils of your past because outside of them all you can see is a meager existence. Like the drug addict who is only focused on the symptoms of withdrawal rather than the reward of getting clean, you see only consequences.
Noah would not be forced to live on a stinky ark for the rest of his life. No, the ark was the vehicle God used to carry him to the destination He had in mind. Noah said yes to temporary discomfort because he had a hope for better days. Saying yes doesn't mean there won't be consequences and temporary pain, because there will be. Saying yes, however, will cause you to eventually get to the end of the rainbow. Whatever God asks of you today, say yes!
The waters may be uncharted to you, but remember, they are not uncharted to God. He knew what He had in mind for both Noah and the earth before one drop of rain every fell from the sky. You can trust Him with your future. 
40-daysAdapted from 40 Days to Defeat Your Past by Larry Dugger, copyright 2016, published by Charisma House.
Are destructive patterns from your past keeping you from becoming all you are supposed to be? Take this 40-Day challenge to establish new, healthy, fulfilling habits that will equip you to walk out the life God intends for you. To order your copy click here
Prayer Power for the Week of Sept. 11, 2016
This week, no matter what your current situation looks like, resolve to follow Paul's admonition to give thanks in everything. Thank the Lord for His example when He endured the shame of the cross for the "joy set before Him." Say yes to God and thank Him again that even though you may go through uncharted waters, He knows the way and will remain with you as you travel. Continue to pray for our nation, especially as we remember the pain of 9/11. Continue to pray for the upcoming elections. Ask Him to send revival here and throughout the world and for more laborers. (1 Thess. 5:18; Heb. 12:2).
Draw closer to God. Experience the presence of the Holy Spirit every month as you read Charisma magazine. Sign up now to get Charisma for as low as $1 per issue.
Get to know the Holy Spirit and how to interact with Him on a daily basis. Learn to enter God's presence and hear His voice clearly for yourself! Go deeper in your faith with Life in the Spirit and change your life and destiny. Are you ready to start your journey?
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The Jewish People are 'forever' and this is how you know it - Israel Video Network


The Jewish People are 'forever' and this is how you know it - Israel Video Network

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JerusalemU-ode-to-Israel-email
Jerusalem U proudly presents a powerful new video about Jewish pride from African-American poet Chloé Valdary; a leading new voice in the pro-Israel movement, a Tikvah fellow under Pulitzer Prize-winner Bret Stephens at the Wall Street Journal, and one of Algemeiner’s top 100 people positively affecting Jewish life today.

Tent Cities Full Of Homeless People Are Booming In Cities All Over America As Poverty Spikes - Michael Snyder THE ECONOMIC COLLAPSE BLOG

Homeless

Posted: 11 Sep 2016   Michael Snyder  THE ECONOMIC COLLAPSE BLOG

Just like during the last economic crisis, homeless encampments are popping up all over the nation as poverty grows at a very alarming rate.  According to the Department of Housing and Urban Development, more than half a million people are homeless in America right now, but that figure is increasing by the day.  And it isn’t just adults that we are talking about.  It has been reported that that the number of homeless children in this country has risen by 60 percent since the last recession, and Poverty USA says that a total of 1.6 million children slept either in a homeless shelter or in some other form of emergency housing at some point last year. 

Yes, the stock market may have been experiencing a temporary boom for the last couple of years, but for those on the low end of the economic scale things have just continued to deteriorate.

Tonight, countless numbers of homeless people will try to make it through another chilly night in large tent cities that have been established in the heart of major cities such as Seattle, Washington, D.C. and St. Louis.  Homelessness has gotten so bad in California that the L.A. City Council has formally asked Governor Jerry Brown to officially declare a state of emergency.   And in Portland the city has extended their “homeless emergency” for yet another year, and city officials are really struggling with how to deal with the booming tent cities that have sprung up
There have always been homeless people in Portland, but last summer Michelle Cardinal noticed a change outside her office doors.
Almost overnight, it seemed, tents popped up in the park that runs like a green carpet past the offices of her national advertising business. She saw assaults, drug deals and prostitution. Every morning, she said, she cleaned human feces off the doorstep and picked up used needles.
“It started in June and by July it was full-blown. The park was mobbed,” she said. “We’ve got a problem here and the question is how we’re going to deal with it.”
But of course it isn’t just Portland that is experiencing this.  The following list of major tent cities that have become so well-known and established that they have been given names comes from Wikipedia
Most of the time, those that establish tent cities do not want to be discovered because local authorities have a nasty habit of shutting them down and forcing homeless people out of the area.  For example, check out what just happened in Elkhart, Indiana
A group of homeless people in Elkhart has been asked to leave the place they call home. For the last time, residents of ‘Tent City’ packed up camp.
City officials gave residents just over a month to vacate the wooded area; Wednesday being the last day to do so.
The property has been on Mayor Tim Neese’s radar since he took office in January, calling it both a safety and health hazard to its residents and nearby pedestrian traffic.
“This has been their home but you can’t live on public property,” said Mayor Tim Neese, Elkhart.
If they can’t live on “public property”, where are they supposed to go?

They certainly can’t live on somebody’s “private property”.

This is the problem – people don’t want to deal with the human feces, the needles, the crime and the other problems that homeless people often bring with them.  So the instinct is often to kick them out and send them away.

Unfortunately, that doesn’t fix the problem.  It just passes it on to someone else.

As this new economic downturn continues to accelerate, our homelessness boom is going to spiral out of control.  Pretty soon, there will be tent cities in virtually every community in America.

In fact, there are people that are living comfortable middle class lifestyles right at this moment that will end up in tents.  We saw this during the last economic crisis, and it will be even worse as this next one unfolds.

Just like last time around, the signs that the middle class is really
struggling can be subtle at first, but when you learn to take note of them you will notice that they are all around you.  The following comes from an excellent article in the New York Post
Do you see grocery stores closing? Do you see other retailers, like clothing stores and department stores, going out of business?
Are there shuttered storefronts along your Main Street shopping district, where you bought a tool from the hardware store or dropped off your dry cleaning or bought fruits and vegetables?
Are you making as much money annually as you did 10 years ago?
Do you see homes in neighborhoods becoming run down as the residents either were foreclosed upon, or the owner lost his or her job so he or she can’t afford to cut the grass or paint the house?
Did that same house where the Joneses once lived now become a rental property, where new people come to live every few months?
Do you know one or two people who are looking for work? Maybe professionals, who you thought were safe in their jobs?
Don’t look down on those that are living in tents, because the truth is that many “middle class Americans” will ultimately end up joining them.

The correct response to those that are hurting is love and compassion.  We all need help at some point in our lives, and I know that I am certainly grateful to those that have given me a helping hand at various points along my journey.

Sadly, hearts are growing cold all over the nation, and the weather is only going to get colder over the months ahead.  Let us pray for health and safety for the hundreds of thousands of Americans that will be sleeping in tents and on the streets this winter.

World of the Absurd - Charles Gardner ISRAEL TODAY

World of the Absurd

Sunday, September 11, 2016 |  Charles Gardner  ISRAEL TODAY

Today’s world has been well described as the ‘age of absurdity’. And there are abundant examples of this in the pages of our daily newspapers. Wednesday’s Daily Mail[1], for example, included a report of protesters aligned with the Black Lives Matter campaign bringing London City Airport to a standstill.
As the paper pointed out in its editorial, police shootings of unarmed black people are almost unheard of in Britain, which perhaps explains the shift in focus to the ludicrous claim that air pollution discriminates against minorities.
The popular tabloid also devoted acres of column inches to the scandal involving leading Labour politician Keith Vaz, forced to quit as chairman of the House of Commons home affairs select committee following a lurid expose in which he was caught on film having sex with ‘rent boys’. And yet it wasn’t this deed in itself that brought him down, but the fact that it somewhat compromised his position as head of a highly influential parliamentary body investigating, among other things, prostitution and sex trafficking.
Many of his colleagues were at pains to point out that he hadn’t broken any laws, which says something about the current state of our society! Mail columnist Quentin Letts, in mocking the overall ‘regret’ and ‘sadness’ with which the political establishment greeted news of his resignation, wrote: “If he had been filmed saying anything politically incorrect, he would have been shunned like a biblical leper.”
It was a well-aimed damning indictment on our generation, who will put up with just about anything except Christianity.
Another story reported on an unrepentant Independent Television (ITV) after receiving 170 complaints over a ‘gay’ kissing scene being shown on their prime-time soap hit Coronation Street.
Welcome to first century Rome, described by St Paul as a wicked world experiencing the “wrath of God” because they were determined not to follow his ways. The end result was a society full of evil, greed and depravity in which both men and women “committed shameful acts” with one another, and where they “invented ways of doing evil”, claiming to be wise, but in fact becoming fools with no understanding. (See Romans 1.18–32)
It was into this bubbling cauldron of godlessness that Paul brought the gospel. He could not have been unaware of the implications – that his message ran completely counter to everything the Roman world stood for – and indeed there were some fiery trials ahead. But it changed the world! Thank God he was able to assure the Roman Christians that he was “not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.” (Romans 1.16)
At Thessalonica in ancient Greece, believers were dragged before city officials, with their accusers shouting: “These men who have caused trouble all over the world have now come here…” (Acts 17.6, New International Version). This is also translated in other versions as men who have “turned the world upside down”.
But just as the Roman civilization descended into chaos and violence, so Western civilization is now experiencing the “wrath of God”. And why? …Because we have discarded the gospel that was such good news to those first century pagans.
Former Daily Mail columnist Melanie Phillips, who makes no claim to be either Christian or a religious Jew, has brilliantly grasped the nettle of these issues in The world turned upside down (Encounter Books) which chronicles how brainwashed we have all become by the brave new world’s politically correct dogma.
Christians seriously committed to proclaiming the gospel should prepare for persecution.

  1. September 7, 2016  ↩
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