Saturday, October 26, 2013

Jim Croft - Widespread Consequences of Sowing & Reaping

Widespread Consequences of Sowing & Reaping
Jim Croft

The Lord told Noah that there would be seedtime and harvest until the end of this age. I have been shocked by the extent to which the law of sowing and reaping applies to every facet of life. Seeds sown in attitude and interaction with others produce remarkably after like-kind just as they do with plants.

My father and I enjoyed many pleasant rounds of golf after I took up the sport at age 45. However, in his later years he became severely vision impaired and our golf outings frequently featured shameful irritability on my part. It was in the days before I was delivered from an evil spirit of impatience that gave me the temperament of a spoiled 2-year-old.

I resented the break of concentration required to locate the club in Dad's golf bag for his next shot. It was tedious to walk him to where his ball was on the ground and to always have to give him distance and direction for every shot. The endless questions about where his ball went were drudgery.

In ’95, I was rendered legally blind by an airbag in a car wreck. From that time to this, I still golf and am frequently teamed up with complete strangers. I have reaped the embarrassing consequence of having to ask golfers that I just met to do for me what I use to have to do for my father. It is now me who is plaguing players with questions about where my ball went.

What goes around - Comes around

Whatever actions are committed have a way of backfiring. The Canaanite king, Adoni-Bezek had a habit of cutting off the thumbs and big toes of kings that he conquered in battle. 70 of them ate the scraps that fell from his royal buffeting table. When Joshua’s forces captured him, they cut off his thumbs and big toes. Adoni-Bezek bemoaned his former cruelty as he hobbled about and used his fingers like chopsticks to eat for the rest of his life. (Jdg 1:6-7)

Jesus spoke of the principles of sowing and reaping in Lk 6:35-38. We are to imitate the kindness and forgiveness of God. He blesses the ungrateful and the evil as well as the righteous.

With whatever measure we plant positive blessings or, negative curses in our secret conversations and inner judgments about people will be measured back to us in an abundant manner from many directions. Negative conversations and uncharitable inner judgments about us can secretly bombard us long term from multiple sources
.
There are many believers who sit in self-pity wondering about why they hear rumors that numerous people are not speaking well of them. Many notice stiff body language and sense suspicions from those from whom they expect cordiality. This is heavy indication that they need to reflect on what they have sown about the reputation of someone else when not with them. (Mat 7:1-5)

I know of a minister who throughout life sowed harsh criticism about the preaching styles and doctrinal emphasis of ministers who did not suit him. He is now in his declining years and lives as a recluse exposed only to immediate family. All others are hesitant to welcome fellowship with him.

Another pastor was a habitual sheep thief. He sweet-talked, wined and dined the members of other churches. His church had encouraging growth for a while. Then key-people became disenchanted and there was a mass exodus of members. His enticing words to get people in his front door could not keep pace with the swing of the backdoor of his church. His fellowship abruptly ceased to exist.

I must add that this pastor’s church growth program is duplicated around the world. At hearing of a church with problems, the immediate inner response of many pastors is quite different than their first audible response. “I wonder how I can get the names of his church members;” precedes, “That is so sad to hear.”
The declining numbers on church rolls and the relatively fast open-closure rate with start-up churches can partially be attributed to pastoral sowing and reaping payback.

Armchair Ministry Critics

I pity believers that feel obligated to condemn ministries as false that don’t fall within their comfort-zone preference. Personal preference is seldom reflective of God’s view.

The disciples of John the Baptist complained that Jesus was drawing more people for baptism than John. John’s response has broad applications. "A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven.” (Jn 3:26-27)

Whenever I hear Christians demeaning a particular ministry, I look at the fruit of the ministry. More often than not, there is sound evidence that God has given attestations of his approval. The followers of the ministry are enjoying redemptive benefits and there has been financial abundance sufficient to support the minister and staff for many years.

I have observed that ministries that are innovative and unconventional in approach draw fire. The negativity is rarely about the core beliefs necessary tofunction as a Christian. It is normally about views that are helpful, but non-essential beliefs.

It is legitimate to have differing perspectives and emphasis as the prism of God’s wisdom is multifaceted and has variable interpretations. It is dangerous to be accusatory about motive and to spout ongoing disapproval to all who will listen.

I have shuddered to see what has befallen those who would not refrain from nasty criticisms about ministries that have God’s approval, but not theirs. My concern about possible impending doom is alerted when I hear people condemning ministries that formerly did them good. Proverbs 17:13 says that evil will not depart from the homes of those who return evil for good. I have seen that truth activated in frightening ways in numerous lives.

Facilitate Crop Failure

Many of God’s people need to do some soul searching about what is happening in their lives. They cannot re-gather the negative seeds they have sown. But, they can repent to God about all that they foolishly sowed. In some instances the Holy Spirit dictates that offenders approach those they have shot with secret fiery darts to confess and request forgiveness. God is more than willing to grant crop failure for negative seeds scheduled to come to fruition in the future harvests.

Jim Croft
Boca Raton, FL




Harvest. Time. Now.




Ahava Love Letter - "Hope. Gotta Have It." (Steve Martin)

                  

        “Hope. Gotta Have It.” 

“Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but desire fulfilled is a tree of life.” Prov. 13:12 (Complete Jewish Bible CJB)

“Unrelenting disappointment leaves you heartsick, but a sudden good break can turn life around. (The Message)

Dear family of friends,

The conference audience perked up and started to carefully listen with attentive ears. The speaker was talking about hope, and I could tell people wanted it. We like to hear about hope. It does something to our soul, especially when it appears that there is not much of it surrounding us.

He went on to say how he spent the past election reading about American prisoners, held during the Vietnam War. Many survived. Many did not. Those who held onto the idea that they were getting out by the next holiday, or by the end of the year, or the next special event that came and then went, didn’t make it. With their hope based on a specific time, which then ended with a disappointing result, they gave up. They perished.

The ones who had the longer perspective, who held onto something more substantial and eternal, saw the release finish line. Their hope was not based on an event. It was founded on the belief that no matter what, they were someday getting out - to once again be home with their family.

Scripture says that “hope deferred makes the heart sick.” You have known it. I have known it. We are waiting and wanting for that “something” or “someone” to come along and rescue us. To deliver us. Just to change our current life situation, and take us to the grass on the other side, or be the hot air balloon that will fly us home from Oz.

Many times when I put my expectancy in a temporal being – be it an event or a person, and it doesn’t meet my expectations, I feel the loss in my soul. It is like a piece of me is left on the pathway, and it will take a little more next time to hope for something more.

When I put my trust and hope in the One I have come to know, Who can and will meet the desires of my heart, I am not disappointed. For He is Faithful and True. What He says He will do. He just does. I can count on Him.

Today I again ask Him to keep my heart resting in His goodness and His eternal purposes, so that any disappointments, which are yet to come while in this temporal world we live in, may be overcome with certain hope. I am committed to keeping my eyes fixed on Jesus (Yeshua), the Author and Finisher of my faith.

He is our Solid Foundation. He is our Eternal Hope. May you too know that certainty in your daily walk.

Ahava to my family of friends,

Steve Martin

Love For His People, Inc. is a charitable, not-for-profit USA organization. Fed. ID#27-1633858.

Please consider sending a charitable gift of $5-$25 today, and maybe each month, to help us bless the known families in Israel, whom we consistently help through our humanitarian ministry. 

Your tax deductible contributions receive a receipt for each donation.


If you don't have a PayPal account you can also use your credit card or bank account (where available). 

Contribution checks can be sent to: 

Love For His People, Inc.  P.O. Box 414   Pineville, NC 28134

Todah rabah! (Hebrew - Thank you very much.)
Be sure to get my two books The Promise (CreateSpace/Amazon 2013) and Ahava Love Letters (Xulon Press, 2013). Both available through Amazon.com Xulon Press.com , plus other website book stores.
You can also order both books, The Promise (on Amazon.com for $7.19 plus $3.95 S/H) and Ahava Love Letters Xulon Press for $14.90, plus $3.80) or you can get both from our office for $29. Send check to the address above. I will autograph all copies ordered through our office. (Hey, and please include a contribution for Israel too!)
Please share this Ahava Love Letter with your friends.

E-mail: loveforhispeople@gmail.com  martinlighthouse@gmail.com
Facebook pages: Steve Martin  and  Love For His People    
Twitter: martinlighthous, LovingHisPeople and ahavaloveletter 
Full website: www.loveforhispeople.org
YouTube: Steve Martin (loveforhispeopleinc)

Ahava Love Letter #82   “Hope”  ©2013 Steve Martin 
Date: In the year of our Lord 2013 (10/26/13 Saturday at 7:45 am in Charlotte, NC)

All previous editions of Ahava Love Letter can be found on this Blog:


Friday, October 25, 2013

Looking forward to the season...


I know it is a bit early, but hey, nice to dream!

And besides, I like Alex Levin's artwork.  Smile!

Have a good weekend,

Steve Martin
Love For His People, Inc.

P.S. Share some ahava (love in Hebrew) with family and friends.





Another Hanukkah painting by Alex Levin.
As I said, I love his work!



Secularism Sucking the Pneuma Out of Spirit-Filled Christianity

Watchman on the Wall, by Jennifer LeClaire

Want to receive Watchman on the Wall by email? Sign up here

Secularism Sucking the Pneuma Out of Spirit-Filled Christianity

worship
When Pentecostals don’t speak in tongues and Baptists aren’t getting baptized, it signals a deeper issue of faith. (Ashley Campbell/Flickr/Creative Commons)
Fewer Pentecostals are speaking tongues. Fewer Baptists are getting baptized. Wait, what? Yes, you read that correctly. But what are we to make of the decline of baptisms in water and in the Spirit? I’ll get to that in a minute.
A couple of months ago, I wrote a column entitled, “Are We Pentecostals Losing Our Religion by Holding Our Tongue-Talking?.” In it I referenced an AP report about a small Assemblies of God congregation that looks just like every other Pentecostal church service—except nobody is speaking in tongues.
What I didn’t include are the stats from the Assemblies of God, the largest Pentecostal denomination in the world with 66 million members. At the General Council meeting in August, the AG talked about the decline baptisms in the Spirit.
According to the denomination’s statistics, tongue talking decreased by about 3 percent to less than 82,000. That’s the lowest rate since 1995. How is that even possible, given that Pentecostalism is one of the fastest growing sectors of Christianity? The Pew Research Center reports that at least 25% of the 2 billion Christians in the world are connected to the Pentecostal or charismatic movements.
“This is a long-developing phenomenon," Harvey Cox, an expert in Pentecostalism and professor of religion at the Harvard Divinity School, told the Associated Press. "They don't want what appears to be objectionable to stick out or be viewed with suspicion."
And it’s not just the Pentecostals that are straying from the defining characteristics of their faith. The Baptists are also reporting a decline in Baptisms. Indeed, the North American Mission Board (NAMB) reports water baptisms dipped 13 percent in 2012 to under 300,000. Al Gilbert of the NAMB told One News Now that’s the biggest drop in 62 years—62 years!
“Maybe we're not identifying the need to help our teenagers and even our older children understand how to publicly profess their faith," Gilbert says. "Are we even making sure that they've understood the claims of Christ and then they have declared that they're publicly a follower of Christ?"
OK, so what’s going on here and what does it mean for Pentecostals, Baptists, and Christianity at large? It doesn’t take a prophet to see that secularism is attacking the foundations of Christianity and we’re seeing the manifestations in two of the largest, oldest branches in the body of Christ.
Think about it for a minute. When Pentecostals don’t speak in tongues and Baptists aren’t getting baptized, it signals a deeper issue of faith. In an age of interfaith marriages, some may be abandoning their religious roots to avoid offending their spouses.
In a recent article entitled “Interfaith Unions: A Mixed Blessing,” Naomi Shaeffer Riley points out that before the 1960s, about 20 percent of married couples were in interfaith unions; of couples married in this century’s first decade, 45 percent were. She also notes that secular Americans welcome the rise of interfaith unions as a sign of societal progress. But it’s not progress when you abandon the tenets of your faith in the name of compromise.
Secularism is even creeping into churches. What does that look like? Some of the signs are blatantly obvious, such as teaching that Jesus is not the only way to God. But the Bible clearly states that Jesus is the way, the truth and the life and that no one comes to the Father except through Him (John 14:6; Acts 4:12). Approval of homosexual lifestyles is another obvious fruit of secularism in the church, just as is a refusal to confront other sins.
But secularism isn’t always so blatant. There are subtle secularistic messages invading the church. Messages that focus more on moralism than Christ and the cross sound fine and good but morality without Christ is not Christianity. Likewise, pop psychology-centered sermons can take our focus off Christ’s and distract us from our faith in His healing power and place it in steps or formulas that may actually contradict the Word.
When we’re scared our faith will offend, we’re bowing to secularism. When we stop publicly baptizing in water, we may also be bowing to the influence of secularism. And when we stop praying in tongues because we don’t want to scare off seekers, we’ve definitely given in to secularism.
This Scripture keeps coming to mind: “If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?” (Psalm 11:3). Make no mistake, secularism is among the forces working to destroy our Christian foundation. It’s time for the righteous to rise up, bold as lions, and declare the cross of Christ, get baptized publicly, and speak in tongues to build ourselves up in our most holy faith. And ultimately, secularism must bow a knee to the name of Jesus.
Jennifer LeClaire is news editor at Charisma. She is also the author of several books, including The Spiritual Warrior's Guide to Defeating Jezebel
You can email Jennifer atjennifer.leclaire@charismamedia.com or visit her website here. You can also join Jennifer on Facebookor follow her on Twitter.
Did you enjoy this blog? Click here to receive it by email.

More: CharismaNews

What Christians Can Teach Jews About Israel - Rabbi Tuly Weisz

Firing Up the Nations – What Christians Can Teach Jews About Israel

4,000 Years ago, Abraham established Jewish ownership in Israel; Today, twice as many Evangelicals than American Jews believe God gave Israel to the Jewish people.
 This weekend, tens of thousands of Jews will arrive in Hebron to spend the Sabbath in the place where the Patriarchs and Matriarchs are buried.  Guest houses will be filled, mattresses will be spread out on classroom floors, and tents will be built in the streets to accommodate the influx of visitors for this awesome weekend.  What makes this Shabbat in particular so special in Hebron?  This week’s Torah portion describes Abraham’s purchase of “the cave of Machpela facing Mamre, which is in Hebron, in the Land of Canaan” as a final resting place for his beloved wife Sarah.
Genesis 23 contains the very first account of property being purchased in Israel and is one of three sites the Bible identifies as having been purchased by Israelites from its foreign owners. Sadly, in today’s environment, Jewish sovereignty over Judaism’s holiest sites has been rejected by many people around the world. Some deny that the Jews’ connection to Israel has anything to do with God. Others agree that it might have once been the case, but God has subsequently broke his covenant with the Jewish people.
Last month, the Washington Post described Hebron as one of the “Jewish settlements in the West Bank that are considered by Palestinians and much of the world to be illegal under international law.”  And this rejection is not limited to Hebron.  The Church of Scotland issued a report earlier this year, concluding, “…Christians should not be supporting any claims by any people to an exclusive or even privileged divine right to possess particular territory. We believe that is a misuse of the Hebrew Bible (the Christian Old Testament) and the New Testament to use it as a topographic guide to settle contemporary conflicts over land. In the Bible, God’s promises extend in hope to all land and people.”
What is even more tragic than the Washington Post denying the Jewish claim to Hebron or the Church of Scotland rejecting God’s covenant with Israel, is that a majority of American Jews don’t recognize the divine connection to our ancestral homeland. In a recent Pew study, only 40% of American Jews “believe God gave Israel to the Jewish people.” When asked the same question, however, an overwhelming 82% of white Evangelical Christians agreed!  Unlike the Church of Scotland, so many American Evangelicals reject the ridiculousness of ‘Replacement Theology’ and accept God’s word as true and eternal.
On the one hand, it is entirely discouraging that a majority of American Jews deny what Christians can see, but perhaps this sad statistic has room for a more hopeful interpretation and can be understood in light of a prophetic Biblical text.
The beautiful Psalm 126 describes how future events will unfold: “When God returned the captives of Zion we were like dreamers. Our mouths were filled with laughter and song.”  The Psalm then describes those who will recognize God’s hand in these events: first, “then the nations will say, ‘The Lord hath done great things with them’” and only then will the Jews themselves acknowledge, “The Lord hath done great things with us; we were overjoyed.”
According to many Biblical commentators, the “nations” mentioned in Psalm 126 refers to King Cyrus, who allowed the Jews to return to Jerusalem and rebuild their Temple. The Gentile king issued a declaration thanking God for allowing him to succeed, and asking the Jews to pray on his behalf.  Only then could the Jews express their own joy and wonder at God’s mysterious ways.  But I’d like to share a more modern interpretation of this passage.
Just the other day, I got together with Derek from Florida, one of our Israel365 readers, in Jerusalem.  We discussed this very Psalm at a cafe near the Machane Yehuda market.  Derek pointed out that by first the gentile, then the Jew, recognizing God’s hand in the rebirth of Israel describes the miracle taking place in our generation, where those who throughout history rejected the Jewish connection to Israel are now bearing witness to God’s acts there on behalf of the Jews. The fact that Evangelical Christians today are more than twice as likely than Jews to acknowledge God’s role in giving Israel to the Jewish people has newfound meaning.
As an Orthodox Jew, I am enthusiastic about the possibilities in working with pro Israel Christians who have a unique role today.  Christian Zionists can — and should —  encourage their Jewish friends to study the life and lessons of Abraham, to embrace their Jewish destiny and to uncover their connection to Biblical Israel. Hebron is a city of unity where Ishmael and Yitzchak put aside their differences and came together to bury their father Abraham. May the Biblical city be a reminder for all Jewish and Christian Zionists to put aside our differences to learn from and inspire each other as brothers honoring our Father in Heaven.

Texas A&M to Open Israeli Branch

Texas A&M to Open Israeli Branch

Associated Press photo


JERUSALEM, Israel -- Texas A&M University plans to open a campus in the northern Israeli city of Nazareth -- the boyhood home of Jesus. It's the first time ever a leading American university plans to open a branch in Israel.
The announcement came this week at Israeli President Shimon Peres' residence in Jerusalem. 

Former presidential hopeful and Texas Gov. Rick Perry took part in the signing ceremony.
Dubbed a "Peace University," it will be situated in Israel's largest Arab city, which also has the biggest Arab Christian population.
"Let me express my hope that you will serve the people, their spirit, to answer a new age, to help bring a new future," Peres said.
"The State of Israel and the State of Texas share a deep respect for our culture, and this university will be a permanent reminder of the power of education to change the lives of people forever in line for the vision of our government," A&M University Chancellor John Sharp said.
Sharp says the school's staff will be Jewish and Arab and the student body diverse, though all Israeli universities have mixed Jewish, Arab and international student bodies and faculties.
According to Peres' office, Texas A&M says it will raise $70 million for construction of the new campus.

Editor's Note: I have now become a big Texas A&M fan! Thanks! 
Steve Martin

A.W. Tozer: He Being Dead Yet Speaketh

An Open Letter to John MacArthur From A.W. Tozer: He Being Dead Yet Speaketh


A.W. TOZER, charismanews
A.W. Tozer
That every Christian can be and should be filled with the Holy Spirit would hardly seem to be a matter for debate among Christians. ... I want here boldly to assert that it is my happy belief that every Christian can have a copious outpouring of the Holy Spirit in a measure far beyond that received at conversion, and I might also say, far beyond that enjoyed by the rank and file of orthodox believers today.


















It is important that we get this straight, for until doubts are removed, faith is impossible. God will not surprise a doubting heart with an effusion of theHoly Spirit, nor will He fill anyone who has doctrinal questions about the possibility of being filled.
In light of this, it will be seen how empty and meaningless is the average church service today. All the means are in evidence; the one ominous weakness is the absence of the Spirit’s power. ... The power from on high is neither known nor desired by pastor or people. This is nothing less than tragic, and all the more so because it falls within the field of religion, where the eternal destinies of men are involved.
Fundamentalism has stood aloof from the liberal in self-conscious superiority and has on its own part fallen into error, the error of textualism, which is simply orthodoxy without the Holy Ghost. Everywhere among conservatives we find persons who are Bible-taught but not Spirit-taught. They conceive truth to be something which they can grasp with the mind.
If a man holds to the fundamentals of the Christian faith, he is thought to possess divine truth. But it does not follow. There is no truth apart from the Spirit. The most brilliant intellect may be imbecilic when confronted with the mysteries of God. For a man to understand revealed truth requires an act of God equal to the original act which inspired the text. ... "Now we have received, not the Spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God; that we might know the things which are freely given us of God.”
For the textualism of our times is based upon the same premise as the old line rationalism, that is, the belief that the human mind is the supreme authority in the judgment of truth. Or otherwise stated, it is confidence in the ability of the human mind to do that which the Bible declares it was never created to do and consequently is wholly incapable of doing.Philosophical rationalism is honest enough to reject the Bible flatly. Theological rationalism rejects it while pretending to accept it and in so doing puts out its own eyes.
Few there are who without restraint will open their whole heart to the blessed Comforter. He has been and is so widely misunderstood that the very mention of His name in some circles is enough to frighten many people into resistance.

A.W. Tozer
It is no use to deny that Christ was crucified by persons who would today be called fundamentalists. This should prove to be disquieting if not downright distressing to us who pride ourselves on our orthodoxy. An unblessed soul filled with the letter of truth may actually be worse off than a pagan kneeling before a fetish. We are saved only when our intellects are indwelt by the loving fire that came atPentecost. For the Holy Spirit is not a luxury, not something added now and again to produce a deluxe type of Christian once in a generation. No. He is for every child of God a vital necessity, and that He fill and indwell His people is more than a languid hope. It is rather an inescapable imperative.
Now the Bible teaches that there is something in God which is like emotion. ... God has said certain things about Himself, and these furnish all the grounds we require. “The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing” (Zeph. 3:17). This is but one verse among thousands which serve to form our rational picture of what God is like, and tell us plainly that God feels something like our love, like our joy, and what He feels makes Him act very much as we would in a similar situation; He rejoices over His loved ones with joy and singing.
Here is emotion on as high a plain as it can ever be seen, emotion flowing out of the heart of God Himself. Feeling, then, is not the degenerate son of unbelief that is often painted by some of our Bible teachers. Our ability to feel is one of the marks of our divine origin. We need not be ashamed of either tears or laughter. The Christian stoic who has crushed his feelings is only two-thirds of a man; an important third part has been repudiated. Holy feeling had an important place in the life of our Lord. “For the joy that was set before Him” He endured the cross and despised its shame. He pictured Himself crying, “Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost.”
The work of the Holy Spirit is, among other things, to rescue the redeemed man’s emotions, to restring his harp and open again the wells of sacred joy which have been stopped up by sin.
Aiden Wilson Tozer (April 21, 1897–May 12, 1963) was an American Christian pastor, preacher, author, magazine editor and spiritual mentor. This article is an excerpt from The Divine Conquest.

Obama is Planning On Selling Out Israel

12tribefilmstv_logo

Obama is Planning On 

Selling Out Israel for Not 

Allowing Foreign Soldiers to 

Replace IDF Soldiers!

failed
As we speak, President Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry
are pressuring Israel to expel all Jews and IDF soldiers from the
Jordan valley, otherwise Abbas and the Palestinian Authority will
walk away from the peace talks and everyone will blame Israel 
for its failure! 

Yes, you heard right, Obama is planning on 
BLAMING Israel for the failure of the peace talks if Israel 
doesn't endanger itself by giving away the Jordan Valley 
to the Palestinian Authority. This is just to keep Abbas 
at the negotiating table. Absurd! 

Otherwise, Obama will convince the world that the failure 
of the peace talks is Israel's fault!


Thank you for caring about Israel. Here is a new tool 
we have developed for people like you to stay up-to-date 
with important videos with the latest news in Israel. 

Featured Video



Click here to watch: NEVER AGAIN!

Must-Watch- This might be the most powerful clip you ever see.


Don't Miss any new episodes of "Joy of Israel" with
Jamie Geller. Click here to sign up!

Thank you for signing up to receive top Israel videos. 
Enjoy our weekly newsletter of top Israel videos and 
thank you for supporting Israel! 12Tribe Films works 
hard to connect people with the Land of Israel. We
 invite you to send us videos that you believe we 
should promote - anything that helps people connect
 with the Land of Israel and the Jewish people.

All the Best, 
Avi Abelow 

Recommended Facebook Links:
* I Love Jerusalem
* Israel in My Soul
* I Love Jewish Music
* 12tribefilms

Thursday, October 24, 2013

Facebook buys Israeli Company for $200 million

Facebook buys Israeli Company 

for $200 million


The scenario has become very familiar on the Israeli High tech scene


Oct 22, 2013, | Linda Lovitch, Israel News

The scenario has become very familiar on the Israeli High tech scene.  
A huge company buys an Israeli startup and the employees are not allowed to say anything.  This was the case 6 months ago with Waze and now with Onavo.  Onavo, formed three years ago employs 40 workers today.  

In a relatively short time, the company succeeded in fulfilling the Israeli dream of the exit.  It is estimated that Facebook paid anywhere from 50 – 200 million dollars which makes it the most expensive Israeli acquisition by Facebook.

It is readily evident from the photos on Onavo’s site that the workers are extremely happy with this deal.  Onavo has two products used by Facebook.  The first is a method of saving on surfing the net on smartphones.  The second collects data about the frequency in using apps on the phone. This is a goldmine for Facebook.. 
Mark Zuckerburg recently expressed his desire to bring internet to the developing world. Onavo’s product will help him reach his vision. In addition, Onavo will reveal a great deal about user’s habits on Facebook. 
The company joins two other Israeli startups that were acquired by Facebook in the last year, Snaptu for $70 million and facecom for $100 million. Only this time, Facebook does not plan to close the company and transfer the workers abroad, but rather intends to use the company as a base in Israel for R&D. This may be a chance for more Israeli workers to join the largest company in social media. 
For more: Jerusalem On Line