The Power of the Gospel—Israel My Glory

THE FRIENDS OF ISRAEL GOSPEL MINISTRY, INC.

PAGE 14 FROM DEATH TO LIFE

MAY/JUNE 2021

PAGE 24 HE NEVER LET GO

PAGE 28 WHAT IS THE GOSPEL?

the

life-changing

POWER OF THE GOSPEL Wihs o ? s u s e J The Search Lorna Simcox, editor-in-chief of Israel My Glory, shares her inspiring story in The Search. You’ll learn firsthand how this Jewish woman came to know Jesus and how the strength He has provided has led her to victory over the difficulties of her life. Lorna’s story will keep you entertained and amazed while assuring you the Lord will never leave you nor forsake you.

US $9.95; Outside US $12.00

They Looked for a City Meet the Sitenhofs, an Eastern European Jewish family that endured devastating difficulties at the dawn of the 20th century. Their story of sacrifice, war, betrayal, and separation in war-torn Poland puts God’s sovereignty on full display.

Read how the Lord miraculously preserved Benjamin, Yente, and their faithful family to serve Him in this remarkable story of faith and endurance.

US $10.95; Outside US $13.25

Who Is Jesus?

In Matthew 16, Jesus asked the most important question we’ll ever answer: “Who do you say that I am?” Our response determines the direction and final destination of our lives. This pamphlet answers that probing question and others and is an effective tool to lead people to a saving knowledge of our Savior, Jesus.

US $2.00; Outside US $2.50

See enclosed envelope for ordering details.

Praise from Zion CD Want to get to know Jewish culture even better? Check out this beautiful CD full of Jewish worship music performed by The Friends of Israel’s own John Wilcox. This special treat captures the unique style of Jewish culture while helping you glorify God through song. With more than an hour of enchanting music on 19 tracks, this album will refresh your soul as you worship the Lord.

US $16.99; Outside US $20.50

ISRAEL MY GLORY

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VOLUME 79

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NUMBER 3

I will place salvation in Zion, for Israel My Glory (Isa. 46:13).

| MAY/JUN 2021

ISSN 8755-402X

USPS270-660

Canadian Agr. 40671076

CONTENTS

12

A Letter to My Dad

14

From Death to Life

22 24 28

It’s not easy to tell your parents they need Jesus.

Steve Herzig

The moving story of how God is healing addicts and prostitutes in Tel Aviv through faith in Christ.

Getting the ‘Package Deal’

No one is born a Christian. Not even a pastor’s daughter.

Sarah Fern

He Never Let Go

You can’t always tell when someone is saved. Here is how God brought a straying child back to the fold.

Betsi Calhoun

What Is the Gospel?

Many people don’t understand what we mean when we talk about the “gospel.” It’s the incomparable message of God’s restorative love.

Tom Simcox

Page 14

MORE IN THIS ISSUE 4 From the Editor

33 Until We Meet Again

5 Inside View

35 Unearthing Truth With Randall Price: The Strange Story of the Scapegoat

6 Editorial: The New Middle East 7 Eye on the Middle East: Nuclear Iran Looms Large 8 Christian Persecution 10 The Friends of Israel in Action 20 Three Spiritual Journeys 27 The Berean Box 32 A B C

The symbol of trust

36 Rightly Dividing: The Lord’s Servant 38 Faith for Living: Strengthening Your Faith 40 News Update 41 Jewish World Update 42 Apples of Gold

Israel My Glory (ISSN 8755-402X) is published bimonthly for $22.95 per year by The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry, Inc., 1179 Almonesson Road, Westville, New Jersey 08093. Periodicals postage paid at Westville, NJ, and additional mailing offices.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Israel My Glory, PO Box 908, Bellmawr, NJ 08099-0908.

Note: No materials contained in this magazine may be reproduced in any form without the permission of The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry, Inc. For all permissions, please write to Liz Johnson, The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry, Inc., PO Box 908, Bellmawr, NJ 08099. Or email her at LJohnson@foi.org. All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright @1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission.

Cover created by JD Lemming.

FROM THE EDITOR

S

hortly after I became a Christian in 1980, I was invited to a luncheon sponsored by the local branch of a nondenominational, evangelical Christian organization.

It held afternoon luncheons every month, offering fashion shows; craft fairs; and interesting, fun presentations that attracted young, upwardly mobile women.

In those days, the luncheons in my area drew almost 200 women a month. The main event, however, wasn’t the secular part of the program. It was the speaker, who gave her testimony and an invitation to receive Jesus as Savior.

I loved those get-togethers and got to know Christian women from almost all the local Bible-believing churches. As I grew in my faith and became more involved in the ministry, a friend said to me, “You know, a lot of organizations reach out to the down and out. We reach out to the up and out.”

The truth is that everyone needs Jesus. Whether we’re down and out or up and out, without Him we’re still “out.”

We’re out of fellowship with God. We’re out of heaven. We have no hope of eternal life and no indwelling Holy Spirit to guide us. Jesus said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again’” (Jn. 3:3, 7).

This issue of Israel My Glory is all about the importance of being born again. It’s about the power of the gospel and how Jesus Christ can take someone who is down and out or up and out and change that person’s life for the good for eternity.

You’ll read testimonies from the Aviv Center, one of the many ministries you help support by contributing to our Israel Relief Fund. And you’ll read stories from our staff, some of whom you may know personally. All show that no matter what your background is, Jesus can change your life.

If you’re not sure what the gospel is, or if you don’t know for certain you’re going to heaven when you die, don’t miss “What Is the Gospel?” on page 28 and “A B C” on page 32.

There is nothing more wonderful or rewarding in this life than having a personal relationship with God. He alone can give you love, hope, peace, joy, and life everlasting. And He promises, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Heb. 13:5).

Once you are His, you are His forever!

This issue of the magazine is special to me. I hope it will be to you too.

The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry, Inc. MISSION STATEMENT

The Friends of Israel is a worldwide evangelical ministry proclaiming biblical truth about Israel and the Messiah, while bringing physical and spiritual comfort to the Jewish people.

ADMINISTRATION

Executive Director and President: Jim Showers Executive Vice President: Steve H. Conover Vice President of Finance/Chief Financial Officer: John Wilcox Vice President for Ministry Advancement: Tom Geoghan Director of North American Ministries: Steve Herzig Director of International Ministries: Mike Stallard

ISRAEL MY GLORY

Editor-in-Chief: Lorna Simcox Associate Editor: David M. Levy Contributing Editors: Peter Colón • Steve Herzig • Chris Katulka Randall Price • Tom Simcox • Mike Stallard Magazine layout and design: JD Lemming

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Chairman: David R. Benner Vice Chairman: Laurence H. Murray Secretary: William King Daniel L. Anderson • Jonathan W. Glock • Dean E. Good Kenneth W. Murray • Randall Price • Jim Showers • Robert C. Sullivan William E. Sutter • Jim Vogel Emeriti: W. Sherrill Babb • Philip Brodsky • Elwood McQuaid Charles Scheide

OFFICES USA: The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry, Inc., PO Box 908 Bellmawr, NJ 08099 • 800-257-7843 or 856-853-5590 CANADA: FOI Gospel Ministry Inc., PO Box 428 STN A Brampton, Ontario L6V 2L4, Canada • 888-664-2584 AUSTRALIA: The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry, PO Box 171 Melrose Park SA 5039, Australia • 08-8276-1333 NEW ZEALAND: The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry, PO Box 58579 Botany, Auckland 2163, New Zealand • 0800-11-22-62

TO PLACE AN ORDER

In the USA: Call 800-345-8461, Monday–Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Eastern time).

In Canada: Call 888-664-2584, Monday–Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (Eastern time).

Online: Go to foi.org.

For magazine subscription rates, please see the enclosed envelope.

Waiting for His Appearing, Lorna Simcox Editor-in-Chief

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ISRAEL MY GLORY

To subscribe online, go to foi.org/magazine.

Copyright 2021 The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry, Inc. All rights reserved.

Printed in the USA by Waveline Direct.

From the Executive Director

T

The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry is devoted to sharing the gospel. Gospel is part of our name; and since our inception in 1938, we have lived up to our identity as followers of Jesus Christ to share our faith with everyone who will listen. Each day brings new opportunities to tell the wonderful Good News of salvation through God’s only begotten Son, the Messiah of Israel.

The importance of believing in Jesus pertains to everyone. To accept that we are condemned by our sin, incapable of removing that sin ourselves, and that only faith in Jesus reconciles us to God is a matter each person must settle individually.

The Bible says no other name is given to us whereby we can be saved (Acts 4:12) and that no one can come to God the Father except through Jesus (Jn. 14:6). Trying to come to God any other way results in separation from Him for eternity.

Consequently, we want our families, neighbors, and ultimately the world to know the Good News of redemption through Christ. Why? Because the gospel alters our lives for the good.

It changes our trajectories forever—both for life here and the life to come. Some people have more dramatic stories of coming to faith than others, but all testify to the gospel’s transforming power.

Here is something to consider. Each time someone comes to faith in Christ, God is fulfilling His promise to bless the world through Abraham’s Seed (Gen. 12:3; 22:18). In fact, the apostle Paul said that God, knowing He would someday save Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham when He said, “In you all the nations shall be blessed” (Gal. 3:8). Isn’t that amazing?

I’ve had the privilege of visiting Israel nearly 30 times; and each time, I am reminded of the power of the gospel. If not for the gospel, there would be no reason to go to Israel. In PHOT0: LIGHTSTOCK

INSIDE VIEW

fact, I doubt there would be an Israel.

God created the Jewish people as an integral part of His plan to redeem the world. Abraham fathered them. Inspired by God’s Spirit, Jewish men penned the Holy Scriptures. Salvation came to Israel first. Our Savior, Jesus Christ, was Jewish. The apostles, whom God used to launch the church, were Jewish. It was Jewish men who brought the gospel to the Gentiles. And God’s future plans to restore His Kingdom flow through Israel.

When Christians visit Israel, we testify to the power of the gospel that spread from Israel to the world. Paul put it this way: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, ‘The just shall live by faith’” (Rom. 1:16–17).

In this issue, you’ll read testimonies from people who have been transformed by the gospel’s power. Because someone was not ashamed to tell them about Jesus, they were saved from lives of bondage to sin and despair and lifted to lives of hope and freedom.

We care enough to share the gospel—the greatest message ever. To withhold it would be like failing to toss a lifeline to one who is drowning. The Lord has made the Good News easy to understand: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31). If you have never believed, please don’t wait. Doing so will make a difference in your life for eternity!

by Jim Showers, executive director of The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry

M AY / J U N E 2 0 21

5

EDITORIAL

THE NEW MIDDLE EAST L

ast December I stumbled across an article that nearly knocked me off my chair. The headline read, “Israel and the UAE working together to eliminate UNRWA.” UNRWA is short for United Nations Relief and Works Agency, an organization established to provide relief, works programs, and education exclusively for Palestinian refugees. UNRWA was intended to give temporary aid to the Palestinians; but 70 years later it continues to keep these people in a ruinous cycle of permanent refugee status.

For years Israel considered UNRWA an obstacle to peace. Now, the UAE [United Arab Emirates], which once supplied hundreds of millions of dollars in aid to the agency, is working with the Israeli government to dismantle it. In addition, headlines that once pitted the entire Muslim world against Israel now read, “Thousands of Israeli Tourists Visit Dubai.”

It’s a new Middle East.

Iran is suffering significantly under U.S. sanctions imposed by the Trump administration, which also recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and proclaimed Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights. Then Israel entered into historic peace agreements with the UAE, Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco; and now the UAE and Israel are working to eliminate UNRWA. Although anti-Israel/anti-Semitic sentiment still runs high in the region and no one is sitting around a campfire singing “Kumbaya,” the intensely hateful atmosphere that existed for decades has given way somewhat to bilateral peace and collaboration.

The new Middle East incorporates Israel and recognizes its existence as a vital asset in the region. In 1967 the Arab League drafted the Khartoum Resolution, famous for its “three nos”: no peace with Israel, no recognition of Israel, no 6

ISRAEL MY GLORY

negotiations with Israel.

The “three nos” isolated the Jewish state, which is bordered by water on the west and enemies everywhere else. Today, in the same Khartoum in Sudan where the “three nos” were produced nearly 54 years ago, a bilateral peace agreement was forged with Israel that says yes.

In 2016, then U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry famously declared, “There will be no advanced and separate peace with the Arab world without the Palestinian process and Palestinian peace.

Everybody needs to understand that.” Kerry’s false narrative tied Middle East peace to the Palestinians. Certainly, Palestinians are important.

But their plight does not define the future of the entire region.

In the past, the Palestinians were rewarded for obstructing peace with Israel. Today, the new Middle East expects more from them. Their leaders will be forced to change how they negotiate peace with Israel. The question is whether they’ll change course or run to a new friend: Iran.

The Trump administration was able to lay the groundwork for these new alliances primarily because Iran is a common enemy. But Trump is gone, and the question is, Will President Joe Biden build off Trump’s Middle East momentum, or will he return to the old ways of Middle East diplomacy?

Biden cannot derail the positive changes that have taken place between Israel and its neighbors.

But his policy could dissolve America’s influence.

If he resurrects the Obama-era nuclear deal, he will enrich and empower the Islamic Republic and signal to the rest of the region that the United States has no intentions of advancing the new Middle East.

The direction of this new Middle East is still uncertain, but it is something we plan to watch carefully.

by Chris Katulka

I have set her [Jerusalem] in the midst of the nations . . . all around her (Ezek. 5:5).

EYE ON THE MIDDLE EAST

NUCLEAR IRAN LOOMS LARGE Israeli Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz recently estimated Iran is a year or two away from building a nuclear bomb. “If they do everything to break out in terms of enrichment, it will be half a year to produce the needed materials; in terms of nuclear weapons, they are a year or two away,” he said.

Steinitz’s estimate coincides with comments made by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken who predicted months ago Iran was three or four months away from being able to produce enough fissile material to build a nuclear weapon. He said the timeframe could be reduced to “a matter of weeks” if Tehran continues violating the restrictions it agreed to under the 2015 nuclear deal with the United States, China, Russia, Britain, France, and Germany.

Blinken noted it would take Iran more than six months to build an actual nuclear weapon. “The bottom line is they are getting closer to the point where they would be either a threshold nuclear power, or actually a nuclear power,” he said. “That is profoundly against our interests.”

The Biden administration has pledged to reverse the Trump administration’s withdrawal from the nuclear deal negotiated by the Obama administration. Also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, the agreement lifted economic sanctions against Iran in exchange for curbs on its nuclear program.

Former President Donald Trump reimposed many of those sanctions, saying the deal was one-sided and allowed Tehran not only to continue its nuclear

PHOTO: STRINGER/REUTERS/NEWSCOM

program, but also to develop the longrange missiles used to deliver nuclear weapons.

Blinken said the Biden administration is prepared to return to the deal, provided Tehran shows “strict comThe Bushehr nuclear power plant in Iran pliance” with it. He also said the United States would try to expand the deal to Mahmoud Alavi even went so far as to incorporate a ban on missile develop- warn that Iran could develop nuclear ment. Iran has shown little interest in weapons if the Biden administration returning to the agreement. It has, in fails to lift the sanctions reimposed by fact, announced aggressive measures Trump. “If a cat is cornered, it may show aimed at making such a return more a kind of behavior that a free cat would difficult—or possibly aimed at increasing not,” he said. its leverage ahead of negotiations with Israel, along with Bahrain and the the United States.

United Arab Emirates, has voiced strong The Iranian government recently opposition to the United States rejoining announced it would begin enriching the nuclear deal. Israel Defense Forces uranium up to 20 percent, possibly Chief of Staff Aviv Kohavi said he has boosting it to 60 percent. This level is ordered the military to develop operafar beyond the 3.67 percent permitted tional plans for striking Iran’s nuclear under the nuclear deal and merely one program. technical step away from the 90 percent “Israel remains committed to preventneeded for a nuclear weapon. ing Iran from getting nuclear weapons Tehran also said it was beginning re- and its position on the nuclear agreesearch into uranium metal, which can be ment has not changed,” said Israeli Prime used to produce a nuclear warhead, and Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “Israel plans to install 1,000 new centrifuges at believes that going back to the old agreethe Natanz nuclear enrichment facility. ment will pave Iran’s path to a nuclear Moreover, Tehran said it would restrict arsenal.” short-notice inspections of suspect nuclear facilities by the International

by Soeren Kern, Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the United a senior fellow at the Nations’ nuclear watchdog. IAEA inspecGatestone Institute, a tors recently found traces of radioactive nonpartisan foreignpolicy think tank based material at some nuclear sites in Iran. in New York City Iranian Minister of Intelligence

M AY / J U N E 2 0 21

7

CHRISTIAN PERSECUTION

Remember the prisoners as if chained with them (Heb. 13:3).

New Delhi, India—Hindu extremists attacked a group of tribal Christians preparing to celebrate the New Year, causing a Christian woman eight months pregnant to miscarry after beating her unconscious and kicking her in the stomach. Twentyfive-year-old Leela Bai was refused treatment at two hospitals.

Tizi-Ouzou, Algeria A 43-year-old Christian father of four who reposted a cartoon of Muhammad on his Facebook account three years ago was recently sentenced to five years in prison. His children are ages 6, 4, 3, and 3 months; and one is seriously ill, reported morningstarnews.org.

Hamid (surname withheld for security reasons), a poultry farmer, heard nothing from authorities after reposting the cartoon in 2018 until they appeared at his home in January 2021, said Rachid Seighir, pastor of Oratoire Church in Oran, some 250 miles west of Algiers on the Mediterranean coast.

“It is a tragedy for us and for his family,” Pastor Seighir said.

“When a member of the Body of Christ is sick, the whole body feels the pain. Brother Hamid was naive in accepting this cartoon on his Facebook account.”

Hamid was arrested based on Article 144, which has been condemned by human rights organizations as a violation of international law. In its report, “Policing Belief,” pro-democracy group Freedom House said the article is commonly used to persecute Christians and allows “police officials and judges to impose their own religious perspectives on society, and to give at least one version of Islamic practice the force of law.”

8

ISRAEL MY GLORY

PHOTO: MORNING STAR NEWS

Wielding wooden batons and stones, a large mob attacked the Christians in Dewada village, reported morningstarnews.org. Sardar Vaskale, a Christian homeowner, along with a visiting pastor, had organized a church service of thanksgiving and prayer and had permission for a gathering of more than 100 people.

“Dividing themselves into groups, the Hindu extremists took Vaskale to one side and began to beat him while another group approached the women and girls, seized their mobile phones, and began sexually harassing them, survivors said,” morningstarnews.org reported. Another group searched Vaskale’s house.

The Christians were told they would all be killed if they went to the police. In addition, “It was plain to see that because of political pressure, the hospital authorities did not take Leela’s case,” a pastor and Christian leader told the news service.

Leela Bai (lying down) and other protestors

Nearly 90 people are imprisoned in Algeria for acts related to protest and/or exercise of individual freedoms. Charges are often based on Facebook posts, according to the National Committee for the Release of Detainees.

Jos, Nigeria A professor at a Christian university was released after being kidnapped in Nigeria, which leads the world in abductions of Christians. John Fatokun, professor of computational mathematics and numerical analysis and deputy vice chancellor of Anchor University in Lagos, was released in January, two days after Fulani herdsmen captured him as he traveled from Jos to Nasarawa state, reported morningstarnews.org.

“Despite the experience, my faith remains unshakable,” Fatokun told reporters. “We will continue to work, pray, and raise godly men and women who are destined to change the narratives and make Nigeria a better place for the generations ahead.”

Nigeria is the country with the most Christians killed for their faith (3,530), according to the 2021 World Watch List, up from 1,350 in 2019. In overall violence, Nigeria is second only to Pakistan, and it trails only China in the number of churches attacked or closed (270), according to the list.

The full text of these articles, along with many more articles on the persecution of Christians, may be found on morningstarnews.org.

Our Team w No ble ila a! ava anad C in

Tom Geoghan

Bill Stevens

Dan Dark

Dave Kuhn

Vice President Ministry Advancement

Steve Weir Canada

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THE FRIENDS OF ISRAEL IN ACTION

because of the Belarusian president’s claim Polish agents are destabilizing the country and organizing recurring protests against him. od is not hampered by borders! Here in The On the day Timothy and his team showed Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry’s Internaup at the border hoping to cross into Belarus tional Department, the Lord constantly reminds with money, gifts, and literature for ministry, us He is King over all peoples and nations, and it was closed to all traffic from Poland. Instead He will accomplish His will. of turning back and heading One of our field workers home, the team prayed and in Poland recently had a then attempted to cross remarkable experience. anyway.

Timothy has spent six years Miraculously, God opened building relationships with the way. The guards did not both the Christian and see the money or literature, Instead of Jewish communities in and our people were not returning back neighboring Belarus. Each quired to enter an enforced, and heading year he partners with a two-week quarantine. local church there to deliver To the shock of our workers home, the team more than 400 groceries and and the Belarusian believprayed and then gifts to underfed, persecuted ers, the guards ushered our members of the Jewish comPolish team across the border attempted to munity during the holidays. as though everything were cross anyway.

Recently, however, Belarus normal. As it turned out, our has been in turmoil because workers were the only people of quarantine restrictions, from Poland allowed to enter political infighting, and a Belarus that day. disputed presidential elec“What a powerful God we tion. The country’s border have!” Timothy told us. “He with Poland has been closed answered all our prayers. Our friends in Belarus could not believe that we made it to the other side. Together that day, we could pray and worship the almighty God of Israel.

For Him, indeed, nothing is impossible. I am confident the only reason we crossed the border is that God closed the border guards’ eyes, and they could not see any problems with us. Thank you for praying for us.”

Miracle at the Border

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Soldiers patrolling the Belarus-Poland border.

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ISRAEL MY GLORY

If you would like to support our Polish team or other ministries like this around the world, visit foi.org/INToutreach.

Or call our toll-free, ministry-support line at 800–257– 7843. Thank you for your prayers and financial support!

PHOTO: RIA NOVOSTI ARCHIVE, IMAGE #1047080/EGOR ERYOMOV/CC-BY-SA 3.0

Beshert, Indeed

by Ty Perry serving in Las Vegas, Nevada

M

y wife and I met our friend Lisa a few years ago when we went to her office to fill out an application to rent an apartment she managed. As she looked over our paperwork, she asked what I did for work; and when I told her I served with The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry (FOI), her eyes brightened.

“And you were led to my office!” she said excitedly. “In Yiddish, we say that’s beshert—destiny.”

It was indeed beshert in a way neither of us would have guessed. Knowing FOI helps Jewish people, Lisa called me in August 2020 to tell me about one of her elderly tenants.

“Her name is Joy,” she said. “She’s not Jewish. She just called me and was crying because she can’t make her rent on time and doesn’t know what to do. I told her about you and that you serve with The Friends of Israel. Would you see what you can do to help her?”

The next day, I went to Joy’s mobile home. “Show me what to do, Lord,” I prayed.

Joy is Korean, with gray hair and a look of continual sadness on her face. As we sat in her small living room, she explained in broken English that her husband died a few months earlier and that he had always taken care of everything for them, from paying the bills to maintaining their vehicle. She wept as she told me about the first time she had to put gasoline in her car.

“I don’t know what to do,” she said.

“Now I’m alone, and I missed paying September’s rent. I don’t know what to do. I just don’t know.”

I assured her I would try to get her

Joy with the Korean pastor

some financial help so she could pay her back rent. (FOI, several supporters, and a supporting church provided the funds.)

Before I left her house, I asked if I could pray with her. She readily agreed. After I finished praying, I noticed she was crying. “Come,” she said, wiping her eyes. “I want to show you something. She led me into her small bedroom and pointed to two paintings on her wall, one of Jesus and one of Mary.

“I don’t know anything about them,” Joy said. “I have never been to church. But I know they are special. I like the kindness in His eyes.” I shared the gospel with her and explained that Jesus is more than a kind man. He is the Son of God. A few days later, a local Korean Baptist pastor and I visited Joy, and he shared the gospel with her in her native Korean language. Although she didn’t pray the “Sinner’s Prayer” or walk the aisle at an altar call, she placed her trust in Jesus Christ for salvation.

Today she attends the Korean Baptist church, is constantly telling her neighbors about the Lord, and hosts a weekly afternoon Bible study that I teach in her home.

Through a Jewish friend who does not believe in Jesus, I was able to share the Good News of the Messiah of Israel and Savior of the world with a Gentile woman from Korea. And because of that opportunity, she is now a child of God (Jn. 1:12).

To support Ty Perry and others serving in North American outreach with The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry, visit foi.org/namoutreach. You can also call our toll-free, ministry-support line at 800–257–7843. Thank you for your prayers and financial support!

Ty and Joy M AY / J U N E 2 0 21

11

A Letter to My Dad It’s not easy to tell your parents they need Jesus.

by Steve Herzig

nother Father’s Day is just around the corner. My dad passed away in 2008; and at age 97, my mom still misses him. Perhaps that was why she showed me a Father’s Day letter that I wrote to him on my 40th birthday in 1993. I had forgotten about it, and she couldn’t remember why she kept it all these years but was pleased I was so happy to see it.

First, I skimmed it. Then I asked if I could read it aloud. She agreed. It was not an easy read. It was clear I had tried to share spiritual truth with my father when I wrote to him; and in reading the letter aloud, I would do the same with my mother. The words brought a flood of memories.

I was grateful Mom agreed to listen. With her permission, I share this letter now with you in hopes it will impart spiritual truth one more time that God will use for His honor and glory.

Dear Dad,

have thought a lot about you Soon it will be Father’s Day, and I the older I get, the more in recent days. It’s funny, you know— and more I can identify with intelligent you get. It seems more while you were raising me. the joys and frustrations you had ed me to appreciate all that As I reflect on that, Dad, it has caus you did for me. I love you, Dad. the asthma attack I had.

You know all about my surgery and fall apart. Anyway, those Boy, I’ll tell you, you turn 40 and you few things about patience, two experiences have taught me a g. During my recent pain, and even a little about sufferin nick [a cousin] dying. At recovery, you told me about Ron Mes 45-year-old man dying of a the same time, I found out about a to be Bar Mitzvah. I say all heart attack just before his son was of the fact that we all live this because it reminds me afresh Dad. How well I rememon the edge. That is no news to you, rming you of our various ber the phone calls you received info for the future are not a sure family deaths. The plans we make thing. you have outlived all Dad, you are almost 73 years old, and could have gotten you (I your family. The war [World War II] , but it didn’t; cancer could remember the stories you told me) all the miles you drove, you have gotten you, but it didn’t. With lity; but it didn’t happen. could have easily been a traffic fata before, have you? By G-d’s I never thought about it that way pretty good shape; and I’m grace, you are not only alive but in glad.

Steve with his parents at his Bar Mitzvah

the things I’ve learned from Dad, I also have thought about all being a husband. You were you, especially about parenting and the book of Proverbs, I an excellent model for me. As I read re not interested in what often think of you. Yes, I know you’ but I want to tell you that the Bible says, even the “Jewish” one; ys true; and when something when something is true, it is alwa is right, it is always right. my kids you did with me. I You know, I do the same things with them and give them the take the boys out and play catch with le with my teenage daughter same advice you gave to me. I batt

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Michele. It is amazing the the same way you had it out with good relationship. things that stick. Ours, Dad, was a was strained to the limit. I Eighteen years ago, that relationship Messiah to hurt you—but did not decide to believe in Jesus as ve to make you angry—but I know it did, terribly. I did not belie betray my people, though it did, very angry. Nor did I do it to you taught me that when I you think I did. I did it, Dad, because do it. That’s the way you have believe something is right, I should artedly. You see, Dad, you did lived, and I agree with you wholehe religious training that taught right by me. You gave me a strong sh history, a little Hebrew, me all the essentials of the faith: Jewi e of what sin is, and a belief knowledge of the holidays, a sens for that. You also taught me in the Messiah. I am very thankful my children and loving my the value of family, of providing for ve it or not, Dad, I could not wife (Alice is thankful for that). Belie it were not for you modeling understand my heavenly Father if have not had that chance. what an earthly father is. Many men to you, I could; and I could talk You always said if I wanted to talk ys come to you. My greatest about anything. You said I could alwa nt issue in this world, you sadness is that on the most importa I understand. But Dad, you won’t listen. Don’t get me wrong. life, and I have the news that were the one who helped give me ’t even listen. So be it. You have provides eternal life; and you won to do what you think is right. me aware of how short life I wrote this letter because I have beco If you are offended, I am sorry. is. I wanted to tell you how I feel. were a fire and you were in But I will tell you this Dad: If there arrass you and come in to the shower, I would offend and emb get you out.

Lord our God, the Lord is The Shema says, “Hear, O Israel: The God with all your heart, with one! You shall love the Lord your ngth.” Dad, that is Jewish. I all your soul, and with all your stre and just how important you just want you to do it and underst are to Him. It is between you and me.

I will not speak about this anymore. best for you.

You’re my Dad. I love you. I want the ugh the years. If I can, Thanks for being there for me thro like to return the favor.

I would

. It is found in the Torah, I’ll close with a prayer for you, Dad s thee and keep thee: The Numbers 6:24–26: “May the Lord bles , and be gracious unto thee: Lord make his face shine upon thee upon thee and give thee peace” The Lord lift up his countenance [KJV].

Love, Steve

Steve and his dad at Steve’s Bar Mitzvah

Sadly, this letter elicited little response from my dad other than a thank you and some small talk. My mom merely said, “What is beshert is beshert,” Yiddish for “What is meant to be is meant to be.”

The Fifth Commandment says, “Honor your father and your mother” (Ex. 20:12).

For some, that may not be possible. Perhaps you have never met your father or mother.

Perhaps they are deceased. Whatever the case, you can take comfort in Psalm 27:10: “When my father and my mother forsake me, then the Lord will take care of me.”

He will never fail. His love endures forever, and great is His faithfulness. Happy Father’s Day!

Steve Herzig is the director of North American Ministries and a Bible teacher for The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry.

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From Death to Life The moving story of how God is healing addicts and prostitutes through faith in Christ

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PHOTO: iSTOCK

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Tel Aviv

Tel Aviv, Israel.

ministries The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry (FOI) helps support through donations to FOI’s Israel Relief Fund. Run by volunteers who are former addicts, the center is open Population 4.18 million. Situated like a jewel by the beautievery day to provide a shelter where addicts and prostitutes ful Mediterranean Sea, it beckons to tourists from around can get a good meal, wash their clothes, take a shower, and the world to enjoy its nonstop nightlife, luxury hotels, and experience the love of Christ. world-class restaurants.

The ministry’s goal, as stated on its website, avivministry The New York Times has called Tel Aviv the “Mediterranean .com, is “to help [addicts and prostitutes] get fully restored, capital of cool.” National Geographic magazine named it one of return to normal life and to their families, become a blessthe world’s top 10 beaches, and the city was voted the fourth ing to others and bring good fruit. We know that only the best in Africa and the Middle East by Travel + Leisure Magazine.

Lord Jesus can really make all these changes in their lives.

But like most cities, Tel Aviv has a side that tourists never That is why in our day center in Tel-Aviv we actively preach see. It’s the seedy, godforsaken-looking side, where filthy, the Gospel of Jesus Christ, who came to this earth to save rundown buildings and brothels frame streets littered with sinners—including those who seemed totally hopeless.” empty soda bottles, syringes, and drug paraphernalia; and FOI Executive Director Jim Showers, who has visited the Jewish addicts and prostitutes from every center many times, has witnessed the fruit of walk of life—including the ultra-OrthoAviv Center’s labor: “Bible studies,” Jim said, dox—live on the sidewalks, struggling to “help people see the only hope to escape their Many young Jewish make it through one more day. addiction is to turn to God and believe in His That is where the Aviv Center is located.

Son, the Messiah of Israel. Having met several people have found Run by Aviv Ministry under the direction their Messiah, left of its founder, Dov Bikas, the Aviv Center their addiction to has been helping addicts and prostitutes drugs and alcohol, since 2005 by meeting their basic needs of food and clothing and giving them the and with God’s one thing that can completely change help, brought their their lives: the matchless gospel of Jesus lives back in order.”

Christ.

The Aviv Center is among the many

“

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PHOTOS: iSTOCK

Dov Bikas

former drug addicts who came to faith through the ministry of the Aviv Center, I have seen firsthand the life-transforming miracle of the gospel. Hearing their personal testimonies of the night-and-day change in their lives because of faith in Messiah is amazing.”

Amy Westphal, FOI’s director of Ministry Support, said the center is stocked with Christian tracts and literature in many languages, “including a lot of the languages of immigrants from the former Soviet bloc. There were also Bibles in many languages and some song books. Dov explained to us that many of the addicts are immigrants. The Aviv Ministry

oozes tangible Christian love for those who are basically forgotten

by Israeli society.”

People may forget them, but God never forgets those for whom Christ died. “Many young Jewish people have found their Messiah, left their addiction to drugs and alcohol, and with God’s help, brought their lives back in order,” Dov said. “We see that many of the rehabilitants not only leave drugs and fully restore their lives but also start serving others.”

Here are two of their stories.

They are testimonies of the power of the gospel and how knowing Jesus personally can change a life.

Tel Aviv PHOTOS: iSTOCK

Testimony

My name is Gennadij.

I was born into a Jewish Caucasian family in Chechnya, and my entire adult life was spent among Jews who honored the traditions of their fathers. I became a musician and worked in various philharmonic societies, played in restaurants, etc. I was married and had three children.

At first, I used to drink only alcohol, but soon drugs came into fashion, and I switched to them and became an addict. I tried to quit many times, underwent different types of treatment, and stayed in hospitals; but nothing worked. My wife left me several times.

We had many relatives in Israel, and they offered to help us immigrate and start a new life in the Holy Before PHOTOS: AVIV MINISTRY

After

Land. My wife agreed to give me another chance, and we moved to Israel. I got a good job and everything was great. But as they say, “The drug can be patient.”

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Tel Aviv

Aviv Center

“

Suddenly, a man came up to me. He helped me stand up and bought me food.”

same: search for drugs, withdrawals, lying, stealing. Eventually I ended up in prison. My wife left me, and I hit the bottom.

One day, when I came to Aviv Center to eat (I had heard about this place from my buddies), I met a friend I had not seen for a long time. I didn’t recognize him because he had changed so much and looked so good.

I lived in Ofakim then, and there I had a good friend who was a member of a congregation of believers in Jesus. She offered to take me to a rehab center many times and told me about Christ. But I always replied that I was a Jew, and we honored our faith.

But after talking to my friend in Tel Aviv, I started rethinking the matter and eventually agreed to go to rehab.

Now I have not just given up drugs, alcohol, and cigarettes. I have realized that God is my personal Savior, that Jesus died for me and gave me a new life, and that now I want to dedicate my life to Him. Now I understand that freedom does not come from living in the Holy Land but from faith in the Holy Son of God. He finds sinners like me through ministries like Aviv Center and makes us His children. Today I am His son, and I want to glorify Him with the gift He gave me: to sing to Him, play musical instruments, teach others, and serve Him in the places from which He delivered me.

I want to thank God for places like Aviv Center, which I visit now not to eat, but to feed others. Glory to Him for this!!!

Note: Today Gennadij leads one of the volunteer groups that operate Aviv Center.

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PHOTOS: AVIV MINISTRY

Testimony

My name is Sergey.

I immigrated to Israel from Ukraine, where I already abused “light” drugs. At age 18, in Israel, I tried heroin for the first time. In 2010 I started seeing a girl who knew I was an addict and tried every possible way to help me get rid of my addiction.

When I ended up in prison, she came to see me, never losing hope. Several years later we married and had two children. But I continued rolling down into the abyss. I even tried rehabilitation in a Christian rehab but returned to drugs. Eventually, I lost everything: my family, my job, and my faith.

I lived on the streets of Tel Aviv for two years and went to Aviv Center to eat and change clothes.

Later, I needed medical aid for my legs. Sadly, it took me a long time to decide to start rehabilitation.

That was when a very strange thing happened to me. During the quarantine, the hours of Aviv Center changed; and some days its volunteers could not come at all. It was on such a day that I went there to say I had finally decided on rehab.

I was sitting outside the door in despair, having lost all hope.

I had no money, no food. And my body was rotting so that I could hardly move—and now this place, my last island of hope, was empty and closed! I did not know what to do. I remembered the words and prayers I had heard in Aviv Center. I cried out to God whom I had been told about so many times.

Suddenly, a man came up to me.

After

He helped me stand up and bought me food.

He listened to me and offered to send me to a rehab. We found the phone numbers of the rehabs on the schedule next to the doors.

He called one and explained the situation, and its workers told him they could come Before for me. But he said he would send me by taxi.

I started rehabilitation that very day! Neither I nor anyone else has seen this man since. I like to think he was an angel.

God has restored my health and brought me into fellowship with Him. The relationship with my family has been restored as well. I trust the Lord entirely and want to serve Him for the rest of my life. I believe He will complete what He has started in me. Amen!

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Jim Showers Jim Showers is the executive director of The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry.

I

Three Spiritual Journeys How the gospel transforms lives

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was born into a Christian home and grew up learning about God and His Word. As an 8-year-old in summer Bible school, I understood for the first time that having Christian parents or attending church did not make me a Christian. Nor did obeying my parents and treating others well.

I knew I sometimes did things I shouldn’t; that my sin made me unacceptable to God; and that the Good News was that God’s Son, Jesus Christ, paid the price to redeem me from my sin. All I had to do was admit to God I was a sinner, ask Him to forgive me, and trust in Jesus Christ.

The gospel is simple enough that I could understand it even as a child. I prayed that evening and have followed Jesus ever since. From that day on, I knew the gospel had changed my life forever.

My father was a pastor, but I had no desire to follow in his footsteps. I had too many things I wanted to experience, so I went to college, earned a degree in accounting, and began a career in business.

God graciously gave me many of the desires of my heart, but I soon learned the things of this world do not satisfy. In my 30s, I struggled with contentment; and God began changing the trajectory of my life. Proverbs says, “A man’s heart plans his way, but the LORD directs his steps” (16:9). As God showed me the temporary things of life don’t compare with the eternal treasure of serving Him, I sensed a clear call to full-time ministry.

I quit my job and moved my wife and two young children 600 miles east, away from family and friends, to enter seminary. It was a challenge, but a rewarding one.

After graduating, I served for a few years at the school before God led me to The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry 20 years ago.

Were it not for the gospel, I would still be serving myself, rather than others. Over the years, I have come to appreciate Proverbs 3:5–6: “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” Looking back, I can see how God used each step I took to prepare me for the ministry I hold dear today.

The gospel can change the course of our lives. God directed me on a path I never could have imagined or engineered on my own, and I can never do enough to thank Him for giving His one and only Son for me.

M

John Wilcox

Tom Geoghan

John Wilcox is vice president of Finance and chief financial officer for The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry.

Tom Geoghan is vice president of Advancement for The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry.

y life has been a long journey with music and the Lord. I grew up in a Roman Catholic home and started singing in church even before I got my first guitar.

I played in bands, wrote songs, and began to realize in college that God was the source of my musical gift. That’s when I found myself wanting to know more about Him and His plans for me.

After graduating from Rutgers University with a degree in accounting, I went to Nashville, Tennessee, the country music capital of the world. But as I shopped my songs, I saw a lot of things in Nashville that told me it was not the place for me. All the musical experiences that meant something to me had involved church.

So I came home to New Jersey and returned to college for a degree in music. Some of my music professors had toured with famous bands, and the stories they told only reinforced what I had seen for myself. There were no happy endings, and I didn’t want a life like that.

In time, I married and had children. In August 1994, someone invited us to family week at Word of Life in Schroon Lake, New York. Harry Bollback, cofounder of Word of Life (and a musician and songwriter), was the speaker. “Have you been searching for what the Lord would have you do with your life?” he asked. I felt like he was speaking directly to me. I gave my life to Jesus right then and there. When he asked people to come forward to receive Christ as Savior or rededicate their lives to Him, I was nervous until I heard the chair next to me push back and saw my wife, Lynn, get up to rededicate her life.

We walked forward together, and nothing has been the same since. God has truly changed my life for the better.

I earned a master’s degree in finance and was working for a nonprofit when I started praying about going into full-time ministry. I told the Lord it would be awesome if He would find me a position in both accounting and music.

In 2012, I joined The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry (FOI) as chief financial officer. Two years later, FOI’s Executive Director Jim Showers asked me if I would take over the music ministry as well. What an answer to prayer!

Over the years the Lord has shown me nothing is impossible with Him. He doesn’t give us gifts expecting them to lie dormant. He wants us to use them, and there’s nothing more satisfying than using those gifts for Jesus.

I

grew up in a Roman Catholic family. From 1962 when I entered kindergarten until 1974 when I graduated from high school, I attended Catholic schools. My parents enrolled me as an altar boy when I was in 5th grade, and when it was my week on, I had to be at the church adjacent to my grammar school by 7 a.m. every weekday to help the priest as he conducted the Mass.

In those days, the Mass was in Latin, which left me clueless about what was going on. In addition, the God I learned about was distant, unapproachable, and austere. To make matters worse, the school administered harsh corporal punishment, which pushed me farther from that faith.

I remember telling my mother when I was 13, “I’ll continue to go to church with you because if I don’t, I know you’ll take things away from me, like spending time with my friends and playing sports. But when I turn 18, I promise you I will never darken the doorway of a church again.” And I made good on that promise.

It wasn’t until I turned 23 that I first heard the gospel. In the gospel, I met a Jesus unknown to me—not one still hanging on a cross but one who was victorious over the grave, anxious to gather people to Himself in love. He was personal, approachable, near, full of grace, and able to save me from my sin and from myself. He was a God who loved me. I gave my life to Him and was born again. (See John 3:3, 7.)

In 1986 the Lord introduced me to The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry (FOI) when I moved to South Jersey for work. I attended FOI’s Thursday night Bible study and absorbed the teaching like a sponge. In fact, the experience was so meaningful I quit my job and, with my wife’s encouragement, enrolled in FOI’s one-year Institute of Biblical Studies.

Soon after I was asked to consider working for FOI. My first reaction was, “You mean you’ll pay me to work here? I’m in!” That was 28 years ago, and my life has never been the same. The Lord is good; and the gospel is the powerful, life-changing message of His love.

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Getting the ‘Package Deal’ No one is born a Christian.

Not even a pastor’s daughter.

by Sarah Fern

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ISRAEL MY GLORY

W

“

hat do you mean you became a Christian at 21? Aren’t you a pastor’s daughter?” an older gentleman asked me, a shocked look on his face. The idea of a Baptist minister’s daughter not being a believer until adulthood seemed impossible to him.

I was raised in a Christian home with parents who were committed believers in Jesus. Being a pastor’s family, we weren’t simply at church every time the doors were open; we unlocked the doors. I memorized hundreds of Bible verses and could easily recite the stories of the New and Old Testaments.

To a casual observer, it appeared I was a Christian. I was born into a Christian home, and Christianity and my local church were all I knew.

But no one is born a Christian. Not even a pastor’s daughter. Christianity requires a conversion initiated and completed by God.

PHOTO: LIGHTSTOCK

THE WRONG ANSWER Sure, my identity was wrapped up in Christianity and the things of God, but my heart was in need of a Savior. I just didn’t realize it. If asked, I would have said I was a Christian; but as I grew into my teen years, I could see something different in many of my friends. I just couldn’t put my finger on what it was.

When I was 17, a youth leader asked us at an event, “Why should God let you into heaven?” I looked around the room at my classmates. Knowing many of their flaws, I whispered proudly to my friend, “Because we’re better than most of the people in this room.”

I’ll never forget what that leader said: “Any answer other than ‘because of what Jesus did for me on the cross’ is the wrong answer.”

Though I dismissed his reply, that night became a major turning point in my life. I decided I would stop trying to be good. I would stop trying to be someone I was not. I decided being a believer was too difficult, and I started to walk away from the teachings of my childhood. For the next four years, I lived the way I wanted, concluding Christianity was for my parents, not for me.

By the time I was 21, I had hit bottom. After years of living for momentary pleasures, I was exhausted. I remember thinking, Is this all there is? That was when I decided to return to church. I started attending Sunday school and teaching children’s church and became involved with our college group. The people in the college group accepted me with open arms; but again, there was something different about many of them that I couldn’t put my finger on. I decided I wasn’t like them because of the years I had walked away from Christianity.

‘HE WANTED ME’ My parents bought me a study Bible, and I started reading the familiar words of my childhood. I was diligent in reading because I wanted to be able to participate in conversations with my new church friends. Someone suggested we all sign up for a new class being offered on the basics of Christianity. It was in that class that God started showing me what I was missing.

We learned that God is a pursuer of men. He made a way to have a relationship with us: Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation (2 Cor. 5:18–19).

throat, a spiritual battle was taking place. I was fully aware of the sin in my life that separated me from God, and I was having a hard time with the reality that God had humbled Himself to make a way for me to have a relationship with Him by sending His Son, Jesus, to die for my sins. I was also struggling with the fact that I was the pastor’s daughter, but I was not a Christian. I wondered, What will people think? I’m teaching their children in children’s church. They will call me a fraud!

One night in class, a friend shared she had been struggling with doubt about her salvation. She thought she was a Christian, but God had shown her she lacked a true relationship with Him. She said she struggled for months and finally surrendered her life to Christ in her room one night and was being baptized that evening in the service. I looked around, expecting to see shocked faces. After all, she was a youth leader! Instead, everyone burst into applause, cheering and hugging her. I sat there in shock and cried. My fears of being found out were fading away.

That night in the Sunday evening service, my dad taught on the fruit of the Spirit from Galatians 5:22–23. As he explained each fruit, I made a checklist, thinking I had mastered many of them: love, joy, kindness, gentleness, goodness. The ones I didn’t feel I had mastered I figured I could work on. Then he made the statement God used to pierce my heart: “The fruit of the Spirit are not pieces you pick and choose. They’re a package deal that you receive at salvation.” That was all the confirmation I needed. I gave my life to God that night.

I have heard it said, “God does not have grandchildren, only children.” Each person is accountable for his or her own actions before the Lord. My parents’ faith did not automatically give me the same faith. The biggest benefit I had growing up was all those years of Bible lessons and Scripture memorization. They were the kindle on a fire that burned fast and bright after a spark from the Holy Spirit.

After I became a Christian, I grew quickly in my faith. The Bible came to life for me, and the Bible stories I learned as a child pointed to the bigger story of God’s love and plan of redemption for mankind.

So, I told the older gentleman, “Yes, I am a pastor’s daughter. But I was not a Christian until I was 21,” even though I was reared by faithful, godly parents and loved by a faithful church family. And today, as the apostle Paul wrote, I am an “ambassador for Christ.” And “[I] implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Cor. 5:20–21).

Sarah Fern

I thought, Could I have missed it all these years? God didn’t want my list of church accomplishments. He wanted me.

As I sat in this class week after week with a lump in my

is the executive director of Choices Resource Center in Oak Ridge, Tennessee.

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HE NEVER LET GO 24

ISRAEL MY GLORY

M

y story begins with my father, who was enjoying recognition as a successful research chemist despite two big problems: He was a functioning alcoholic and an atheist.

Through a Christ-follower at his lab, my father became a Christian and soon left for seminary. There he met and married my mom and became a church planter, pastoring 13 churches all over the southeastern United States. This is the home into which I was born.

How God brought a straying child back to the fold

by Betsi Calhoun

At age 7, I understood the gospel under my daddy’s preaching.

I trusted Jesus as my Savior, was changed even at that young age, and grew spiritually. When I was 9, my mom let me help teach the neighborhood children in a Good News Club.

When I was 11, everything changed. My father accepted a new pastorate, and our family moved to Delaware. Suddenly, I felt lost and alone. I began to resent my father, who by any standards was unreasonably strict. I no longer wanted to be a preacher’s daughter and started walking away from God, even though I knew I belonged to Him. I sought acceptance and happiness from ungodly activities, sneaking out at night to be with boys my father had preached to in the local detention center. Soon I was shoplifting. Once I stole an expensive sweater from a department store and eluded the security guards chasing me by running outside and hiding.

At school I didn’t want to be identified as the local pastor’s daughter, so I tried to change my appearance. When I dyed my hair jet black to look Goth, I was severely punished. My parents knew I was going rogue and prayed desperately that God would rescue me before I went too far. Little did they know how far I had already gone. And little did I know that God never let go of

PHOTO: iSTOCK

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They discussed how I had shamed God’s name and hurt my father’s ministry.

accepted a professorship at a Christian university.

Now I could breathe. No more pastor’s-daughter stigma. I resolved to turn over a new leaf. I made better grades, got involved in extracurricular activities, and attended church. But I already had picked out the girls who were living the chameleonic lifestyle, and they accepted me.

I became involved in vocal groups, sports, drama, writing, and many other activities that brought self-esteem and popularity. Interestingly, God was developing these talents for His use later. However, through all this self-discovery, I still kept Him at arm’s length.

One day, after turning down several invitations to attend a local Word of Life teen club, I decided to go. This group of fun-loving teenagers and young leaders accepted me warmly. After refreshments and a game, the teens began sharing what God was doing in their lives through “quiet time” (personal devotions) and answered prayer. I had attended church all my life, but I had never known kids like these who manifested a vibrant, active relationship with God. Again, I felt drawn to the Savior who had been trying to get my attention for so long. I returned each week and watched these students live out their faith. But I was not about to jump on board.

RETURNING TO THE FOLD me and that His steadfast love would bring me back to Him.

LIKE A CHAMELEON Throughout my rebellion, I never once doubted my salvation. Though we forsake Him, He never forsakes us. “The Lord knows those who are His” (2 Tim. 2:19); and He has a way of reaching us. I often hid in my room, locking my door and listening to music. But when I went to bed, I sensed God’s voice in the stark silence of the night.

Even in my rebellion, I felt burdened to share the gospel with my unbelieving grandma; and she trusted Christ as her Savior. Though my bitter lifestyle held me firmly in its grip, I continued to sense God pulling me toward Himself, assuring me I was His. It wasn’t long before the church elders showed up at our home to confront us. They discussed how I had shamed God’s name and hurt my father’s ministry. They sorrowfully prayed over me, then asked Daddy to resign. Three months later, we were in Chattanooga, Tennessee, where my father had 26

ISRAEL MY GLORY

In my sophomore year of high school, I attended a winter youth retreat in Florida with several school friends. We were determined to guard ourselves from anything that smacked of Bible. We played along until the last night, when the big dedication-campfire service began.

Sitting in the back, we smugly tuned out the speaker. But Paul Bubar had such a charismatic personality and straightforward message that I found myself sitting at attention. Paul, who was then director of Bible Clubs Ministry for Word of Life, was sharing the story of the prodigal son from Luke 15. Suddenly, I realized I was that person. I was the one who had walked away from a Savior who loved me. I was the one who had bought into a self-centered lifestyle.

Sometimes Christians can fall so deeply into sin that we forsake the one to whom we belong. We live for ourselves instead of for God, and we look exactly like unbelievers. We fracture our relationship with God. But like the prodigal son’s loving father, God is still there—waiting for us to come home.

On the 12-hour return bus ride, a youth volunteer who was exuberant about her newfound PHOTO: iSTOCK

relationship with Christ shared her conversion story with everyone on the bus. By the time she finished, I was weeping. I knew I didn’t know Jesus in the deep, personal, and satisfying way Nancy described.

I had turned my back on His love.

As Nancy put an arm around me, I confessed my sins for two hours. I felt cleansed, forgiven, and completely new. I already sensed God’s transformational work in my life.

When my father got up the next morning, he cracked open my bedroom door and was shocked to find me reading the Bible. I was reading from Psalm 32: “Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered” (v. 1).

LIVING FOR CHRIST After that, my life changed dramatically. Feeling convicted by God’s Spirit, I wrote a letter to the owner of the store where I had shoplifted the sweater, confessing my dishonesty and sending him four times the price of my theft. Amazingly, he wrote back. He had shared my letter with his church youth group and told me a number of students related to my testimony and made decisions to trust Christ.

As I continued to grow spiritually, I decided to become a missionary in my large, public high school.

With other Christian teens, I started a daily Bible study that grew exponentially. Over the next two years, God gave me the amazing privilege of leading more than 100 students to Christ.

I went to college and also to the Word of Life Bible Institute, where I met my husband, Mike. We both felt called to work with youth for the rest of our lives. We ministered for 43 years in a plethora of positions and places with Word of Life, seeing thousands of young people come to Christ. Today Mike leads The Summit Church ministerial training ministry in Durham, North Carolina. His website is mikecalhoun.org.

Over the years, life has thrown us major curveballs, but we continue to rest in the God who redeemed me when I was 7 years old, brought me back to Himself when I strayed, and saved me from what could have been a disastrous life. He continues to transform me day by day, as He does all His children, by His grace and for His glory.

Betsi Calhoun lives in North Carolina and loves writing, teaching, singing, and discipling gals.

THE BEREAN BOX WHAT DOES ‘CRUCIFIED WITH CHRIST’ MEAN? Paul wrote, “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me” (Gal. 2:20).

To correctly interpret this verse, it’s important to examine the context. There were people in the early church called Judaizers (v. 14) who taught it was not enough for Gentiles to believe in Jesus for salvation; they had to keep the Mosaic Law, especially circumcision (Acts 15:1; Gal. 2:14; 5:2; 6:12–13). The Judaizers taught a salvation by works, not by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. Paul strongly denounced their teaching and practices (Gal. 4:17) and taught salvation by faith in Christ alone (Gal. 2:16, 21; Eph. 2:8–9).

The Old Testament Law was powerless to impart spiritual life and left people guilty in sin and condemned to eternal death.

Paul said he died to the Law so he could live for God. That is, Christ’s death provided conclusive evidence to Paul that salvation does not come by keeping the Law. It comes only through faith in Jesus the Messiah.

In Galatians 2:20, Paul wrote, “I have been crucified with Christ.”

The Greek verb for “crucified” is in the perfect tense, emphasizing both the past, completed act of Christ’s physical crucifixion and its continuing effects on the lives of all who put faith in Him.

Jesus, who was sinless, died for our sins, satisfying God’s divine wrath against sin. In other words, Jesus Christ paid in full the redemptive price God required, making it possible for God to declare righteous everyone who puts his or her faith in Christ’s finished work on the cross. This is something neither the Mosaic Law nor the Levitical system was designed to accomplish. (See Hebrews 10:4.)

Therefore, through Christ’s death and resurrection, all believers in Christ have been freed from the demands of the Mosaic Law because those demands were fulfilled in Christ.

Like Paul, all true believers can say, “It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me” (Gal. 2:20). Paul not only was released from the Mosaic Law, but also from his sinful self. Although believers are still alive in the flesh and prone to sin while on Earth, we are new creations in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17). We live by faith through the indwelling Holy Spirit, who guides and leads us through this pilgrim life.

The true Christian life involves Christ living through us as we yield to the Holy Spirit. Thus, all believers in Christ are forever united with Him in resurrection life, possessing all the eternal benefits salvation provides. Hallelujah, what a Savior!

by David M. Levy

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WHAT IS THE GOSPEL? The incomparable message of God’s restorative love

by Tom Simcox

PHOTO: iSTOCK

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M

any years ago, my wife and I were invited to dinner at the home of a prominent older woman. She knew governors and senators and had been friends with Albert Einstein. Along with our hostess, we dined with a doctoral candidate at Harvard and an elegant couple originally from Vienna, Austria.

After some introductions and small talk, the Viennese couple shared how they had met—not in Vienna, but here in the United States where he was a scientist and professor at Princeton University.

“So, how did you and Lorna meet?” they asked. I explained we were introduced at the international headquarters of the organization we both worked for, which then prompted them to ask the organization’s name.

“We work for The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry,” I replied. Their next question will forever be engraved in my mind. “Gospel? Gospel? What is gospel?”

“It means ‘good news,’” I said. “It’s the Good News of the Messiah of Israel.” The answer generated an entirely different conversation that lasted for hours and caused me to reflect on the power and universality of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

My memory is nearly gone, but I remember two things: that I am a great sinner—and that Christ is a great Savior!

GOD’S DYNAMITE

JOHN NEWTON

The word gospel appears throughout the New Testament. In the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, the gospel Jesus preached differed from the gospel message we declare today. Though both clearly qualify as “good news,” Jesus’ gospel of the coming Messianic Kingdom was meant specifically for the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—the Jewish people.

Only after the religious hierarchy officially rejected Jesus did His message change recipients and focus on His expectant death and resurrection. It is His death and resurrection that comprise the message the apostle Paul declared: “For I am not ashamed of the

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gospel [good news] of Christ [Messiah], for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek [Gentile]” (Rom. 1:16).

The gospel message is extremely powerful. The Greek word translated “power” is dunamis, the basis for Alfred Nobel’s naming his explosive dynamite.1 The gospel is the dynamite of God for salvation. “The gospel proclaims and produces salvation in everyone who believes it.”2 The gospel of Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection is a powerful, strong, life-altering message. It has transformed the lives of untold millions for more than 2,000 years and altered the destinies of countless people for eternity.

John Newton (1725–1807), who wrote the beloved hymn “Amazing Grace,” so clearly understood the gospel’s transforming power that he declared at the age of 82, “My memory is nearly gone, but I remember two things: that I am a great sinner—and that Christ is a great Savior!”

The power of this marvelous message is also its source: Jesus. Paul conveyed this fact to the believers at the church in Corinth: “Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, . . . that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures” (1 Cor. 15:1, 3–4). This is the Good News. Jesus died for our sins!

“For He [the Father] made Him [the Son] who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Cor. 5:21).

The reality is that everyone sins. We are born with a sin nature that is completely contrary to the holiness of God. The first time we do anything a holy God would not do, we sin and fall short of His righteousness (Rom. 3:23). Hence, we must educate our children in how to behave because they don’t come by it naturally. The Bible explains, “The LORD looks down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there are any who . . . seek God. They have all turned aside, . . . there is none who does good, no, not one” (Ps. 14:2–3).

The heart of the gospel message is love. God loves sinners but cannot tolerate sin.

Years ago, I met a man who genuinely did not believe he was a sinner. I asked him if he allowed all who knocked on his door entrance into his home, to which he emphatically replied, “No way! It’s my

house, and I decide who can enter.”

I agreed. Then I explained that heaven is God’s home, and not everyone who wants to go there will be admitted. “Would you like to know how you can enter heaven, God’s house?” I asked.

“Sure,” he replied.

“You have to be as good as God.” “Wow! Not too many are going then,” he said with a laugh.

“That’s why Jesus came,” I told him. “He came to deal with our sin and allow us to enter heaven if we put our faith in Him.” Jesus was completely innocent of wrongdoing. He was perfect because He was God in the flesh. Yet He was put to death for us.

The prophet Isaiah wrote, “He was led as a lamb to the slaughter” (Isa. 53:7). For that purpose He came to Earth then rose victorious over death.

Death is the result of humanity’s sin, our rebellion against God’s authority. Sin separates us from God, and the message of the gospel is one of restorative love. Jesus said, “‘If I am lifted up from the earth, [I] will draw all peoples to Myself.’ This He said, signifying by what death He would die” (Jn.12:32–33).

LIFE-TRANSFORMING AND UNIVERSAL The gospel of salvation is also completely life-transforming.

I knew a man many years ago who was extremely prejudiced toward anyone who was not like him. He cursed so often I wondered if he could speak a single sentence without profanity.

Despite his gruff behavior, we became great friends; and I spent many hours with him over the course of many years. Eventually, he asked Jesus to be his Savior, and everything

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about him changed. His prejudice disappeared, his profanity vanished, he had a peace and joy he never evidenced before, and he began telling everyone about Jesus. He was a completely new creation, as Scripture says: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2 Cor. 5:17).

Perhaps the best news of all is that this Good News is completely universal. It’s for everyone: every man, woman, and child across the face of the Earth. “There is no distinction between Jew and

The power of this marvelous message is also its source: Jesus.

Greek [Gentile], for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. For ‘whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved’” (Rom. 10:12–13). He is rich in mercy, rich in grace, and rich in the power to redeem.

We can never bankrupt God’s ability to save us.

What a blessing belongs to all who repent of their sins and surrender their lives to receive new life in Christ.

Not only will God be their constant companion while they’re here on Earth, but He has made a place for them in heaven that no one will ever be able to take away.

E N D N OT E S 1 The American Heritage Dictionary, ahdictionary.com, s.v. “dynamite.”

2 “New Defender’s Study Bible Notes,” Institute for Creation Research, icr.org <icr.org/bible/Romans/1/16>.

Tom Simcox is the Church Ministries training coordinator and a Bible teacher for The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry.

ABC Here are the ABCs of accepting Jesus as your Savior:

A. Acknowledge Acknowledge and repent of your sin, realizing sin separates us from a holy and righteous God.

B. Believe Believe in your heart that Jesus died in your place, taking the punishment you deserve, and that His death and resurrection can deliver you from the penalty of your sin. Our good works cannot deliver us. As the prophet Isaiah said, “We are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags” (Isa. 64:6).

C. Confess Confess that Jesus, the Messiah of Israel, is your Savior. The apostle Paul wrote, “If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made

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unto salvation” (Rom. 10:9–10).

If you have never asked the Lord Jesus to be your personal Savior and deliver you from the penalty of your sin, why not pray this prayer from your heart right now? Saying this prayer will not save you. The key to eternal life is believing it.

God, I confess I have sinned against You. I believe Jesus is God, who died for my sins and arose from the grave and who has the power to forgive me, transform me, and make a home for me with Him for eternity.

Please forgive me of my sin and come into my life.

Thank you for taking away my sin and giving me Your peace. Please help me now to grow in the knowledge and grace of the Lord. Amen.

For more information about Jesus, log on to whoisjesus.foi.org. If you prayed to receive Jesus as your personal Savior, we would like to hear from you. Feel free to send us an email at foi.org/contact, and we’ll send you information to help you grow in your faith.

Until We Meet Again

I

t is with both sadness and joy that we announce the homegoing of our dear friend and coworker, Bob Duarte, who entered the presence of the Lord he loved on January 12. Bob ministered faithfully for 20 years with The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry as a U.S. West Coast representative in our Advancement Department.

With his wife, Patty, always at his side, Bob traveled countless miles throughout 15 states, visiting friends of our ministry to thank them for their interest and support. Bob was a true Christian statesman who represented his Lord, his family, and this ministry with honor and distinction.

Born on September 27, 1945, in Los Angeles, California, Bob placed his faith in Christ when he was 33 years old and never looked back. He and Patty married in 1964, four days after she turned 18, and enjoyed 56 years together. They received Christ within days of each other in January 1979 and were baptized together by their pastor, Dr. John MacArthur, at Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California, where they served for more than 40 years and where a memorial service was held for Bob in February.

After undergoing extensive yet unsuccessful treatment for multiple and recurring cancers, Bob decided

to discontinue treatment and enter hospice care. In the weeks before the Lord called Bob home, more than 100 people came to their home to visit him.

The day before he passed into a coma, Bob had a smile on his face every time he opened his eyes.

He told Patty he would love her forever and that he was going to be with Jesus, who would take care of her and their sons.

Bob and Patty Besides Patty, Bob leaves behind his son Mike (married to Tina) and their children, Bryce and Lucas, and son Jason (married to Shelby) and their children, Taylor and Jacob.

Then I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord . . . that they may rest from their labors, and their works follow them’” (Rev. 14:13).

We miss Bob tremendously, but we sorrow not as those who have no hope. We have the joy of knowing Bob is with the Savior, and we will meet again in heaven.

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T HE FR IE ND S OF I SR A E L G O SP E L M I N I ST R Y

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UNEARTHING TRUTH WITH RANDALL PRICE might be completely broken.”1 If this interpretation is accepted, the Israelites who sinned in the wilderness may have been demonically influenced. If so, the scapegoat may have been sent back to the source of the sin, represented by a site associated with this demon.

To be sure, the God of Israel was the source of this ritual. Also, the ritual clearly has a biblical, not a pagan, worldview. The Lord often accommodated established local practices when giving His people instructions for serving Him. Rites that sent an animal away to remove an evil presence (not sins) were widely attested in the ancient Near East.2 The archaeological discoveries of an archive at Ebla included the earliest known example: A she-goat with a silver bracelet around her neck was sent into the wasteland of Alini.3 The Hittites removed evil from humans (in this case a plague) by transferring it to a bull that was driven to the open country and a ram to the land of the enemy.

The Lord used a prevailing practice but gave it new meaning fitting His unique nature and plan for atonement. That new meaning led to the cross, where our Savior experienced the full force of God’s wrath and Satan’s fury in bearing our sins and carrying them far away (Ps. 103:12).

The Strange Story of the Scapegoat A strange ceremony is recorded in Leviticus 16:7–10 as part of the observance of Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement). The high priest was to bring two goats to the entrance of the Tent of Meeting and cast lots to determine which goat would be sacrificed as a sin offering and which one would be sent as a scapegoat into the wilderness.

The high priest would lay his hands on the scapegoat and “confess over it all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions, concerning all their sins” (v. 21). This act provided atonement for Israel by ridding it of national guilt.

An attendant escorted the scapegoat into the wilderness and, according to tradition, drove it over a cliff to make sure it could not return to the Israelites’ camp bearing their sins.

On the surface, this ritual seems understandable; but the original text contains two Hebrew terms that require further consideration: gezerah and azazel.

Gezerah. This word describes where the scapegoat is sent: to a solitary place (literally, “cut off”).

Azazel. This word means “scapegoat” and explains how atonement is to be made. The word could imply the goat merely was sent into the wilderness, or it could signify its entire removal, or it could be a proper name.

The Jewish pseudepigraphal book of Enoch (8:1; 10:4) refers to Azazel as the name of a fallen angel (demon). The Jewish community at Qumran also read it as a name (11Q26) with a similar interpretation. Although Judaism has been divided on the meaning, this idea generally is supported by the Jewish Targums (first century BC) and was the dominant view in midrashic literature, where Azazel is depicted as a desert demon.

The understanding is that the sins of the community “were carried by the goat and returned to this demon for the purpose of removing them from the community and leaving them at their source in order that their power or effect in the community PHOTO: iSTOCK

E N D N OT E S 1 John E. Hartley, Leviticus, Word Biblical Commentary 4 (Waco, TX: Word Books, 1992), 238.

2 David P. Wright, The Disposal of the Impurity: Elimination Rites in the Bible and in Hittite and Mesopotamian Literature (Atlanta, GA: Scholars Press, 1987), 15–74.

3 Ida Zatelli, “The Origin of the Biblical Scapegoat Ritual: The Evidence of Two Eblaite Texts,” Vetus Testamentum 48:2 (April 1998), 254–263.

Randall Price is a university professor, author, and worldrenowned archaeologist. He is also the founder and president of World of the Bible Ministries (worldofthebible.com). His newest book, Jerusalem in Prophecy, is available through The Friends of Israel.

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R I G H T LY D I V I D I N G

Be diligent to present yourself approved to God…rightly dividing the word of truth (2 Tim. 2:15).

THE LORD’S SERVANT 2 TI M OTHY 2:14–19 Confronting false teaching is not easy, particularly for a young minister. But it is necessary, as the apostle Paul explained to his protégé Timothy when he left the young man in charge of the church in Ephesus to go to Macedonia.

Timothy was to correct problems caused by false teachers, whom Paul called “savage wolves.” They were spreading deceitful doctrines and destroying the faith of some (cf. Acts 20:28–31). Timothy was to stop these people from teaching fables, Jewish legends, and fictitious interpretations of Old Testament genealogies and Mosaic Law (1 Tim. 1:3–7).

Although young, Timothy was well qualified to lead the church, having been trained by Paul, his spiritual father. In 2 Timothy 2:14–19, Paul urged Timothy to be strong, endure persecution, and remain faithful to the things he had been taught and the ministry to which he was called.

DEAL WITH DECEPTION Paul told Timothy to remind the Ephesian church to maintain sound doctrine: “Remind them of these things, charging them before the Lord not to strive about words to no profit, to the ruin of the hearers” (v. 14).

The phrase these things refers to facts Paul mentioned in verses 11–13. That is, God will never deny salvation to those who die believing in Christ (Rom. 8:16–17). But people who once professed faith then denied Christ will be denied by Christ before God the Father (1 Jn. 2:19, 23).

It also refers to “striving [battling] about words.” Not only did Timothy need to deal with false doctrines, but he also had to deal with a battle over the meaning of words. The word for “strive” is used only here in the New Testament and conveys the idea of quibbling, disputing, quarreling, or fighting. Paul said such word battles have “no profit” (2 Tim. 2:14) or useful purpose. They edify no one. In fact, they result in “the ruin [subversion] of the hearers” (v. 14).

The Greek word for “subvert” [katastrophe] is the root 36

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of the English word catastrophe and conveys the idea of turning people upside down the way soil is overturned in a field being plowed. Verbal battles discourage and depress believers and can overturn someone’s faith. Utterly useless, they can irreversibly damage lives. Paul said we are to shun such senseless struggles for the sake of spiritual soundness.

BE DILIGENT Paul commanded Timothy, “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (v. 15). Timothy was to set an example for the church to follow. The word diligent (Greek, spouidazo) does not mean “study,” as translated in the King James Version. It means to be eager and zealous in showing oneself an approved workman for God. Three things are involved in becoming the Lord’s approved servants: 1. We must strive to please God, not people. Timothy would only obtain the boldness and power to rebuke false teachers if he pleased God and discerned and implemented God’s will.

2. We must study Scripture seriously, “rightly dividing the word of truth.” The word dividing (Greek, orthotomeo) means to “cut straight.” It was used of stonemasons; farmers plowing fields; and possibly tentmakers, who needed to cut material straight so the pieces fit together evenly.

Thus, we are to handle Scripture accurately, clearly, and unambiguously. Bible teachers must never manipulate God’s Word to fit their own theologies, as did the false teachers in Ephesus. All teachers of God’s Word need a thorough knowledge of Scripture and the ability to communicate the text accurately and coherently in the power of the Holy Spirit.

They must be workmen, or laborers, who need not be ashamed. The word worker does not refer to skill but, rather, to the strenuous toil demanded of a ministering servant.

Paul was thinking of the time when all believers will give an account to God at the judgment seat of Christ for their work on Earth (cf. 2 Cor. 5:10). If we are faithful laborers, we will not be put to shame. In another context, Paul made it clear stewards are required to be faithful (1 Cor. 4:2). Our consistent, diligent study of God’s Word is critical and mandatory if we are to be approved by God. Scripture tells us how to live and serve the Lord.

3. We must avoid ungodly chatter with false teachers: “But shun profane and idle babblings, for they will increase to more ungodliness” (2 Tim. 2:16). The word shun means to avoid dialogue or conversation with false teachers because their talk constitutes “profane babblings” [unholy talk] that leads to more ungodliness. Dialoguing with them gives them greater acceptance—which they do not deserve—and encourages them to spread their poison.

Timothy was to confront them and resist their empty talk that dishonors God. Heresies mutate the truth of Scripture and can devastate a believer’s faith and the local church (cf. 1 Tim. 6:20; Ti. 3:9).

Paul provided a chilling illustration: “And their message will spread like cancer. Hymenaeus and Philetus are of this sort, who have strayed concerning the truth, saying that the resurrection is already past; and they overthrow the faith of some” (2 Tim. 2:17–18). False teaching courses through a congregation like cancer or gangrene (Greek, gaggraina), a bacterium that enters a wound and, if not treated, spreads quickly and results in death. This is a fitting illustration of the deadliness of false teaching.

Hymenaeus and Philetus were false teachers in Ephesus whom Paul ejected from the church, turning them over to Satan to learn not to blaspheme (1 Tim. 1:20). They were spreading the erroneous teaching “that the resurrection is already past” (2 Tim. 2:18).

They probably were claiming there is no future, bodily resurrection. This notion came from Greek philosophy promoted by the Gnostics, who taught the body is evil and only the spirit is immortal. Gnostics claimed that, when a person was born again, it was a spiritual experience exclusively and the only resurrection a person would have.

This teaching made Christ’s resurrection symbolic and fictitious. The teaching was a major heresy because Jesus’ physical resurrection from the dead is the key proof of the Christian faith.

Jesus prophesied His resurrection and appeared to His disciples for 40 days in His resurrected body. Paul taught in detail on Christ’s resurrection and emphasized that our bodily resurrection is based on Christ’s resurrection (1 Cor. 15:12–23). The apostle made it extremely clear all believers will be raised bodily from the dead (vv. 42–44; 1 Th. 4:15–18).

Hymenaeus’s and Philetus’s teaching overthrew (literally, turned upside down) the faith of some (2 Tim. 2:18). If false teaching goes uncorrected, it undermines Christianity and eventually splits or wreaks havoc on the church.

TRUTH DECLARED However, the church’s foundation does not endure merely because false teachers are removed: “Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: ‘The Lord knows those who are His,’ and, ‘Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity’” (v. 19).

The word nevertheless projects a strong contrast, assuring Timothy spurious teaching will never destroy the true

WE ARE TO HANDLE SCRIPTURE ACCURATELY, CLEARLY, AND

UNAMBIGUOUSLY. BIBLE TEACHERS

MUST NEVER MANIPULATE GOD’S WORD TO FIT THEIR OWN THEOLOGIES, AS DID THE FALSE TEACHERS IN EPHESUS.

church of Christ. The “solid foundation of God stands.” No matter what false teaching or doctrinal error attacks Christ’s church, the church is inviolable.

The word stands indicates the church’s foundation stood in the past and will do so in the future. Christ alone is the church’s foundation; no other can be laid (1 Cor. 3:11). Jesus said, “I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it” (Mt. 16:18; cf. Eph. 2:19–22; 1 Tim. 3:15).

God has placed His “seal,” or sign of ownership, on His church (2 Tim. 2:19). That is, “The Lord knows those who are His” (v. 19). In eternity past, God foreknew the elect and guaranteed their salvation would be secure forever (cf. Jn. 10:27–28).

Furthermore, our personal purity is a sign of God’s ownership: “Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity” (2 Tim. 2:19). This is not a suggestion, but a command. We are ordered to depart from sin and strive for sanctified lives of purity. By so doing, our faith and commitment demonstrate the true church of Christ still stands strong. And it will stand forever.

Even in times of difficulty, God has not forgotten His servants. Let’s live in a way that glorifies Him.

by David M. Levy, media resource specialist and a Bible teacher for The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry

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FAITH FOR LIVING

Without faith it is impossible to please Him (Heb. 11:6).

STRENGTHENING YOUR FAITH Board game or boardroom, everyone hates being neutralized. Having our influence or effectiveness nullified by an adversary or circumstance brings disappointment.

Yet that is exactly how the Evil One works in the lives of believers. Neutralizing our faith is the name of his game. The book of Hebrews exhorts us, “Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God” (3:12). It adds, “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (11:6).

The book of James is all about a faith that overcomes trials.

How do we live by faith and avoid being neutralized? James suggests we do these three things:

1. MINISTER TO THE NEEDY

faith and provide what he or she needs, trusting God to help you in your need? Or will you merely say, “Depart in peace”?

If we are learning that God can meet our financial needs, He likely will send us a financial struggle to test our faith (1:3). And with that struggle, He probably also will send someone who needs money. When we help someone else, we demonstrate our trust in God to help us.

This pattern runs throughout the Old Testament. God delivered Israel from slavery in Egypt and led the Israelites to the edge of the Red Sea. He already had demonstrated His power by sending 10 plagues that devastated Egypt. But when the Israelites saw the water before them and the Egyptian army behind them, did they trust the Lord to protect them?

No. They complained and failed to demonstrate a living faith.

Yet, an active, living faith is what carries us through hardship, difficulty, pressure, rejection, and disappointment. It delivers us through life’s trials and enables us to see God’s gracious provisions. That is the type of faith God wants to see in us. A living faith may mean giving someone your last $10 because you believe when you need $10, God will provide it.

It is possible to be born again but not exercise a living faith. “Someone will say, ‘You have faith, and I have works.’

Show me faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works” (2:18). God wants us to trust Him and live accordingly. Ministering to others when we’re not sure how we will make it ourselves is living by faith, isn’t it? It shifts the focus off ourselves, makes us more like Jesus, and helps us continue to grow spiritually.

“What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him?” (Jas. 2:14). Our evangelical mindset automatically equates the word save with being removed from our spiritually dead, sinful conditions.

However, here it is better translated “deliver,” the generic meaning of the Greek verb sozo. Translating it “deliver” forces us to ask, “Deliver from what?” James was saying that faith without works cannot deliver (save) us from the trials of life.

If a brother or sister in Christ needs clothing and food and we merely say, “‘Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,’ but [we] do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit?” (v. 16). What use are we? If we can 2. MANIFEST A WORKING FAITH fill a need, yet all we do is talk and not help, our faith is dead. “You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the Faith without works is useless. It cannot carry us through the demons believe—and tremble!” (v. 19). Demons understand, trials the Lord sends to mature us. but they don’t live by what they know. When Jesus ministered Perhaps you’re hurting, disappointed, have financial set- on Earth, He met a man possessed by a demon who cried out backs, or are suffering illness and God brings someone into to the Lord, “Let us alone! What have we to do with You, Jesus your life who needs your help. Are you willing to step out in of Nazareth? Did You come to destroy us? I know who You 38

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are—the Holy One of God!” (Lk. 4:34).

Jesus cast the demon out of the man. The demon demonstrated intellect and mental recognition. He knew exactly who Jesus was, but he possessed no working faith. Demons reject what they know to be true. When we claim to have faith but demonstrate no works, we imitate the demons. We do not live by what we know to be true.

Moses’ mother, Jochebed, demonstrated a working faith when she placed her infant in a basket by the river. She had no idea what God would do but trusted Him to protect Moses. The Lord had Pharaoh’s daughter, of all Works do not make us righteous; they reveal our righteousness. people, protect the infant and even pay Jochebed to nurse him. This is the entire point of the book of James. James wrote, We have no way of knowing what God will do when we “Count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that respond in faith. Often, God’s Word tells us to do what seems the testing of your faith produces patience [endurance]. But the least logical. Yet, what an encouragement it is when He let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect steps in and works on our behalf. and complete, lacking nothing” (Jas. 1:2–4).

Our faith pleases Him: “The just shall live by faith; but if When we are born again, we are severely lacking—like anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him” (Heb. newborns brought home from the hospital. Newborns can’t 10:38). God wants to be pleased with us the way we want to do anything for themselves. They must grow and mature. be pleased with our children.

God helps His children grow by taking them through the school of faith.

3. MEDITATE ON GOD’S WORD When Abraham prepared to offer Isaac on the altar, he To live by faith, we must focus on the examples in Scripture. A proved his faith. About 40 years earlier, God took Abraham good one is Abraham: “Was not Abraham our father justified outside and told him, “Count the stars if you are able to by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar?” (Jas. number them. . . . So shall your descendants be” (Gen. 15:5).

2:21). Faith worked in conjunction with Abraham’s actions: “He [Abraham] believed in the LORD, and He accounted it to “‘Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for him for righteousness” (v. 6). At that moment, God declared righteousness.’ And he was called the friend of God. You see Abraham righteous. This was Abraham’s born-again experithen that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only” ence. This is justification—definition number one. (vv. 23–24).

Forty years later, when Abraham bound Isaac on the altar, Many people wrestle with the word justified here because he was justified by works. He was shown to be righteous. This the apostle Paul consistently taught we are justified by grace is justification—definition number two. through faith, “and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, Rahab, the Gentile harlot, is another example of faith demonnot of works, lest anyone should boast” (Eph. 2:8–9). Justifica- strated by works. She revealed her faith in the God of Israel tion by faith is a foundational doctrine of Scripture. when she told the Israelite spies, “I know that the LORD has However, the New Testament uses justification in two ways. given you the land” (Josh. 2:9). But she demonstrated her faith When we read saved, salvation, and justify, we automatically when she protected them. think soteriologically. We think about salvation and being born Whether we’re new or mature Christians, God will call on again. But the Greek word for “justify” has other meanings, and us to trust Him. We won’t escape trials until we die. The imhere it means “to show to be righteous.” The first definition portant thing is to live by faith in the midst of trials, trust God, involves making or declaring someone righteous; the second and let Him work in our lives. If we minister faithfully to the involves demonstrating someone is righteous. needy, deliberately manifest our faith daily, and meditate on For example, Jesus asked concerning John the Baptist, “What the biblical examples God has provided, we will avoid being did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the neutralized by the trials of life. wind? . . . A man clothed in soft garments? . . . A prophet? Yes, I say to you, and more than a prophet” (Lk. 7:24–26). Scripture

by Richard D. Emmons, says, “When all the people heard Him, even the tax collectors professor emeritus in the School of Divinity justified God” (v. 29). They did not make God righteous. Rather, at Cairn University in Langhorne, Pennsylvania, and senior pastor of GraceWay Bible Church they acknowledged God’s existing righteousness. in Hamilton Township, New Jersey Faith combined with works shows a believer’s righteousness.

An active, living faith is what carries us through hardship, difficulty, pressure, rejection, and disappointment.

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NEWS UPDATE

NEW ‘SECULAR DEMOCRATS’ GUNNING FOR CHRISTIANS A new group of “Democrats” has emerged in America that intends to wipe Christian values from the nation’s landscape. Secular Democrats of America (seculardems.org) has produced a 28-page manifesto for the Biden administration that calls Christians “anti-democratic and anti-scientific” and “a national security threat” to the United States. And it wants more consideration given to atheists and Muslims.

Jan Markell, founder and president of Olive Tree Ministries and host of the radio program “Understanding the Times,” commented, “The road ahead in America will be the greatest challenge ever for people of faith. The Godless Left is now in charge of our country: White House, House, and Senate. And these secularists are urging all leaders to stick it to people of faith. To take away every aspect of religious freedom. In their sights are churches, ministries, and individuals who refuse to see government as god.”

The Secular Democrats’ “key issues” involve education, civil rights, healthcare, “scientific integrity,” “protecting children and minors,” and “military and national character.” Here are a few excerpts from its blueprint for America: We urge you [President Biden] not to underestimate the institutional strength of what we refer to (interchangeably) in this document as the “Christian nationalist movement” or the “religious right.” This movement is extraordinarily well-funded and wellorganized. . . . Its political ideology is anti-democratic and antiscientific. It provides constant cover for white supremacy. And it advances a reactionary economic policy, tax policy, and dominionist view of the environment that undermines our capacity and will to address the climate crisis. Its agenda rests on a pinched interpretation of biblical principles preached by Christian nationalist leadership and thought leaders. With their political agenda sanctioned by a higher power, their base of support is disciplined, motivated, and deeply committed to a vision that does not align with our basic constitutional values and democratic principles.

We ask that you counter this movement’s narrative by actively working to dismantle its grip on our government and counter its inaccurate and revisionist messaging around our nation’s founding.

We recommend you: encourage the Department of Homeland Security and Department of Justice to dedicate resources to deradicalization programs aimed at hate groups, including, but not limited to, white nationalists; increase monitoring of such groups, including the online environment, and take action to address increased hate crimes toward minority faith communities; and shift 40

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President Joe Biden

rhetoric to label violent white nationalist extremists as terrorists.

According to Gallup, the most mistrusted religious minorities in the United States are atheists and Muslims. Acknowledging the rights and dignity of these communities would have a bottom-up effect.

Taxpayer dollars should not be funneled either to contractors or grantees that discriminate on the basis of religion, or to programs that promote a sectarian agenda, such as private religious schools, crisis pregnancy centers, and abstinence-only sex education.

Reverse all executive orders, rules, memoranda, and other actions that exempt faith-based organizations contracting with the federal government from nondiscrimination requirements that apply to secular organizations, including employment discrimination. This includes the following: . . . Dismantle the Department of Justice Religious Liberty Task Force; dismantle the HHS Conscience and Religious Freedom Division; repeal Executive Order 13798, Promoting Free Speech and Religious Liberty and reverse its implementation across various executive agencies; rescind and replace the Department of Justice Memorandum, Federal Law Protections for Religious Liberty.

This lengthy document can be read in its entirety at tinyurl.com/SDmanifesto-1.

For news about Israel updated daily, log on to foi.org/news.

PHOTO: ANNA MONEYMAKER - POOL VIA CNP/NEWSCOM

JEWISH WORLD UPDATE

FRONTIER AIRLINES ACCUSED OF ANTI-SEMITISM Frontier Airlines is disputing accusations of anti-Semitism following eyewitness reports and videos posted online that show its crew forcing a Hasidic Jewish family off a flight from Miami to New York City for not wearing masks, according to news reports. The videos show everyone masked except for a 16-month-old, who is not required to be masked by law or by Frontier’s own policy. After the family deplaned, the crew is seen applauding and exchanging high fives. One crew member declared, “A job well done to those Jews.”

Yossi Gestetner, cofounder of the Orthodox Jewish Public Affairs Council, called Frontier’s version of the incident “a demonstrable lie,” algemeiner.com reported.

ZOA BERATES RANDOM HOUSE FOR OBAMA BOOK ‘FALSEHOODS’ The Zionist Organization of America has written an 11-page letter to Random House, publisher of Barack Obama’s book A Promised Land, rebuking it for failing to check facts and thereby spreading a false narrative about Israel.

“To paraphrase [the late] Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan, President Obama is entitled to his own opinions about Israel, which he expresses in Chapter 25 of his book. But he is not entitled to his own facts,” it reads. The letter repudiates 15 falsehoods and can be read in its entirety at tinyurl.com/ZOA-BObook.

MASSIVE 1,200-TON OIL SPILL ‘ENVIRONMENTAL TERRORISM’ The colossal oil spill in February that shuttered Israel’s beaches and killed marine life was “environmental terrorism,” declared Israel’s Minister of Environmental Protection Gila Gamliel, who blamed Iran and “a pirate Libyan-owned

ship,” the Emerald. “We’re talking about environmental criminals . . . terrorists,” she said, reported worldisraelnews.com.

The 1,200 tons of sticky tar contaminated 100 miles of Israel’s Mediterranean shoreline in what is considered one of the country’s worst environmental disasters.

ICC INVESTIGATION OF ISRAEL PROVOKES OUTRAGE Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Jewish leaders are outraged at the International Criminal Court’s (ICC’s) decision to investigate Israel for war crimes against “Palestine.” There is no country of Palestine, and the court has no jurisdiction over Israel. “Without any jurisdiction,” Netanyahu said, “it decided that our brave soldiers, who take every precaution to avoid civilian casualties against the worst terrorists in the world who deliberately target civilians, it’s our soldiers who are war criminals,” he said sarcastically. Even the United States State Department weighed in: “The ICC has no jurisdiction over this matter. Israel is not a party to the ICC . . . and we have serious concerns about the ICC’s attempts to exercise its jurisdiction over Israeli personnel,” it said in a statement. The leaders of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations expressed outrage at the Palestinians’ attempt to “weaponize” the court.

LANDMARK DECISION FOR JEWISH CONVERTS Israel’s Supreme Court has ruled that people who convert to Judaism in Israel under the Reform and Conservative movements may become Israeli citizens under the Law of Return. Previously, all conversions in Israel had to be performed under the auspices of the Orthodox; and “only people with Jewish heritage or married to someone

with Jewish heritage” could become citizens, reported worldisraelnews.com.

Unhappy about the decision, Sephardi Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef said, “The Reform and Conservative [movements] term ‘conversion’ is nothing but a falsification of Judaism and will mean including thousands of Gentiles among the people of Israel.” Reform movement converts “and the like are not Jewish,” added Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi David Lau. “No Supreme Court decision will change that fact.”

AMERICAN AIRLINES TO FLY DIRECT NEW YORK–TEL AVIV American Airlines will launch a new direct flight between JFK International Airport in New York City and Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv beginning May 6. According to The Jerusalem Post, customers will be able to preorder kosher meals and kosher wine on every flight.

“The flights are part of a new strategic partnership between American Airlines and JetBlue, creating the biggest flight network in the northeastern US,” The Post reported.

ROYAL CARIBBEAN, ISRAEL TEAM UP FOR COVID-FREE MEDITERRANEAN CRUISE Royal Caribbean International will offer cruises leaving the port of Haifa, Israel, on its new, state-of-the-art ship, Odyssey of the Seas, to Israelis who prove they’ve been vaccinated against COVID19, reported worldisraelnews.com. “In conjunction with Israel’s health and tourism authorities, Royal Caribbean will be the first to offer fully vaccinated sailings,” the news service said, where all crew and guests 16 and older will be inoculated. The ship will cruise to cities in the Mediterranean, including the Greek Isles and Cyprus.

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APPLES OF GOLD

A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver (Prov. 25:11).

Zvi (right) witnessing

PHOTO: THE FRIENDS OF ISRAEL ARCHIVE

And all those who believe in God have an obligation to warn others.

by Zvi Kalisher

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s we say here in Israel, “Le roi est mort, vive le roi,” which is French for “The king is dead, long live the king!”

Apparently, a new “king” is coming—a rabbi.

I have never seen him or heard about him. Posters cover the buildings along the streets, declaring this rabbi will speak to us. His appearance is supposedly a great privilege for us. But who is he?

His people walk around handing out invitations about the rabbi they call the “holy one.” One day four of his men gave me an invitation.

“Whom have you believed?” I asked them. “This man, or almighty God?” “Why do you ask such a question?” one replied.

“Because people who believe in God do not go to others and tell them a man is really the Messiah and that we must come and listen to what he has to say and worship him,” I said.

“Are you against him? What has he done to you?” another asked.

“I am against those who call themselves holy and try to convince people

to worship them,” I said. “I believe in the living God, and it is my obligation to go before blind people like you to warn them against this evil way. It is clearly written in Ezekiel 33:7, ‘Son of man: I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel.’ And all those who believe in God have an obligation to warn others. So, you see, it is my obligation not to bring misleading teaching, as you are doing now.”

“Who is your rabbi?” one asked.

“I have never believed in man as god, as you do,” I said. “I can trust in man as a friend, but not as you are doing. It is clearly written in Deuteronomy 6:14 and 16, ‘You shall not go after other gods,’

IN THE NEXT ISSUE OF ISRAEL MY GLORY

You belong to a new sect that believes in many gods. My God is the one you pray to every day with your lips, but you are far from Him in your hearts.

and ‘You shall not tempt the LORD your God.’ So now, look in the mirror and see in whom you have truly believed so you will not try to convince people to worship false gods.”

I showed them the Bible and asked, “What is more important? The Bible or all those fictitious stories you tell people? You must leave this way of life, go the right way, worship the living God, and obey His commands, as it is written in Leviticus 26.”

I told them, “You belong to a new sect that believes in many gods. My God is the one you pray to every day with your lips, but you are far from Him in your hearts. Read the Bible, and pray from your heart. Then the Lord will give you the wisdom to know and obey Him. Then you will never succumb to such superstitions.”

After nearly two hours of showing them the truth, the time had come to broach the main subject. “What do you think? Will the Messiah return?” I asked them.

“How will He return when He was never here?” one replied.

This gave me the chance to show them He was here and to tell them what He has done for us all and that He will one day return. “Are you dreaming?” one asked.

“Where did you get this idea?”

“From the Bible!” I answered. For the first time, they became serious and wanted to know where this information was written. Thank the Lord He opened their hearts, and they wanted to know about Him. I was so happy. I showed them my Bible and asked them to confirm that I was using the true Bible. Then I opened it to Isaiah 53, and they started to read.

Suddenly, they declared, “You believe in This Man, Jesus!”

“Our duty is to believe what is written in the Bible,” I told them, “not in all those crazy posters.” They wanted to know how I came to faith in Jesus. I had been waiting for this question for hours. With joy, I told them my story.

Zvi Kalisher (1928–2014) was a

Holocaust survivor who was known for his unswerving faithfulness to the Lord and his bold witness in Jerusalem. He was with The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry for more than 55 years.

WHEN WE HURT

A DEVOTIONAL LOOK AT THE BOOK OF JOB

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THE FRIENDS OF ISRAEL GOSPEL MINISTRY, INC. P.O. BOX 908 BELLMAWR, NJ 08099

2021 National Prophecy Conferences Our hope is to hold our in-person National Prophecy Conferences this year.

Due to current coronavirus restrictions, our plans are tentative, but we will make a definitive decision by May 20, 2021.

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Jerusalem in Prophecy Why is the fate of Jerusalem so important to your faith?

World powers have wrestled for control of the city for 3,000 years, but God has the final say on its destiny. We would be wise to know what His Word teaches us about the history of Jerusalem and the prophecies that will guide its future.

Join us for Jerusalem in Prophecy, our 2021 National Prophecy Conference. Become an expert in understanding biblical prophecy and truths about the Holy City in this exciting and uplifting event!

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