News from Israel

News from Israel                                                                 by Asher Intrator

An Israeli woman had been deeply touched while attending one of our home meetings in Jerusalem. Several families from the congregation have poured love and time into her life and she recently asked if she could be immersed. When Daniel, a recent Israel believer in our discipleship program heard about the upcoming immersion, he asked to be immersed as well. When we made the announcement in the congregation, three beautiful children from one family, age 16, 11 and 8 came (with parents' blessing, of course) and said that they had decided that the time had come for them to be immersed. 

So this Shabbat twenty five of us gathered on the hill where the Ark of the Covenant rested many years before as King David endeavored to bring it up to Jerusalem.  From the moment we arrived the anointing of God was upon us. We sat together under the trees looking out towards the mountains that surround Jerusalem. We sang songs of worship and I shared about the significance of being immersed as participating in Messiah's death and resurrection. We prayed and laid hands on the five who were declaring their faith in Yeshua and then walked over to the beautiful pool.

The immersions took place in an open cave that is carved into those ancient hills. One cannot describe the sense of joy we all felt as I and another brother entered the water to immerse these precious believers into the new life of Yeshua.  I could almost hear the trees and rocks cry out in joy as the testimony of the New Creation was lived out in their midst. They came into the water; we prayed over them; they were immersed; and prophetic words were spoken over them. Then each walked out of the water into the mighty destiny that God has set in place for them.

When the time came to immerse the three children, their father jumped into the water fully dressed and helped to immerse them. He prayed over his beautiful children and each came up beaming with the love of Messiah shining out from them. We finished with a bit more worship and then shared a time of food and fellowship.

We are witnessing the beginning of Israel's promised salvation. As we consider this, let us remember Paul's words in Romans 11:12 - "If their transgression means riches for the world, and their loss means riches for the Gentiles, how much greater riches will their full inclusion bring."  And again in the same chapter he declares: "If Israel's rejection brought reconciliation to the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead?" (Romans 11:15).

The army of Jewish believers that one day must assemble to cry out "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord" (Mathew 23:39) is beginning to be raised up. The results of Israel's salvation will be worldwide revival ("even greater riches" from vs. 12) and "life from the dead" (vs. 15), a clear reference to the return of Yeshua and the resurrection of the dead.

International Outreach

In these days we are also experiencing Isaiah's prophecy that in the last days, "Many peoples will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the temple of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths. The law will go out from Zion, the word of the LORD from Jerusalem." (Isaiah 2:2-4)

Over the past several weeks during our daily morning Revive Israel ministry meetings, we have had several groups from Korea, a large group of believers from China, and representatives from Europe and South America all come to join us. 

It is amazing to meet these believers from all over the world and witness their deep hunger to connect with the Jewish Messianic Body of Believers in Israel. Often as we gather to pray for them we sense a deep work of covenant being birthed between us. God is building bridges that will serve as a highway for His end-time purposes as He brings together His body into one new man.

This joining of "saved" Israel with the believers from the nations is usually met with a fresh and powerful anointing for those who are visiting. It is our belief that this fresh anointing is a fulfillment of God's promise to bless the nations of the earth through Israel (Genesis 12 and Romans 11).

This week, we will also be praying for the participants of two outreach missions, as God fulfills his word to send saved Israel to the nations in the Last Days. A group of six young adults who have led and served in the Jerusalem city-wide young adults’ meeting will be leaving for a ten day journey to meet with believers and share the Gospel on the streets of Italy. Another faithful young sister in our congregation will be sent forth to the Congo for her second missionary journey to that nation. She will go where few white people ever walk.

Israelis are going out to the distant corners of the earth to bring that promised blessing to the nations of the earth. Truly, it is as if we are living the Book of Acts again in these opening years of the 21st Century.