WEEKLY Arrows from Zion 8/20/2014

 

 Arrows from Zion

Serving the Body of Messiah in Israel since August 2001 
& Strategically Aimed for the Lord’s Harvest in Israel

Arrows from Zion May be copied for use in Prayer Gatherings 

Priority Prayer Focus Aug 20, 2014

My sense is that one of the most important concepts for the international Church in this season is the concept of “coming alongside” – not just coming alongside Israel, but more specifically coming alongside the Israeli community of faith in Messiah Yeshua.  When Ruth came alongside to get salvation for Naomi, Ruth came alongside and worked with the laborers in the harvest field.  Saints, Ruth is the international Church, the laborers in the harvest field are the Israeli believer ministries and Naomi is unsaved Israelis. Ruth did not spend her days simply doing kindnesses to Naomi, Ruth went out and worked alongside those who were bringing in the harvest.  We should be doing the same.

Contact information for all the ministries is included inside the attached Weekly Summary.
Arrows from Zion
Strategically Aimed for the Lord’s Harvest in Israel

As you have no doubt heard, once again rockets are flying from Gaza.  Inside this weekly issue we have several very important perspectives from Israeli Messianic ministry leaders who are the top voices – in my estimation – of news events in Israel from a spiritual perspective.  Some points will be highlighted in these Arrows from Zion, but to gain the full benefits of these perspectives you need to open the attached PDF Weekly Summary and read Eddie Santoro, Martin Sarvis, Arni Klein, Asher Intrater, Howard Bass and Tony Sperandeo.

Eddie Santoro of the Ahavat (Love of) Yeshua congregation in Jerusalem tells us Israeli troops have been given order to prepare for another potential land incursion.  Please pray for this. We have received reports even in the past 2 hours on Twitter, that the Hamas military commander Mohammad Deif has been killed. Pray Israel will be able to continue to take out strategic leaders in the terror group Hamas.

Santoro also writes, “There is a blindness that is coming upon the world in which evil is being perceived as good and good as evil. In one London supermarket chain, kosher foods and all things Jewish were removed from the shelves in a cowardly show of submission to terror. In California, a huge Israeli owned container ship is sitting off the coast, as dock workers support pickets set up by Palestinians who are organizing a worldwide boycott against Israel to protest this war.”

There will be a price to pay for embracing lies, ignoring facts and siding with aggressors against the righteous.  In this way, the international Church will experience what Israel has been experiencing. God will use these situations to open spiritual eyes.  When we stand in the same situations that Israel has stood in, the ones with a genuine heart toward God will quit accepting justifications for what has been happening to Israel.  Pray for all those held captive to the lies and deception that has been spun, so they are unable to discern between good and evil.

As Santoro puts it, “Israel's battle is the world's battle. It is the fracture line today between light and darkness. Be assured that in the end one side will win and one side will lose. There can be no compromise between the powers of darkness and light.”

Martin Sarvis, also in Jerusalem, writes about the threat Hamas has leveled that if Israel does not meet its demand, Israel will be plunged into a long and arduous “war of attrition.”  Sarvis shares the Webster New World Dictionary definition of this war of “attrition”:  “The act or process of wearing away or grinding down by friction; Any gradual wearing or weakening, esp. to the point of exhaustion—a siege is a battle of attrition.”

So, Hamas threatens if Israel will not give up fast, Hamas will wear them down by continually grinding away at Israel.  We see that same threat currently leveled at the U.S. by IsIs.  When the lawless threaten the lawful in this manner, it is beyond foolishness to bow to the threat.  Better to fight on, than to lay down.  Sarvis quotes Psalm 75:2-4, “The act or process of wearing away or grinding down by friction; Any gradual wearing or weakening, esp. to the point of exhaustion—a siege is a battle of attrition.”  Pray for the righteous to be courageous in the Lord, and for those treading out evil paths to be given a spirit of repentance that they might be saved.

Arni Klein speaks to the fact that the only solution to the current problem for Israel is for Hamas to cease from Gaza.  That does not look especially promising, but it is a fact that partially-blind Israel is holding to a very high level of righteousness in the face of all these evils against them.  How will the Church make Israel jealous? Arni writes, “to bring those who live 24/7 with the threat of annihilation to a place of emulation will surely require more than a smile, an encouraging word, a pat on the back and a few nice songs about God. . . . Beloved, we are of the opinion that the answer is in the definition noted above [read inside attached Weekly Summary]… “to stimulate alongside unto emulation” --  the key word being “alongside.”

From Asher Intrater of Revive Israel comes three words on how to pray for the situation in Gaza” Pituach – Peruz – Peruk:  Pituach (Development) in exchange for; Peruz (Disarmament) based on; Peruk (Dismantling ) of terrorist organizations.  Hamas is a terrorist organization, just as Al Qaida, Boko Haram, ISIS, Jihad, and Hezbollah. No one can negotiate with suicide terrorists.  Let's pray for wisdom for government leaders to see this logic, and for this peruk-peruz-pituach plan to take place (be it the will of God).  Also read online:  "End of the World" in 2040?

Howard Bass at Nachalat (Inheritance of) Yeshua congregation in Beer Sheva also has written posted three brief reflections stemming from the present situation.  The congregation held a prayer focus on the horrific suffering “by especially Christians in the jihadi Islamic world”.  Howard writes, “Christians are being targeted by "evangelical" radical Muslims in a similar fashion as the Jewish people were by the Nazis; that is, the evil-doers do not care what stream of Christianity (or of Judaism) one may be of, or whether one is a true believer or not.  The very fact that one is identifiable as a Christian, or as a Jew, is enough to ignite the wrath of the satanic contempt and hatred.”

Surely as the international Church sees the truth of this, we will also see the truth of God’s purposes on both the Jewish people and the Church.  We are being thrown together by the onslaught of satanic hatred for God’s people and purposes. As persecution often does, it will ultimately cause us to band together as one in order to survive.

Summarizing an article he recommends, "Spiritual Trials, Strategic Rewards", Howard writes, “Without godliness and obedience to God, as a people we have no moral strength to defeat an implacable and larger foe.   Isn't this what Yeshua and His apostles have instructed us?  There are going to wars until the end, both carnal and spiritual.  Yet, in and through such suffering, death, deprivation, fear, we are called to obey Him nonetheless:  we ARE called to a higher standard as the people of the one, true, living God than are others.”

Tony Sperandeo of the Congregation Hamaayan (Wellspring) writes, “As believers in the Prince of Peace we are also very concerned about the population of Gaza. It's very difficult for us to see them being used as human shields by the Hamas terrorists. During this time, Israel continued to send truckloads of humanitarian help, delivering food, medicine, petrol, gas and electricity. We are deeply sorrowed for the Palestinian families who have lost their relatives during this war. We pray that Yeshua will continue to reveal himself in the hearts of many, as he is the only one able to bring true Peace.”

Sperandeo also sees how Christians are also being drawn into the battle against Islamists, writing, “While Gaza is a small dark cloud from the perspective of world events, it has distracted the world from looking at the movement of this terrorist organization. The people that are being hit the worst are Christians throughout the Middle East.”

He also reports good news, “Despite these frightful events, there is a hope emerging in the Jewish Nation. God is opening the eyes of the Israelis in dreams and visions. He is revealing Himself to the most religious Jews in the night, causing them to reach out to us (secretly for fear of expulsion from their family) to understand more of their newly founded faith. This war in Israel has allowed us to speak truth to our friends and family who live in constant fear and trauma due to the effects of the war and the on-going rocket barrages. “

For those of you who tried to subscribe to Orna Greenman’s blog about how to be a Ruth to Israel, the glitch has now been addressed and she urges you to sign up to receive notice as she adds new postings.  Link to the blog "Ruth, Naomi Israel and you"  Orna will be traveling to minister in Germany in 3 weeks and asks prayer for her journey, and also for her mother experiencing medical issues.

Joel Jelski, one of the young ministry generation at Succat Hallel asks prayers for his team ministry in Cyprus at a conference bringing together the Houses of Prayer throughout the Middle Eastern nations. If you would like to help sponsor Joel in the expenses, please see more inside the attached PDF Weekly Summary.

Joel also asks for us to “be praying for the Kurdish people in Iraq and the many Christians being persecuted and killed there by ISIS right now. There is a window of opportunity here for the eyes of many disillusioned by Islam to be opened, and to see the truth of Christ.

“Also, the Kurdish people are the inhabitants of the eastern area mentioned in Isaiah 19 as Assyria. This is a moment for a great awakening in the millions of Kurds in that area in the midst of persecution. Also, Israel and the Kurds have a peaceful and friendly relationship, and if the Kurds can receive freedom as a nation, then this would be an amazing development both in historical spiritual meaning, and also in political alliance and geographical change in the Middle East. for link to Rick Ridings vision about this moment and its significance, Click Here. “

Humanitarian Aid

8/18/14 Ye’shi Reinhardt  Jerusalem and S’derot
Hands of Mercy (humanitarian aid by believers to  terror victims) 
Tents of Victory  (ministry to bombarded Sderot)
mercy777@netvision.net.il    www.israel-handsofmercy.org 
Donate: http://www.israel-handsofmercy.org/#!donate/cm16

As the IDF continue to prepare on the border for what's ahead, Sderot is gearing up for another month, perhaps months of sleepless nights, hearing the shelling from both sides, and knowing that every 'boom' means loss of life. The effect on our collective psyche here is painful, we want to be safe, but we don't want death to be the price for our safety, and in Sderot and the Gaza belt communities, there is no escape from this reality.  Despite our pain and lack of sleep, we are all using this brief respite to get ready for the next round. We have been working together with some other local organizations . . . . the reality is that we are fighting for our freedom and existence and even as we do, the world turns its hatred toward us. We are comforted by prophecy and strengthened by the knowledge that we are fighting to ensure that those that hate us still have the right and the freedom to say so.

Inside the attachment of the
Weekly Summary of Prayer Requests from Israeli Ministries
Arrows from Zion can be shared freely.  Just copy and paste this email into a Word document to make it easy to print.  However, we ask the Weekly Summaries not be forwarded or information republished without consent of the specific ministries. The Weekly Summary is by subscription only, write arrowsfromzion@gmail.com or donna@d10r10.com

Praying the Headlines

"Not a hero"
By Asher Intrater, Revive Israel and Tikkun Ministries International
http://www.revive-israel.org  newsletter@revive-israel.org 

The commando unit of Givati Division divided into two groups to check houses for terror tunnels in Gaza during the so-called "cease fire" last Thursday.  One was led by Captain Benaya, and the other by his assistant, Lieutenant Eitan.   Benaya's unit entered one of the houses, and a group of Hamas terrorists came out of a 1.5 meter opening of a concealed shaft and shot to death Benaya's lead team of three soldiers. 

Eitan's group was about 300 meters away resting.  They heard the shots and came running.  Two of the dead bodies were pulled to the side.  Eitan realized that his immediate commander was dead, meaning that he was now in charge of the unit. Eitan (age 23!) called for "iron numbers" - a quick roll call to see if anyone is missing.  Two minutes later it became clear that Hadar Golding was missing.  Eitan called for the "Hannibal rule" - all forces to search for the kidnapped soldier.

Eitan saw blood marks leading up to the shaft entrance.  It was clear that Golding was dragged into the tunnel.  Eitan said, "I'm going after him."  By radio the next two levels of officers above him said it was too dangerous. He refused to yield. He got special permission from the Colonel over Givati Division.  He started to go down, but realized it was too clumsy. He took off all his equipment, including helmet, and took only a pistol.  He told two other soldiers on his team to follow after him.

They went down into the total darkness, with a flashlight, feeling their way along. They followed after signs of blood.  They went on: 100 meters, 200, 300. Eitan said, "This is taking too long." He started running deep into the tunnel.  They got to a distance of 1,000 meters until they found the exit shaft - but it was sealed shut. They returned.  They brought back enough evidence to confirm Golding's death.  Because of this evidence, these brave soldiers prevented an international hostage crisis and likely saved thousands of lives.

Lieutenant Eitan had been 50 days in continuous action.  He was told by reporters, "You'll receive a national medal of honor for this." Eitan, thin, shy and delicate- featured, replied, "I don't want a medal. I'm not a hero.  I was just in the right place at the right time.  Anyone would have done the same. This is the spirit of our unit; the spirit of the IDF, the spirit of the people of Israel."

Israeli Ministries on Tours

BOOKING meetings now (See open dates)  Inside the attached Weekly Summary are itineraries and open dates dates for the chief songwriter of the classic Messianic worship music of Israel’s Hope, Marc Chopinsky, is setting U.S. dates for Nov-Dec for concert & Israel advocacy engagements.  Marc is also open to concert or speaking engagements in the nations; David and Karen Davis along with HaCarmel congregation’s Peter Tsukahira in Australia meetings Aug 22-31; and the complete U.S. itinerary of Carolyn & Richard Hyde currently in progress through Sep 3.

________________________________________

Donna Diorio 
 arrowsfromzion@gmail.com or donna@d10r10.com
 
If your weekly Arrows from Zion email does not come in,
check online each Wednesday at Israel Prayer Dot Com  |  Israel Watcher – A Second Opinion   Mostly political or current events commentary | Fruit of the Fig Tree   Spiritual insights 

If you appreciate the efforts of this ministry to share both the  challenges and the great things God is doing among the Israeli indigenous ministries, please pray about making a financial gift donation.  Make donations payable to the order of Donna Diorio and mail to: Israel Prayer  P O Box 111302 Carrollton, Texas 75006 Or click on the PayPal account:  donna@israelprayer.com I do not have tax exempt status.