| | | |  | The Jerusalem Prayer List – November 20th, 2009
by Joseph Shulam
I am back home in Israel. It was a long trip in four countries in East Asia, Japan, Korea, China, and Hong Kong. I did not calculate for how many hours of teaching the Lord used me these last five weeks but I suppose that the number would be well over 150 hours of teaching. The most significant thing during these five weeks on the road was the wonderful hospitality and open armed reception that I have experienced in every place. Hospitality is such a key biblical concept and such a clear biblical instruction and yet the Eastern culture seems to be taking the hospitality one step higher and I would say not only higher but also a much deeper hospitality. The deeper part is for me that our friends and our brothers in the East don't do it just to honor the man, but they do hospitality to honor God who sent the man. I have been treated so wonderfully and in fact I have been humbled by the love and reception in which I have been received in Japan, Korea, China and Hong Kong. May God bless all those who have given of themselves to make me welcomed and comfortable.
The biggest and most amazing time was the couple of days that I spent in China. I have been in China several times since the 1980's – but I have for the first time seen the financial prosperity that South China is experiencing. The greater prosperity is the spiritual prosperity and growth. I had a two day seminar in China and most of the people were young and first generation disciples of Yeshua that have made a choice to follow Yeshua and accept the God of Israel as their God abandoning the idols of dialectic materialism and ancient chinese religions. There is a certain spiritual hunger there in the first generation of disciples that is something that I would like to capture and see if it can inspire those who have been raised in so called Christian homes or for that matter Jewish religious homes. The freshness of new born faith is something that I miss when I travel in more established so called Christian Countries. It looks like the center of the revival of the future is going to come from the East. Already the biggest wave of growth and dedication and willingness to give and sacrifice is coming from countries like Korea and China. Korea now sends more “missionaries” per-capita than any other country in the World, but Korea actually has less than %25 Christian.
In my teaching I challenge people but the truth is that I am always challenged by the people that I teach. I am challenged by the fact that so many people and so many church leaders from a variety of churches have such a great desire to learn and are willing to receive new teaching and process new ideas and new teaching. I don't know if I receive new ideas so easily and so willingly as some of these dear brothers and friends. Please pray that the Lord will take the good seeds that were planted and that He will bring good fruit for His Kingdom and for Israel.
Here at home in Jerusalem every one of our dear brothers and sisters did a marvelous job of teaching and taking care of the needs of the congregation. I would mention names but may be it would be just enough to say that all of our congregation is just so unique and special and that so many people are good in so many things like leading and singing and teaching and counseling and organizing. I really don't think that there is another Jewish congregation of Yeshua Disciples that so special and talented as our congregation in Jerusalem. I suppose that if I was from United Kingdom I would use the word, “interesting” in place of “special” and if I was from the South I would use the word “assume” instead of “special” and all of these words would be true. Please pray for this congregation in Jerusalem. It is a truly very special group of people who are connected by one thing and one thing only the desire to see the nation of Israel receive Yeshua as our King Messiah.
We continue to worry and pray about a solution for our octogenarians in the congregation. I wish the Lord would provide some one or some congregation in the world that would say to itself: In Jerusalem there is this beacon of light that has reached to the ends of the World and there are opportunities for more light and more love to be shown by taking good care of brothers and sisters who have reached the ripe old age of over 80 years and we have to take care of them. It is not imposible to do. It is very possible to do and I already have several people from the Philippines and from China and from Korea who would be willing to volunteer for months in taking care of our older people. We could rent a house and provide warm and good care for these old soldiers of the faith. Who knows may be God would speak to some organizations like Christians voor Israel or The Christian Embassy in Jerusalem or Bridges for Peace or Christian Friends of Israel and impress upon them to do something that is so pure and so loving and so cheap in comparison and such a good witness. Taking care of the old is a biblical mandate and especially of those widows in-deed who have served so many years in God's Kingdom. I know that this is only a wishful thinking and I don't blame or criticize any of these organizations who are doing good for Israel, but one can dream and wish if he wants to, can't he!
Marcia is with her parents in East Tennessee and she will be there until after Thanksgiving and than return home to Israel. Please pray for Marcia's health and for her mother's health and her father's health and the health of Danah and Noaam and Barry and Beth and Joey. It seems like the slight afflictions that we all face in this flesh are besetting us enough to keep us from the joys that God has for us now and forever. Please pray protection on my family and pray healing for the list of sick brothers and sisters: Sara and Zvi, Ahuva, Leah, Ilana, Miriam, Antonina, David, and David, and Ruby, Paulo, Liz's sister Mary, and Dr. Tim Tucker, and Tellervo in Finland.
We are starting to raise funds for the building and the Lord has been very gracious to us already, but we are a long way from where we need to be. One old woman that attended the whole three day seminar in Seoul, Korea, came up to me and handed an envelope with 1000 dollars USA and said that if 1000 people would give 1000 dollars there will be all the money that is needed for the building. Well, this old woman was right – she started something and immediately there were another two or three in the same seminar who heard about this woman and did the same. So, dear brothers and sisters – the burden can be spread to 1000 people and we will see the hand of God move to bless all those who will bless the seed of Abraham.
I bless you all with the blessing from the book of Numbers who says: May He shine His face upon you!
Joseph Shulam
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