The following enormous (15″ x 11″) dwarfed a “Sports” page in the first section of Friday’s Jerusalem Post (July 15, 2011, p.11). To the right is the same ad appearing last week in the Hebrew newspaper HaAretz.

The ad is sponsored by a leading “Anti-Missionary” organization in Israel. It begins, “‘Messianic Jews’ Are Pulling the Wool Over Our Eyes!’” This is followed by phrases drawn from four public figures, all very dated, and pulled out of context and presented to serve the purpose of the sponsors in presenting Messianic Judaism in a negative light. The add ends, “‘Messianic Jews’ try to entrap Jews by distributing material in the mail and by sponsoring concerts and street performances. The time has come to pass a law that halts the missionaries’ destructive activities. Join the struggle!” – followed by a website and telephone number of the sponsors. The website, reporting on purported responses to its present campaign, claimed that “many callers gladly added their names to a petition.calling on the Knesset to amend the anti-missionary law so that it forbids all missionary activity (and not just that among minors or involving financial inducements to convert).” Ironically, a slogan at the top of its page reads “We don’t give up on even a single Jew.” The “wool” which this organization and others like it pull over the eyes of Israelis is the falsehood that Jews who believe in Yeshua (Jesus) as their Messiah and Savior are no longer Jews. No such accusations are leveled on those of Hebrew lineage who follow the teachings of an Eastern religion, of New Age, of the supposed “Messiah” Shneerson (deceased), or who (like millions of Israelis) believe nothing at all. But one who believes in Yeshua, even if born in Israel of Holocaust survivor parents, is automatically no longer a Jew, but a dangerous person, seeking to “steal the souls” of those who are.

We have seen whole-page ads taken out by certain religious sects in the past to promote their beliefs. However, apart from the effect the content of these adds may have on their readers, it is troubling that such a publication as HaAretz, a left-wing paper which prides itself on its stand on behalf of civil rights, would lower itself to permitting within its advertisements such adds, which blatantly vilify, disparage and accuse a particular group of Israelis who serve honorably in the nation’s military and are exemplary citizens in its work force . In some ways such ads bear disturbing resemblances to those which began appearing in certain European countries 80 years ago accusing ALL Jews of having ulterior motives, of seeking to “entrap”, of “destructive activities”.

On a positive note.at least now, the name Messianic Jew (Hebrew: Yehudim Meshikhim), is being used within public media even by such organizations (albeit within quotation marks), as that which purchased the ad. This title has not always been allowed in most of the media. Then, in 2008 a young Messianic Jew in Ariel discovered a “Purim gift” on the landing of his family’s apartment. The gift turned out to be a powerful bomb which ignited when he picked it up. Miraculously, this young man has survived. Eventually, it came to light that the perpetrator had been an Orthodox Jewish man, one since alleged to have been associated with one of these same prominent “Anti-Missionary” organizations about which we are writing. Yet, through the many articles which came out as a result of this atrocity, an opening was made in many Israeli papers for articles to appear describing who the Messianic Jews are and what they believe. Today, most of the Israeli secular press has begun to make use of this title (without quotations marks); thus helping more and more citizens to become aware of their presence.

PLEASE PRAY:

*That God will bring these accusations to nothing, make these plans of no effect (Psalm 33:10)

* “Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word, by stretching out Your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your holy Servant Yeshua” (Acts 4:29-30). Pray for Divine direction and strategy for Israeli Jewish believers as persecution from the “religious” sector increases.

* “For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge“ (Romans 10:1). Pray for revelation of the knowledge of Messiah will come into the Orthodox Jewish community, including the ranks of the “anti-missionaries”. Pray that Messianic Jews and Gentile believers in the land would be granted a supernatural love for these people, while not being intimidated by them.

* “And I will dwell in your midst. Then you will know that the LORD of hosts has sent Me to you.Be silent, all flesh, before the LORD, for He is aroused from His holy habitation!” (Zechariah 2:11b, 13). Pray that eyes will be opened to the many places where Yeshua is present in the Hebrew Bible.and that Jews will realize that it is the LORD they seek to serve Who sent Him.

*That a law banning sharing one’s Faith in Messiah Yeshua with other Jews will not be passed.

*That the Israeli press will not be intimidated by Orthodox anti-freedom of religion organizations and will not allow in theirk advertising sections large adds vilifying other Jews.

Team Hope divided into two groups for fellowship on this Shabbat.  Both went to congregations which we had visited two years prior and both have seen growth in all sorts of ways since then.  The first had people in from all over the world.  Probably 10 countries, and 10 US states.  The sermon was very good and we were really excited to see that they were sending a group of missionaries to the US!  Several of the congregations now have headsets with translation (sometimes in 2 languages in addition to the spoken Hebrew).  I prayed for a British woman whose husband had died four months ago and she was staying there with her daughter trying to adjust and cope with this new transition her life would become.

The other team had a great time and it was a little more dramatic.  God showed up in a powerful way, touching everyone there.  God dramatically healed several people from life long incapacities such as nasal passages that were not formed correctly and caused the young man (who was actually the interpreter) to be able to breath through his nose for the first time!  And vocal chords being healed in another person which was apparently tremendous.

We spent Sunday in Jerusalem.  This was our final “down” day.  The trip has been scheduled to not get into the heavier ministry until we’ld had a few days to adjust to the time difference.  I’m not exactly sure how 18 hour days are “down”, but tomorrow it heats up.  We’ve been to many congregations and worshipped and shared with the different believers and it has been amazing.  Today we also shopped in the Old City of Jerusalem and prayed at the Western Wall.

One member of our team saw a blank paper on the ground wanted something to write on.  When she picked it up she discovered that it was actually a really nice Temple Drawing and so she waited around for a while to see if anyone would claim it.  When no one did, she took it with her.  At lunch, two Jewish guys started a conversation with her based on this drawing.  She explained that she went to a Messianic Congregation and one in particular became fascinated.  She had a Stern Jewish bible and she began showing him that all the same holy books were in there.  She explained that Stern is Jewish and lives in Jerusalem and instead of using red letters for Jesus he uses all CAPS for God speaking whether in the Old or New Testament.  To show him, she flipped the Bible open, and he was really excited to see so he was looking over her shoulder and it opened to the passage in Luke where Jesus proclaims that He is the one in Isaiah to set the captives free.  He was amazed.  Their friend came and was insisting they leave and said the Rabbi was waiting on them, so they left, but not before sharing info and the fact that he would be coming to the states soon and exchanging information.  Pray that God stokes his hunger and curiosity!

Thanks so much for your prayers on this trip, I’ll update stories when I return, but it doesn’t seem I can do it from here. wes

Perhaps the Lord knew what He was doing…with all the need, we instead spent an hour in corporate prayer.  It was a little slow going for those that don’t know any others in the group, but those of us who are acquainted with and love Covering Prayer as done on Adventures in Missions trips in the past jumped right in at the chance to experience the Lord speaking through us.

praying for friend

This was a good intro to the group after breakfast under the great banyan tree in the courtyard.  The main goals in these initial days are to build team unity and train the group members on hearing and speaking out the voice of the Lord.  We spent some time prayer walking the neighborhood by splitting into three groups and heading in that many directions.

It was awesome to see an area where a few of us had done battle praying through two years ago, completely revitalized.  New parks, new mid-rise buildings (replacing dilapidated graffiti covered buildings.)  There are still quite a few graffiti covered buildings and the area isn’t totally remade, but it’s quite a change and beautiful to see what the Lord does with faithful prayers.

We spent some time praying for each other and we were amazed at how God used us to speak truth into each other’s lives.  We were put together with someone we didn’t know at all and given 5 minutes each to pray for the other.  Each one of us debriefed that our partner was speaking right into the personal situations of our lives.

It’s amazing to see how easy it is to be used by God to speak His truth.  But of course the difficult thing is that in normal life, we normally get in our own ways and manipulate the message that God is trying to use us to delver (or tell us for ourselves!)

Do you do this in your life?

We split into two groups to spend Shabbat service with two different fellowships.  One was really an amazing message that I’ld love to share sometime.  We wore headsets to hear the message in English through a translator.  It was great to see some of the same people from two years ago and also amazing to see how much bigger the congregation has become.  They’re also in a new building with nicer facilities.  Small by the standards, we’re used to in the US, but much nicer than where they were before.  After worshipping in Hebrew (the best we could, you can pick up the choruses after a while, especially when it’s Adonai or Ha Shem.)  Afterwards we spent some time with the people there, sharing with some that we had met two years prior, meeting other new friends, and having conversations that differed in large part based on how much English the person spoke.  Sorry, I’m not sure these are the most interesting details, but I’m exhausted and need to sleep.  My team gets to sleep in a little before going to another Shabbat service, so hopefully I’ll be more rested.  Have a great weekend!

Israel has now had all the world turn against her.  Of course the Bible says that this would be so, but it was sad to see in the last week or two that the President of the United States who has stood beside Israel and been incredibly blessed most of his last century and the Pope both calling for Israel to give away the land that God has decreed is theirs.  What right do they have to give away what God has declared is theirs?

So a theme of this trip that we would love your prayer for is that the Lord will empower us to bring HOPE to this people who have the whole world against them.  As a microcosm of this, our leaders tell us that already some plans are changing because a congregation that we planned to rely on for support is facing a lot of difficulties, so we will look to aid them as the Lord calls.  Please pray that we are a blessing to those He calls us to.  That our hearts would move as His heart moves (not as it might be conditioned to by our experience and life) and that we will be used as a pure vessel to freely and boldly speak His Truth (not some prepared words.)

Finally, I believe I’m going to try to write these reports a little differently than I have in the past.  I’m afraid it will make for slightly less interesting stories, but I hope they will be made more powerful by bringing the focus to God and not the team member.  I’m particularly thinking about myself.  I live in this body that types these words and see the world from my perspective.  I’m thinking about doing my best to take myself out of these stories by telling them without the names of those involved.  I imagine some stories will be of ways that God is using me.  Others will involve other team members, but I’m thinking of doing all this without using names (or perhaps I’ll use made up names?).  I’m not sure, but I’m wondering…as the Holy Spirit works to bring Glory to Messiah anonymously, can these stories be written in just that way?  do you have any ideas on how this can be done?  Would love to hear them.  Thanks!

Have you ever considered the idea that the Nation and People of Israel are a picture of their King (whom for the most part they don’t even know yet)? Until recently, I had never seen this connection, but now that I do, I believe it’s undeniable.  Jesus suffered that all the rest of the world could enjoy eternal life with God.  We know from Romans 9-11 that the Jews would be blinded for a time, so that the grace of God could spread to all the world (Gentiles) and that in the last days, the scales would be lifted from their eyes and God would redeem His original covenant people.

In explaining the transformation from blindness to Truth that the Jews would experience, Paul quotes Moses, David, Isaiah, & Jesus…

“What then? What Israel sought so earnestly it did not obtain, but the elect did. The others were hardened, as it is written:
“God gave them a spirit of stupor,
eyes so that they could not see
and ears so that they could not hear,
to this very day.” 9And David says:
“May their table become a snare and a trap,
a stumbling block and a retribution for them.
10May their eyes be darkened so they cannot see,
and their backs be bent forever.” (Romans 11:7-10)

Paul goes on to explain that this must be for a time so that those of us who are not Jews may come to know and be blessed by God…

“I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in.” (Romans 11:25)

And then Paul assures us that God has not forgotten His Covenant with His original covenant people by saying:

And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written:    “The deliverer will come from Zion; he will turn godlessness away from Jacob.  27And this is my covenant with them when I take away their sins.” (Romans 11:26-27)

Okay, that’s clear. But have you ever thought that the people of Israel themselves are a picture of their King?

If you are in Messiah Yeshua, your life comes only through the death of your old, natural life at the Cross and is made new through Him.  Your actual life exists because of the spiritual connection of His death and resurrection.

What about Israel?  Have any people suffered more than the Jews?

Yeshua lived a life ministering as God’s appointed representative on earth.  He then died and was buried for two days, before He was raised.

“After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will restore us, that we may live in his presence.” (Hosea 6:2)

Israel was also God’s appointed representative on earth, but most missed the coming of their King.  These two thousand years apart from God are represented very clearly by Jesus two days in the grave!

“For a thousand years in your sight are like a day that has just gone by,” (Psalm 90:4)

We are in a new day: He is Risen!  And we can see so many signs among the people of Israel that all of scripture is heading towards fulfillment.  A little over 100 years ago, the Jews started coming back to the Land.  Sixty years ago a Nation was born in a day!  Today among the Jews many are having their eyes opened!  They will be a nation of Priests just as God has always promised and intended.  It has begun!

“Again I ask: Did they stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? Not at all! Rather, because of their transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel envious. 12But if their transgression means riches for the world, and their loss means riches for the Gentiles, how much greater riches will their fullness bring!” (Romans 11:11-12)

It is to God’s glory and our wonder that it all happen in exactly the way that He has always foretold.  As the people of Israel come back to Him, you will also receive the richness fully promised!  Pray for them!  Israel received the blessing of having God in their midst, but threw His blessings away (as we all would have done and do daily).  They have suffered tremendously for the rest of the world.  Believers are called to suffer for the world, just as Yeshua did, but it now seems so clear that God has called the Jewish people to do that same thing before He redeems them.  Knowing the way God works, the more the suffering for a thing to come to pass, the sweeter the blessing that awaits.  His Covenant fulfilled will be a beautiful thing!

I want to invite you to pray for our team  traveling to Israel on this upcoming trip.  I am going to do my best to update this site daily to let you know what is going on.  They tend to work us  hard, so I can’t be sure I’ll always be able to do so, but I will do my best to.  Thanks for your support!

If you will be praying, we’d love it if you’d send us an email to wes@kingdomcallingadvisors.com.

Photo credit: jasoneppink

Shalom, Team Israel

As we arrived yesterday I was taken by the calm in the air. It was 6ish by the time we pasted through the triple random check points in customs. Mike was pulled at the first as I was blessed to sail through. Perhaps this gray haired 60 yr. old body has something to do with that … anyways the final turn bringing us to the outer part of the receiving area which was very quiet. Yes, there were folks to greet family in the usual Israeli fashion but considering the day … very quiet.

61 years ago the answer to Isaiah’s question was answered. Isaiah 66:8 ‘Who has ever heard of such a thing?  Who has ever seen such things?
Can a country be born in a day or a nation be brought forth in a moment? Yet no sooner is Zion in labor than she gives birth to her children.’

From her very first days as a nation, it was difficult.  Five Arab nations, intent on driving the Jews into the sea, attacked Israel the day after she declared her nationhood.

Upon her establishment, Israel had a very small army.  Mostly trained by the British during World War II as the Zionist Jewish Brigade, this tiny army was outnumbered by 20-to-1.

The odds were not in favor of Israel lasting even one week.  But, miraculously she did! There could be no doubt that God intervened to protect His Holy Land from being overrun. The world observed in awe as this tiny army — the first Jewish fighting force in 2,000 years — repelled a much larger and much better equipped enemy from her borders.

So where was the fan fair, the joy? Although it was true to the Roman calendar, it was not according to the Biblical calendar. Yom Ha’Atzma’ut was 2 weeks ago, Iyyar 5th and today actually the day the Glory Cloud lifted from the Tabernacle for the first time (Numbers10:11-15). Much to contemplate on the first walk through the gates of His beloved city.

May His Glory always be upon you and never … never be removed from your presence. May His intimacy be great and deep for the rest of your time here during our preparation of His soon coming. Waiting with you in His Preparation:

Faithfully in our Messiah,

David

I want to invite you to pray for our team that is going there on this upcoming trip.  I am going to do my best to update this site daily to let you know what is going on.  They tend to work us really hard, so I can’t be sure I’ll always be able to do this, but I will do my best to.  Thanks for your support!

If you will be praying, we’d love it if you’d send us an email to wes@kingdomcallingadvisors.com.

Photo credit: ENoStress

Kara and I have in the last two weeks begun to keep the Sabbath by celebrating a Shabbath dinner on Friday nights in the way that Jesus and His Disciples would have.  This is a Jewish tradition that has been going on for thousands of years is already proving to be a rich way to honor the Lord.

In doing research over how we should conduct our celebrations, I was pointed to a wonderful site that has a lot of information about the roots of our faith.  This beautiful family seems to be richly blessed in celebrating the faith as prescribed by God and I wanted to share Lisa’s site.

This particular post speaks about Shavuot (Pentecost) being a celebration of the Betrothal between God and His people.  I was amazed when I read this because two years ago, on this day, I proposed to my bride Kara without knowing this connotation!  You can read about that here.

As a very quick refresher…  Shavuot is the day that Moses received the Law from God on Mt. Sinai.  It is also the day that the Disciples of Yeshua (Jesus, as He was called during His life), received the Holy Spirit (the Law written on their hearts) that Yeshua had promised when He left the earth for good.

This blog does a wonderful job of explaining this very important holiday that is quickly approaching…
http://followingtheancientpaths.wordpress.com/2006/04/21/shavuot-betrothal/

I want to invite you to pray for our team that is going there on this upcoming trip.  I am going to do my best to update this site daily to let you know what is going on.  They tend to work us really hard, so I can’t be sure I’ll always be able to do this, but I will do my best to.  Thanks for your support!

If you will be praying, we’d love it if you’d send us an email to wes@kingdomcallingadvisors.com.

Bikkurim: The Feast of First Fruits

Shalom, Team

Here’s a devotional I’m going through that I thought was timely.

John 12:32  ‘When I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to myself.’

One of the foundational doctrines of the Messianic faith is the Resurrection of Yeshua. Many people appreciate the wonderful teachings of Yeshua. Some even acknowledge him as a great rabbi. Yet, it is his resurrection from the dead that sets him apart from any other person in history. We would expect such an important event to be foreshadowed in the Jewish Scriptures.

The Roman Church tried to create a picture of the resurrection by messianizing the pagan celebration of Istar (Easter), which is still observed. However there is a Biblical holy day which clearly foreshadows this triumph of Messiah’s life. In the Torah (the first 5 books of the Bible), we are told that on the day after the Sabbath during Passover week there is to be a special observance called Bikkurim (The Feast of First Fruits).

This holy day was to be a time of thanksgiving of the barley harvest, the first grain to ripen in Israel every spring. As part of the Temple ceremony, the priest was to take some of the barley, lift it up, and wave it to the L_RD in the sight of all the people (Lev.23:9-16). While this ceremony would turn people’s attention to the harvest aspect of the festival, Bikkurim was to also have a deeper, spiritual meaning.

This spiritual picture comes into focus when Yeshua tells his disciples that his body will be like the grain of barley that must die in order to produce more fruit. Yet he would also be lifted up in the resurrection and ‘waved’ before the people for all to see. No wonder many in Israel were drawn to Yeshua, the living Redeemer. Yeshua not only died on Passover, but he rose on Bikkurim in perfect fulfillment of the Torah. Have you celebrated the Risen One in your heart today?

Thought for the day: Today I will walk in the newness of life which Yeshua obtained for me by his death and resurrection.

Today is Nisan 18th of 5769 (the Hebrew calendar: April 12, 2009). We are in the in the Feast of Unleavened Bread and today is Bikkurim and we should celebrate our first fruit offer … Messiah Yeshua.

Faithfully in our Messiah
David

I want to invite you to pray for our team that is going there on this upcoming trip.  I am going to do my best to update this site daily to let you know what is going on.  They tend to work us really hard, so I can’t be sure I’ll always be able to do this, but I will do my best to.  Thanks for your support!

If you will be praying, we’d love it if you’d send us an email to wes@kingdomcallingadvisors.com.

Photo credit: quadrophenius2009

Taken on our 2007 trip: The entrance to Jesus' tomb

Have you ever thought about what that struggle really represents?  And who is actually battling?

“And as for Ishmael, I have heard you: I will surely bless him; I will make him fruitful and will greatly increase his numbers. He will be the father of twelve rulers, and I will make him into a great nation. But my covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you by this time next year.” (Genesis 17:20-21)

Ishmael is the patriarch of the Muslim world.  Muslims believe that it was Ishmael who God had Abraham take up the mountain to sacrifice instead of Isaac (thus foreshadowing our Father in Heaven sacrificing His Son).  God makes it clear from the beginning that even though Abraham took matters into his own hands in trying to force God’s will to come to pass, God would still bless this line.

There are tons of prophecies about this in scripture, but I’ll just give one more:

“All Kedar’s flocks will be gathered to you, the rams of Nebaioth will serve you; they will be accepted as offerings on my altar, and I will adorn my glorious temple.” (Isaiah 60:7) Kedar and Nebaioth are the first two of the twelve sons of Ishmael (and thus descended of Abraham).  God is starting to bring to pass His promise to bring His blessing to all the sons of Abraham!

We look and see fighting in the Middle East (as there will be until Messiah returns), but do we see God’s plan of redemption in it?  Do we see the Spiritual struggle for souls going on?  Can you look above what’s happening there in the physical world and see what’s happening in the spiritual?

Now what about in your own life?  Can you look at it in this context?

A view from above: People praying at the Western (Wailing) Wall

I learned how amazingly well the Body of Messiah functions when we all give ourselves to His leading.  It still mystifies me how we could end up in the hospital knowing no one, and how He could bring us 30 new brothers and sisters for support.  I still need to depend on myself less and to be more interconnected with the Body in every area of my life.

I learned a lesson in humility.  I still have so far to grow in this area.  I almost always tend to look at the world from my own fleshly perspective instead of from God’s perspective.  Everything great in life is God given, and I really want His to be my perspective.

Hopefully, I am learning to be more aware, although I still fall into the trap of not being open to what God is showing me.  God gave us plenty of warning signs in that spa about what was coming, but we did not listen to Him.  He will lead me in all cases if I just keep my focus in Him.

I learned in a very real way, what I had known scripturally, but saw in my circumstances – That God uses the negative things in our life to bless us and pull us closer to Him if we will seek Him in those.  Overall, this entire experience was an incredible blessing for us to be able to go through.  We’re very glad we got to do it.  Only God could transform horrible burns into an enjoyable life-enriching experience.

I learned that the Land, and God’s first covenant people, whom we are grafted into, are in my blood and that I will be back.  And that day is coming very soon!  I want to invite you to pray for our team that is going there on this upcoming trip.  I am going to do my best to update this site daily to let you know what is going on.  They tend to work us really hard, so I can’t be sure I’ll always be able to do this, but I will do my best to.  Thanks for your support!

If you will be praying, we’d love it if you’d send us an email to wes@kingdomcallingadvisors.com.

Thanks again!  Wes