The Chosen People People Volume XVII, Issue 1 February 2011 SPECIAL ISRAEL PRAYER EDITION INSIDE Where’s the Peace? • Peace Is Possible with Prayer • Your THIS ISSUE: Wedding Invitation to the Marriage of the King’s Son Shalom in Messiah Jesus, described in Psalm 122:6, we are in individuals throughout the Land of Shalom is the Hebrew term most fact praying for the Lord to bring His Israel—day in and day out! Every often translated peace. It also means peace through the Messiah to the Jewish person who comes to faith in “hello” and even goodbye! Beyond its hearts of individuals as well as to cities Jesus today is a signpost of His mercy, everyday use, shalom also conveys the and nations fractured by war and evidence that He has not forgotten His timeless hopes of the Jewish people seemingly unsolvable conflicts. chosen people (Romans 11:25-29) and looking toward the day when Messiah The challenges to peace in Israel that one day — in His time — He will comes and reigns on His throne. In today are geo-politically complex but return to fulfill the remaining promises that day, as Isaiah prophesied (2:4; also spiritual in nature. The Bible in His Word. 11:6), the wolf will lie down with the predicts that Israel’s conflicts with her Please allow me to share a few lamb, instruments of war will be trans- neighbors will continue and grow stories, which I hope will encourage formed into instruments of farming more intense until the Messiah you to continue praying for and and nations will live together in total returns. We will continue to hope, believing that God can indeed bring harmony! pray and work towards temporary peace to a troubled land. These are As believers in Jesus, it is wonderful solutions, as every single day without stories of individual Israelis who have to know that we have peace with God war is a mark of His presence and found the only peace that will ever today (Romans 5:1) because the Prince grace. Yet true and lasting peace in last — the “peace that passes all of Peace dwells in our hearts! We also the Middle East is ultimately understanding” that the Gospel look forward to experiencing the impossible without the Messiah. promises. glorious fullness of His shalom when He So how should we pray and work for returns. Until then, we will live in an the peace of Jerusalem today — before He Henry N.—From Slavery imperfect, sin-tainted world where we comes? Your mission to the Jewish in Addiction to Freedom have the joy of serving as His people is bringing the message of in Messiah’s Service ambassadors of the coming Kingdom. peace and hope to the Middle East by Henry N. was born in Moscow in We also understand that when we bringing the Gospel to Israelis, and we 1961 to a well-known family of pray for the peace of Jerusalem, as David see the Lord bringing peace to musical prodigies. His extraordinary prowess as a pianist seemed to promise a great career for young Henry. However, drug and alcohol addiction dogged his steps from his youth. He tried every avenue of help — from psychiatry to hypnotism — to free Where’s the himself. For a time, suicide seemed the only way out. In 1991, Henry and his wife, Irena, decided to relocate to Israel. Henry continued to abuse alcohol while Irena worked two jobs Peace? to support them. Despite a change of scenery, the old patterns persisted. One day while reading the newspaper, Henry and Irena noticed an announcement about a meeting being held by Jewish believers. Now desperate for any lifeline, Irena urged Henry to attend. For the next two months, they did not miss a single meeting at Chosen People Ministries’ Messianic congregation near Tel Aviv. Finally, in September of 1991, Henry received Jesus as his Messiah and was immediately healed of his alcoholism and drug addiction. Two months later, Irena also received the Messiah. Now Henry is the congregational leader of 2 The Chosen People Chosen People Ministries’ work in the West Bank city of Ariel, where he works to bring the hope of the Gospel in one of our Mission’s most stressful field assignments. Henry and Irena’s two children are both exceptional musicians. Their son has already won various awards and is Left: Tel Aviv Messianic Center viewed as one of the finest Right: Brian and Racheli S., serving in Israel young pianists in Israel. What a marvelous testimony this young see the Jewishness of the man — who is a committed Gospel message. She believer —will have! In a sense, received the Lord in 1990. Henry’s career as a pianist “bowed the Several years later, she met Brian, and home to home. This has been our knee” to a pastoral calling, but his son who was originally from Los Angeles mission for 117 years and hopefully will will now take up where his loving and had moved to Israel. They were continue until He comes! father left off. Pray for Henry and his married in 1997. Brian is currently the I want to remind you of one theme family, who faithfully serve a managing director of Chosen People that shines through both testimonies population of Russian Jewish Ministries’ soup kitchens and related above: the theme of legacy! I cannot tell immigrants in a very dangerous ministries in Netanya. Racheli serves you how excited I am about this new community located near the heart of as executive secretary for a Messianic generation of Jewish believers in the hostilities in Israel. retreat center in the Tel Aviv suburb of Jesus — raised in godly Messianic Petach Tikvah. They have three young homes — emerging as talented young Racheli S.—Born in Israel children who are being raised as Israeli people, committed to Jesus and to and Born in Messiah Messianic Jews! The family attends making a difference for the Lord in the one of the wonderful Israeli Messianic Born and raised in the town of Bat days to come. I wish I could introduce congregations in the beautiful seaside Yam, just south of Tel Aviv, Racheli S. you to all the children of our staff town of Netanya. grew up in a traditional, religious Jewish around the world and to their friends. home. Her parents had immigrated to We are witnessing an explosion of Israel; her mother came from Canada Offering the Messianic Jewish young people who are and her father, a Holocaust survivor, Lord’s Message to zealous for the Lord. came from Germany. Her testimony All Who Will Hear This is why I am so enthusiastic bears witness to the way the Lord is I wish I could tell you that we have about our camping and internship able to draw people from around the discovered the secret to solving the programs, youth retreats, the Charles world to serve His sovereign purpose. political problems in Israel. But this Feinberg Center for Messianic Jewish While walking in her neighborhood much I (and many other Jewish Studies and other leadership ministries with a girlfriend, she met a young man people) do know: Yeshua is the One sponsored by Chosen People from Ghana who was studying at a local who offers eternal shalom. It is through Ministries. I believe we are entering a university. A friendship began, and His death and resurrection that you new day and I am expectant and through this young man, who was a and I—as well as Israelis and Arabs— hopeful that the Lord is going to use believer, Racheli was drawn to visit a have the opportunity to know God’s many young Jewish and Gentile congregation where African foreign peace in our hearts. The Good News believers in Jesus to be His instruments workers worshiped. Racheli enjoyed the is this: His peace is available now if we of peace in a broken world. worship, particularly the music, and the receive Him as our Lord and Messiah! Thank you for Lord began speaking to her through her This is what your Mission to the helping us bring His African friend as well as through a Jewish people is all about. We are peace to the Jewish young German woman who was also a bringing the Good News of people! student. Racheli became increasingly reconciliation with God to Jewish Yours awaiting open to the Gospel. She was particularly communities in Israel, Brooklyn, Messiah’s return, impressed by the connection between Los Angeles, Chicago, Berlin, and many Yeshua (Jesus) and the prophets of the other cities around the globe —one Dr. Mitch Glaser President Hebrew Scriptures, which helped her to precious person at a time, heart to heart Mitch February 2011 3 Peace Is Possible with Prayer ISRAEL’s POLITICAL PARTIES LIKUD PARTY Benjamin Netanyahu is currently the Prime Minister of Israel for the second time; he also served from 1996 to 1999. Netanyahu has risked his life to defend his country: he fought in the Yom Kippur War (1973) as a combat soldier in an elite unit of the Israel Defense Forces. He was first elected Prime Minister in As believers 1996 in response to the Intifada and its attacks who love the Benjamin on the civilian population. Netanyahu believes Netanyahu Lord and His strongly in Israel’s right to the Golan Heights people, we and Jerusalem, and will not negotiate with the Palestinians unless they are called to recognize Israel as the homeland for the Jewish people. In 2010, he entered talks with the United States regarding a two-state solution, but “pray for the reiterated his view that peace cannot be achieved because of the peace of terrorist groups’ unrelenting attacks on Israel.