TheChosenPeople

TheChosenPeopleVolume XII, Issue 5 May 2006

Israel Independence Day • Jerusalem Messianic Center Update •Jerusalem Report • David: The Shepherd Boy Slayer of Goliath

INSIDETHIS

ISSUE:

Praying for Israel’s

Dependenceon Messiah

Praying for Israel’s

Dependenceon Messiah

2 The Chosen People

Israel Independence Day –Praying for Israel’s Dependence on MessiahShalom! I hope you had a happy

Israel Independence Day!On May 14, 1948 (the 5th of Iyyar

in the Hebrew calendar), Israel wasofficially recognized as a sovereignstate by the United Nations! Eachyear, Yom HaAtzma’ut (IndependenceDay) is celebrated in Jerusalem, acrossIsrael and around the world with a joythat a visitor to Israel rarely witnesseson any other day of the year.Thousands of people turn out to theOld City in Jerusalem—much likeTimes Square on New Year’s Eve.

Though I understand that thereare a variety of views amongbelievers as to whether or not theevents of 1948 were a fulfillment ofprophecy, I am personally persuadedthat the birth of the modern state ofIsrael was nothing short of a miracle.

As the prophet Amos wrote, “‘Iwill bring back the captives of My peopleIsrael; they shall build the waste citiesand inhabit them; they shall plantvineyards and drink wine from them;they shall also make gardens and eat fruitfrom them. I will plant them in theirland, and no longer shall they be pulledup from the land I have given them,’ saysthe LORD your God” (Amos 9:14-15).

The restoration of Israel is amiracle for which I will continue topraise God for the rest of my days.However, the independence of Israelwill only be fully realized when thepeople of Israel recognize theircomplete dependence on Jesus theMessiah.This is our hope, and whatyour Mission to the Jewish peoplelongs to see more than anything.

Just as some of the propheciesrelated to Israel’s future in the Land

have been fulfilled, we expect thatthose prophecies regarding Israel’sreturn to faith will be fulfilled. “‘Foron My holy mountain, on the mountainheight of Israel,’ says the Lord GOD,‘there all the house of Israel, all of themin the land, shall serve Me; there I will

accept them, and there I will require yourofferings and the first-fruits of your sacri-fices, together with all your holy things.I will accept you as a sweet aroma when Ibring you out from the peoples and gatheryou out of the countries where you havebeen scattered...’” (Ezekiel 20:40-41).

We know the day will come whenGod will reveal Messiah Jesus to theJewish people.Along with theApostle Paul, we long for the daywhen all Israel will be saved: “For Ido not desire, brethren, that you should beignorant of this mystery, lest you shouldbe wise in your own opinion, thatblindness in part has happened to Israel

until the fullness of the Gentiles has comein.And so all Israel will be saved, as it iswritten: ‘The Deliverer will come out ofZion, and He will turn away ungodlinessfrom Jacob’” (Romans 11:25-26).

The Jerusalem Messianic Center

I believe our Messianic Center inJerusalem is one part of God’s plan tofulfill His promise to Israel.We havesensed His presence in the purchaseof the Center from the verybeginning.We received more than12,000 gifts for the Center, whichtells me that thousands of believersare committed to bringing theGospel to Israelis and are praying forus! The Lord cleared the legal pathsfor the purchase of the building, Heprovided the funding needed toacquire it without debt, and He isnow enabling the Center to be usedin many ways to His glory.

We are in the initial stages ofstarting a Messianic congregation inJerusalem.Although the Center is notdesigned to host public worshipservices, the group of believers whoare planting the congregationregularly meet in the Center forprayer and Bible study. Please praythat their congregation will be a lightto the community.

I am thrilled about the Biblestudies, video clubs and personalevangelism that our staff membersconduct at the Center on a daily basis.I am most excited, however, about thetraining we are finally able to carryout in this facility. For years, there hasbeen a serious shortage of trainedleadership in the Land—and I believe

BEFORE

AFTEROur new center is now furnished andbeing used for outreach every day

that this Gospel movementcannot grow to maturitywithout the God-inspiredleadership to guide it. I havebeen praying that God wouldmeet this need by providing away for lay leaders to receivetraining in everything fromBiblical studies and theologyto evangelism methods andcounseling.The opportunity isimmense and we cannot wait to seewhat God does through this!

The staff in Israel is also gratefulfor the valuable office space theCenter provides. It sounds mundane,perhaps, to think of the work thatmust be done in offices, but theevangelistic Russian magazineproduced in those offices is notmundane at all. My Jerusalemmagazine circulates among thousandsof Russian Jews every quarter and itsgorgeous artwork and designcomplement the articles aboutMessianic prophecy, Jewish historyand the testimonies of lives changedby Messiah Jesus that are containedwithin its pages.

I am also excited about thenumber of ministries that haveapproached us and asked to use thespace for their outreach events.Weare committed to working alongsideour fellow believers in order to createa unified witness to thetransformative power of the Gospel.Therefore, we do our best to allowother Gospel ministries to use thisbuilding for Bible studies and othergatherings as much as we can,

May 2006 3

trips and creating a list of youngpeople who want to participate.Andwe will soon have trips for more“mature” adults as well.As you willread on the next page, we recentlyhosted a ministry tour to Israel foradults. If you would be interested intaking a short-term mission trip toIsrael, please indicate it on theenclosed card.This will not be asightseeing tour only, but anopportunity to serve the Messiah inthe land of His birth as well.

I hope you are as excited as I amabout the future of Israel during thismonth in which we celebrated IsraelIndependence Day (it fell on May 3this year). I trust that you will joinme in praying for Israel to becomespiritually dependent upon the Godwho chose us to be His special andtreasured people (Exodus 19:5-6) andwho gave His Son to be our Messiah.May the words of the prophet Isaiah,“...Return to Me, for I have redeemed you”(Isaiah 44:22)continue to befulfilled in our day.

In Him,

Mitch

Dr. Mitch GlaserPresident

although the demand is already sogreat that we cannot accommodatethem all!

What a blessing it is to be able toshare the Center with our fellowbelievers in Israel!

I asked one of our Israeli staffmembers to tell us more about whatthe Lord has been doing through theCenter, and you can read about thiswhen you turn the page!

Summer in IsraelI am also pleased to report that our

summer Israel mission trips are nearlyfull! Three teams of twelve youngpeople each will spend two weeks ata time ministering across Israel.This isa valuable investment in the lives ofthese young people from NorthAmerica, but also in the lives of Israelibelievers.As you may know, thesefollowers of Messiah are oftenpersecuted for their faith. It is such anencouragement to the young Israelibelievers to have a team of peoplefrom abroad—on fire for the Lord—visit them and work alongside themin their ministries.

What’s more, we are alreadyreceiving inquiries about our 2007

4 The Chosen People

AdultMinistry

TourImpactsIsrael

Last month, I had the blessing ofleading a group of thirteen peoplefrom my home church on a trip toIsrael. In addition to the Biblicalsites we visited, we also ministeredin different ways while we werethere.We visited Dugit (“little boat”),a coffee house ministry in Tel Aviv.That same morning, we did streetevangelism in and around an open-air market with Neriyah A. andHenry M. One member of ourgroup led an Israeli in a prayer toreceive the Lord during thisoutreach.That encouraged us all! Wealso visited a crisis pregnancy center,where we received insight into thestaggering number of abortions thatare performed in Israel—a socialproblem we seem to hear littleabout.We worked several hours at“Joseph’s Storehouse,” a food bankthat also distributes clothing andother necessary goods to the poor inthe Land.The staff at Joseph’sStorehouse expressed their gratitudeas we cleaned up a bit and helpedthem organize their inventory.Wealso spent some time with Michael Z.at the Messianic Center in Jerusalem,where he graciously gave our groupan orientation to our growing workthere. All in all, it was a worthwhileand fruitful time.

— Rich FreemanVice President of Church Ministries

For those of us whohave never been toIsrael, it’s difficult to

imagine what atypical day at the

JerusalemMessianic Center

looks like, andwhat effect it has

already had on theIsraeli believers. To

help us imaginemore clearly whatour brothers and

sisters in Israel aredoing in ministry,

we recently satdown with Eugene

(pictured above),one of our newest

staff workers inJerusalem, to talk

about what is goingon at the new

ministry center inthe heart of

Jerusalem. Eugeneis a native of Russiawho immigrated toIsrael shortly after

his time as aforeign exchange

student in Montana,where he first came

to know the Lord.

Report fromJerusalem

How has the Messianic Center enabled your ministryto grow?When I first started working with Chosen People

Ministries, we couldn’t organize the leadership trainingseminars that we felt were necessary.We felt that, inorder to make the seminars effective, we needed a placewhere people could feel at home.We wanted to be ableto offer a place for those who had traveled a long way tostay the night, as well as enough room to allow theleaders to fellowship together before and afterwards.Weare now doing this at the Jerusalem Messianic Center.

One of the most important things about the Center isthat we now have a place to bring unbelievers in a home-like setting where they feel safe and comfortable talkingabout their lives, giving us the opportunity to share theGospel with them in the most natural and unimposingway. The Center is ideal for this sort of relationalevangelism because it feels like a home!

Tell me about these training seminars.We are hosting one- or two-day seminars for

Messianic leaders in the Center. Eventually, theseseminars will happen about once a month.We’ve alreadyhad training for youth ministers and worship leaders.These classes are needed because most people who workin congregations have never had any training and justfigure out what to do as they go.We usually have 10 to15 people attending each seminar.

How has the Messianic Center affected the communityof believers in Israel?It has been exciting to see the diverse community of

believers in Jerusalem come together because of thisbuilding. It has helped people to understand theimportance of uniting in a combined effort of being alight to those who need the Lord.The Center is able toprovide a place to meet with enough space and aconvenient location.

DeadD

Hamas: Israel’s Unapologetic EnemyFrom 1968 until 1994, the Palestinians residing in the Land of Israel were largelygoverned by one man,Yasser Arafat.Arafat rose to power as the head of a political party,Fatah, which was founded on the premise that the Palestinians should engage in self-liberation, by force if necessary. During that time,Arafat and Fatah encouragedhundreds of terrorist attacks, many of them through affiliate groups that were officiallyseparate from Fatah, though in name only.

After Arafat’s death in 2004, Fatah lost its revered leader and has struggled to recover. Last January, the world — including many Palestinians—was shocked when the opposing Hamas party won the majority of seats in the Palestinian elections. Political leaders andIsraelis were unsettled by the victory of the more militantgroup, as it signifies a disturbing shift away from peace inthe region.Though much remains to be seen about howHamas will approach its new role, its historic opposition to negotiations and treaties makes it doubtful that this will be a time of renewed peace for Israel.

A Covenant of HatredA brief look at the 36 articles of its Covenant, which

was published on August 18, 1988, leaves no doubt as tothe goals of Hamas.The Covenant’s preamble lays out itsagenda toward Israel in stark terms:“…Islam willobliterate it, just as it obliterated others before it.”

Therefore, according to Article 13,“Initiatives, and so-called peaceful solutions and international conferences,are in contradiction to the principles of the IslamicResistance Movement…Initiatives, proposals and international conferences are but a waste of time, an exercise in futility.”

Hamas has produced 113 suicide bombers since 1993. In the time since theintensification of Israeli-Palestinian hostilities that began in September 2000,227 Israeli civilians have been killed and 1,393 wounded in suicidebombings carried out by Hamas.

Hamas’ recent electoral victory has completely changed the politicallandscape in Israel. People of good will may wrestle with the question ofwhat is fair and just for both Jews and Palestinians in this terribly complexand painful situation. But for members of Hamas, even one square inch of Jewish homeland in the Mideast is an unacceptable insult.

But there is more.According to Hamas, the Jewish people craveworld domination.As Article 32 of the Hamas Covenant explains,“The Zionist plan is limitless.After Palestine, the Zionists aspire to expand from the Nile to the Euphrates.When they will have digested the region theyovertook, they will aspire to further expansion, and so on.Their plan is embodied in the Protocols of the Elders of Zion…” However, the Protocols of theElders of Zion was forged in 1905 by a Russian anti-Semite.Though thisdocument was proved to be a total hoax and forgery decades ago, it continues to shape the opinions of people worldwide, including the policies of Hamas.

What can Israel do in the face of such implacable hatred? There is no easyanswer. But one thing it must do while there is time is to turn to faith inMessiah, in whom all promises—to Jew and Arab alike—are fulfilled.

FATAH (CONQUEST) HAMAS (ZEAL)

ESTABLISHEDDisputed date; some timebetween 1952 and 1968 1988

IDEOLOGY Secular and nationalist Militantly Islamist

SUPPORTERSSupported by moderate GulfStates, primarily Saudi Arabia

Supported by militantIslamist states such as Iran

MAIN

FUNCTIONSPolitical and military activities

Military activities anddistributing welfare; itspolitical life is a recentdevelopment

NOTABLE

QUOTES

“…the Palestinian Arab People’sarmed revolution is a decisivefactor in...uprooting the Zionistexistence, and this struggle willnot cease unless the Zionist stateis demolished and Palestine iscompletely liberated.”

– Articles 7 and 19, FatahConstitution [“Zionist” is a typical

Arab euphemism for Israel]

“There is no solution forthe Palestinian questionexcept through Jihad.Initiatives, proposals andinternational conferencesare all a waste of timeand vain endeavors.”

– Hamas charter, Article 13

Sources consulted:

Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs –www.mfa.gov.il

Jewish Virtual Library –www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org

May 2006 5

Through Jewish Eyes

The above Scriptural principle isgrounded in Israel’s history almostfrom the start, and there is no betterexample of it than the youthfulDavid’s impressive triumph overGoliath of Gath. Imagine it—ashepherd boy with no militaryexperience in combat with aseasoned Philistine army giant, ninefeet, six inches tall!

GOLIATH OF GATH ANDTHE PHILISTINE THREAT

The history recounted in I andII Samuel unfolds against thebackdrop of a continual Philistinemenace to Israel. Samuel, Saul andfinally David battled the Philistines,yet they were not subdued untilDavid’s day. David’s reputation formilitary prowess, so crucial to hissuccess, revolved around his

victories over the Philistines and theAmorites—beginning with thegiant Goliath.

No doubt Goliath was adescendant of the gigantic “sons toAnak,” who, according to Joshua11:22, were still residing in thePhilistine cities of Gaza, Gath andAshdod. Scripture’s description ofGoliath resembles that of a walkingtank.The giant’s defensiveequipment was made of bronze, buthis weapons of attack were made ofiron (I Samuel 13:19-22), whichgave the Philistines a decidedmilitary advantage over Israel.

Goliath’s coat of armor weighedapproximately 125 pounds, and thehead of his spear about 17 pounds.Is it any wonder that his pride wasoffended when the young shepherdchallenged him? Not only did

Goliath curse David, but he cursedthe God of Israel (I Samuel 17:43).

DAVID VS. GOLIATHGoliath’s mighty presence was

certainly depressing to the Israelites.In order to buck up their morale,King Saul offered one of hisdaughters, a great deal of wealth andtax advantages to any challenger.But when David volunteered hisservices, his greatest considerationwas to punish Goliath for hisdefiance of the God of Israel(I Samuel 17:45).And although hewas ridiculed by his brothers(I Samuel 17: 28) and demeaned bySaul (I Samuel 17:33), David calmlytook his sling and the five smoothstones he had gathered and facedhis foe.

In response to Goliath’s taunts,David declared, “You come to me witha sword, with a spear, and with ajavelin. But I come to you in the nameof the LORD of hosts, the God of thearmies of Israel, whom you have defied”(I Samuel 17:45).

The rest of the story is wellknown. David, the humble youthfulshepherd, used his sling to slayGoliath and displayed his severedhead for all to view.

DAVID’S FORMULA FOR BRAVERY

The writer of Hebrews listsDavid along with Gideon, Samueland the prophets as men of faith(Hebrews 11:32). But the secret ofDavid’s faith, if there is one, is thathe viewed the giant not throughthe eyes of the Israelites who fearedhim, but through the Lord’s eyes.Goliath may have been a giantamong men, but not compared tothe man who stands with God.David’s God was big enough todwarf even the largest giant. Howbig is your God? �

DAVID – The Shepherd BoySlayer of Goliath“But God has chosen…the weak thingsof the world to put to shame the thingsthat are mighty...that no flesh shouldglory in His presence”(I Corinthians 1:27-29).

b y D a n i e l G o l d b e r g , T h . D . , D . D .

See theBible

6 The Chosen People

GRACIOUS GIFT OPENSDOOR FOR THE GOSPELBoris Goldin met Reuven,* aJewish man who had lost theuse of his legs two years agoafter a car accident. Hedesperately needed some sortof transportation. Boris andhis wife, Shulamit (Irina),knew how to help. Shulamit’smother, who recently passedaway, left behind a“Scooter” motorized chair.

They decided to give it to Reuven as a gift. WhenBoris delivered it, Reuven and his wife were thankfulbeyond words. Through the conversation that followed,Boris was able to speak of the Messiah. Boris writes, “Itwas a very emotional moment. Later, we brought them acopy of the New Testament, and now they are bothreading it. Please pray for the salvation of this couple.”

MUSLIM MAN RECEIVES MESSIAHAfter a Bible study in New York City, Noel R.had the opportunity to speak with Jalal,* who is fromIndonesia, a country that contains over ten millionMuslims. Jalal, who had read both the Koran and theNew Testament, said he was struggling to decide whichbook contained the truth. Noel soon realized that Jalaltruly wanted to believe in Jesus but was unsure if Godwould accept him because of some lingering questionsabout Islam. Noel assured Jalal that God would accepthim if he truly believed Jesus died for his sins, regardlessof the fact that he still had many questions. Noel thenprayed with Jalal as he received the Lord. We believepeace will come one heart at a time through Jesus, thePrince of Peace.

ISRAELI FAMILY FINDS MESSIAHA small team of Israeli staff and other believers went to aPurim party—held in a big concert hall in Jerusalem andattended by thousands of young people—to distributeliterature and start conversations. Maxim, one of ourworkers, talked for a while with an entire family beforebeing escorted out of the concert hall by the police forwitnessing. Fortunately, he had already given the familyhis contact information before the police arrived. The nextmorning, the family called Maxim and asked to meet withhim at a local coffee shop. They talked with Maxim formany hours, and he showed them Messiah Jesus in theHebrew scriptures. Before the day was over, the entirefamily came to faith in Jesus!

BR I E FSBR I E FSN E W S N E W S N E W S

May 2006 7

DA VINCI CODE DEBATE IN NEW YORK CITYThe much publicized release of the film versionof The Da Vinci Code provided Chosen PeopleMinistries with the opportunity to examine itsclaims in a three-way dialogue held at the HiltonHotel in Manhattan. The panel includedevangelical scholar Dr. Darrell Bock, RabbiShmuley Boteach and Messianic Jewish authorDr. Michael Brown. The event drew non-believersfrom across the city. Drs. Bockand Brown shared the truthabout Jesus, Mary, and theNew Testament records. RabbiBoteach presented afascinating Orthodox Jewishperspective on the issues aswell. Please pray that thosewho attended will come to thefollow-up Bible studies.

DELEGATION FROM SYNAGOGUE HEARSGOSPEL PROCLAIMED IN CHURCH

Igor Swiderski, ChosenPeople Ministries staff workerand student at Moody BibleInstitute in Chicago, wasinvited to speak at a localchurch about the importanceof Jewish Evangelism. Thechurch advertised this eventin the local newspaper and adelegation of about a half dozen Jewish peopleshowed up, headed by their rabbi and arepresentative of the Jewish Federation. Aftermaking the Scripture’s case that Jesus is theMessiah, Igor continued by challenging the churchwith the Biblical principle of Romans1:16—that theGospel is still “to the Jew first and also to theGreek.” The Jewish people in attendance listenedpolitely and attentively. After the service, the rabbitook the pastor aside and told him that the mostdisturbing part of the message was the idea thatone could believe in Jesus and still be Jewish. Igorsays, “The seed has been planted in those Jewishpeople’s hearts, and I hope and pray that it willgrow and bring some fruit.” Please pray that thiswill be so.

*Names changed

The Chosen People newsletter is published monthly by Chosen People Ministries. For more information, or to receive The Chosen People newsletter, write to: ChosenPeople Ministries, International Headquarters, 241 East 51st Street, New York, NY 10022. In Canada, write to: Box 897 Station B, North York, ON, M2K 2R1. In Great Britain, write to: P.O. Box 47871, Golders Green, London, NW11 1AL (www.chosenpeople.org.uk). In Australia, write to: Celebrate Messiah Australia, PO Box 304, Caulfield, South Vic 3162, Australia (www.celebratemessiah.com.au). Editor: Zhava Glaser; Staff Writer: Alan Shore; Design: Lois Gable.

Please rememberChosen People

Ministries in yourwill. “I will blessthose who bless

you.” (Genesis 12:3)

Printed in the USAN0605Visit us on the web at www.chosenpeople.com Our Spanish website is www.puebloelegido.com. ©2006 Chosen People Ministries.

The Chosen People NewsletterChosen People Ministries has been taking the love of the Messiah to Jewish people worldwide since 1894.Chosen People Ministries U.S. Board of Directors: Mr. Gary W. Smith, Chairman • Mr. Roy Adams • Dr. Darrell Bock • Mr. Jeffrey Branman

• Ms Cindy Forbes • Dr. Mitch Glaser • Dr. Gregory Hagg • Mr. John Holbrook, Jr. • Mr. Eugene Johnson • Mr. Tom McHugh • Dr. John L. Pretlove • Dunewood Truglia, Esq. • Mr. David C. Weland

Serving in: Argentina • Australia • Canada • Great Britain • France • Germany • Israel • Mexico • Moldova • Russia • Ukraine • United States

For more information, call

1-888-2-YESHUAvisit www.chosenpeople.com or email opportunities@chosenpeople.com

Present the Gospel,see Jewish New York,enjoy a few cornedbeef sandwiches—thisshort-term evangelismprogram is the perfectmissions trip if youonly have a week tospare!

Present the Gospel,see Jewish New York,enjoy a few cornedbeef sandwiches—thisshort-term evangelismprogram is the perfectmissions trip if youonly have a week tospare!

July 9 -16, 2006 • New York City

STEPSTEPThe God of Peace Reigns in Jerusalem

Recorded live in Jerusalemby Paul Wilbur, thiscollection of Messianicmusic will transport yourheart and mind to theHoly Land. JerusalemArise! is a dramatic andfresh worship experiencethat will move your heart.

The HistoricalConflict ContinuesDr. Michael Rydelnik,professor of Jewish Studiesat Moody Bible Institute,goes beyond media imagesfor an in-depth look at theconflict between Israel andthe Palestinians. This bookplaces the “crisis thatnever ends” in itsscriptural, historical, andprophetic contexts, andchallenges the reader tothink biblically as westand with Israel in “prayingfor the peace of Jerusalem.”Understanding the Arab-Israeli Conflict is especiallytimely as Israeli and Palestinian elections havechanged the face of the political situation in theMiddle East.

CD 4035 $18.95us

When WillThere Be

Peace in Israel?

Book 3109 $17.95usIn Israel, the past and the present have a way of blendingtogether, and God’s promises come alive in a way unlikeanywhere else. Join Dr. Ben Alpert on Chosen PeopleMinistries’ “Israel through Jewish Eyes” tour November 27 toDecember 6. Make this the year you journey to Jerusalem andthe other biblical sites you have always wanted to see.

Call 1-800-459-9402 for a color brochure and full itinerary

Summer Training and Evangelism ProgramSummer Training and Evangelism Program

For orders in the U.S. call 800-333-4936Please allow 3-4 weeks for delivery.