Israel
A Light to the Nations!
www.jerusalemchannel.tv
18th Passover Convocation in Israel
By Christine Darg Israel will yet be a light to the nations! Peter Darg’s cover photo of the lighthouse and full Passover moon was taken at Jaffa Port. We are living in absolutely vital days to stand with the God of Israel concerning Bible prophecies. e purpose of our annual Passover Convocations has always been to proclaim the death and resurrection of the Lamb of God and to bring Christians and Jews together under the banner of the God of Israel. Because of the hegemonic spirit of Islam, each year Jews and Christians grow closer together. ese are historic days! Many Bible teachers believe a tetrad of four blood moons is fulfillment of the prophecy of Joel 2: 31. is year the Passover holiday and Holy Week coincided, as they should do, because Jesus did die as the Lamb of God during Passover, and he was raised from the dead on the holiday of First Fruits during the Feast of Unleavened Bread. In the photo above, our delegates visited the Shalom Yerushalayim center of the Knesset
Christian Allies Caucus to sign the Jerusalem Covenant. In the photo below, Orthodox Jews watch Resurrection Day parade of Arab Christians inside Jaffa Gate.
Photo by Angela Sparks
Canon Andrew White receiving our Good Shepherd award for his tender care of persecuted children and believers in the Mideast
Avi Lipkin’s seminar is posted at our website
Photo by Daniela Harbich
We Are Climbing Jacob’s Ladder!
After a life-threatening illness, the grand staircase of the Imperial Hotel was the obstacle that a frail Lance Lambert
Photo of Lance Lambert by Peter Darg
had to overcome before addressing us during our recent Passover convocation. We are very grateful for his determination to meet with us. Lance said that in the last days there will be perilous times, but he admonished us, “Hold onto the grace of God.” He added, "The Lord has thrown us a rope from his heart--don't let go of it! He will pull us through." Lance said repeatedly, “If we really know the Lord and his grace, we will be kept in the last days.” Several times Lance repeated: “The key is to experience his grace.” “People often ask me, ‘How can I live the Christian life?' I say, ‘You are asking the wrong question. The question you need to ask is, ‘How can I die?' Once I learn how to die [to self], the rest just takes care of itself." We continue to pray for Lance’s strength to be renewed as the eagles. He is scheduled to address us at our next convocation-our “Moveable Feast of Tabernacles,” 28 September to 5 October 2015. A super blood moon will be visible in Israel at that time. For details email yairmazur@gmail.com
P r o p h e t i c Pa s s o v e r
Christine Darg honors Father Gabriel Naddaf, brave Israeli priest, with a ‘Good Shepherd’ award for his efforts to mentor Christians serving in the IDF
Our 18th Passover seder was held with the specific purpose to stand with the brave Orthodox priest, Father Gabriel Naddaf, and to withstand in prayer the encroaching spirit of Islam that threatens freedom in the region and also in Jesus’s home town of Nazareth. In a Good Friday service, we led powerful prayers calling upon the Lord of Hosts to fight the Islamic spirit. We spoke the wisdom of God to the powers of darkness over the region in the Name of Jesus of Nazareth to release the people of God from Islamic tyranny and agenda. Father Naddaf is at the center of the conflict because he bravely calls for Christian Arabs to help to protect the democratic Jewish state where they live in peace. Recently Father Naddaf influenced the government to change the civil registry for Christian Arabs who no longer want to identify themselves as
In Nazareth
By Christine Darg
Obnoxious and Aggressive Billboard Against Christianity in the Home Town of Jesus
“Palestinians” to be called Aramaic believers as well as Israeli citizens. We pray that Arab Israelis will be freed from past Islamic heritage to identify with the people of God. It is Father Naddaf ’s hope that the Christian Arabs will increasingly realize that the name “Palestinian” is a mockery because it was branded on the region by the Romans as a way of despising the Jews and the Land of Israel. “Palestinian” means “Philistine,” the ancient pagan enemies of God. Why would Christians perpetuate such mockery? Even in English, “philistine” means someone who is crude, uncultured and smugly common. In the Bible, the Holy Land is called Judea and the land of Israel, not Palestine. Furthermore, we were led by the Holy Spirit to pray about erroneous maps published in the backs of our Bibles, because such maps falsely perpetuate the Palestinian label upon God’s land.
At a recent event in Washington, D.C., I met with one of this generation’s great heroes: Jay Sekulow, Chief Counsel of the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ). Jay is achieving exploits for God in helping to defend many Christian and Israeli causes. His tireless work to free Christians from Islamic prisons needs our ongoing prayers.
Jerusalem Channel Reaches Many Nations
Responses to the Jerusalem Channel continue to grow. Here are some recent examples: “I found your channel through streaming on Roku. I have been watching and listening, many times with tears stinging my eyes. God has given me a deep growing love for Israel because of your clear teachings.” “I’ve only just watched you for the first time, and already I’m feeling a healing deliverance taking place. ank you.” Last month’s Exploits publication in the form of a news book on the “Seven Last Sayings of Yeshua” brought many positive responses, but many partners also expressed a desire to receive the old format as well. erefore we plan to alternate with the old magazine format and the teaching books. With your prayers and partnership, the Jerusalem Channel continues to increase in influence on the Internet, through YouTube and the Roku box. Please share our videos with your friends to increase the channel. Meanwhile, we are planning our
Moveable Feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem’s four quarters of the Old City 28 September to 4 October 2015. It will be a momentous time to be in Israel, because there will be a portent in the sky--a super blood moon-- and unprecedented fellowship among Jews and Christians. We are discovering that the people who travel to Israel with us enjoy the like-minded agape meal fellowships just as much as touring the Holy Land. Cathy from South Africa said that the recent Passover tour was a fulfillment of being brought to the Lord’s banquet table. Daniela from Germany said, “e Lord wants to have His Bride visit the Land and to take important messages back to the nations.” Don’t forget to take advantage of our Exploits Ministry prayer ministry headed by Shirley Hughes by ringing our UK prayer line 0843 557 4077 and in the USA, 1 888 245 2692.
We Must Learn to Discern God’s Voice By Christine Darg
According to rabbinic tradition, God’s voice is called “bat kol” (meaning “daughter of a voice”). is suggests that God’s voice is less discernable than a booming voice, so like a whisper. When God descended upon Mt. Sinai in glory and fire, his voice was frightening and loud like a trumpet, sounding louder and louder. Later, on the other hand, in I Kings 19, the prophet Elijah visited the same locale, where at Mt. Sinai he heard God speaking in a “still, small voice.” Yes, God may speak to nations through clamorous events, but we as individuals should be tuning our ears to listen to his still small voice. Elijah’s episode at Mt. Sinai teaches us that we surely can’t put God’s voice in a box. While God’s voice once rang from the heights at Sinai like the thundering of an ominous war trumpet, in normal day-to-day dealings with individuals, his voice is less discernable. But it is always authoritative. In the New Testament, mention of “a voice from heaven” occurred three times: at the baptism of Jesus; at his transfiguration; and shortly before his Passion. e Lord’s voice was also heard by Saul of Tarsus on the Damascus Road. Saul who became Paul was arrested by the Lord in a blinding light and commissioned to preach the Gospel. In New Testament parlance, we’re told to be like sheep who through familiarity know the true voice of our Good Shepherd. Jesus said in John 10: 2-4 that his sheep hear his voice and follow Him. One of the marks that a person is a true follower of the Good Shepherd is obeying his voice. But how can we know if we’re hearing the voice of God and not our own inward voice? e first voice we hear most oen is our own voice, the one that we’re most familiar with, the voice that continually expresses our thoughts. What we want to distinguish is the guiding voice of God our Maker. e Lord can speak to us directly through the Bible and through specific verses, through his own audible voice, through circumstances, through open or blocked doors, or through another human being! Somebody can give you a
word from God, a rebuke, an exhortation, a word of encouragement, and it can seem as if their words have come directly from the throne of God because the person spoke by inspiration of the Holy Spirit! Many times God will use people to try to get through to us. It’s possible for God to use anyone at any time, even unbelievers. When we’re born again and the Holy Spirit lives inside, most of the time God uses a tiny interior voice to let us know when we're on track-- or not on the right path. Some people call it “the voice of peace.” Others call it the witness of the Spirit. e Lord’s voice has been likened to a green or red light. Whenever we don’t have an inward peace, it’s a wise idea to carefully reassess our plans. An important verse on this matter is Colossians 3:15, “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts.” If you don’t have peace, don’t do it! Sometimes we’re able to “hear” something in our spirit that sounds to us like an actual audible voice. Pay attention to those occasions because it’s very likely God is trying to tell you something. God also speaks to us through what I call promptings: His leadership comes through strong impressions to our hearts or minds, which are generally mild, not too demanding, until we mature. For example, the Lord will prompt us to write somebody an encouraging email or to call somebody to give an encouraging word, and these messages will be very well received if God was in it. Or he will prompt us to give a gi, an offering, clothing, or food to a needy person. Oen God’s simple promptings are to pray for somebody’s health. Sometimes we do get it wrong, but we all have to learn how to be led by the Spirit, and so the more oen we yield to the Lord’s promptings, the easier it will be to hear from God accurately the next time. When the Lord impresses your spirit to do something, don’t miss the leading of the Lord, by thinking it’s your own thoughts. Psalm 37:4 declares, “Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.” is verse has oen been used
Discerning the Voice of God (continued from previous page) foolishly to justify all sorts of sins and selfishness. But that verse doesn’t mean the Lord will give you whatever you want; it means that when you’re seeking the Lord, He will put His desires into your heart. He will make His desires become your desires. e Lord changes your “want to.” If I have to drag my heart to go somewhere, or to do something, I have learned that God is usually not in it. at’s why Colossians 3:15 is a wonderful form of guidance, “And let the peace of God rule in your hearts.” e prophetic word of knowledge, the word of wisdom and personal prophecy are all forms of guidance not to be discounted or dismissed. How else does God speak? e Lord can speak audibly to us in ways other than his voice! e Lord oen speaks to our spirits with pictures, thoughts and impressions.Timings and circumstances are very much a real way in which God speaks to us oen. Strategic partnerships are part of the Lord’s guidance. Sometimes I will meet somebody in the providence of God who will be a vital help to the work of the ministry. In the life of the Apostle Paul, aer he le Athens, he settled for a while in Corinth, where he discovered fellow Jewish tent-makers Aquila and Priscilla. e couple had providentially just arrived from Italy. Paul lodged with them, and their relationship became one of the most important strategic partnerships in the Book of the Acts of the Apostles. Circumstances brought them together. It was the Lord’s ordering. e Good Shepherd is faithful to lead us in
paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. Out of a billion souls in India, through circumstances and recurring dreams concerning India, the Lord led us to the pastor who is now organizing our Gospel Festivals and Bible Congresses in India. A person with a ministry needs to receive continual, ongoing guidance. A number of years ago, when the Lord wanted to re-locate our Jerusalem ministry center to a house on the Temple Mount near the Garden of Gethsemane, I continually saw visions of the building that God had in mind for us. Daydreaming can be a form of visionary guidance for those who walk intimately with the Lord. Off and on, I kept thinking of that property in Gethsemane--and seeing it in my mind’s eye-so that I realized the Lord was drawing me to visit the premises. And so, it was no surprise that I learned the owner was looking for a tenant to rent the property. Ironically, the former tenant informed me of many reasons why I should be discouraged from renting the property, but I had already been convinced by God through the guidance of what I call “divine daydreaming.” And, indeed, for a number of years, that neighborhood became a very important station on the path of our ministry in Jerusalem! How great that God speaks to us through his Word, voice and circumstances!
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The mandate of EXPLOITS MINISTRY
Acts 1:8 and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
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