Tag Archives: Greg Laurie

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Israel Shines as 2019 Gets Underway

Image result for isaiah 60 1-6

Christmas marks the birth of the Light of the World, our Lord Jesus Christ! As Christmas disappears in our rear view mirror, let’s turn our gaze to another bright light.

Rejoice! Arise and shine, Israel, for the glory of the glory of the Lord is rising and the light shines through you! The Light of the World is shining through Israel right now! Here are some examples from 2018:

  • Tourism is booming! Over 4 million tourists visited Israel in 2018. Enormous year-after-year increases have occurred since 2006 when only 1.8 million visited. Last year, over a million of those tourists were Americans, squashing rumors that it is dangerous to go there! (It is not!)
  • Israel’s population grew 2% in 2018 to almost 9 million. (74% Jewish, 20% Arab) Not only are Jews returning to their homeland from all corners of the world, but they are also living longer. Life expectancy in Israel is among the highest in the world (84 for women, 80 for men).
  • Israel’s light continues to shine all around the world. Israeli technology was used to rescue young soccer players from a cave in Thailand, and to deal with the drone problem at Gatwick Airport (in the UK) during the busy Christmas season. “Operation Good Neighbor” provided free medical care to Syrians fleeing civil war atrocities. Innovations in conservation, medicine, agriculture and technology were shared with the world, making life a little better for people everywhere.
  • Positive attitudes toward Jesus by some Israeli media. Interestingly, a stunning number of articles and other media sources in Israel are beginning to reflect very favorably on Jesus and His life. In fact, an entire documentary entitled, “Christianity in Israel,” was released, calling for greater appreciation of the Christian community in Israel. Significant shifts in attitude toward Jesus seem to indicate the centuries-old rift between Christians and Jews has taken a positive turn!
  • A growing number of Messianic believers. Very conservatively, there are now at least 30,000 Messianic believers in Israel. (There were less than 30 in 1948 when Israel was reborn.) The true number is likely much greater than that, as many are young people, unable to identify publicly for fear of being disassociated by their families. Additionally, evangelistic videos produced by One for Israel have been viewed 90 million times! 25 million of those views are in Hebrew versions…almost 3X the population of Israel, the only nation where Hebrew is spoken regularly.

Indeed, the Light of the World is shining upon His chosen land and His chosen people! The Light has come and the glory of the Lord is rising. One day, when the partial hardening is lifted from the Jewish people, all Israel will see the Light and will be saved! (Romans 11:25-26)

That hardening seems to be lifting (if only slightly), which begs the question: How soon will the fullness of the Gentiles come? (Read Romans 11!) Yet again, we see evidence that time is short!

Some day the very last Gentile to acknowledge Jesus as Lord will bow the knee to do so. At that moment, the time of the Gentiles will end as Jesus comes to take us to live with Him forever. That day is coming soon. If you have not invited Jesus to be the Light in you world, it is time to do so. We are all sinners, we cannot save ourselves, yet Jesus (through His death, burial and resurrection) paid a debt for our sins that we could not pay. He wants to be your Lord and Savior…the Light of your life. All you have to do is ask!

Click here to learn how to know Jesus personally and spend eternity with Him. Blessings, dear friend!

PS: Jews and Gentiles are saved the exact same way…by putting their faith in the Jewish Messiah, Yeshua (Jesus)!

Arise, shine; for your light has come,
And the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.

~Isaiah 60:1
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Celebrating the Birth of a Jewish Carpenter: Wood and Stone

The Jewish Carpenter has a purpose.  God the Father intentionally birthed Him to an earthly father who would teach Him an artisan skill, to help us understand His spiritual purpose.  His skill as a Master Craftsman fashions us into the vessel God the Father intended from the beginning! 

A carpenter works with wood, and what piece of wood is most prominent in Scripture?  Of course, it is the cross.  Not by mistake, the Jewish Carpenter was nailed to a wooden cross and crucified for you and me.  Symbolic of our frailty, mortality and finite being, wood represents death.  In fact, it was an instrument of death in Jesus’ day. It is the vehicle upon which mortality itself died!

Jesus the Jewish Carpenter hung on a wooden tree.  The power of sin and death was defeated.  No longer would our wooden, frail lives be destined for eternal rottenness!  Jesus, the sinless One, took on death for us so that sin would not ultimately defeat us.

Then what happened? Jesus’ body was placed in a tomb and a large stone sealed the entrance.  After three days, Jesus rose from the grave and the stone was rolled away! Not only did He defeat sin and death, but He rose from the dead to give us new life!

If you are one who got hung up on whether or not tekton refers to a carpenter or a stonemason, or whether the manger was made of wood or stone, listen up!  Jesus rolled away the STONE!  In fact, Jesus is our living stone (1 Peter 2:4-6), our corner stone (Ephesians 2:20), and our rock (Psalm 18:2, 31, 46)! 

God’s commandments were engraved in tablets of stone.  As we stand before a holy God, we fall short of His righteous standards.  Almighty God is invincible.  He’s our Rock.  Jesus put an end to death on a wooden cross, then rolled the stone of God’s righteous judgment away!

That is the work of the Jewish Tekton!  Wood and stone provide a way of salvation for us!  Our sins no longer condemn us to hell! Perhaps you are reading this and you question if hell is awaiting those who refuse to be changed forever by the work of this Master Craftsman. Hell is real, and it was meant for Satan and his demons…not for you.  You can change your destination by simply putting your trust in the One who died on a wooden cross and rolled the stone away.  Click here to find out how to know God and put your trust in Him. We’ll finish our Jewish Carpenter series tomorrow, so be sure to check in!

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Amir’s Bible Bites: Who Really Controls the Middle East?

 

So, are you blinded…or do you see?  It is perhaps the most important question you have ever answered.  So be certain of your answer!

Jesus said:

I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”
~Revelation 22:13

For I am God, and there is no other;
I am God, and there is no one like Me,
Declaring the end from the beginning,
And from ancient times things which have not been done,
Saying, ‘My purpose will be established,
And I will accomplish all My good pleasure.’
~Isaiah 46:9-10

I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.
~John 14:6

If you don’t know Him personally, now is the time!  He, and He alone, can save us from our sins, as well as from the wrath that is to come.

Find out how.

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Amir Tsarfati Teaches “The Passover Lamb”

Perhaps you’re not quite ready to end the Resurrection celebration…or perhaps you were unable to attend a Resurrection Day service this morning.  Good news…we’ll bring one to you!

Amir Tsarfati, an Israeli Messianic Jew, delivers one of the best messages I’ve ever heard about the Passover Lamb.  Enjoy!

 

The fool has said in his heart, “There is noGod.”
~Psalm 14:1

Don’t be an April fool.  If you don’t know Jesus, the Passover Lamb Amir taught about, today is the day to lay aside foolish things and submit your life to the One who sacrificed His for you.

Take 5 minutes to learn how to make the most important decision you will ever make in your life: