© 7 August 2015 Revive Israel Ministries

No Arguing or Complaining?

By Asher Intrater

For many years I have taught that the New Covenant is really a Jewish book.  Except for this verse perhaps:
Philippians 2:14 – Do everything without complaining and without any arguing.

Can Rabbi Saul of Tarsus really mean this?  J  Arguing is practically our national sport here in Israel.  And complaining is part of our Jewish culture and heritage, developed over thousands of years. It's even recorded in the Bible (again and again). 

Perhaps the solution to this theological predicament is that Saul (Paul) was writing to the Gentiles.  Yes, they (not us) could be expected to do all without complaining or arguing.
No, this verse is for everyone, including you and me, Jew and Gentile, male and female, White and Black, old and young.  We have no excuses.  Apparently the Philippians also had a bit of a problem with this particular character trait.  If not, why would Paul have written to them about it? 

If it's written in the Bible, it must be possible.  Let's pray: "Lord, Help us to do all things without any complaining and any arguing, but with grace and thanksgiving. Amen."

By Katy Smith, Maoz Israel Ministres

It has been a sad week in Israel, which can be summed up in two words: Jewish terrorism.

On Thursday afternoon, six people were stabbed during Jerusalem’s annual gay pride parade. One of the victims, a 16-year-old girl, succumbed to her wounds and died Sunday.  The stabber is an ultra-Orthodox extremist, Yishai Shlissel, who had just been released from prison after serving his sentence for stabbing one person at a gay pride parade ten years ago.

On Friday, two houses in the town of Duma in the West Bank were set on fire, killing an 18-month-old baby and critically wounding his four-year-old brother and both parents.  The walls outside the houses were sprayed with “Messiah the king” and “Revenge,” pointing the blame toward Jewish extremists belonging to the “Price Tag” group.

Thousands of people have been gathering to protest and show support for the victims in both events.  PM Netanyahu and other government officials have condemned these attacks, promising to punish the terrorists.  Even Israeli rabbis of various sects of Judaism condemned the senseless murders.  Jewish settlers together with Muslims from the West Bank held a special joint prayer event, holding on to the hope of living peacefully side by side.

Since the terror act in Duma, there have been several terror acts perpetrated by Palestinians against Jewish civilians and soldiers.  Two rockets were fired from Gaza into Israel overnight Sunday.  World leaders and media lashed out at Israel, holding our government responsible for the murder of the child. Mahmoud Abbas petitioned the ICC in Hague, asking to convict Israel of crimes against humanity.

The conflict in Ukraine has led to the displacement of 1.5 million people and the death of thousands. According to the data published by the Ukrainian Embassy in Israel, there are 95,000 Ukrainian citizens in Israel because of the war, and many more desiring to come.

Many Ukrainian Jewish refugees still have not received a legal status from the Israeli government, and are thus in very difficult situations. They are not able to work or receive health insurance and social benefits.  Our friends at Shavei Tzion (Return to Zion) are reaching out to this group in many ways.

They are distributing food and have served over a thousand packages so far. They hold tours for new immigrants. Working with a team of believing guides, they have organized 7 trips, serving about 330 people. These tours reveal the significance of the Land of Israel and the Jewish people returning to it. This gives them a sense of purpose and inspires them to hang on through the difficult immigration process.

About 500 people have joined their Shabbat celebrations. Many of them have never seen a Torah scroll, heard Jewish prayers, or read the texts of the New Testament, in Hebrew or Russian.  Return To Zion has also created a distribution warehouse for appliances, linens and other necessary goods. It is open twice a week and serves several hundred people each month. They are planning to start two Alpha-evangelism courses in October.

Jeremiah 16 speaks of a time when the Lord will return His people to His land by the hand of "fishermen" or "hunters."  The Shavei Tzion congregation is doing a great and necessary work.  We would like to invite you to join us in supporting them during this critical time.

To give, please click HERE! *Important*: under “area” select Shavei Tzion (Return to Zion), then in the box below select “Haifa / Upper Nazareth Soup Kitchen”.

Called to Suffer

In this message Ron Cantor speaks about the believers' call to suffer and shares from his own experiences. The death of our flesh will bring fruit and spiritual life for ourselves and those around us. So how do we embrace our calling? To watch in English, click HERE!

We invite you to join Asher at the Aglow International Global Conference in Indianapolis, IN this November, where he will be one of the keynote speakers. He will be joined by his friend, Harun Ibrihim, a former Muslim believer in Jesus, along with Christian leaders from around the world. It will be a powerful time of celebration and impartation! Register today!