Yeshua caught up with an Israeli girl in Berlin! - ONE FOR ISRAEL

Dr. Erez Soref, President of ONE FOR ISRAEL  Shalom!   "But don't forget this one thing, loved ones, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like one day.  The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some consider slowness. Rather, He is being patient toward you - not wanting anyone to perish, but for all to come to repentance." (2 Peter 3:8-9) God is bringing in a great harvest in the Middle East, and every day Jews and Arabs are being saved. Stories like Barri's below show that you can be Jewish and follow Jesus! The Messiah is coming back, but He wants as many to turn to Him as possible, all over the world.   A team of Arabs and Jews from our Bible college, Israel College of the Bible, has just returned from a mission trip to Berlin.  Many Israelis and Muslims who now live in Berlin are very open to the gospel. Our team shared a Shabbat meal with some 30 non-believers and was able to share the gospel with them all. Carlos shared his testimony and opened the discussion about Yeshua and salvation. One girl from Lod in Israel received the Lord - she had heard the gospel back in Israel, but made the step to follow Yeshua right there with the team.  Together with local believers, our team has been able to share with many Muslims from Syria, Iran, and other places in the Middle East. They have also had the privilege to work with and encourage some new believers from Muslim backgrounds. Please pray there would be much fruit from their labors - fruit that will last! Four Things Hidden in the Book of Esther This week we will celebrate the feast of Purim! Purim commemorates the narrow escape of the Jewish people from the threat of annihilation and the courage of Queen Esther who bravely stood up for her people. The word "purim" means "lots," due to the method that wicked Haman used to decide the date that they would wipe out the Jewish people in the provinces of Persia. The story is well known, but there are several things hiding beneath the surface in this unusual book of the Bible. Continue reading...    Why Does Fasting Work?   People who take prayer seriously will know how powerful fasting is. But what is it about missing meals that makes prayer so potent? And does fasting from social media or chocolate have the same effect?Continue reading... FOLLOW US:

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Arabs Fume as Israel Awaits US Embassy Move to Jerusalem; How Israel Stopped ISIS from Blowing Up Australian Airliner; Isaiah Comes Alive! - United with Israel

Netanyahu Thanks Trump, Celebrates US Embassy Move! Israeli Kids’ Hockey Team Trains in Canada; American Jewish Comedian Embraces Palestinian Teen Slapper

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Church Leaders Close the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Tax Protest - Associated Press

Church Leaders Close the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Tax Protest

02-25-2018

Associated Press

JERUSALEM (AP) — The leaders of the major Christian sects in Jerusalem closed the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, built on the traditional site of Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection, for several hours on Sunday to protest an Israeli plan to tax their properties.

The Christian leaders responsible for the site issued a joint statement bemoaning what they called a “systematic campaign of abuse” against them, comparing it to anti-Jewish laws issued in Nazi Germany.

The Christians are angry about the Jerusalem municipality plans to tax their various assets around the city and a potential parliament bill to expropriate land sold by the Greek Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches. The churches, which are major landowners in the holy city, say it violates a long-standing status quo.

The Greek Orthodox, Roman Catholic and the Armenian Apostolic leaders said the moves seemed like an attempt to “weaken the Christian presence in Jerusalem.”

The Church of the Holy Sepulchre is a major place of worship in Jerusalem’s Old City. Christians revere it as the site where Jesus was crucified and where his tomb is located, and its closing is highly unusual.

The Jerusalem municipality said it would continue to care for the needs of Jerusalem’s Christians and maintain their full freedom of worship. It said the church, just like other sacred sites in the city, is exempt from municipal property taxes and that will not change.

“However, hotels, halls, and businesses cannot be exempt from municipal taxes simply because they are owned by the churches. These are not houses of worship,” it said in a statement. “We will no longer require Jerusalem’s residents to bear the burden of these huge sums.”

Jerusalem is one of the country’s poorest cities, and the tax revenue from the properties is estimated to be tens of millions of dollars.

Separately, parliament is pursuing a bill that will appropriate lands in Israel sold by churches to anonymous buyers since 2010. The bill’s sponsor, lawmaker Rachel Azaria, said these questionable sales have plunged thousands of Jerusalem residents into uncertainty over their living conditions.

She said the bill was aimed to protect apartment owners against property speculators and had “nothing whatsoever” to do with the churches. “We have no intention ... to make them feel unwelcome,” she said.

Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.