WEEKLY Arrows from Zion 1/7/2015

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 Jan 7, 2015

It strikes me that as many in prophetic circles in the U.S. are looking forward into what is ahead, this week many of the ministries in Israel are taking account of the things that have happened in their ministries over the past year.  It is a good order for things, I believe, since you don’t know where you are going if you don’t consider where you’ve been.  This is an issue in the Church coming to terms with the role that Israel has in these times when the redemptive plan of God is reaching its fulfillment. For many the roots of our faith planted in Israel holds little relevance – they do not have the big picture of God’s plan, hence they try to look forward to future things without having considered where they really come from all the way back to the beginning.  I’m not talking about the Church adopting Jewish Roots practices, I’m talking about the Church appreciating that God began redemption with the Jews and not being a quitter, He is going to bring His redemptive process of Israel to the end He has had in mind from the beginning.  In the Church, this is the necessary thing about Israel for us to appreciate: What God’s plans are for Israel.  That way, we can find our own participatory role as the Paul attempted to explain to the Romans.

In this first issue of 2015, you will receive a great overview of many different kinds of congregations and ministries that are represented in the attached PDF Weekly Summary.  All you have to do is access these yearend summaries to catch a vision for the future plans God has for Israel and the Jewish people. Israel is so much more than land battles with terrorists – it is the people of Yeshua battling for the souls of their countrymen in the hour appointed by the LORD for their redemption. Catch the vision, won’t you?

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

 

Last week we featured Shai Sol, a contestant on an Israeli reality-talent show, The Next Star (or A Star is Born, depending upon who is translating), who really shook things up when she came out openly declaring to all Israel that she is a follower of Yeshua.  Shai was not ashamed to declare her faith going into the competition baffling the show presenters and delighting the entire Israeli Messianic community

Help Shai Sol record her first album (Hebrew site_

Support the first album (English)

This week we have a follow up report from Avner Valer, who is also a Messianic believer, who has worked at Maoz Ministries as a Hebrew content manager for their website.  He has also written a song with Shai, Based on Jeremiah 3:12 and Zephaniah 3:17.  They want to record the song, "Return, faithless Israel" and have set up a funding project to cover the production costs to professional standard.  They already have the best Messianic musicians in Israel for the project.  You can read more here (keep in mind that Avner’s language is Hebrew, not English, though he does a great job with many links to important related articles and music videos. 

From the Beer Sheva congregation led by Howard and Randi Bass we have a great wrap of their year not only in the words of the ministry letter, but also through the wonderful slide presentation that Randi put together to share with their supporters.  I have to admit that by the end of the slideshow there were tears welling up in my eyes – because it is just a blessing to see the real Israeli believers that I’ve come to know by name mention over the years.  We can never forget that these ministries represent real Israeli men, women and children whose lives are touched by the Messiah, and who are the “living letters” that God has placed in Israel for the Jewish people to read and grasp His love.  People – that is what God is all about.

Howard had a wonderful observation about how Israelis deal with the New Year, which is really the Time marker in history denoting the fact that the Messiah has come.  The world did not begin 2015 years ago, but God’s redemptive Messiah did. 

Howard writes, “Even in Israel, although the country officially tries to ignore the significance of what goes on all around them during the closing week of the year, yet they still are reminded of Who and what took place right here by the thousands of Christian tourists, by the beautiful and inspired songs of the 'reason for the season', by showing on the national news programs the celebrations and excitement which God has bestowed, especially for those of goodwill. The news covers New Year celebrations around the world, and even the partying in Tel Aviv, yet the newscasters do not give any New Year greetings to their viewers. (In Israel, we have 3 New Year remembrances!)”

As has been their tradition for several years, the Bass’ and a few others went to Bethlehem for the Christmas service at Palestinian pastor Nihad’s church.  Because of the war in the summer, there has been much tension and honestly just the need for spiritual repair to go on in the unity of the Body in Israel between the Messianic Jews and the Palestinian Christians.  Pray for the various ongoing efforts to mend these relationships – these are an important witness.

Asher Intrater’s personal ministry, Revive Israel, also filed an end of the year update this week, with a report of the highlights of national and international prayer events they host annually. Each workday the ministry begins with 2-hrs of prayer, praise & prophecy in Hebrew, a key to all their ministry efforts. 

The report also covers the Jerusalem and Tel Aviv congregations which Asher is the apostle-overseer of with Eddie Santoro and Ron Cantor, respectively serving in the pastoral roles.   (One of the things to pray for is an increasing opposition in the Tel Aviv congregation by anti-missionaries, especially against Asher. I have to say that for this to even be mentioned – Asher has been targeted for years in Jerusalem! – is a indication to me how strong the opposition must be.  Please pray.

There are many exciting things Revive Israel has to update on what the ministry is doing - "strategic and aggressive" giving; evangelism; their partnership with Palestinian evangelists; sending ministry to the nations; the community with Yad Hashmonah. 

One evangelistic project of Revive is the internet TV channel in Hebrew that they are developing called Yeshua Chai.  The internet is making great inroads & impact in Israel through direct evangelism.  They write, “Yeshua Chai seeks to be a tool for evangelism from the entire body of Messiah in Israel. We work in good cooperation and communication with the 4 or 5 other groups in Israel looking to do media production in Hebrew for evangelism.  Little by little the quality and quantity of the shows are growing. We have settled on the logo, graphics and site. We will begin publicizing for viewership in spring of 2015. We have nearly completed a small studio for small local productions and plan on using it regularly.”

Last but certainly not least is the commitment of this ministry to preparing young leaders for continuing the work of the ministry in Israel.  This may be one of the closest things to the heart of all the Tikkun network – to pour themselves into the training and release of the next generation of ministry leaders in Israel. 

David Davis who is the leader of the HaCarmel congregation in Haifa puts their ministry vision in context with the use of a wonderful parallel from Joshua 15 when Caleb’s daughter asked her faith for a blessing: “  ‘Give me a blessing… springs of water.’  So he gave her the upper springs and the lower springs” (Josh. 15:18-19).  Springs are sources of water that issue from the ground.  They are blessings from God which provide life for His creatures.  Without water we would die. Here on Mount Carmel we have stood on this word for years.  God has been faithful and has provided us with upper springs and lower springs.”

David writes, “Our worship center, our “upper springs,” is a sanctuary with twelve stones around the altar located on the top of Mount Carmel.  When Elijah had the water poured out on the altar, the fire of God’s presence fell.  Throngs of assembled Israelis fell on their faces, prostrating themselves in pure worship, and cried out, “The Lord, He is God!  The Lord, He is God!” (1 Ki. 18:39).  This is what we long to see today, as Israelis encounter their living Messiah, Yeshua.”

In the “Lower Springs” are their ministry works in Haifa, from the root suggesting “beautiful”.  David writes, “The city begins at the Haifa port at the foot of Mount Carmel.  Further up the mountain, we have spectacular views of the Mediterranean, the port, parts of Galilee and even Lebanon.  However, the source of our spiritual water supply is polluted with false religion and cults, as in the days of Elijah.”

He notes, “After Elisha, the spiritual son of Elijah, received a double portion of God’s Spirit, he was approached by the city elders of Jericho.  They told the prophet that the water supply of the city was polluted and the ground was barren.  Fruit was rotting on the trees. Jericho had been a renowned oasis called the “city of the palms.”  Elisha requested a new bowl (vessel) with fresh salt in it.  Then he went to the source (spring) of the city water supply and threw the salt into it.  The water was purified!”

“Our “lower springs” began with House of Victory in 1991.  Here many unclean vessels polluted by drugs and alcohol, have received the healing of the salt of the gospel, and have been cleansed and transformed by drinking from the source, Yeshua.  Living water from the springs of love, hope, faith and transformation continue to flow there among Jews and Arabs.  For years there has been much healthy fruit coming forth on the “trees” raised up at House of Victory.  In 2015 we are planning new outreaches both in Haifa and Tel Aviv.”  

You can read more of the outreaches that are the springs of living water flowing out to the people of Israel from HaCarmel inside the attached PDF Weekly Summary.  Also, you should know their prayer updates are now available in German, Spanish, and Portuguese. If you would like to receive this update in one of these languages, please let the HaCarmel office know.  Contact info in the attached Weekly Summary.

Eddie and Jackie Santoro of the Love of Yeshua congregation (Ahavat Yeshua) report that they congregation has made its big move to the Clal building and held its first meeting last Saturday, although remodeling work is not quite finished.  They appreciate the response to their appeal for financial support in the renovations – and have more to go if you would like to have a part in helping to finish off this project.  This is a building that is owned by believers and already houses other congregations and ministries.  In fact, their meeting hall will be shared with two over congregations – you might even say that this is a spiritual fortress in the heart of Jerusalem.

Eddie asks for prayer for the “four gifted couples serving on our leadership team. Each has a growing family with young children, each one is working in another job or ministry full time and they all need large amounts of grace to do all that God has put before them. Please pray for Chaim, Evan, Jonathan, Mati and their wives. Pray that in the midst of their very full schedules, they would have enough time and energy to invest themselves in the development and building of our congregation.

“Please pray also for Jackie and me as we give ourselves to the work of the ministry that God has put before us, especially as we endeavor to pass the reigns of leadership to this younger generation. Pray that God would give us wisdom, humility, patience and huge amounts of love as we battle to see these young leaders raised up in their mighty calling.”   For more prayer requests see inside the attached PDF Weekly Summary

In the Arad congregation, they are recalling many promises of God with thankfulness for His faithfulness.  “As we celebrated Chanukah together we were mindful that many great empires have risen and fallen and yet we remain. It’s not that we were more numerous than other peoples, or smarter, or wealthier or that our good deeds deserved such longevity. Like everyone else in the world we’re totally sinful. We live today only because of the mercies of God and because of His sovereign promise.”

Hasdey Yeshua, (Mercy of Yeshua) writes: “God promised that all Israel will be saved. We firmly believe this even though at the moment we’re seeing a slow trickle rather than a flood of our people coming into the Kingdom. This means we must continue to work patiently with one person at a time, praying that what started out as curiosity will turn into spiritual hunger. This is one of our main prayers. Please join us in it.”

You never know as a Christian tourist to Israel what kind of impact you are having on the people you come into contact with – not so much from any direct efforts you make to share the gospel with them because many would not even be open to that, but just from seeing believers who are so joyful to come to Israel to visit the sites, be with the people and bless the land.  The Arad congregation shares the testimony of one Jewish lady who has been drawn in her frequent contact with Christian tourists.  You can read the story inside the attached PDF Weekly Summary

They also report that Debbie Figueras’ recording project – an instrumental recording – is now finished and can be downloaded for free at http://www.debbiefigueras.com/  She is also working on an album of music with Hebrew vocals and they would appreciate prayers over the music projects.

If you would like a sort of ‘day in the life’ of a Israeli Jewish evangelist reaching out right and left in her everyday life, then I invite you to open the attached PDF Weekly Summary and report the monthly ministry report of Rachel and Gilad Netanel.  I will not share their testimony in Arrows to protect what is going on in their outreach, but you will be truly blessed to open the Weekly Summary and read for yourself.  You will really be missing a blessing if you don’t proceed to read!

Rick Ridings, who heads the 24/7 prayer and praise house in Jerusalem, Succat Hallel, writes, “A major shift for Succat Hallel has been to give a basic salary to seven Israelis to enable them to be part of our 24/7 offering of worship and praise, which has now been non-stop around the clock for over 10 years!  As we enter 2015, we have THREE new Israeli couples who desire to join us full-time as soon as we can raise enough for their salaries.   This is a major shift, and we believe it is part of helping to bring Israelis into their spiritual destiny.” He gives “Five Scriptural Reasons to Support Israeli Succat Hallel Staff” inside the attached PDF Weekly Summary.  (If you look in the Touring Ministries section, you will see two of the young men and one of their wives who are part of this new Israeli staff.)

Finally, we have several excerpts from one of the Jerusalem News Network of Barry and Batya Segal that includes a notation about their 2015 Sukkot celebration in September at the Pavilion.  JNN covers a wide range of news excerpts, the ones I picked up to share with you as a sample are about new Israeli Start-Up’s that were featured last month at a conference; Iraninan soldiers on the Lebanon-Israel border; Iran deploys a ‘suicide drone’’ and an article about the religious cleansing in the Middle East of Christians.  As noted by the Jerusalem Post, "Persecution no longer adequately describes the treatment of Christians in a growing number of Muslim areas. Religious cleansing, a type of cultural genocide, which is a crime against humanity, is the more accurate description.”

Urgent HEALING Needs: Life and Death is in the power of the tongue

Please keep in prayer the Israeli believers who are fighting for their lives or other urgent health needs: 

       Please continue to pray for Ronit Bender in Carmel and Leah C in the Kryiot

Israeli Ministries on Tours  |  BOOKING meetings now (See open dates)  Inside the attached Weekly Summary are itineraries and open dates for Succat Hallel staff Joel & Teresa Jelski and Palestinian believer, Milad.

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 this ministry sharing both the challenges and the great things God is doing
among the Israeli indigenous ministries, please pray about making a financial gift donation. 
Donations
PayPal acct is donna@israelprayer.com
or make check payable to
Donna Diorio PO Box 111302 Carrollton TX 75006
I do not have tax exempt status.