©19 December 2014 Revive Israel Ministries

Crossing the Kidron

By Asher Intrater

Did you ever notice the word "garden" in John 18:1? – "After He finished saying these words, Yeshua went out with His disciples across the Kidron stream and entered… into a garden."

Which garden was this? – The Garden of Gethsemane.

What "words" had Yeshua just finished saying? – The prayer of John 17.

Yeshua prayed for His disciples to be unified, glorified and protected in this world, since He was leaving to return heavenward. 

Yeshua prayed this magnificent prayer for His disciples, presumably on Mount Zion, and then crossed the Kidron valley to pray the blood-sweating prayer of Gethsemane.  The two prayers were approximately an hour apart.  There is a spiritual connection between them. 

The prayer of Gethsemane, "Not My will but Your will be done" – Matthew 26:39, was a response to the prayer of John 17. He dedicated Himself to obedience, even unto death on the cross and descent into hell, in order that His prayer for His disciples would be fulfilled. 

This most intense evening included:

1. Arriving at Mount Zion upper room
2. Eating the Passover together
3. Cutting the Lord's Supper covenant
4. Praying the John 17 prayer
5. Crossing the Kidron
6. Entering garden of Gethsemane
7. Praying the "Not My will" prayer
8. Being arrested
9. Taken before High Priest
10. Taken before Pilate

Let's shorten this to:

1. Passover
2. Lord’s Supper
3. John 17
4. Gethsemane
5. Crucifixion.

Yeshua was crucified in order to fulfill all the glorious things He prayed for His disciples in John 17.  In Gethsemane He prayed to be willing to sacrifice Himself in order to fulfill the John 17 prayer.  His prayer for our glorious destiny demanded His prayer for total dedication, which led to His being crucified for us.

Immediately after this prayer, the soldiers came to arrest Him.  He was so filled with holiness and power, that when He said to them, "I am He," the soldiers fell down backwards (John 18:6).  When we pray together with Yeshua the prayers of John 17 and Gethsemane, in dedication and love, great power will be released for the kingdom of God as well.

By Rachel and Gilad

Recently we entertained 12 friends for a Shabbat meal.  Around our table were people from various walks of life who I had shared the gospel with.   The worker who fixed my boiler and his girlfriend.  Nachum from a restaurant.  Michelle, who had done my nails… I was amazed to see that even though they did not know each other, we were able to have wonderful time of fellowship and of course I talked about the Lord.  I am in contact with them and hope to do this again soon. 

Please pray for this group of twelve and for an upcoming open house during the Christmas holiday (many Israelis are fascinated by the holiday). We are expecting over fifty unbelievers to come and we will again have the opportunity to share the gospel with them.

Three months remain to general elections in Israel.  Amazingly enough, in this tiny country already with so many different political parties, 2 more significant parties were launched this week. 

The first by Moshe Kahlon, a former leader in the Likud, is setting itself to be a centrist mainstream party, with a social welfare/justice agenda.  Kahlon will likely take some votes from Yair Lapid's party, as Kahlon is now the "new" figure on the scene, and also from Shas, as Kahlon is a Sephardic Jew himself.  As Kahlon is decidedly centrist, he is positioning himself to be part of any government, whether led by the left wing or the right wing.

The second party was launched by Eli Yishai, the number two man in the Shas party.  This represents a significant division among the Sephardic Orthodox, as both Yishai and Aryeh Deri, the current head of Shas, claim to be the valid heirs of the Ovadia Yosef power block. 

By Greta Mavro

On Sunday, Dec 14th, I attended an event hosted by Father Gabriel Naddaf and the Christian Recruitment Forum.  Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, soldiers, police officers and hundreds of honorable guests gathered in Nazareth Elite to celebrate their common vision to see the integration of Arabic speaking Christians into Israeli society. 

The Prime Minister commended Christian soldiers for defending and protecting Israel, affirming his government's commitment to its minorities, and vowing to uphold freedom of religion for all its citizens with no exceptions.  As Netanyahu spoke about the plight of Christians in the Middle East, declaring that he was among "friends and brothers," I knew that God was doing something eternal in the heart of His people.

As the overseer of CRF and as an Orthodox priest, Father Naddaf has been declaring the common destiny of Christians in the Middle East with Israel. This fledgling group of Aramean- Arabic-speaking Christians is on a quest for truth and national identity in Israel. In spite of the CRF video that opened the event portraying the cross numerous times joined to Israel's flag, I sensed not one iota of offence by Jewish Israeli guests.

The fact that two men, one Jewish and one Christian Orthodox, have forged together to honor and protect one another is a powerful prophetic picture.   Prime Minister Netanyahu and Father Naddaf, two sons of the same Father and of the same ancient faith, in slow and meaningful steps, were turning to one another in a warm embrace of mutual respect. 

In this first video of four, Cody Archer shares from his own life about struggles with pornography as a young man.  In the next three video's he gives keys that have helped him overcome and find victory in the area of sexual purity. To watch, click HERE!