He is my lovingkindness, my fortress, my strong tower, and my deliverer.
– Psalm 144:2 TLV
In ancient days, God prepared the way to rescue the Jewish people from annihilation when He elevated Esther, a young Jewish maiden living under foreign rule, to royal status “for such a time as this.”
Wishing you great joy at Purim
As we celebrate God’s faithfulness to deliver His people at Purim, we also Thank Him for His grace and power to redeem us eternally through Messiah Yeshua (Jesus). We are grateful for the many ways He has met us personally with deliverance, favor and blessing.
Rejoice in the Lord always – again I will say, rejoice!
– Philippians 4:4 TLV
Want to know more about Purim? Read the whole story, learn fun ways to celebrate and download our free Purim infographic at jvmi.org/purim.
Thanks to your faithful prayers, we experienced a beautiful example of that when a young blind man, Meseret, received spiritual revelation and accepted Yeshua as Savior. In this region of spiritual darkness, each one who receives the Lord is adding to the light God is shedding across the whole area. Will you pray with us for this Outreach? Please join us in praying for many more people to be drawn out of the kingdom of darkness and into the kingdom of Light as we return to Debre Birhan for our first 2018 Medical Outreach, March 15 through 25.
Debre Birhan, which has the third largest population of Ethiopian Orthodox. Pray for an openness on the part of leaders and adherents to the Good News we bring
God’s grace to enable us to have every permission, document and logistic in place well ahead of time, with great favor on the spiritual nature of our purpose in coming
A special anointing on each of our staff team members, some of whom are filling specific roles for the first time on this Outreach
Good health and every aspect of travel preparations to come together with ease for our Outreach Partners
Strength and energy that lasts all week in every area: spiritual, physical and emotional
Protection over our partners' families, jobs, and all that pertains to them while they are away from home ministering; and the same protection for our staff team members and their families
Smooth travel connections and all luggage and contents to arrive in perfect condition at the same time and place as their owners
The Lord to continue to speak vision and purpose to each participant, reminding them that He has called them for such a time as this
The renewing power of celebrating Shabbat together as well as a good night's sleep to enable everyone to start the Outreach well rested
Effective orientation so that everyone is well equipped and ready to participate
Conducive Clinic location (on the outskirts of the city) and weather (pray for no rain) making it easy for many to come and receive care
The Clinic to be fully prepared and stocked for welcoming the first patients
Continued unity among every participant and spiritual readiness to graciously face cultural contrasts, different living conditions and various spiritual dynamics
Discernment in acquiring a full team of local workers who will give their all with great attitudes and hard work
The Lord to prepare every heart in the region with openness to receive the Good News, without opposition
Strong and lasting favor from key leaders and people of influence. May this favor open doors and may they come to Yeshua themselves!
Worship and intercession to flow each day during the team’s morning prayer and worship times , creating a canopy of praise that pushes back darkness
Persistence in prayer to vanquish opposition in the spiritual realms, resulting in captives set free
Strongholds to be broken in individuals, families and the region as we again cry, "Light of Messiah, come to Debre Birhan!"
That new Believers are encouraged and equipped to grow in Yeshua as they receive discipleship materials
Healing through medical as well as miraculous means for the many, many patients we will see
Deliverance from oppression of all kinds, leading to salvation and freedom
The presence of the Lord to be very real during the special evening of worship and prayer tonight for our whole team
That the Holy Spirit, the Ruach HaKodesh, would minister to each one who is so faithfully ministering to others all week
Healing of both spiritual blindness and physical eye issues, which are extremely common in the area
The local congregation to receive powerful ministry from the Lord while we are there, especially today
That the Beta Abraham Jewish people would come to Yeshua and walk in the fullness of their identity as Believers in the Messiah
That leaders in the local congregations will be encouraged and prepared to receive new members as the result of the Outreach
A wonderful and shalom-filled last day as the Clinic ends, and may the Lord do miracles for any we are unable to treat
Protection of people, equipment and supplies as we take down and pack up
That the celebration of Shabbat together brings new revelation of gratitude and rest in what the Lord has done
For a renewing day of transition as Partners share testimonies and the Lord is glorified
Safe travels for each team member as their time in Ethiopia concludes and flights home begin
Shalom upon “re-entry” into everyday life for each team member and Outreach Partner
For a strong presence of the Lord to remain and reign in this region and in the Believers in Yeshua
Protection from persecution and opposition for all who believe in Him
That local congregations will be built up as they begin integrating and discipling the new Believers
Let’s pray:
LORD, we know there is a lot of spiritual and physical blindness in this region of Ethiopia. Your love, expressed through medical care, miracles and the Good News of Yeshua is the only antidote for darkness. Will You do through us what we cannot do ourselves, as we come to Debre Birhan to love in Your name? As we watch Your love illuminate this people and region, open our own eyes and hearts for Your glory. In Yeshua’s name, AMEN
DON’T FORGET TO SIGN UP ON OUR OUTREACH PRAYER CALENDER!
Help cover Debre Birhan in prayer so God’s light will shine!
Last Wednesday’s Florida school massacre touched the Jewish community when a mentally unstable former student stepped onto the campus at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland and killed 17 students and faculty, including five Jewish victims – four students and the teacher/coach who threw himself into the line of fire to save others.
America's national grief soon devolved into finger pointing.
Do you want to know how to pray for Israel in greater detail and depth? Jewish Voice Ministries has put together this Intercessory Prayer Guide for Israel that provides focused, targeted requests to help you pray for the nation of God’s People. We hope this prayer guide can help both Messianic Jews and Christians pray their support for Israel.
Israel – more than any other nation – knows how to counter terrorism, given that the country is surrounded by enemies who are intent on wiping her out.
In 1974, Palestinian terrorists took 115 people hostage in an Israeli elementary school. Twenty-five people were killed, 22 of them children. Another 68 were injured.
Today, Israeli schools with 100 or more students must post armed guards who check anyone who enters the school. These guards engage any threats. The civilian police force handles school security, from kindergarten through college. The Ministry of Education funds shelters and fences, reinforces school buses and hires and trains guards.
In 2015, a flurry of stabbings prompted Israel to ease the process for citizens to obtain weapons. The number of armed civilians on the streets further increased after a shooting attack in Jerusalem.
"Civilians well trained in the use of weapons provide reinforcement in the struggle against terrorism," explained then-Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan.
Indeed, an armed passerby stopped terrorists in a 2016 market attack, and a tour guide with a pistol ended a 2017 ramming attack that left four soldiers dead. Terrorists have told the internal security service that they often target Haredi Jews because they are more likely to be unarmed.
Israel does have experience it could export to the U.S.:
As we look for solutions to the issue of terrorism, let’s remember to be prayerful and solution oriented rather than point fingers and argue about a singular approach to ending school shootings or any other kind of terrorism. Let’s follow Israel’s example of background checks that keep guns out of the hands of the mentally unstable. We would also do well to adopt Israel’s enforcement of gun laws, fostering a disciplined citizenry trained in self-defense while fortifying our schools and other institutions.
Never again should a mentally unstable person known to have behavior issues be allowed to buy a lethal weapon. Never again should law enforcement ignore the red flags brought to them. Our children are too precious!
As in Israel, it will take an America pulling together for the good of the country rather than fighting for who gets the political upper hand.
As a Messianic Jew, Jonathan Bernis is passionate about fulfilling the call of sharing the Gospel with his Jewish brothers and sisters. He remembers several people sharing the Gospel with him before he placed his faith in Jesus. What stands out to him about those instances is that each time he explained to the well-meaning Christians that he is Jewish, they apologized – as if the Gospel is not for Jewish people.
When, as a college student, Jonathan came to believe in Yeshua, he dug into the Scriptures and was surprised to learn that Jesus was Jewish. Not only that, He had come to the house of Israel first. Romans 1:16 explains that the Gospel is far from a salvation message meant only for Gentiles, as Jonathan’s early encounters indicate many people assume. The Good News is not only for Jewish people as well, but it is “for the Jew first.
Bernis saw that Scripture reveals there is salvation in no one else, and there is no other name under Heaven than the name of Jesus by which all men – Jew or Gentile – are saved (Acts 4:12). From that time forward, Jonathan Bernis has had a burning desire for his Jewish brothers and sisters to come to know their promised Messiah, and also to educate the Church about its responsibility to share with Jewish people the only means of salvation.
Jonathan is founding Rabbi of Congregation Shema Yisrael in Rochester, New York, where he served as Senior Messianic Rabbi from 1984 to 1993. In 1990, he led a small outreach team to Russia. The spiritual hunger of the people in Moscow and St. Petersburg was overwhelming. By the end of their six-day trip, the team had given out 300 Bibles and 400 pieces of Messianic literature. In 1993, Jonathan Bernis returned to the former Soviet Union to rent a large auditorium and produce a Jewish heritage festival at which he shared the Gospel message. He saw thousands respond in faith. That same year, he moved to Russia to found and pastor the Messianic Center of St. Petersburg where he lived and ministered from 1993 to 1996.
During those years, Jonathan Bernis frequently appeared as a guest on the television program of another Messianic ministry, Jewish Voice Broadcasts, founded by Louis Kaplan. The two ministries were so like-minded in their mission that in 1998, after Kaplan had suffered a debilitating stroke the
previous year, Jonathan was called upon to take up the mantle of leadership of Jewish Voice Broadcasts. After Louis passed away in 1999, the ministry merged with Bernis’ Hear O’ Israel Ministries to become Jewish Voice Ministries International (JVMI).
Jewish Voice Ministries exists to transform lives and see all Israel saved. Their mission is to proclaim the Gospel, grow the Messianic Jewish community, and engage the Church concerning Israel and the Jewish people. In addition to the Phoenix headquarters, Jewish Voice has offices in five nations, including Israel, where JVMI staff works with more than 60 ministry partners.
Jonathan hosts JVMI’s syndicated television program, “Jewish Voice with Jonathan Bernis,” which airs on Christian networks and by satellite throughout the world. It is also available via live streaming on the internet.
Jewish Voice also conducts humanitarian/Medical Outreaches to some of the most impoverished Jewish communities on Earth, including regular Outreaches in Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, and other points of need around the world. Through these Outreaches, JVMI has provided medical, dental and eye care that has restored eyesight and saved lives.
In the course of caring for hundreds of thousands of Jewish people and their neighbors, JVMI has been given the opportunity to share the Gospel message of the Messiah. As a result, dozens of Messianic congregations have formed. Through its Congregation and Leadership Development team, Jewish Voice comes alongside new Believers and emerging leaders with discipleship, training and support.
JVMI continues to present the large-scale international Festivals of Jewish Music & Dance that Jonathan Bernis founded. Throughout Eastern Europe, India, Africa, and South America, hundreds of thousands have attended. Millions more have participated through television broadcasts. Thousands have responded to the Gospel message, and more than a dozen new Messianic Jewish congregations arose in the former Soviet Union as a result of these Outreaches.
Jonathan is the author of numerous books including Unlocking the Prophetic Mysteries of Israel, and several titles in his best-selling Rabbi series (A Rabbi Looks at the Afterlife, A Rabbi Looks at the Last Days, A Rabbi Looks at Jesus of Nazareth, and more). His Confessing the Hebrew Scriptures series offers biblical inspiration centered on names of God describing Him as our healer, provider, shepherd and more. The series helps Believers stand firm on the solid ground of God’s Word and also includes audio recitations in the beautiful Hebrew language enabling listeners to proclaim the Scriptures in Hebrew as well.
Jonathan Bernis is motivated by his deep love for God and the passionate desire for his Jewish brothers and sisters to come to recognize and embrace their Messiah. The calling on his life is shared by the
Jewish Voice Ministries family whose work emerges from the burning vision to transform lives and see all of Israel saved.
Displaced and unable to return to their homeland, under the authority of hostile rulers, and under constant pressure and threat of violence, it was only by a miraculous intervention from God that they were freed and allowed to leave captivity and make their way toward the Promised Land.
In a modern-day parallel, in the dry, northeastern areas of Ethiopia, along the border of the self-declared (but disputed) state of Somaliland, you’ll find a group of people known as the Yibir.
These Yibir are a Somali people, but are related to the Beta Abraham Jewish people of northern Ethiopia.
While they identify themselves as Jewish descendants of ancient Jewish tribes, the Yibir live in the middle of a Muslim-dominated region. In fact, most live in slums on the outskirts of large Muslim cities.
Because they live in areas that otherwise are entirely Muslim, the Yibir are isolated and denied many basic rights simply because they maintain their Jewish identity and refuse to convert to Islam.
For example, Yibir are not allowed to own or rent property to make a living by pursuing their trades. Blacksmiths are common, but they are forced to squat on street corners, covered by only a tarp, stoking their fires to produce basic metal goods.
When we asked one such blacksmith why he didn’t set up his shop somewhere inside where it would be easier to work, he told us it was not allowed – not because he was Yibir, but because he was Jewish!
Yet despite the oppression they suffer, no outside group has stepped forward to help or support these isolated Yibir people.
Jewish Voice has been aware of the Yibir for the past five years. During that time, we’ve been looking for a way to help them.
It has taken time, starting when we first began work in Ethiopia in 1999, to develop relationships and trust among both government officials and leaders of the various Jewish groups in this area of East Africa.
But now, Jewish Voice is preparing to launch a pilot outreach to the isolated Yibir this fall!
Because they live in city slums in areas suffering drought, we know the Yibir have limited access to water. And what water they might have is often contaminated and undrinkable.
For that reason, we’ll be providing them with LifeStraw™ filters, which can make even the dirtiest water safe and healthy drinking water.
We also know the Yibir have very limited access to dentists or eye care. So we’re planning to provide dental care and eyeglasses to those in need during this first pilot outreach.
But as much as anything else, we want to let these dear people know that, while they feel forgotten and unwanted by the world, the Lord knows who they are and loves them.
And as we provide these initial services to the Yibir, we will be determining more specifically what else they need, and how you can help further minister to them in the near future, in the name of Yeshua (Jesus).
This initial pilot project may sound like a small start. But I can honestly say to you that we are very excited about this opportunity!
This will be the first time we’ve been able to provide care for a Jewish group that is isolated in an otherwise entirely Muslim area.
For that reason, we have the opportunity to break through with the love of Jesus to Jewish people that have previously felt completely isolated and alone. And I believe this will make them especially open to the salvation Yeshua offers.
I hope you’ll share in my excitement about our first outreach to the Yibir people, and that you can help make it possible with a generous gift.
Your generosity will provide clean water, dental care and eyeglasses to the Yibir people of Ethiopia. If you can send a gift now, I would like to say thank you by sending you an expression of our gratitude for your partnership in this ministry.
So when Esther was conscripted as a candidate to become the next queen, she wasn’t sure how she’d be treated if people knew she was Jewish. Her cousin, Mordecai, who was her adoptive guardian, advised her to remain quiet.
It was the fifth century B.C.E., and Esther joined hundreds of other young women for 12 months of beautification before being presented to King Ahasuerus. When the time came, he chose Esther.
One day, Mordecai learned of a plot to murder the king. He told Queen Esther what he had overheard, and she informed Ahasuerus. The would-be assassins were caught and hanged, and the events were recorded in the king’s Book of Chronicles. Mordecai had saved the king’s life.
Sometime later, Ahasuerus gave great authority to a man named Haman and ordered all servants and citizens of the land to bow before him. Mordecai, however, would bend his knee to no one but God, and he refused. Haman was enraged and devised a plan to kill not only Mordecai but all the Jewish people. He convinced the king to sign an irrevocable decree placing a bounty on Jewish lives, promising payment to anyone who killed them on a certain day several months in the future.
Mordecai told Esther of Haman’s wicked plan and begged her to go to the king and rescue their people from the coming disaster. Esther was afraid; she knew that coming before the king without an invitation bore the punishment of death if he did not extend his favor.
But Mordecai urged her to intervene saying, “Who knows whether you have attained royal status for such a time as this?”
Esther gathered her courage and agreed to approach the king. Determined now, she bravely asserted, “If I perish, I perish.” First, she called upon her handmaids and all of Israel to fast with her for three days. When she went to King Ahasuerus, he received her. She invited him and Haman to a banquet at which time she would explain her request of the king.
The night before the feast, sleeplessness spurred the king to summon the Book of Chronicles. As a servant read the entries to him, he learned that nothing had been done for the man who had earlier saved his life. He made plans to honor Mordecai and ordered none other than Haman to carry them out.
At Esther’s banquet, Ahasuerus asked his queen, “What is your request?” Esther, who had not yet revealed her Jewish identity, asked that he spare her life and the lives of her people. “We have been sold for destruction, slaughter and annihilation,” she explained.
“Who is he? Where is the man who would presume to do this?” demanded the king. Esther replied, “The man is this wicked Haman!” (See Esther 5-7.)
Haman was hanged on the gallows he had built to execute Mordecai. The king gave Esther Haman’s estate and bestowed great authority upon Mordecai. The previous decree was still in effect and unalterable according to the laws of the land. So the king granted Jewish people the right to assemble and defend themselves. They were allowed to kill anyone who intended to hurt them on the planned day of destruction. Esther chapter nine reports that “no one was able to stand against them.”
God delivered the Jewish people – once again – from enemies who had sought to annihilate them. Purim means “lots,” and the holiday derives its name from the fact that Haman cast lots to determine the day on which to eradicate the Jewish people. The holiday celebrates God’s great rescue.
Purim is the most festive holiday of the Jewish year. The book of Esther records the events and Mordecai’s instructions to celebrate the anniversaries of what turned out to be two days of victory for the Jewish people. “These are to be days of feasting, celebration and sending presents of food to one another and giving gifts to the poor” (Esther 9:22).
Today, Purim is celebrated on one day, the 14th day of Adar on the Hebrew calendar, which occurs in either February or March on the Gregorian calendar. As in ancient days, holiday traditions include giving food gifts, giving to charity and joyous festivities. People gather at synagogue to hear a reading of the book of Esther, called the Megillah (Meh-GEE-lah) and enjoy costume parties and lively plays reenacting the Purim story. Audiences have fun participating by cheering at every mention of the story’s heroes and booing whenever Haman’s name is read. Celebrants stomp their feet and rattle noisemakers called graggers (GRAH-gurs) to completely “blot out” the name of Haman.
The most popular food tradition at Purim is hamantashen (HAH-men-TAH-shen). These triangular cookies are filled with jams, chocolate or other tasty fillings and said to resemble Haman’s hat. In Israel, they are called Haman’s Ears.
Throughout time, the Jewish people have suffered attempts to destroy them. Jewish history is filled with the defined efforts of people and nations determined to enslave, expel or exterminate them. Pharaoh, Haman, Herod, Hitler and many localized pogroms around the world and over thousands of years have failed to reach their objectives because God is a God of deliverance. He has set His hand on the children of Israel as His own people. He made a covenant with them that He will never break. He is faithful. The Purim story highlights God’s faithfulness to His people. It is a story to celebrate!
Learn how to celebrate Purim as a follower of Jesus with this enlightening infographic!
