(no subject)
So today is my last full day here in Israel. We have tons of meetings but may try to go to the Christian quarter this morning to get some goodies for friends.
Yesterday we went to Bethlehem, and stayed in the West Bank. We met up with a man and his wife and his two adorable children. They are still babies (the children) and the youngest, 6 months, was very sick with a fever. We prayed over her and the Lord took her fever away. I'm telling you. God is so faithful in prayer.
The man has been trying to development youth ministry for Muslims in Israel and honestly, I have so much respect for him. He is the regional director, I guess you could say, and has a mission field of about 7,000 high schoolers... and has somehow developed projects to present the Gospel to every single one of them... by himself. Its incredible.
However, he is burnt out. We prayed with him, for him, offering up Scripture and I think we encouraged him, but the need is still there.
We then (in faith) went to high schools. Now in order to understand how God was a part of this you need to remember that IT IS ILLEGAL TO SHARE YOUR FAITH TO A MINOR IN ISRAEL. After praying and going to these high schools, we're in. :)
I feel like I've learned a lot while Ive been here. Not only have I learned about how Israel of the Bible really is the literally Israel, and not "everyone is Israel" (replacement theology) but I've learned about how true the Bible is. I, of course, believed it, but read there Isaiah, and you will literally encounter the people we witnessed to. Hard hearted, deceived, ready to murder any prophet God sends them. But something's coming.
In the youth, they are willing to listen. America needs to support Israel, especially the Christians.. and Israel is beginning to know that we do. War is coming. Whispers of it by August are everywhere we go. I pray against it, but the Lords will be done.
Ive also learned a lot about the power of the Holy Spirit. We don't really teach it in America for some reason, not for the most part, but that is what was sent to us in order to accomplish all that God has for us. Healings, visions, prophecies, all done in love... all things I hope the Lord continues in His Spirit back in America.
What I've really taken away is this.. and it will sound simple, but it really is something that needs to be experienced. All people, from every tongue tribe nation and people, need the Gospel, and the beautiful thing is that despite war, and some evil brought on by Satan, most people are quite beautiful.
We can go and sit and have lemonaide and bread with a Muslim family talking about how for a while (and this is all true) if they stood near certain windows, snipers from miles away in Jerusalem would shoot at them. Many neighbors, just going to get milk, have been killed this way. But they have come to know and love Jesus, and even though they would never associate with Jews from their hearts, they feel a tugging on their hearts to pray for them as God's chosen people.
Then the same day, we can go to a Jewish familys house, share a meal with them and hear about their lives and how the evil of Islam demonic deception has split their nation. How they have taken in half-dead beaten people that wound up in the wrong part of a Muslim town, and how the Lord has developed amazing relationships through that.
We are called to have a ministry of reconciliation. Not to see people as cultures do, but as God does, and if they could only give one another a chance (and Satan would stay out of it) they would see that they really are the same types of people.. both loving the Lord, loving eachother, wanting shalom... I pray they get their wish.
Yesterday we went to Bethlehem, and stayed in the West Bank. We met up with a man and his wife and his two adorable children. They are still babies (the children) and the youngest, 6 months, was very sick with a fever. We prayed over her and the Lord took her fever away. I'm telling you. God is so faithful in prayer.
The man has been trying to development youth ministry for Muslims in Israel and honestly, I have so much respect for him. He is the regional director, I guess you could say, and has a mission field of about 7,000 high schoolers... and has somehow developed projects to present the Gospel to every single one of them... by himself. Its incredible.
However, he is burnt out. We prayed with him, for him, offering up Scripture and I think we encouraged him, but the need is still there.
We then (in faith) went to high schools. Now in order to understand how God was a part of this you need to remember that IT IS ILLEGAL TO SHARE YOUR FAITH TO A MINOR IN ISRAEL. After praying and going to these high schools, we're in. :)
I feel like I've learned a lot while Ive been here. Not only have I learned about how Israel of the Bible really is the literally Israel, and not "everyone is Israel" (replacement theology) but I've learned about how true the Bible is. I, of course, believed it, but read there Isaiah, and you will literally encounter the people we witnessed to. Hard hearted, deceived, ready to murder any prophet God sends them. But something's coming.
In the youth, they are willing to listen. America needs to support Israel, especially the Christians.. and Israel is beginning to know that we do. War is coming. Whispers of it by August are everywhere we go. I pray against it, but the Lords will be done.
Ive also learned a lot about the power of the Holy Spirit. We don't really teach it in America for some reason, not for the most part, but that is what was sent to us in order to accomplish all that God has for us. Healings, visions, prophecies, all done in love... all things I hope the Lord continues in His Spirit back in America.
What I've really taken away is this.. and it will sound simple, but it really is something that needs to be experienced. All people, from every tongue tribe nation and people, need the Gospel, and the beautiful thing is that despite war, and some evil brought on by Satan, most people are quite beautiful.
We can go and sit and have lemonaide and bread with a Muslim family talking about how for a while (and this is all true) if they stood near certain windows, snipers from miles away in Jerusalem would shoot at them. Many neighbors, just going to get milk, have been killed this way. But they have come to know and love Jesus, and even though they would never associate with Jews from their hearts, they feel a tugging on their hearts to pray for them as God's chosen people.
Then the same day, we can go to a Jewish familys house, share a meal with them and hear about their lives and how the evil of Islam demonic deception has split their nation. How they have taken in half-dead beaten people that wound up in the wrong part of a Muslim town, and how the Lord has developed amazing relationships through that.
We are called to have a ministry of reconciliation. Not to see people as cultures do, but as God does, and if they could only give one another a chance (and Satan would stay out of it) they would see that they really are the same types of people.. both loving the Lord, loving eachother, wanting shalom... I pray they get their wish.