June 2024 President’s Letter

Ministry In Israel Continues

Dear friend,

Grace and peace in our Messiah, Jesus. We praise God for your faithful support and pray you will continue to be a friend to Israel. When surrounded by enemies, one’s friends become clearer and dearer.

I do not need to remind you of the more than 3,000 Hamas terrorists who stormed into Israel on October 7, 2023, murdering, raping, and kidnapping innocent Israelis living near Gaza as well as young people attending a music festival—all crimes against humanity. Many Israeli soldiers and Gazan civilians whom Hamas used as human shields have since lost their lives due to the ensuing war.

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) called up 360,000 reserve troops to join this fight against the terrorists and eliminate the threat against Israel. The IDF is also searching for 130 hostages taken on October 7 who are still held in captivity.

In addition to Hamas’ brutal assault, Iran and Hezbollah in Lebanon continue to threaten Israel. Hezbollah is firing rockets daily into northern Israel, preventing 60,000 Israeli evacuees from returning to their homes. On Saturday, April 13, 2024, Iran launched more than 360 missiles and drones into Israeli territory— targeting mostly civilian areas! Thanks to Israel’s air force, the Iron Dome, and help from the United States, Jordan, and the United Kingdom, 99 percent of these missiles were eliminated.

I heard from our staff about all they went through during the Iranian attack. We praise God for His protection, but as one of our staff members told me, “It was terrorizing for hours, knowing the attack was coming because we had hours to think about it and prepare.” I saw the pain on our staff member’s face when she told me how she felt during our call. Thank God all our staff are safe. We consider it to be a modern-day miracle there was no loss of life and minimal destruction of property.

By God’s grace, our staff in Israel continue to proclaim the gospel and do all they can to meet the needs of suffering Israelis.

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MINISTRY IN ISRAEL DURING WAR.

Thank you for supporting Israel and Jewish people around the world. Please continue to pray for the peace of Jerusalem (Psalm 122:6). By God’s grace, our staff in Israel is doing more than ever to reach “the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matthew 15:24). They discovered new ways to proclaim the good news to Israelis hungry for the Word of God. Many turned to the book of Psalms for comfort and hope while waiting for the drones to arrive.

Our wonderful staff worked with other ministry partners in Israel to bring food, clothing, hygiene items, and various necessities to soldiers and Israelis evacuated for their safety from their homes near the northern and southern borders.

Chosen People Ministries—Israel continues to proclaim the gospel of Jesus in these difficult times. Our Bible studies, prayer meetings, and outreach events are filling with seekers and believers needing help through the challenges of daily life. Our staff are finding Israelis more open to the Lord as they seek answers to life’s deepest questions.

Here are a few great stories about how God is working through our staff during this critical time in Israel’s history!

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SPIRITUAL CONVERSATIONS WITH YOUNG ADULTS

One young Israeli man, wanting to grow spiritually, began asking one of our staff serious questions about the Bible and his relationship with Jesus. He felt he was losing the spiritual excitement he experienced early on as a believer when he sensed God’s peace. Previously, he had multiple opportunities to proclaim the gospel, but his zeal had worn off and was replaced with such emotional pain and spiritual struggle he even began to weep. His passion to grow in the Lord during difficult days moved our Israel staff!

ISRAELI SOLDIER COMES TO FAITH

Oren* first connected with our staff on social media late last summer. Although he grew up in an atheistic family, he found himself increasingly pondering the existence of God. After starting his mandatory military service, he began reading the Tanakh (Old Testament). He was surprised by Isaiah chapter 53 and how it predicted the life and ministry of the Messiah, Jesus. Oren wanted to know more and asked one of our staff to meet with him.

During the meeting, Oren took notes and expressed delight when our staff member gave him a Hebrew copy of my book, Isaiah 53 Explained. He met with this staff member several times, and then October 7 happened. At the beginning of November, Oren reached out again. He told our staff how he miraculously survived during the initial terror attack in southern Israel. Because he was saved while so many others were killed, his hunger for the truth about God continued to grow.

When the situation in southern Israel improved, Oren asked to resume meeting with our Israel staff. During one of these meetings, they read together from John chapter 3. When he reached verse 16, Oren—in his own words—told us he finally realized the depth of Yeshua’s love for him. He asked our staff to pray with him to confess his belief in Jesus as his Savior. Oren is now baptized and growing in his faith!

AGNOSTIC ISRAELI WOMAN ATTENDS BIBLE STUDY

Someone invited Rotem,* a formerly religious and now agnostic Israeli woman, to an event at our Tel Aviv Messianic Center. She arrived late, fatigued, and had missed most of the program, but bounced back to life as she spoke with our staff. Our staff invited her to an upcoming women’s Hebrew Bible study, and she eagerly accepted.

The Bible study took place at our Tel Aviv center a few days later, and Rotem was the first to arrive. As others trickled in, one young lady asked what it meant to be created in God’s image and likeness. This launched a vigorous discussion even before the Bible study began. Once the study started, Rotem was obviously excited as the group was studying the life of Joseph (Genesis 39–40), which “happened” to be her favorite Bible story! Rotem volunteered to read and then engaged in the discussion.

When they closed in prayer, she made a prayer request, and our staff could hear her faintly praying under her breath. Afterward, she told a staff member she had not prayed in months, certainly not since October 7. She thought God would not and could not hear her prayers. However, as our staff prayed, she sensed God was listening and prayed along!

Rotem accepted a Hebrew Bible, which also listed Messianic prophecies. Two weeks later, at our women’s brunch, she told our staff she was reading the Bible regularly! Please pray for Rotem; God is at work.

PRAY WITH US

Please join us in prayer for our ministry in Israel and Jewish people in general.

We pray:

Israel’s enemies—including Hamas, Hezbollah, and like-minded groups—will repent and stop threatening Israel
Many in the Middle East, whether Jewish or Muslim, will recognize Jesus as Messiah and Lord
All hostages still in Hamas’ grasp will be released immediately
The families of the hostages still in Gaza will find peace through Jesus
Israelis who evacuated their homes can return safely and soon
Palestinian noncombatants will remain safe and find freedom from Hamas
Our staff will remain firmly rooted in their faith and equipped to serve Israelis
The antisemitic protests on campuses across the country will end quickly and peacefully

PSALMS OF HOPE

Someone invited Rotem,* a formerly religious and now agnostic Israeli woman, to an event at our Tel Aviv Messianic Center. She arrived late, fatigued, and had missed most of the program, but bounced back to life as she spoke with our staff. Our staff invited her to an upcoming women’s Hebrew Bible study, and she eagerly accepted.

The Bible study took place at our Tel Aviv center a few days later, and Rotem was the first to arrive. As others trickled in, one young lady asked what it meant to be created in God’s image and likeness. This launched a vigorous discussion even before the Bible study began. Once the study started, Rotem was obviously excited as the group was studying the life of Joseph (Genesis 39–40), which “happened” to be her favorite Bible story! Rotem volunteered to read and then engaged in the discussion.

When they closed in prayer, she made a prayer request, and our staff could hear her faintly praying under her breath. Afterward, she told a staff member she had not prayed in months, certainly not since October 7. She thought God would not and could not hear her prayers. However, as our staff prayed, she sensed God was listening and prayed along!

Rotem accepted a Hebrew Bible, which also listed Messianic prophecies. Two weeks later, at our women’s brunch, she told our staff she was reading the Bible regularly! Please pray for Rotem; God is at work.

Aside from all the wonderful personal ministry with Israelis, our staff members are also seeing success in our online approach to evangelism. We learned the term “Psalms” was the primary Google search in Israel over the last few months—especially on Saturday, April 13. I was stunned, as most Israelis are quite secular. This tells me Israelis are open to a relationship with God at this critical time in Israel’s history.

We plan to initiate a “Psalms of Hope” campaign this month, using the Psalms to turn the eyes of Israelis toward the Messiah of Israel. We will start with a budget of $75,000 to provide the advertising punch for this campaign. We will advertise online through Facebook, YouTube, and other sites, as well as through brochures and newspapers. We hope to distribute a new booklet based on a selection of Psalms with some devotional and evangelistic thoughts included as well.

Since we know Israelis are currently seeking for answers and turning to Psalms, we hope to encourage their search as we prayerfully try to reach as many as possible with God’s Word. We cannot wait for Israelis to discover Psalms 2, 16, 22, 110, and other Messianic psalms. We will begin by inviting them to read Psalm 23, which is familiar to most Jewish people, then introduce them to psalms speaking of the comfort we can have through the Messiah, Jesus.

Together, we can take advantage of tough times to bring His comfort to Israelis and Jewish people around the globe. Please consider a gift toward our Psalms of Hope outreach. Our goal is to encourage thousands of Israelis and Jewish people worldwide to read the Old Testament hymnbook as a first step in our efforts to help our beloved Jewish people find the Messiah. We know God’s Word never returns void!

Thank you so much for caring and for your generosity.

Your brother,

Mitch

* Names changed.

REACHING THE HARD-TO-REACH

Over the next few months, we will introduce you to the Jewish communities we hope to reach with the gospel message in the year ahead. Our goal is to help you learn about these various groups and to encourage you to pray for them as each one is precious in the sight of God. We are doing as much as we can to reach each and every group—from the religious to secular, young Israelis, and so many others worldwide. This month, we will take a brief look at the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community.

The Haredim

One group we hope to reach as part of Foundations ’22 is those whom Jewish people typically view as the most religious within the community. They are usually called Haredim. This common term includes all ultra-Orthodox Jewish people: the various Hasidic sects, old-style Orthodox, and even some Modern Orthodox Jewish people. Haredim is a transliteration of the Hebrew term that means “those who fear” or “the reverent ones.” In other words, Haredim are those who fear God and are very traditional in their expression of faith and observance of the Jewish religion.

There are very few believers in Jesus among them, and we hope to focus on praying for and reaching these extraordinarily devoted members of the Jewish community. They remind us of the words of the Apostle Paul, who wrote: “For I testify about them that they have a zeal for God, but not in accordance with knowledge” (Romans 10:2).

Full Article

June 2024 President’s Letter

Ministry In Israel Continues

MINISTRY IN ISRAEL DURING WAR.

SPIRITUAL CONVERSATIONS WITH YOUNG ADULTS

ISRAELI SOLDIER COMES TO FAITH

AGNOSTIC ISRAELI WOMAN ATTENDS BIBLE STUDY

PRAY WITH US

PSALMS OF HOPE

REACHING THE HARD-TO-REACH

The Haredim

Divine Moments Abound

Evangelistic Opportunities During Dubai Tour

Isaiah 53 Reveals the Lord to German Ethics Class

Israeli Encounters the Lord on a Bus

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