For Zion’s Sake
In Genesis 12:3, God makes a promise to Abraham: ‘”I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you … Read More
In Genesis 12:3, God makes a promise to Abraham: ‘”I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you … Read More
Thousands of Christians met in Washington, D.C., to do what some say the Obama administration has been reluctant to do: stand unwaveringly with Israel.
Roughly 4,500 people gathered in late July for the fifth annual Christians United for Israel (CUFI) Washington Summit, where they lobbied lawmakers to maintain the nation’s historic support for Israel and declared their solidarity with the Jewish state.
“Israel’s enemies are our enemies; Israel’s fight is our fight,” CUFI founder John Hagee (pictured) told the crowd at the Night to Honor Israel event. “If a line has to be drawn, then let it be drawn around both of us: Christians and Jews, Americans and Israelis.”
In his forthcoming book In Defense of Faith: The Judeo-Christian Idea and the Struggle for Humanity, David Brog takes aim at the media, from Hollywood to cable news political pundits, who claim “religion is the root of all violence in the world.”
Brog, the executive director of Christians United for Israel founded by John Hagee, defends faith-based values of human rights and justice among many, and those who gave rise to their existence from Martin Luther King Jr. and the civil rights movement to Bono’s campaign to end AIDS in Africa.
The Bible tells us to pray for the peace of Jerusalem. In doing so, we not only invoke God’s blessing and protection over His chosen people; we also secure our own well-being. Ray Wilkerson of Maoz Israel, a Messianic ministry in the Holy Land, says Jewish believers in Yeshua are often persecuted for their faith. But Christians around the world can affect change in the nation if we petition God for Zion’s sake. To discover three ways to pray for Israel, listen to the podcast below.
In Genesis 13, Lot chose selfishly and moved his family to the choicest land-near the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, whose inhabitants sinned greatly. Abram, Lot’s uncle, generously let him go; and for his generosity, God blessed Abram and allowed him to settle his family in a safe area.
Later, God used Abram to rescue Lot from the evil cities before He destroyed them. Abram learned the blessings of being generous and following God’s plan.
We often think of giving as being limited to money or things. We need to give our time or talents to the Lord as well. The abilities the Lord has given you can be offered as a special gift.
In Genesis 12:3, God makes a promise to Abraham: ‘”I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.'”
In my own life I have seen proof of this promise; when I have blessed Israel and the Jewish people, God has showered His blessings on me. That is why we have set up the “Bless Israel” fund through Christian Life Missions.
Over the last several years through Christian Life Missions and friends like you, we have helped buy an ambulance for Israel; helped rebuild a war-torn city near the Lebanese border; and provided bomb shelters near the Gaza Strip where Kassam rockets from Hamas rain terror on Israeli citizens who had no where to run and hide.
Christianity would not exist if it weren’t for the Jewish people. I know this concept flies in the face of the anti-Semitic poison that has filled the mouths of church leaders for centuries. But it’s true: Christian values we now hold dear are rooted in theology practiced by the Israelites for thousands of years before Christianity was ever in the picture. Their contributions are the bedrock of our very faith.
It’s essential for anti-Semites to separate Jesus from His Jewish roots. If you do that, then hatred becomes fashionable and anti-Semitism becomes a Christian virtue. If Jesus can be separated from His Jewish roots, then Christians can continue to praise the dead Jews of the past such as Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, while snubbing the Goldbergs across the street.
Those who studied biblical prophecy in the late 1930s believed an evil power of darkness had been unleashed in Europe. German dictator and tyrant Adolf Hitler, like a demon on assignment, was initiating his “solution” to the world’s problems by planning what historians would later identify as the Jewish Holocaust.
As we think of our Jewish brethren, we wonder how they missed seeing the Messiah clearly presented in the prophets, the psalms and even the Pentateuch. The only explanation is what Paul speaks clearly about in Romans. The Jewish people have a veil over their eyes that has been placed there by God. Should we pray for this veil to be dropped if this is God’s will? The answer to this is a resounding yes.
In Genesis 12:3, God makes a promise to Abraham: ‘”I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.'”
In my own life I have seen proof of this promise; when I have blessed Israel and the Jewish people, God has showered His blessings on me. That is why we have set up the “Bless Israel” fund through Christian Life Missions.
In biblical times, a winepress represented joy, singing and rejoicing. Farmers would harvest their grapes, place them in a pit hewed from a rock called a winepress, and crush the fruit to get the juice. They would use the grape juice to make wine and serve it at weddings, dinner and other gatherings. But according to Isaiah, the winepress is also symbolic of God’s wrath. To learn more about the ancient winepress, click below to watch the video.
More than 1,500 churches from a variety of denominations showed their solidarity with Israel during a special service Sunday.
On the second annual Christians United for Israel (CUFI) Sunday, congregations prayed for the peace of Jerusalem and pastors dedicated their sermons to explaining why Christians should support the Jewish nation. Organized by Texas pastor John Hagee, founder of CUFI, the event drew participants from all 50 states and 50 nations.
On the second day of my trip to Israel last year, I toured Caesarea, an ancient port built by King Herod. There I saw ruins of a centuries-old vomitoruim (my tour guide, Tison Ben David, explains the meaning of the name in the clip) and a reconstructed Roman theater. When archeology meets biblical history, the Bible not only comes to life, but we also develop a greater understanding of God’s plan for mankind. Watch the video below.
Participants from three continents gathered in San Remo, Italy, Sunday to mark the 90th anniversary of the signing of a resolution that created a legal foundation for Israel’s statehood.
Deputy Speaker of Israel’s Knesset Danny Danon and Italian Member of Parliament Fiamma Nirenstein were among those who returned to the site where the Allied powers of World War I signed the San Remo Resolution on April 25, 1920.
When I first moved to a country community in Israel, I remember seeing an Arab man named Abdul helping the Jewish people with a variety of tasks. He was well liked by everyone on the Moshav, especially by my landlord who hired him. He was very personable, always laughing and joking with the people, but also a hard worker.
Abdul was invited into many Jewish homes for meals and was treated as family by many of them. I thought this was so wonderful, but unfortunately it is not so common in Israel anymore.
The Messianic Jewish movement is unified by one distinguishing commitment, that Jews who come to faith in Jesus the Messiah are called to live and identify as Jews. Our very existence is a challenge to the church concerning its own self-identity as one organically connected to the Jewish people from whom it was born.
Earlier this month, Afghan President Hamid Karzai, lashed out at the United States. Although it is widely reported that Karzai won his re-election by fraud, he made the absurd claim that the international community was to blame for any voting irregularities. Though Karzai owes his power entirely to the U.S. and allied troops fighting the Taliban for him, he dared to criticize his defenders.
It’s true that when I went to Israel last year, I “walked where Jesus walked,” sailed the Sea of Galilee and ate wonderful cuisine. But more importantly, I worshiped Jesus in song and dance. The music was unfamiliar to me, but the Holy Spirit’s presence was evident in the praises I offered up to God. Want to worship Him Messianic style? Click below to watch a video of Gethsemane Ministries.
The Messianic Jewish Alliance of America (MJAA) has launched an aggressive campaign to protest U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s condemnation of Israel last month for announcing plans to build 1,600 apartments on disputed land in east Jerusalem.
MJAA criticized Clinton for giving a “43-minute tongue-lashing to Israeli Prime Minister [Benjamin] Netanyahu,” and slammed the presidential aides who denounced Israel in the news media, blaming the Jewish state—and not terrorists—for blocking peace talks.
A Christian-owned company exploring for oil in Israel plans to expand its drilling operations through a partnership that includes the purchase of a 2,000-horsepower drilling rig.
In a deal announced this week, Zion Oil & Gas will form a subsidiary tentatively called Zion Drilling Inc. through a partnership with Aladdin Middle East Ltd. (AME). The arrangement includes the purchase of $7 million from AME and a series of $1 million payments that are expected to coincide with Zion’s drilling of seven additional wells in Israel.