Standing in support of Israel, Jews, and believers in all the nations, in the name of Jesus (Yeshua). Sharing biblical truth, encouragement, news and prophecy.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Ahava Love Letter - "Labyrinth"
Ahava Love Letter
“Labryinth” “In the Messiah, in Christ, God leads us from place to place in one perpetual victory parade.” (2 Cor. 2:14, from THE MESSAGE) |
Dear family of friends,
Lately I’ve been pondering on a prophetic word I received on Nov. 14, 1998. It was given to me through a man during a conference, with two other prophetic gifted people sharing also. Here is the word he spoke to me, in part.
“Steve, have you ever seen that little game when you were a kid, called Labyrinth? It’s a board game that has about 50 holes in it, and you try and maneuver a marble through. You can tilt the board four ways as you try to maneuver this marble without going into the holes. I feel like that’s a picture of your life. It’s like the Lord has said, “How many are there who will pursue all the way through to the end?
I feel like He’s found that in you. He’s found somebody that will pursue to the end. I feel like you’re obsessed with the Kingdom of God, and some people are going to come against you in that, not meaning to be critical, but they have come against that – almost that obsession that you have. But in your heart you’ve said, “Yeah, I am obsessed with the Kingdom, because everybody is obsessed with something.”
After hearing that “labyrinth” word, I honestly had no idea what he was talking about. But time would tell.
In looking back over these past 14 years, I feel like I have been that marble rolling around, searching for the exact hole to fall into. Let’s see…six churches, employments with three ministry organizations, several worship teams. Some would look at me and say I am just a wanderer. (But I have been married 34 years, lived in the same house the past 17 years now, and have kept on a steady Christian course.) I think I am realizing what that prophetic word meant, to be a picture of that labyrinth game, in my walk with the Lord. And though at times I must admit that I thought I was just going from “hole to hole”, I now more clearly see the Lord’s hand in it. Can you relate too?
Some of us won’t settle for the mundane, the normal routine, the everyday life that others would and may already have accepted. We are ones who are continually looking for His purpose and fulfillment in our life, and are willing to keep looking, to keep searching, to keep “rolling on” until we find it, and above all, pursue Him.
I expect there will be a few more places that I will be led to. That is exciting, and yet challenging at the same time. But I am committed to stay in the labyrinth maneuvering, all the way through to the end. Hope you are too.
Ahava to my family of friends,
Steve Martin
Founder/President
Love For His People, Inc. truly appreciates your generous support. Please consider sending a monthly charitable gift of $5-$25 each month to help us bless Messianic Jews in Israel. You can send checks to the address below. Todah rabah! (Hebrew - Thank you very much.)
©2012 Steve Martin Love For His People, Inc. 12120 Woodside Falls Rd. Pineville, NC 28134
E-mail: ahavaloveletters@gmail.com
Facebook pages: Steve Martin and Love For His People
Twitter: martinlighthous, LovingHisPeople and ahavaloveletter
Love For His People, Inc. is a charitable, not-for-profit USA organization. Fed. ID#27-1633858. Tax deductible contributions receive a receipt for each donation.
Ahava Love Letter #40 Date: Feb. 1, in the year of our Lord 2012
Friday, January 27, 2012
Highway To Zion Assemblies in March
Cathy Hargett - Founderf/President - Highway To Zion
Shalom, Shalom, Friends!
Just wanted to give you a heads-up about two exciting and timely Highway to Zion Assemblies coming up in March! We don't normally have two Assemblies in the same month, but you will see when you read below why these two Assemblies are strategic and ordered by the Lord.
For those of us who have embraced the "restoration of Israel/Messianic faith movement", we are realizing that this is "real life" and authentic life in the Ruach when we take our stand and obey and listen intently to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob - it's no longer "business as usual" - we are living in "that day"!
The Lord has so blessed us with the opportunity to have these two Assemblies with speakers from Jerusalem! As our HTZ Board has been praying and planning, we were asking the Lord for speakers from Israel for 2012 and these two opportunities came to us by the Ruach - we praise Him for this and for the blessing of being able to invite you to join us.
These two speakers are not from the same ministry, but it "just happened" that both were scheduled to be in the Charlotte area in the same month, and we at HTZ were blessed to be included in their plans!
I really believe it is God's plan and blessing for those of us in the Charlotte and surrounding area to have the opportunity to link arms with Israel through these two brothers and their ministries.
Not only will we hear the Word of the Lord from Jerusalem, but we will experience two very different Assemblies.
If we set our hearts to hear from the Lord, we will hear and witness to our own strategic spiritual calling and destiny as we see the Lord unfolding His plans at this hour through Chuck and David's unique perspectives - Chuck's ministry is focused on intercession for Israel and David's calling, as a journalist and writer, is to report the prophetic as we see it happening right now, today.
Save the dates for these upcoming Assemblies - Friday, 3/16th and Friday, 3/30th!
(We will be sending details as we get closer to the dates - but as of now, both Assemblies will be held at Raintree Country Club in Charlotte/Matthews, NC from 7-9:30 p.m.!)
3/16/11 - Chuck Cohen, from Jerusalem, a Director of Intercessors for Israel.
http://www.ifi.org.il/
3/30/11 - David Dolan, from Jerusalem, journalist and author.
http://www.ddolan.com/
Don't miss these Assemblies!
We are so looking forward to seeing you at these Assemblies, and to worshipping, praying and hearing from the Lord together!
Love and blessings in Yeshua ha Mashiach!
Cathy
Cathy Hargett
Highway to Zion Ministries, Inc.
704 365 2728
http://highwaytozion.org/welcome
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Friday, January 20, 2012
Rick Santorum & Prayer Requests
Rick Santorum supports the people of Israel.
(Video by Steve Martin Jan. 12, 2012)
Monday, January 16, 2012
Saturday, January 14, 2012
The Harbinger - Jonathan Cahn on CBN
CBN story: Jonathan Cahn: The Harbinger
The Harbinger by Jonathan Cahn
Is it possible… That there exists an ancient mystery that holds the secret of America’s future? That this mystery lies behind everything from 9/11 to the collapse of the global economy? That ancient harbingers of judgment are now manifesting in America? That God is sending America a prophetic message of what is yet to come?
Before its destruction as a nation, ancient Israel received nine harbingers, prophetic omens of warning. The same nine harbingers are now manifesting in America—with immediate ramifications for end-time prophecy.
Hidden in an ancient biblical prophecy from Isaiah, the mysteries revealed in The Harbinger are so precise that they foretold recent American events down to the exact days. The revelations are so specific that even the most hardened skeptics will find it hard to dismiss or put down. It sounds like the plot of a Hollywood thriller – with one exception… IT’S REAL.
The prophetic mysteries are revealed through an intriguing and engaging narrative the reader will find hard to put down. The Harbinger opens with the appearance of a man burdened with a message he has received from a mysterious figure called The Prophet. The Prophet has given him nine seals, each containing a message about America’s future. As he tells of his encounters with The Prophet, from a skyscraper in New York City, to a rural mountaintop, to Capitol Hill, to Ground Zero, the mystery behind each seal is revealed. As the story unfolds, each revelation becomes a piece in a greater puzzle – the ramifications of which will even alter the course of world history.
Friday, January 13, 2012
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Archaeologists Find Rare 'Pure to God' Temple Seal - CBN
Sunday, January 01, 2012
by Julie Stahl
CBN News is a national/international, nonprofit news organization that provides programming by cable, satellite, and the Internet, 24-hours a day.JERUSALEM, Israel -- Archaeologists digging near the Western Wall in Jerusalem's Old City unearthed a rare find used in the daily work of the ancient Jewish Temple.
The small clay seal is inscribed with two words in Aramaic meaning "pure to God." "This is the first time we got [found] something that belongs to God, belongs to something that came from the temple," Israel Antiquities Authority archaeologist Eli Shukron said.
Archaeologists say the seal is the first archaeological evidence of the administrative workings of the Second Temple. That temple was built around 500 BC after Solomon's Temple had been destroyed. Experts believe temple officials used the seal as a stamp to indicate that an object, such as oil or an animal for sacrifice, was approved for ritual use in the temple.
Archaeologists found this latest treasure, dated between the first century BC and 70 AD when the Romans destroyed the Second Temple, while excavating near the foundations of the Western Wall. "It's very, very exciting to find something that priests use in the temple before 2,000 years -- something that belong[ed] to the temple, and this is the first time we found a thing like that -- ever," Shukron said.
Layers of soil covered the giant foundation stones of the outer wall of the Temple Mount. During the time of the Second Temple, the main street of Jerusalem would have been above it…including the years when Jesus walked the city.
Shukron said all the dirt and debris from the area is meticulously sifted for artifacts.
"And the dirt that covered this stone from here we took it to the sifting and then we sifted and found the seal from this area, from this area that we stand," he explained.
Archaeologists are not allowed to excavate on the Temple Mount itself because of political and religious sensitivities. It currently houses the Muslim mosques and shrines. Not long ago, archaeologists found coins in a ritual bath under the nearby Western Wall, which indicated that King Herod the Great, builder of Jerusalem, didn't finish the Western Wall himself before he died. --Published Dec. 29, 2011.
Monday, January 2, 2012
Who Was the Fourth Man? - Dr. Bill Duerfeldt
Who was the Fourth Man?
In our daily devotions recently my wife and I were reading Judges, chapter thirteen -- the story of Samson’s conception. Samson’s parents were confronted by the Angel of the LORD who told them that Samson would be a special child – a Nazarite in English or Naziyr in Hebrew – ie, a consecrated person.
What particularly struck me about this part of the story were verses 17 and 18 -- Samson’s father asks the Angel “What is your name?” The Angel’s reply was enigmatic, to say the least. In most English translations the Angel answers, “Why do you ask my name, seeing it is wonderful?”
I went back to the original Hebrew to see if I could make any more sense out of that answer, and discovered something rather amazing. In Hebrew, the word “wonderful” is pil’iy. It means “beyond understanding” or “incomprehensible”. It is the same word used in Isaiah 9:6 describing the Messiah. “For unto us a Child is born; unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Is it possible that this Angel of the LORD was actually a theophany – a visual manifestation of Yeshua before the Incarnation?
I think we will all agree that Yeshua has always been alive and co-existent with the Father. Numerous scriptures in the Tanak and the B’rit Chadeshah clearly make that point. These include Micah 5:2; Hebrews 1:1-2; John 10:30; John 1:1-4; John 8:58; and Luke 10:17 to name a few. Since He has always been in existence, are there times when He manifested Himself as a man in the Tanak? I believe there is compelling evidence that He may have done so on at least three other occasions. Let’s look at them.
Melchizedek. “And Melchizedek, King of Salem, brought out bread and wine; now he was a priest of God most high. And he [Melchizedek] blessed him [Abram] and said, ‘Blessed be Abram of God Most High, possessor of Heaven and Earth; and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand’. And he [Abram] gave him [Melchizedek] a tenth of all he had.” (Genesis 14:18-20)
I want to point out three things about this story. First – the name Melchizedek comes from two root Hebrew words – Melek (King) and Tzedek (Righteousness). Melchizedek literally means “King of Righteousness”. He is also called “King of Salem” – Hebrew: Melek Shalam – which means King of Peace; a title highly reminiscent of the Messiah -- Sar Shalom (Prince of Peace).
Secondly, the writer of the letter to the Hebrews suggests very strongly that this person named Melchizedek has been present before the beginning of Creation. “…without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God, remains a priest continually (Hebrews 7:3). Moreover, Hebrews also ties this interesting point into the Messianic prophecy of Psalm 110:4, where it says of the Messiah “Thou art a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.”
Thirdly, we are told that Abram gave Melchizedek a tithe, and in return received his blessing. (Genesis 14:19-20) To Whom to we give the tithe? To God, of course! From Whom do we receive a blessing? Again, only from God! Is it possible that this Melchizedek – King of Righteousness and King of Peace – was actually a theophany of Yeshua?
Commander of the LORD’s Host. “And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, a Man stood opposite him with His sword drawn in His hand. And Joshua went to Him and said to Him, "Are You for us or for our adversaries?" So He said, "No, but as Commander of the host of the LORD I have now come." And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped, and said to Him, "What does my Lord say to His servant?" Then the Commander of the LORD's army said to Joshua, "Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy." And Joshua did so.” (Joshua 5:13-15) There are several points in this narrative that are worthy of notice.
First, the “man” calls Himself the Commander (some translations say “Captain”) of the Host of the LORD. In Hebrew the words are “Sar Tzevah Yahweh” – literally “the Prince of the Army of Yahweh”. The title “Prince” (or Sar in Hebrew) is the same title which Isaiah used for the Messiah in Isaiah 9:6 as we saw above.
Secondly, we are told that Joshua fell on his face and worshiped Him. Whoever this person was, He could not have been an angel, because angels do not allow humans to worship them. You will recall that in the Apocalypse the Apostle John at one point fell on his face to worship an angel. The angel immediately forbade him from doing so saying, “Don’t do that. I am a fellow servant of yours and of your brothers the prophets. Worship God alone.” (Rev. 22:8-9)
Thirdly, the “man” not only allowed Joshua’s worship, but added that Joshua was in the Divine Presence. He said to Joshua, “Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy.” These are essentially the same words God Himself spoke to Moses from the burning bush. Is it possible that the “man” standing before Joshua was none other than Yeshua, the fullness of the Godhead in visible form, the Sar Shalom, the Prince of the Army of the LORD?
The Fourth Man. Most of us are familiar with the story in Daniel of three Hebrew boys, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, who, because they refused to bow to the golden idol, were cast into a flaming furnace by Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon. The key passage of the story is found in Daniel 3:24-25 -- Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished; and he rose in haste and spoke, saying to his counselors, "Did we not cast three men bound into the midst of the fire?" They answered and said to the king, "True, O king." "Look!" he answered, "I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God." (KJV)
First, let me make this point. Several English translations render the last three words of this passage as “son of the gods”; for example, the NIV, ESV, NASB, RSV, and others. Whatever one may think of the old KJV, in this instance the translators got it right. Let me explain. This story in Daniel is written in Aramaic – an ancient Semitic language and a predecessor of Arabic and Hebrew.
In Aramaic the last phrase is: בַר־אֱלָהִֽין (bar-elehon).
“Bar”, of course, means “son” – such as in the familiar term “bar mitzvah” (son of the covenant). “Elehon” is a form of the word “elah” which means “God”. It is a singular noun, not a plural one. (The plural form of God is “elohiym” such as is found in Genesis 1:1). Technically, therefore, the correct translation would be “son of God” or “son of the god”. The Aramaic words “elah” or “elehon” appear 95 times in Scripture, and in 79 of those instances, the word clearly refers to the God of Israel. In fact, in Daniel 3:28 when Nebuchadnezzar is extolling the God of Israel, it is the word “elehon” that he uses.
One final comment – In Daniel 3:28 Nebuchadnezzar, referring to the ordeal in the fiery furnace, says that “God…sent His angel and delivered His servants…”. The Aramaic word used here for “angel” is “mal’ak” – and means “one sent”, “a messenger”, or “an ambassador”. Moreover, I find it extremely interesting that the Aramaic word “mal’ak” corresponds with Strong’s Hebrew word H4397 “mal’ach”, because one of the meanings of “mal’ach” is “a theophanic messenger ” – ie, a theophany!!
Who was the Fourth Man in the fiery furnace? Was He the same Man who appeared to Abraham as Melchizedek? Was He the same Man who told Joshua that He was the Captain of the Hosts of the LORD? And finally, could He have been the same Man who appeared to the parents of Sampson and told them that His Name was “Wonderful”?
I report. You decide. J
Dr. Bill Duerfeldt
Asheville, North Carolina
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Ahava Love Letter - "The Initiator"
“The Initiator” “…which way He did initiate for us — new and living…” (Heb. 10:20 Young’s Literal Translation) |
Dear family of friends,
When I consider the ways and means of the Lord, one aspect I have come to appreciate is to know Him as The Initiator – the One who sets things in progress. Or better yet, the One who sets us in progress.
Have you ever felt, like I do at times, that things in your spiritual life have come to a standstill, or you have come to a crossroads? Usually when I come to this point, my natural instinct is to try and make something happen. And then out of frustration I try to keep “driving down the road”, for after all, you “can’t steer a parked car.”
When I get fearful of things not seemingly moving, or I am not “working for the Lord” as I should be, or things are a bit too quiet for me, I tend to get anxious, and wonder if the Lord still knows I am here. I start feeling guilty of “just sitting still while nothing is progressing.” When the time has come where one season, or even era has ended, and the current transition is a slow train coming, it is at this point where I must still try to not make things happen, in my own flesh, but must continue to wait on the Lord. He is The Initiator. He is the One whom I need to let open the next door, and direct me to the next place or location I am to inhabit.
When Abraham got anxious for the promised son, and proceeded to help the Lord out, Ishmael resulted. When Moses used his own physical strength to “save” the Hebrews, he ended up in the desert for 40 years. When Saul got anxious for Samuel to arrive and perform the sacrifice, he didn’t wait, and ended up losing his kingship (1 Samuel 15). Others in Scripture took it upon themselves to try and make things happen, and they missed the Lord. Not fun.
Those who chose to wait upon the Lord, and let Him lead, experienced different results. David held his hand when he could have killed Saul in the cave, and the Lord’s plan to raise him up as king came to fruitation. When Joseph was held in Pharoah’s prison, and served even in that almost forgotten place, the time finally did come for the Lord’s timing and release. Joseph became second in command over all the country. Even Paul had three years in Arabia and Damascus (Gal. 1:17,18) before he went to consult with the apostles in Jerusalem. Soon thereafter his own apostolic mission went forth.
As for me, I have initiated too many projects, even those which seemed good at the time, and yet later found myself wondering where I missed it. At this critical point in my life, I am waiting for Him to initiate the next move. Once I hear, and then obey, it will be good.
May this year be the same for you.
Ahava to my family of friends,
Steve Martin
Founder/President
Love For His People, Inc. truly appreciates your generous support. Please consider sending a tax-deductible monthly charitable gift of $5-$25 each month to help us bless Messianic Jews in Israel. You can send checks to the address below. Todah rabah! (Hebrew - Thank you very much.)
Steve Martin Love For His People, Inc. 12120 Woodside Falls Rd. Pineville, NC 28134
Ahava Love Letter #39 Date: Jan. 1, in the year of our Lord 2012
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Friday, December 16, 2011
Merry Christmas & Happy Hanukkah
Love For His People, Inc. 12120 Woodside Falls Rd.
Pineville, NC 28134 704-806-6934
Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah to our family of friends!
We are grateful to be able to send this year end letter to you, sharing with our family and friends the good year the Lord has blessed us with. As the year of 2011 draws to an end, our first full year of growing the ministry of Love For His People, we treasure what the Lord has accomplished. It is because of your friendship, support and encouragement along the way. As I thought about what the Lord’s provision and direction has brought, my heart is most appreciative. We give thanks, while continuing in the path He has been leading us on. Without the Holy Spirit’s presence, and yours in our midst, I know the trek would have been less fruitful. Let me share some of the moments and events that Laurie and I participated in, and the work of the ministry that we were able to participate in, to bring encouragement and strengthening to others.
Beginning in January, Laurie and I began hosting the newly formed Friday night meetings called Beit Tikvah, as part of Antioch International Church in Fort Mill, SC. These continue to be a time to bless Israel, learn of our Jewish roots, and share in the Shabbat candle lighting. Leading Messianic style song worship, most often with the help of Little Big Eagle, Mary and Little Deer, and others, was a joy. Senior Pastor Peter Wyns shared regularly on our Jewish roots and our need in standing solidly with Israel. We are most grateful for our heritage given to us as believers, through the Lord’s chosen people.
In February we attended the NRB (National Religious Broadcasters) annual convention in Nashville. Our greatest joy was being invited to the Israel Ministry of Tourism breakfast. Later that night we further showed support for Israel by attending the annual ministry meeting of Proclamation to the Nations, headed by Laurie Cardoza Moore, of Nashville. Our desire continues to grow stronger to stand with those who stand with the nation of Israel, and the Jewish people worldwide. That is one of the major thrusts of the ministry entrusted to us.
Three times this year Laurie and I led worship for the quarterly assemblies of Highway to Zion, here in Charlotte, NC, headed by our good friend Cathy Hargett (also a director on our LFHP ministry board). Additionally we greatly enjoyed our times with our dear friends of Beit Yeshua in Lincolnton, NC. Curtis Loftin (another director on our board ), whom we have grown to very much appreciate over the past five years, his wife Carolyn, along with the Williams, the Miles and the Anthonys, regularly included us in their feast celebrations. I shared a brief word on how to practically support Israel, at their annual “Honoring Israel Night” in May.
Later that month we joined in the March of Remembrance, annually commemorating Holocaust victims, at the China Grove, NC gathering. Headed worldwide by Messianic song artist Ted Pearce, the local public display of support was put together by our friend Rabbi Yossi Wentz and the Messianic congregation of Beit Shofarot.
I personally enjoyed writing the 30 issues of the Ahava Love Newsletter this year, shared through e-mail, on our blog site http://loveforhispeople.blogspot.com/, and my personal Facebook note pages. It also is a regular posting on our Cross TV web page (http://www.cross.tv/love_for_his_people_ministries). Included in each edition was my Ahava Love Letter and an article by another board member, Dr. Bill Duerfeldt, from Asheville, NC (when he and his wife Cindi are not volunteering in Jerusalem!)
With a major portion of the generous donations of over $17,000 received this calendar year, we were able to give monthly support to a Messianic Jewish family of five in Jerusalem. Also serving in Jerusalem, Jim and Linda, volunteers on the staff of Christian Friends of Israel, received monthly support through us for their work in The Land. Pastor John Ebenezer of Hyderabad, India, beginning his new orphanage called Lighthouse Center India, was blessed through the gracious contributions of our regular donors. Orphans in Liberia and Jewish kindergartens in southern Jerusalem were also impacted this past year, as together we extended His loving embrace.
Thank you for your ongoing support. We simply cannot extend His love for His people without you in 2012. We love you!
Shalom and ahava,
Steve & Laurie Martin
Thursday, November 24, 2011
israel today | Israel Radio Plays Messianic Music! - israel today (Aviel Schneider )
Paul Wilbur
It was Friday evening, and my wife came to me with an urgent message: “Listen! 88FM is playing the Messianic worship song Kadosh!” Indeed, just 30 minutes before the beginning of the Sabbath, Israeli broadcaster Yehudit Ben Yaakov was playing this Hebrew song on her weekly radio program Kan, Sham U’Be’Chol Makom (“Here, There and Everywhere”).
American Messianic Jewish worship leader Paul Wilbur belted out the words: “Kadosh, kadosh, kadosh, Ado- nai Elohim tsva’ot, asher hayah, ve’hoveh ve’yavo”—“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God of hosts, who was and who is and who is to come” (Revelation 4:8). “What a holy song, and what an in- spiring way to welcome the Sabbath!” declared Ben Yaakov. “What a great song by Paul Wilbur.”
She was so excited that she played the song Kadosh again, this time by a singer called Suzanne. How amazing that on a typical Sabbath eve, Messianic worship music was wafting over the airwaves of state-run Israel Radio, which owns 88FM.
The same weekend, the weekly newspaper Yerushalayim (Jerusalem) ran a full-page ad featuring the guest house at Yad HaShmona, a Messianic community near Jerusalem. Yad HaShmona was promoting its facilities for weddings and other festivities in the ideal surroundings of biblical gardens and the pastoral Judean hills.
Although this moshav (rural community) is well known throughout the Land as being run by believers in Yeshua (Jesus), it has the freedom to advertise in an Israeli newspaper.
Not only that, but in the same paper, just two pages before, there was a double-page spread from an opponent of the Messianic Jews—the ultra-Orthodox Shas party. Shas was advertising a mega-conference at the Ramat Gan soccer stadium near Tel Aviv, featuring the party’s spiritual leader Rabbi Ovadia Yosef. It is a kind of Jewish “revival” similar to those in Christian circles, but with Hebrew worship songs and rabbis preaching to the crowds. Israeli media outlets, whether TV, radio or newspapers, provide an open platform for both Messianic and Orthodox Jews.
In the same vein, a close friend of mine who is a Jewish believer in Yeshua said that a while back, ultra-Orthodox Jews hung defamatory posters around his neighborhood, showing his picture and stating: “DANGER MISSIONARIES!” Yet his Orthodox rabbi was not disturbed in the least; on the contrary, he even asked him to take on a more important role in the synagogue.
“It’s amazing how these things can boomerang!” he said. “I was sure I’d be thrown out of the synagogue because of those posters.”
While Messianic Jews face an uphill climb toward acceptance in Israel, not everything is negative. It is true that Jews who believe in Yeshua, as well as Christians, are often targeted by the ultra-Orthodox anti-missionary organization Yad LeAchim, which fears that Jewish souls will be lost to Christi- anity. This is largely a response to the bloody history of Church persecution of the Jewish people over the centuries; Jews were massacred in the name of Jesus, but now they are supposed to be redeemed by the same name. This is difficult for the Jewish people to accept.
Nevertheless, Messianic Jews are making inroads in the Jewish state and enjoy more tolerance and freedom than ever before.
israel today Israel Radio Plays Messianic Music! - israel today
Friday, November 18, 2011
Ahava Love Letter - "Courageous & Honorable"
 “Courageous & Honorable” “Hold firmly to your faith. Have courage and be strong.” (1 Cor. 16:13) |
Dear family of friends,
There is a movie that recently came out called Courageous. I heard it is good. I am sure we will see it once it is on DVD. (Spending $20 for the big screen is a chunk, and hard to get out of my wallet. Plus Laurie always likes popcorn (she buys that), so there would go the monthly entertainment budget in one night. I was always taught not to spend your money all at once, in one place.)
But this letter isn’t about the movie. It is about ones that I know who I consider courageous, and honorable. It is about those I want to imitate, and emulate. These are ones that I know now, who are out there doing something to bless those they are sent to, and bring further fulfillment in others. Let me share two of those.
Morris Ruddick is an author, businessman, entrepreneur, teacher, and more (http://strategic-initiatives.org/index.htm). I first met him through one of his first books entitled “God’s Economy – Israel & The Nations”. That was about 2005. Then I really met him in person this past February, 2011, at a local conference when he was a speaker. Morris, about 68 or so, travels to Vietnam, India, Israel and other locations, sharing the dynamics of the Lord’s economic principles, based on the Word of God. I can only imagine doing that when I am 11 years older. He encourages me in my quest to hear and obey.
John Ebenezer of Hyderabad, India reminds me of the Energizer bunny. He keeps going and going and going. Amazing. When he gave me his birth date this year, I realized he was 70. I was further amazed. And especially after being with him for a week in his homeland in 2010. Since we began supporting his ministry, in 2004, to the “lowest of the lowest class” among the Hindus and Moslems, and then being with him on the ground for a week in 2010, makes one stop and see what can be done, with little in hand. Meeting the Christian pastors and their congregations he continually teaches, encourages, and presses onward into the goodness of the Lord shows that the “proof is in the pudding.” (For a short video clip: John Ebenezer - India )
When one longs to be “on the field” and do the stuff out there, the Lord brings encouragement as we see what they continue to do. Our part may be to pray, write words of hope, and give support as provision is made available. We are doing that through Love For His People.
I hope you have those who are encouraging you, by the way they press forward, through all obstacles. We are called to make a difference and bring the Lord’s abounding goodness. I can attest to ones who do, with courage and honor.
Ahava to my family of friends,
Steve Martin
Founder/President
Love For His People, Inc. truly appreciates your generous support. Please consider sending a monthly charitable gift of $5-$25 each month to help us bless Messianic Jews in Israel. You can send checks to the address below. Todah rabah! (Hebrew - Thank you very much.)
©2011 Steve Martin Love For His People, Inc. 12120 Woodside Falls Rd. Pineville, NC 28134
E-mail: ahavaloveletters@gmail.com
Facebook pages: Steve Martin and Love For His People
Twitter: martinlighthous, LovingHisPeople and ahavaloveletter
Love For His People, Inc. is a charitable, not-for-profit USA organization. Fed. ID#27-1633858. Tax deductible contributions receive a receipt for each donation.
Ahava Love Letter #38 Date: Nov. 18, in the year of our Lord 2011
Steve Martin with John Ebenzer in India 2010
Morris Ruddick
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Monday, November 7, 2011
"Dream Dreams" - Ahava Love Letter
Ahava Love Letter
“Dream Dreams” “…your young men shall see visions, Your old men shall dream dreams.” Acts. 2:17 NKJV |
Dear family of friends,
Dreams. I believe in dreams that are given to us by the Lord. As the word says in these last days, “young men shall see visions, your old men shall dream dreams.” (Ok, so at 57 and counting I may be “mid-old” by the world’s standards. So I qualify.)
There are a few books out on the subject of dreams, by different Christian authors, describing the meaning of those objects, people, events that we are given in dreams. I have read at least two or three, wanting to further understand these communications from the Giver of Dreams. As the Lord speaks, and as we search Him out for understanding, it does give us further insight into His plans and purposes for our lives. Maybe a word for another too.
Two dreams that I remember from this week involved a building in one and some travel in another. In the first dream I was with a local pastor, inspecting a large building, with the objective in mind to renovate it for meeting space. I remember it was very oblong, which at first didn’t seem to be the best suitable facility for a large gathering. But at the same time it was what we believed the Lord had provided. I recall the wallpaper was going to have to be taken down, and some further re-decorating would be necessary. That didn’t seem to pose a major problem to us.
A stream was flowing through one end of the building. A bit odd, but yet it gave a unique feel to the place. We were happy with that. (Do you know of a building that has a stream flowing through it?)
The other dream took place in England. I was with my oldest son. In this dream, he was about 10. I was traveling to another place, and had gotten on a “train without tracks” to get there. Upon arrival at our destination, the conductor wanted to charge me $100 (50 English pounds). Being I only had a total of $200 on me for the entire trip, I told him I couldn’t afford to pay that for just this portion of my journey. Then a friend of mine whom I knew from a ministry helped negotiate the price for a cheaper fare, and I was free to continue on. (I don’t remember what my son was doing back at the original depot. I am sure the Lord had something for him going on.)
What do these mean? I am not quite sure yet. Maybe there is an interpretation that someone will share. In the meantime, I hope you and I continue to have more dreams. I believe the Lord is increasing His communications to us, if we are willing to receive what He is saying.
Dream on!
Ahava to my family of friends,
Steve Martin
Founder/President
Love For His People, Inc. truly appreciates your generous support. Please consider sending a monthly charitable gift of $5-$25 each month to help us bless Messianic Jews in Israel. You can send checks to the address below. Todah rabah! (Hebrew - Thank you very much.)
©2011 Steve Martin Love For His People, Inc. 12120 Woodside Falls Rd. Pineville, NC 28134
E-mail: ahavaloveletters@gmail.com
Facebook pages: Steve Martin and Love For His People
Twitter: martinlighthous, LovingHisPeople and ahavaloveletter
Love For His People, Inc. is a charitable, not-for-profit USA organization. Fed. ID#27-1633858. Tax deductible contributions receive a receipt for each donation.
Ahava Love Letter #37 Date: Nov. 8, in the year of our Lord 2011
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)