Chazon Yerushalayim
Jerusalem Vision
Jerusalem, Israel
Chazon Yerushalayim (Jerusalem
Vision) is a outreach ministry, directed by Pastor Shmuel & Pamela
Suran, that is reaching out to many Israelis.
“Behold, the virgin
shall conceive (shall become pregnant), and bear a Son, and (she)
shall call His name Emmanuel (meaning God with us)“ (Isaiah
7:14)
“Next Year in Jerusalem?”
2004 End of the Year Update (cont.)
“ The Jewish Attitude toward Yeshua” Ever since the days of
the Acts of the Apostles, when the gospel of the “Hope of Israel” was carried from Jerusalem,
to Judea, Samaria and into the known Gentile world, there has been
Jewish opposition to Yeshua. The Apostle Paul always went “to
the Jew first” and entered into the town synagogue to bring
the Good News to his own people before he would preach to the Gentile
Greeks when the Jewish opposition grew too great. As the Church
in the ancient world grew in number, so did opposition among the
Jewish Rabbinical leadership. By the middle of the second century
AD there was a significant split in the Jewish world during the
Bar Kochva revolt against Rome in the land of Israel. Jewish believers
in Yeshua refused to participate in the revolt, and so were categorically
rejected from the synagogue. There was also an exclusivist attitude
which developed among Greek Church leaders towards anything Jewish
which led later on to negative decrees against Jewish practices
in the first ecumenical councils. What developed was a growing
anti-semitic attitude in the Church which ultimately alienated
the Jewish people from their own gospel and Messiah-King. Today
we in Jerusalem as Messianic Jews are rebuilding trust with our
non-believing Jewish brethren. We need to establish trust through
daily living in the context where we have been placed by the Lord.
We are living in a typical average Israeli neighborhood where most
of the neighbors are conservative and from oriental background
and who are very patriotic. We have lived in the same apartment
for nearly 20 years…people have come to know us as we are,
and they love and trust us. Secondly we need to demonstrate through
the Bible the inheritance that belongs to Israel in the covenants
God has made with us. That is the basis by which we must build
our gospel witness. The covenant God made with Abraham, Issac and
Jacob, the covenant He made with King David are all important talking
points we establish to explain what is true Biblical faith.Thirdly
we build our testimony of Yeshua by what are called “proof
texts” or “testimonia” the same way the Apostles
did in the beginning after the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit
was poured out and Jews began to be saved in Jerusalem. The traditional “chains ” of
proof texts are found in every sermon recorded in Acts of the Apostles
beginning with Peter’s famous sermon on the Day of Pentecost,
Shavuot. These texts are the ones we use to speak about the Resurrection
from the dead, “the King that will rule forever“…and
a Kingdom that is coming to be restored to Israel according to
the prophetic scriptures. (Acts1:6)
We also have the responsibility
to explain that this coming Kingdom also includes Gentiles who
also receive the promised Holy Spirit
and are members of this Kingdom. It is a systematic approach that
requires patience and time because each Israeli is different and
requires first to be in a relationship. The fear of losing ones
Israeli identity through “conversion to another religion“ is
real and has a basis due to laws that have been passed to discourage
turning away from Rabbinical Judaism. As the time progresses and
the situation in Israel becomes more difficult, more and more Israelis
will seek as they are doing now, answers to perplexing questions.
New Age beliefs and Kabbalah will not suffice to bring the answers
that give peace to the soul, but only the “Hope of Israel”,
the “King of Israel”, the Resurrected Yeshua will give
that ultimate answer to the need of our Israeli brethren!
Shalom
in our Messiah, With our love and blessings from Jerusalem...
Shmuel & Pamela & Chazon Yerushalayim Team
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Visit their website at: www.jerusalempropheticart.com
Chazon Yerushalayim is one
of ministries Gratefully Grafted supports. Join others who
are reaching out
with their gifts and offerings to reach the lost sheep of Israel.
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