Are You Willing to Encourage Biblical Faith in Israel?

We have been visiting Israel for the past 25 years. One observation that we have been able to make while there and while interacting with Israelis, is that many exhibit strong Biblical faith. One individual, in parti-cular, exhibiting such faith is Daniella Weiss. Mrs. Weiss is the mayor of the community of Kedumim (approximately 5,000 residents) located in the Shomron, i.e., Samaria. I visited Kedumim and met Mrs. Weiss over 20 years ago. Then last year I took a tour group there. Mrs. Weiss, along with her assistant, Mrs. Raphaella Segal, visited us at Fellowship in January 2004. Tzemach interviews of these dynamic women are available at: http://www.tzemach.org/videos/embed-weiss-segal.htm
http://www.tzemach.org/videos/embed-weiss20050201.htm
http://www.tzemach.org/videos/embed-raphaella.htm
http://www.tzemach.org/videos/embed-weiss.htm

Daniella Weiss is an outstanding example of Biblical faith in Israel.

Mrs. Weiss is an outstanding example of Biblical faith in Israel. Indeed, she is a symbol of the whole faith movement there. The media refers to the people of the faith movement as "settlers" with a strong negative connotation as if they were land-grabbers encroaching on the land of poor, defenseless, Moslems. The truth is that they are Jewish people filled with faith based on the prophetic promises that God made to call the People of Israel back to the Land of Israel. They boldly believe that God has called them to live in the heart of the Land of Israel and build Jewish communities there. Opposition to these faithful is simply opposition to true Biblical faith. It is not surprising that our Government, the Media, much of Christianity and virtually all Moslems oppose them.

These people of faith, such as Mrs. Weiss, are facing a strong test this summer. PM Sharon has vowed to remove the Jewish communities in Gaza and some in the Shomron. He has already indicated that this is only preliminary to removing most of the communities in Judea and Samaria. As a result, the people living in these communities are truly being tested.

This is the time for us as Christian believers who share Biblical faith with these Israelis to stand up with them.

This is the time for us as Christian believers who share Biblical faith with these Israelis to stand up with them. We have established a fund to encourage the community of Kedumim. In a recent letter from Daniella Weiss, she indicated that a target project could be the building of a playground for the children of the community. This project will cost approximately $10,000. Let me challenge you to become involved by making a contribution to this fund. Please mail checks to Fellowship Church marked for this purpose. I will keep you informed in subsequent editions of this newsletter – or may call the office at any time to inquire – about our progress on this project.
( These funds have been raised. Please contact us if you desire to particpate in future opportunities. )

The vitality of Evangelical Christianity is strongly dependent upon Israel. Indeed, the advance of this group can be correlated directly to the advance of the modern state of Israel. In the years following the establishment of the state in 1948 came great evangelical revivals. In the years following the "Six-Day War" in 1967 came the great charismatic revival. With the development of communities in Judea and Samaria and the increasing Israeli focus on the significance of Jerusalem, Evangelical Christianity has continued to prosper and grow in power. The reason that this is true is quite simple. Bible-believing Christians can see the picture set forth by the ancient Hebrew prophets being fulfilled in Israel on a daily basis. This sparks hope, belief and faith. We only have to remember that one prevailing Christian theological position prior to 1948 was "God is Dead". Since 1948 this picture has changed and this theological position is now "dead".

The willingness to forfeit Israel in this struggle will prove to be the demise of America as we know it.

The willingness to forfeit Israel in this struggle will prove to be the demise of America as we know it. The willingness of the Bush administration to undermine the viability of the State of Israel for the hope of appeasing what is believed to be “moderate” Moslems places the U.S. on the same moral level as Islam. This follows the European model of compromise even though it might be at a somewhat slower pace than liberal politicians would pursue. Without doubt, it undermines the moral high-ground of the nation, the only ground from which victory is possible.

Every believer knows the promise of Genesis 12:3, "...I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse". This is a very general principle applicable to those interacting with God's people. The prophet Joel spoke in much more specific terms that are directly applicable to today’s situation. Joel declared,