Blessing Israeli Believers November 2020

A Note From Blessing Israeli Believers Co-Founder Dov Schwarz

Our partnership in Messiah Yeshua (Jesus) here in Israel with you in the Nations has so many facets and out-workings. We love, share, and pray which is lived out in different ways through our ministry partners here on the ground. All of it would be empty if our Savior and His Gospel were not at the center of our activities - and Hallelujah - He is!
It is my joy and pleasure to share a few powerful passages of Scripture and a personal testimony of four different Israelis with whom in the last few weeks I was able to share our Jewish Messiah.

"Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life.
No one comes to the Father except through Me." John 14:6

"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." Romans 1:16

"Therefore, since we have such hope, we use great boldness of speech- unlike Moses, who put a veil over his face so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the end of what was passing away. But their minds were blinded. For until this day the same veil remains un-lifted in the reading of the Old Testament, because the veil is taken away in Christ. But even to this day, when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart. Nevertheless when one turns to the Lord,
the veil is taken away. 2 Corinthians 3:12-16

First, we are reminded by these passages that the only hope for our Jewish people in this life and the next is that they be forgiven for their sins and saved through our Messiah Yeshua. Next, we see though the world and even some in church try to shame us from sharing the Gospel with Israelis-we must not be ashamed of the Gospel as it is Abba Father's power for salvation to the Jew first and then for the Nations. And then, we need to use wisdom because a uniquely hindering veil truly is over the eyes of Israel that can only be removed by our Adonai Yeshua (Lord Jesus) Himself!

My New Hair Stylist
Due to the Covid lockdown I had to find someone in our little village in the mountains to cut my hair. This sweet Israeli man, who speaks English very well, was a delight to spend time with-and he gave me a really good haircut! Yet, the best part of our discussion was about our very different faith perspectives. Very quickly, we agreed not to get upset with one another as we explained to each other what we believe about God.

I challenged him that his faith is not very Jewish as it takes on the same most important concepts of the Gentile religions. He has not yet understood that simply trying to be a good person, and doing good things for God, and confessing his wrongdoing was not enough to spend eternity with the LORD. I then explained through the Passover testimony that he needed the blood of the Lamb to be applied to the doorpost of his heart to satisfy the wrath of Elohim (God) for his sins. And, that Messiah Yeshua is the Passover Lamb. Well, since the veil is over his eyes he did not get it-YET. Lord willing, he is what we call a pre-believing Israeli.

One of My Hebrew Language Instructors
I have shared the gospel with this precious Israeli man a few times. In addition to modern/conversational Hebrew, he has also taught me some Biblical Hebrew as He agreed to teach me John's third chapter line upon line in Hebrew! Yet, our most recent faith discussion involved the Resurrection of Messiah Jesus. He did not yet realize or understand that the New Covenant Bible teaches that Messiah Yeshua rose from the grave on the third day. It was another opportunity to water seeds previously planted-Hallelujah!

Two Very Different Self Defense Instructors With The Same Age Old Problem-Their Need For The Savior!
Truly, more than I need self defense training, which I used to take many years ago, the Lord has given me a special opportunity! When you live amongst the two most resistant to the Gospel people groups in the world-you have to be creative regarding potentially fruitful interaction opportunities with Jewish people and Muslims.

So, I have two Israeli self-defense instructors who live in different cities. One is a religious Jewish man and the other a moderately religious Muslim. Both have become my dear friends, which makes me want to see them saved even more! One does not like me to speak about Messiah Jesus, which I do anyway, sparingly with fervently prayed for wisdom, and with the other-we frequently have very open and deep discussions about our faith. It is a perfect scenario when compared to the Romans 1:16 principle of the Gospel to the Jew first and then to the Greek-in this context meaning the Gentile.

Having heard these things, let's go full circle back to the beginning of this letter. Along with our Israeli believing partners -- you are co-laborers with me/us to be this kind of witness here in Israel during this critical generation! Your prayers and financial support help us TREMENDOUSLY to take these opportunities as the Lord raises them up for us-and He does on a regular basis! And, there is nothing like watching precious Israelis get on their knees and pray to receive Yeshua as their personal Savior and Messiah-which I have witnessed here in this Promised Land!

So then, please join me in prayer for these four you have heard about in this letter-along with the many others who are hearing, seeing, and experiencing the gospel through our Israeli believing partners. And, thank you once again for hearing from and obeying the Holy Spirit with financial support-which is even more critical during this difficult time in Israel.

In all these things, may Messiah Yeshua's Name be praised! Dov Schwarz