|
News From Jerusalem
February 26th, 2005
”Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty” (1 Chronicles 29:11, NASB)
Thanks be to our Wonderful Savior, and I also thank you for your continual prayers and support for our Lord’s work here in Jerusalem! God is using us together and doing many great things, true to His Nature. It’s such a blessing to hear from you that you’re continually praying, and to see such evidence of your love!
Last Saturday (2/19), I went and hung out with Mousa (‘Moses,’ in Arabic) – he’s one of the workers in the small Arab electronics shop across the street. We talked some about Jesus, whether He really died or not. Muslims believe that God ‘swapped’ Jesus with someone who looked like Him, and that Jesus didn’t die. They also believe that The Torah, The Injeel (The Gospel), and the Koran are all inspired by God. However, since The Injeel says that Jesus was crucified, and the Koran says He wasn’t, I asked Mousa which book was right. Mousa said that The Torah and Injeel had been changed, and I asked, ‘When? Before Muhammad, or after?’ Mousa said it happened before Muhammad came, so I tried to ask him why the Koran never claims that The Torah or Injeel were changed. Osama (the owner or co-owner) then came into the shop, had to deliver some computers, and asked if I wanted to go. I should have stayed talking with Mousa, but I went, and later regretted it since that totally cut that witnessing opportunity short. If you are sharing with someone and later realize that you did something stupid, you’re not alone! Many of us do dumb things from time to time and later realize how we ended a really good opportunity.
The next day, I went to the New City area and met with my Israeli friend, Eliat. We went to a nearby café and hung out for about two hours. Eliat is really fun to be around – he’s very energetic, full of life, and he laughs a lot. Just like with my other Israeli friend (Chico) last week, God provided the opportunity to share with Eliat that true believers love Israel – Yeshua (Jesus) is Jewish. I also shared the truth that America is successful because she usually blesses Israel. Eliat said, ‘We need more people like you here!’ We get along really well together, and he wants to invite me to some big family dinner sometime.
On Monday (2/21), Richard Zurbuchen from Pianolim spoke at our Monday night Bible Study. Pianolim provides pianos & humanitarian aid for immigrants in Israel – check out: http://www.pianolim.ch/e/index.html After Richard spoke, we all had dinner together and I talked with my friend Roni, an Israeli believer who might be around 40. He’s been a believer for 17 years, and last week the anti-missionaries (some Jewish people that directly work against The Good News) went to his neighbors and told them that Roni and his family are believers, and that the neighbors shouldn’t listen to him or his family. Please keep him and his family in prayer – Roni seemed concerned for his family’s safety. Pray that God will convict those that hate His Son, and that The Lord will protect Roni and his family. After dinner, I watched a movie with Roni and the guys from Beit-Hayeshua. Beit-Hayeshua (“The House of Deliverance”) is a drug and alcohol rehabilitation program located in the same building as FZS, and there’s six guys staying there now (they range in age from 21 to about 40). They go through an intense and spiritually-focused rehab program, and all six have accepted The Lord! We hang out from time to time, and they’re really fun guys.
On Tuesday night we hosted a concert by a group from California called The Dancefloor Prophets. They played really well, and have a great focus on sharing about The Lord. Someone told them I rap, and so they invited me up during one of their songs! It was fun, though the tempo of the song they were playing was a bit faster than I usually rap to.
On Wednesday, we had to go to the airport and meet a Calvary Chapel group that brought us over 30 big tubs of donated items. A bunch of us had dinner together after we got back – my roommate Chris cooked really good chili. Later, I went across the street to the Arab electronics shop (after praying), and Mousa asked me, ‘What question do you have today?’ Praise God! Isn’t it wonderful when unbelievers give you open invitation to witness?! I mentioned how the Koran and the Hadith (accounts of what Muhammad did/said) both say that Muhammad sinned – even that he repented more than 70 times every day. But those writings, as well as The Injeel (The Gospel), never say that Jesus sinned.
I try to focus these reports on the clearer opportunities that The Lord gives in sharing truth, but there’s also lots of everyday things that need to be done. Most of the time spent here during the week is in administrative work; answering e-mail, planning things, and so forth. Also, For Zion’s Sake’s new website is up and running, and you can see it at: forzion.com
Please keep Pastor Bradley, the ministry, and all of us in your prayers as our good brother Chris Grasso will be heading back to the states next week. Chris has served here for about the last six months, and has been a tremendous asset in His work in Jerusalem. Ask The Lord to bless him and all he puts his hands to, and pray that our Lord will help us as many of us are learning lots of new things.
Praise, glory, and thanks be to God, our Savior – and thanks to so many of you once again for all the love shown in praying for and supporting His work here. Please realize that this report also shows your ministry in The Lord, for we’re laboring together, and our share is equal.
He is Faithful,
Jason
|
