NOVEMBER 2024 E-NEWSLETTER
Dear Friend,
I’ve never lived in a country at war before. Now, 13 months after October 7, 2023, as a disciple of Jesus/Yeshua I’m having to process what it means to live under the constant threat of annihilation, and the grief and trauma that we Israelis are experiencing.
This war is a war of persecution, both from Iranian backed Hamas and Hezbollah and from their supporters around the globe.
I can’t help but think of the early Church. The Roman Emporer, Nero wasted no time persecuting the early Christians. He arrested and tortured all the Christians in Rome before executing them with lavish publicity. Some were crucified, some were thrown to wild animals, and others were burned alive as living torches.
In the Sermon on the Mount Yeshua told us that if we’re persecuted because of righteousness we are blessed.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. (Matthew 5:10-11)
In some respects this applies to Israel today!
Yesterday, for the first time since the war began, I visited the area close to the Gaza strip where the massacres of October 7th took place. I was traveling with my nephew and a wonderful woman, who’s currently volunteering with us.
Here’s a picture of the Gaza strip that I took from the border town of Sderot.
From Sderot we headed south along a rural road in southern Israel. It passes through the Gaza Envelope, near kibbutzim Re’im, Be’eri, and Kfar Aza, all of which experienced horrible casualties on October 7th.
Driving south we arrived at the memorial site of the Super Nova Sukkot Gathering where 364 people were murdered when Hamas terrorists broke through the Gaza border fence, just 3.1 miles from where the music festival was being held.
As I walked through the memorial I couldn’t look at the pictures of the people who were killed that fateful morning last October. My focus was on praying for the Land to be redeemed from the bloodshed. Honestly, I felt pretty disengaged from the memorial. When five loud explosions were heard and felt coming from Gaza I just wanted to get out of there. Thankfully, we were told those were “our” bombs. This comforted me a little, but gave me more empathy for what our soldiers in Gaza are going through.
As a disciple of Yeshua and a student of God’s Word there are so many thoughts that fill my mind regarding this horrible tragedy. The main one being:
“My people perish for lack of knowledge” (Hosea 4:6)
We are living in times where great shakings are beginning. They’re opportunities for us to hide ourselves in God’s Word to find the comfort that only His Word and Presence brings us.
Israel is a model and example for the entire world. Jihadists are poised in all nations (as we just saw in Holland) to persecute both Jews and Christians. We must ready ourselves, emotionally and spiritually. How are you doing this?
Every year, the ministry Open Doors research teams create the World Watch List: a list of the countries where Christians face the most severe persecution, ranked from the most extreme. According to their research:
- Around 365 million Christians are subject to “high levels of persecution and discrimination”. This compared to 340 million in 2021.
- 1 in 7 Christians are persecuted worldwide, including 1 in 5 in Africa and 1 in 7 in Asia. This compared to 1 in 8 worldwide in 2021.
- 4,998 Christians were killed for faith-related reasons. 90% of those killed were in Nigeria, where attacks on Christians have become more common since 2020 as part of a wider rise in political violence against civilians. Open Doors estimates the number of Christians killed for faith-related reasons worldwide was 5,621 in 2023, 5,898 in 2022, and 4,761 in 2021.
- 14,766 Churches and Christian properties were attacked.
- North Korea, Somalia, Libya, Eritrea, and Yemen had the highest rates of reported persecution against Christians.
Why am I talking about persecution in the Church with regard to a war in Israel? Because we’re all in a war, both physical and spiritual.
And the real question is, how do we overcome and have victory in these wars? (see Revelation 2 and 3)
This morning I sat and meditated on God’s Word while processing walking the very ground yesterday where war broke out and hundreds of young Israelis were murdered in cold blood.
Our Lord is great, vast in power; His understanding is infinite. Psalm 147:5
I may not understand, but my Lord does!
You are my shelter and my shield; I put my hope in Your word. Psalm 119:114
Are you going through something that you don’t understand and that’s difficult to process?
Remember who you are!
For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is going to be revealed to us. For the creation eagerly waits with anticipation for God’s sons to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to futility—not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it—in the hope that the creation itself will also be set free from the bondage of corruption into the glorious freedom of God’s children. (Romans 8:18-21)
As I ponder walking through the horrors of October 7th and what I may perceive as the reasons for what has happened, and what will happen in the future with regard to wars and rumors of wars, I need to come out of getting stuck in cycles of blame, shame, guilt, hopelessness and the temptation to focus solely on the sins of humanity.
Jesus’/Yeshua’s sacrifice is our path of deliverance from sin. It is finished.
Please pray for us to fruitfully be able to communicate this with our pre-believing friends here in the Land of Israel.
Thinking about my own purpose walking through this I remember that Adam and Eve were given dominion over creation and crowned with God’s glory and light. They were kings and priests put on earth to solve a cosmic problem (the fall of Lucifer and the subsequent corruption of all of creation).
As Yeshua’s Disciples, we’ve been given that same assignment, serving God and serving creation. My assignment yesterday was to walk and pray over the Land.
And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. (Revelation 1:5-6)
I’m praying for you to operate fully in the dominion that God has assigned to you; and for you to fully shine His glory and light to all around you as you fulfill heaven’s agenda for your life, based on your unique assignment in God’s story and plan!
Thanks for also praying that for our team in Israel!
Love in Messiah from Israel,
Faith Walker – Mission Discipleship
WHEN YOU PARTNER WITH MISSION DISCIPLESHIP:
-YOU LINK ARMS WITH PEOPLE SHARING THE GOSPEL AND MAKING DISCIPLES IN ISRAEL
– YOU SHINE YOUR LIGHT IN ISRAEL
– YOU’VE GOT SOMEWHERE TO STAY IF YOU WANT TO COME VISIT ISRAEL
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