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Zechariah 2:8-10 The Apple of HIS eye...
Why Christians Should Support Israel Everything Christians do should be based upon the Biblical text. Here are seven solid Bible reasons why Christians should support Israel. 1. Genesis 12:3 "And I will bless them that bless thee and curse him that curseth thee; and in thee shall all nations of the earth be blessed." Point: God has promised to bless the man or nation that blesses the Chosen People. History has proven beyond reasonable doubt that the nations that have blessed the Jewish people have had the blessing of God; the nations that have cursed the Jewish people have experienced the curse of God.
2. St. Paul recorded in Romans 15:27 "For if the Gentiles have shared in their (the Jews) spiritual things, they are indebted to minister to them also in material things."
Christians owe a debt of eternal gratitude to the Jewish people for their contributions that gave birth to the Christian faith. Jesus Christ, a prominent Rabbi from Nazareth said, "Salvation is of the Jews!" (St. John 4:22) consider what the Jewish people have given to Christianity: a) The Sacred Scripture
b) The Prophets
c) The Patriarchs
d) Mary, Joseph, and Jesus Christ of Nazareth
e) The Twelve Disciples
f) The Apostles It is not possible to say, "I am a Christian" and not love the Jewish people. The Bible teaches that love is not what you say, but what you do. (1 John 3:18) "A bell is not a bell until you ring it, a song is not a song until you sing it, love is not love until you share it." 3. While some Christians try to deny the connection between Jesus of Nazareth and the Jews of the world, Jesus never denied his Jewishness. He was born Jewish, He was circumcised on the eighth day in keeping with Jewish tradition, He had his Bar Mitzvah on his 13th birthday, He kept the law of Moses, He wore the Prayer Shawl Moses commanded all Jewish men to wear, He died on a cross with an inscription over His head, "King of the Jews!"
Jesus considered the Jewish people His family. Jesus said (Matthew 25:40) "Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as you have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren (the Jewish people… Gentiles were never called His brethren), ye have done it unto me."
4. "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem, they shall prosper that love thee." (Psalm 122:6) the scriptural principle of prosperity is tied to blessing Israel and the city of Jerusalem.
5. Why did Jesus Christ go to the house of Cornelius in Capernaum and heal his servant, which was ready to die? What logic did the Jewish elders use with Jesus to convince Him to come into the house of a Gentile and perform a miracle?
The logic they used is recorded in Luke 7:5; "For He loveth our nation, and He hath built us a synagogue." The message? This Gentile deserves the blessing of God because he loves our nation and has done something practical to bless the Jewish people.
6. Why did God the Father select the house of Cornelius in Caesarea (Acts Chapter 10) to be the first Gentile house in Israel to receive the Gospel? The answer is given repeatedly in Acts 10.
Acts 10:2 "a devout man, (Cornelius) and one that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God always." Who were the people to whom Cornelius gave these alms? They were the Jews!
Again is Acts 10:4 "… thy prayers and thine alms are come up for a memorial before God."
Again in Acts 10:31 "… and thine alms are had in remembrance in the sight of God."
The point is made three times in the same chapter. A godly Gentile who expressed his unconditional love for the Jewish people in a practical manner was divinely selected by heaven to be the first Gentile house to receive the Gospel and the first to receive the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
These combined Scriptures verify that PROSPERITY (Genesis 12:3 and Psalm 122:6), HEALING (Luke 7:1-5) and the OUTPOURING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT came first to Gentiles that blessed the Jewish people and the nation of Israel in a practical manner.
7. We support Israel because all other nations were created by an act of men, but Israel was created by an act of God! The Royal Land Grant that was given to Abraham and his seed through Isaac and Jacob with an everlasting and unconditional covenant. (Genesis 12:1-3, 13:14-18, 15:1-21, 17:4-8, 22:15-18, 26:1-5 and Psalm 89:28-37.) If Christianity cannot demonstrate unconditional love, we are nothing more than another cult! Jesus Christ taught the Law of Love with, "Love thy neighbor as thyself" (Matthew 19:19); "For if you love them which love you, what reward have ye? Do not even the publicans the same?" (Matthew 5:44); "A new commandment I give unto you, that you love one another; as I have loved you" (John 13:34) "He that you loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love" (1 John 4:8). How did Jesus love the Gentiles? The Biblical text says He loved us "while we were yet sinners" meaning, He loved us when we didn’t deserve to be loved! It’s time for Christians everywhere to return the love of our Lord to His family, the Jewish people. This article is part of a Special Edition Magazine from John Hagee Ministries "Christians Supporting Israel"
To download the entire magazine in PDF format, go here: www.jhm.org/mag-pdfs/israelmag.pdf
"Thanking God for Tests" Key Verse:
James 1:2-3, "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance." (NIV)
Devotion:
My son sauntered from his room, proudly announcing he was ready for his test the next day. "I’ve studied all my notes, and I’m gonna ace that test," he proclaimed. "Great!" I replied. "Grab your notes and let me give you a little quiz." We settled down at the kitchen table and I proceeded to ask questions. One question after another was met with a shaky answer, most of them wrong. With his inadequate preparation revealed, he headed back to his room, notes in hand. After another period of study, he did indeed sail through the questions. The pop quiz I gave made my son very uncomfortable. He was sad that he wasn’t ready, and sadder that he had to go back and study harder. My intent was certainly not to hurt his feelings, but to reveal the weak areas of his study so he could tighten the gaps and be ready for the real test. Just as I tested my son, God tests me. He often puts me in uncomfortable positions to uncover weak areas. God doesn’t point out my weakness to take advantage of me. Instead, His testing is to reveal areas that need work, so I will be strong enough to persevere and eventually succeed in what He’s called me to do. God uses all kinds of life situations to test us. Testing can take the form of difficult people in our lives, times of waiting, or a challenge to step outside our comfort zone to be obedient. Will we avoid the situation? Will we suffer through it and quit because it’s too hard? Or will we persevere and overcome? We might think God gets frustrated with us when we "fail" a test. I sometimes wonder if God wants to give up on me when I repeat the same mistakes. But just because my son didn’t know the answers on our mini-quiz didn’t mean I would give up on him. Just the opposite! I wanted him to succeed and was willing to give him test after test to make sure he was ready. God’s testing can be to prepare us for something more important, and often more difficult. He wants to see if we can sustain the pressure in preparation for something big. So, the next time your Heavenly Father calls you up for a pop-quiz, consider His desire to see you succeed. If a weakness is revealed, thank Him for helping you move to the next level by strengthening you. My Prayer for Today: Precious Lord, thank You for caring enough about my character and life to test me. Help me to see Your testing as a sign of Your love, and to be thankful for it. I pray for strength through Your Holy Spirit to walk in obedience and persevere. In Jesus’ Name, Amen. Application Steps: Identify one difficult situation in your life. Determine to see it as a test of your faith. Ask God for strength to persevere. Reflection Points: Read Deuteronomy 8:1-5. What testing did the Lord put upon the Israelites? According to the Scripture, what was God’s purpose for this testing? What life situations have you recently experienced that might have been a time of testing? Can you see God’s purpose in this testing? Was a personal weakness revealed? If so, how do you think God wants you to address this weakness? Power Verses: Luke 8:13, "Those on the rock are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away." (NIV) 1 Corinthians 3:12-13, "If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work." (NIV) Exodus 16:4, "Then the LORD said to Moses, "I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test them and see whether they will follow my instructions." (NIV) Deuteronomy 8:2, "Remember how the LORD your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years, to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands." (NIV) by Glynnis Whitwer, Senior Editor – "P31 Woman Magazine," Proverbs 31 Speaker Team Member
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