POWERFUL ACCESSIBILITY OF INTERNET-BASED EVANGELISM
Today biblical prophecies and signs of the end times are everyday news. There are many who have been apprehensive of what is about to happen
under the current tensions everywhere in the world as well as in the
Middle East. ...
1 I rejoiced with those who said to me,
‘Let us go to the house of the LORD.’
2 Our feet are standing
in your gates, Jerusalem.
3 Jerusalem is built like a city
that is closely compacted together.
4 That is where the tribes go up –
the tribes of the LORD –
to praise the name of the LORD
according to the statute given to Israel.
5 There stand the thrones for judgment,
the thrones of the house of David.
6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
‘May those who love you be secure.
7 May there be peace within your walls
and security within your citadels.’
8 For the sake of my family and friends,
I will say, ‘Peace be within you.’
9 For the sake of the house of the LORD our God,
I will seek your prosperity.
PSALM 122
According to Joel Rosenberg’s research, there were about 23 known Jewish believers in Christ in the land of Israel in 1948. However, today it is widely agreed that there are about 15,000 Jewish believers in Israel, and several thousand Arab believers. In the West Bank and Gaza there are several thousand Palestinian believers in Christ. Worldwide, there are about 300,000 Jewish believers in Christ. With a total Jewish population of 14 million in the world, the numbers of Jewish Christians are still very small. But Rosenberg believes that they are heading toward a Romans 11:26 world, in which Apostle Paul tells us that all Israel will be saved.
God commanded to pray for the peace of Jerusalem. In the New Testament, believers in Christ are being taught to be peacemakers and live at peace with everybody, as Paul put it:
‘Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good’ (Ro.12:14-21, Line added).
If Christ were here on earth today this teaching would be His instructions to every believer in Him. Praying for spiritual peace and sharing the Word and the gospel with every person around us and every nation would serve as one of the purposes. In reality, however, it must be very hard for believers living in the Middle East and other occupied areas to respond in a manner that God instructs to occupying soldiers, dictators and persecutors.
It is important to understand what the Lord is doing and how He is working out His purposes written in the Scripture today, when biblical prophecies and signs of the end times are everyday news. There are many who have been apprehensive of what is about to happen under the current tensions everywhere in the world as well as in the Middle East. One of those who argues for such a calamitous situation in the US is Joel C. Rosenberg. The following articles are excerpts from his website. As the most update information, on 26th June the US Supreme Court ruled that same-sex marriage was a legal right across the US, over which President Barack Obama said: ‘The ruling was a victory for America. When all Americans are treated as equal, we are all more free’.
Consider where we are in the summer of 2015: Violence is exploding in our cities, schools and churches. The horrific mass murder inside the church in Charleston would be bad enough if it wasn’t just one of innumerable mass killings that have become epidemic in America. Racism is tearing us apart, and it appears things are getting worse, not better. The Supreme Court is poised to rule any day now on the definition and future of marriage — and if the Court rules against Biblical marriage I believe this could cause the Lord’s hand to turn against our country in a severe and profound way according to the moral laws found in Romans chapter one.Abortions are occurring at more than one million in year and have put America on the fast track to judgment. Since 1973, Americans have murdered 57 million children through abortions. The blood of 57 million babies is crying out for justice, and they will get it in God’s sovereign timing. Could that be soon? If all this wasn’t bad enough, marriages and families are imploding all around us. Poverty is growing. Drug and alcohol use is epidemic. And that’s just here at home. Abroad, Iran is closing in on The Bomb. ISIS is exploding across the Middle East, and gaining ground in Syria, Iraq and Libya. The Kremlin is growing more aggressive.Yet our politicians continue to bicker, stall, or golf, even as many abdicate their Constitutional responsibilities. And many Americans have little or no hope for the future, have little confidence in government, little confidence in the media or academia, and far too little confidence in the Church. Indeed, many see little or no reason to go to church, and are drifting from whatever faith they might have once had in the Lord Jesus Christ.Not all is lost. There are many Americans who love Christ dearly and love His Word and are seeking every day to walk with the Lord and love their neighbors and care for the poor and make the good news of God’s redeeming love known to their lost and drifting nation. But warnings signs are flashing everywhere. Alarm bells are ringing everywhere. Far too many self-professed Christians are groggy or asleep, and we need a wake up call. So, is America heading for implosion, or revival? (‘Is America heading towards a terrible implosion or a great awakening?’ 20 June ’15).
In the following article he exhorts Christians to rediscover the purpose and power of Bible prophecy.
Events are moving fast — here at home and around the globe. The world does seem to be spinning out of control. Economically, socially, geopolitically, environmentally, we just keep experiencing one trauma after another, and no one seems to know what to do. … “the United States is hurtling towards severe trouble, and the events of the past few months — and what may be coming over the next few months — grieves me a great deal. Something is coming. I don’t know what.
But we all must be ready in every possible way.” Ideally, pastors, priests and Christian leaders here the U.S. and around the world would be helping people make sense of all this chaos and confusion by teaching people through the entire Bible, from Genesis to Revelation. After all, the Bible — and specifically Bible prophecy — has much to tell us about our times, and how to live through them with “hope as an anchor for our souls.” Indeed, fully 27% of the Bible — one out of every four verses — is made up of prophecy. The Lord wants to convey critical truths that are vitally important for our present and our future, and He wants to do so, in part, through prophecy. Unfortunately, many pastors, priests and Christian leaders are not teaching people Bible prophecy. …
We want to encourage people to start studying and teaching prophecy once again to discover what the Lord is trying to tell us, especially in the midst of such dark and turbulent times. … We explored what the Lord was saying through the prophet Joel in his day, and what lessons and principles we can draw out of the text and apply to our times. The parallels to our times are striking.
The Hebrew prophet saw his nation, Israel, drifting far from the Lord and asleep to the things of God. The Lord told him that judgment was coming, not only against his own nation but against his country’s neighbors and their enemies. The prophet was commanded by the Lord, therefore, to try to wake the people up and call them to repentance, reform and revival. The Lord used him to call his nation to prayer, and fasting, and the study of the Word, and to total, humble, devout obedience to the Scriptures. Fortunately, the prophet was faithful to the call (‘Is Bible prophecy relevant for our troubled times?’ 23 June ’15).
The following report highlights the danger of the UN’s negotiations with Iran’s uranium enrichment technology (‘Iran with Uranium Enrichment Technology = No Deal’ by Eric Rockett).
Frequent news reports discussing the Iranian nuclear program and the negotiations between Iran and the United Nations try to ensure that Iran is keeping their international commitments. The United Nations has a valid stake in ensuring that Iran’s nuclear program is purely peaceful because Iran committed to it when they signed the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) treaty on Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons in 1974. ...
However, Iran has failed to keep that commitment as they have secretly developed uranium enrichment technology without notifying to the IAEA and thus circumventing the requirements of the Treaty. … Even to this day it still cannot be confirmed that the Iranian nuclear program is solely for peaceful purposes. … Therefore, should Iran be allowed to continue to possess uranium enrichment technology? …
Benjamin Netanyahu speaking to the United States Congress stated “I’ve come here today because, as prime minister of Israel, I feel a profound obligation to speak to you about an issue that could well threaten the survival of my country and the future of my people: Iran’s quest for nuclear weapons.” (Washington Post, 03 Mar 2015) Only the power of nuclear weapons would provide Iran the means to threaten the very existence of the modern nation of Israel.Ezekiel goes on to describe the significant process that Israel is to go through just to bury the dead and cleanse the land following the battle. (Ezekiel 39:14–15) This must have seemed very unusual to Ezekiel to go through all of this effort for burial, but to the modern ear it sounds like a cleanup after the use of nuclear weapons. …For Iran to directly fulfill this prophecy they would have to be able to produce nuclear weapons and one way to produce them is using uranium enrichment technology. … It is easy now to understand why the negotiations are focused on this critical technology and how it is used. …
Thus it is completely unreasonable to believe that this program is for anything other than nuclear weapons production. The current negotiations between the United Nations and Iran, that allow for any Iranian uranium enrichment technology are fatally flawed and will not prevent Iran from producing nuclear weapons.
Furthermore, if Iran is allowed to continue to possess enrichment technology, they will clearly have the necessary means to produce weapons-grade uranium, and this could lead to a nuclear arms race in the Middle East or worse, a nuclear war. The Lord God speaking to Abraham said “I will bless those who bless thee and curse those who curse thee”. The United Nations negotiates with Iran, who is trying to develop nuclear weapons and has vowed to destroy Israel, yet they exclude Israel from the negotiations, they are bringing a curse upon themselves by strengthening the enemies of Israel (25 May ’15).
Despite all the terrible news in the Middle East there are also some very encouraging news being reported. Muslims are said to have been coming to the Lord in the Middle East and in Indonesia, where a great spiritual awakening among Muslims have been taking place. The following articles tell us the power of modern technology as a tool for evangelism:
‘Israel Today has for years been covering the Internet-based evangelism efforts of One For Israel, a team of young Israeli Messianic new media professionals. One For Israel's latest newsletter reveals that not only has the ministry remained active, it is growing considerably both in activity and reach… As a reminder of the growing curiosity (and hunger) among Israelis for information regarding faith in Yeshua, One For Israel published statistics showing that every month 18,000 Israelis search Google for the term "redemption," and over 22,000 search for "Yeshua." On their own series of websites, One For Israel offers a free copy of the New Testament in three versions: MP3 (audio), hard copy and an app for smartphones. A hard copy New Testament is requested once every 35 hours, and the MP3 and smartphone versions are downloaded as much as five times every day. The ministry recently moved to new facilities at Israel College of the Bible, a Messianic college located in the coastal town of Netanya. One For Israel hopes to increase their already impressive efforts with the new television and audio recording studios now available to them’ (‘Messianic ministry continues to reach Israelis via Internet’ by Ryan Jones, 1 Feb.’13).
‘Israel Today’ reported Jewish professionals who met Messiah, putting it:
‘It is today no longer so uncommon to find Jewish people who believe in Yeshua (Jesus) as the promised Messiah of Israel, and within a Jewish context. Still, these people are often disregarded by mainstream Judaism as confused or disillusioned. The Israeli Messianic online ministry One For Israel has set out to demonstrate that Jewish people of the highest standing, and most certainly in their right minds, are indeed coming to a realization that Yeshua is Messiah. … “We are proud to announce our new project I MET MESSIAH. Dynamic video testimonies of Jewish professionals who met their Messiah!” Over a period of 10 weeks, the One For Israel team, in partnership with Chosen People Ministries, interviewed no fewer than 35 Jewish professionals who are today believers in Yeshua. Their video testimonies are now available online’ (2 April ’15).
This online evangelism by local Israeli Messianic Jews is said to have become something of an Internet sensation over the past month after the video testimony of a Jewish man Mottel Baleston, who came to faith in Jesus Christ went viral. The article puts it:
‘Baleston’s testimony apparently touched a nerve, and by the first week of June well over five million people had viewed the brief video explanation of how he had many years earlier come to faith as a young man in Brooklyn. Growing up, Baleeston was acquainted with a large number of Italian Catholics, leading him to believe that Jesus must be Italian. …when I open it, I’m reading a story written by Jews about Jewish people.” What followed as a natural progression for a young man seeking spiritual truth. …
The most tear-jerking part of the testimony is when Baleston recounts convincing his father to attend a lecture by an author he knew to be a believer. Baleston was happily stunned when both he and his father raised their hands when asked by the speaker for all Jewish believers in Yeshua to identify themselves. …By press time, it had been shared over 175,000 times on Facebook and had a “reach”… of well over 15 million on the largest social network. … we are changing the direction of Jewish evangelism. After 1,900 years the Gospel is finally ‘going forth from Zion’ (Ps. 14:7)” ’ (‘Millions Watch Testimony of Jewish Believer in Yeshua’ by Ryan Jones, 7 June ’15).
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This month, a money gift of ￡**** has been sent to Mary Jane in the Philippines to support the cost of labour for starting up an agricultural project involving organic vegetable gardens, pig breeding and poultry farming. Pray for her ministry being blessed by the Lord and also that three of the six boys who started serving in the mission house will accept Christ as their Saviour.
Booklets entitled ‘Essential HiStory: Genesis to Revelation’ (by Hideki Mitsui) have also been sent out to Mary Jane (36) and Frederic (12). Pray for their effective outreach use.
Frederic’s country Burundi has plunged into a very chaotic situation after the failed coup in May.
Since then refugees fleeing abroad are on the rise. On top of that, the present President Pierre Nkurunziza’s policy of bilateral cooperation with Iran has caused much worry because of the possibility of the exploitation of uranium in Burundi. Pray for his country.