Dr. James Goll | The Lifestyle of a Watchman
Summary
Don’t miss this riveting dialogue with Dr. James Goll about the The Lifestyle of a Watchman, and what it takes to watch and wait with God.
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With new developments each day, there is much to keep up with in Middle East news.
Russia’s Ambassador to Israel, Alexander Shein, has refused to call Hamas and Hezbollah terrorist organizations. In a recent interview on Israeli television, he described them as “radical organizations which sometimes adhere to extremist political views.” He added, “We do not consider them to be terrorists at all.”
Despite pressure from the United States, Russian officials have repeatedly said that Hamas and Hezbollah, allies of Syrian President Bashar Assad, will not be designated as terrorist organizations. Russia provides military backing to Assad’s official Syrian army and has keen interest in the outcome of Syria’s internal conflicts.
Not surprisingly, the United States, Canada, Britain, Australia, and the entire European Union have a dramatically different opinion of Hamas and Hezbollah.
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.
An Iranian missile boat directed a laser at a U.S. Marine Corps helicopter flying over the Strait of Hormuz last week, an action the U.S. military called “unsafe and unprofessional.”
The strait is a key waterway linking the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. It has long been a site of frequent naval conflict involving Iran, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and the U.S. and its allies.
The Marine CH-53E Super Stallion heavy-lift helicopter automatically fired flares in response to the laser. No one was injured and there was no damage to ships in the strait.
A U.S. Navy commander said Iran’s action was unsafe because “illuminating helicopters with lasers at night is dangerous as it . . . can impair vision and can be disorienting to pilots using night-vision goggles.”
The incident is the latest in a series of Iranian provocations. In March, two sets of Iranian navy fast-attack boats approached a U.S.-led, five-vessel flotilla entering the strait, which resulted in a U.S. aircraft carrier confronting the Iranian boats.
The U.S. Senate overwhelmingly passed legislation late last week to strengthen sanctions against Iran testing ballistic missiles and conducting other, non-nuclear provocations.
Passed by a vote of 98-2, the Countering Iran’s Destabilizing Activities Act of 2017 would impose new mandatory sanctions against persons and entities involved in Iran’s ballistic missile program and sanctions against the Iranian Revolutionary Guards.
The Senate vote on new sanctions for Iran sends the bill to the House of Representatives. If it passes there, it will then go to the President’s desk.
Tennessee Sen. Bob Corker, Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said, “We see destabilizing act after destabilizing act—from missile launches, to arms transfers, to terrorist training, to illicit financial activities, to targeting Navy ships, and detaining American citizens…And it’s past time for us to take steps to protect the interests of the United States and our allies.”
Since the Senate vote last week, Iran has engaged in a joint military drill with China in the Persian Gulf and has fired missiles at ISIS in Syria—an action that prompted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to say “I have one message for Iran: Don’t threaten Israel,” the Times of Israel reports.
The United States is threatening to replace the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) with an alternative group of nations, if the 47-member body doesn’t stop its anti-Israel bias and undergo reform.
“We are either going to reform this thing and make it reflect what it should be reflecting or we will withdraw our support for it,” U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said last week, according to a report in the Jerusalem Post.
If the U.S. does pull out of the UNHRC, Tillerson told the House Foreign Affairs Committee it would “find other means that we can approach human rights issues on a multilateral basis with partners who see it the same way we do.”
U.S. Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley has also spoken publicly about the possibility of a pullout, most recently when visiting Geneva in early June. The Jerusalem Post reports that her office also issued a statement after learning the UNHRC might ask the International Court of Justice at The Hague to issue an advisory opinion on alleged Israeli human rights abuses toward Palestinians.
The U.S. has regularly criticized the UNHRC’s anti-Israel bias. The Jewish state has been condemned more than any other country, including persistent human rights abusers such as Iran, North Korea, and Syria.
Since its founding in 2006, the Human Rights Council has adopted 135 country-specific resolutions—half of which condemned Israel.
I appreciate your interest in what’s happening in the Middle East—and your love for Israel and the Jewish people. My goal with these weekly updates is to help you stay informed so that you can also pray more effectively for the nation of Israel.
Please also remember Jewish Voice. These developments impact our work—providing opportunities, but also hurdles—to the ministry you and so many others partner in. Thank you for your prayers.
As you pray, please consider making a gift in support of Jewish Voice Ministries. Your partnership would mean so much, not just to us, but to the Jewish people we reach out to in the name of Yeshua (Hebrew for Jesus).
Their physical AND spiritual welfare is our focus. Your financial support makes a difference in their lives.
For your gift of $35 or more today, we’ll send you an inspiring reminder to pray for Israel. This set of two Jerusalem Square Candle Holders is specially crafted with dimensional depictions of Jerusalem landmarks.
Thank you again for your support. You are helping transform lives and moving us closer to the day when all Israel will be saved. God bless you.
When Louis Kaplan, founder of Jewish Voice Broadcasts (JVB), passed away in 1999, Jonathan Bernis –founder of Hear O’ Israel Ministries – was already serving as JVB’s board-elected Executive Director. The two ministries operated side-by-side through the year 2000, but it was evident that with the same ministry focus, the time had come to merge them.
Birthed from the visions of two men, the labors of many faithful individuals, and most importantly, the assured calling of God, a brand new ministry was emerging. In the first jointly published magazine, in January of 2001, Jonathan Bernis explained:
It is our desire to be the best stewards possible of the time and finances that the Lord has entrusted to us, and we are certain that this merger is the best way to accomplish our mutual calling. We believe that this is a “merger made in Heaven.”
The newly named “Jewish Voice Ministries International” (JVMI), consisted of two departments: Jewish Voice Radio and Television and Hear O’ Israel Festivals.
Along with the merger, came the opportunity for fresh vision and creativity for the future. The“LeChayim” television show was renamed “The Jewish Voice Broadcast.” They remodeled the television set, and the media department began producing docudramas that re-enacted the personal testimonies of Jewish Believers. Later that year, the Jewish Voice Prophetic Magazine went full-color.
By this time, the number of stations carrying the Jewish Voice radio program had dwindled to just 15. Jonathan and Dennis Phillips, now Director of Media Ministries, chose to cancel the radio program while they carefully evaluated whether or not to restart with a new format. In May 2001, the Jewish Voice radio broadcast went silent, and except for a few special productions, never returned to radio.
Ministry continued all around the globe with festivals, congregational planting, and discipleship. The Media crew produced half-hour specials featuring segments about the growing television ministry as well as footage from the festivals and accompanying humanitarian aid.
In the fall of 2001, as the United States reeled over the attacks of 9/11, Jonathan Bernis helped JVMI partners find their equilibrium with these steadying, encouraging words in the magazine arriving at their doors just six weeks later:
The tragic events of September 11, 2001 have changed our lives forever. Never again will we feel the same sense of security and safety that we have known most or all of our lives living in the United States.… How do we cope with all that is happening? How can we find peace and stability at a time like this? The answer is clear – only through our faith in the Lord….
Faith is a fight. It is the only fight the Believer is called to…. Faith is trusting God in the midst of adversity, tribulation, or danger. Faith will drive out fear.… Our security must not be rooted in anything this world may provide, but in God alone. Regardless of what may happen, our faith and hope is in our eternal destiny – and that truth will sustain us through any adversity or tragedy we must face.
In the spring of 2002, the ministry redesigned and changed the name of its magazine to reflect a new day. In Jonathan’s opening letter of the April/May issue, he announced the “slight yet important name change to Jewish Voice Today.” He explained, “We’ve added Today to our name for a reason…. We do not want to focus only on what the Lord did yesterday with the Jewish people. God is doing miracles today.” He continued, “God is speaking to us today. Biblical history is being written today. [Yeshua] longs for His brethren after the flesh to know Him now, today. Today is the day of Israel’s salvation.”
Also in 2002, the quality productions of the JVMI media team won their first awards. “Holocaust: Journey to Forgiveness – The Rose Price Story” received two Angel Awards and two bronze Telly Awards. The Al Kasha story, “A Perfect Life,” received one silver and two bronze Telly Awards.
It brings me great joy to announce that after 42 years of being single, the Lord has brought me a wonderful helpmeet and partner. Her name is Elisangela, and she is a lovely Brazilian Believer that deeply loves the Lord and loves Israel. We will be getting married in Brazil this coming February.
Over the next two years (2003-2004), Jewish Voice hired its first COO, upgraded its website, and grew its intercessory prayer network to 4,000 prayer supporters. The Media department continued to enhance the quality and efficiency of production and introduced closed captioning.
In January of 2004, Chira Kaplan – the woman who worked so tirelessly for love of the Jewish people and her Yeshua – passed away. Jonathan wrote a beautiful tribute honoring her in his opening letter of the March/April issue of Jewish Voice Today magazine.
The year 2004 concluded with Jonathan celebrating 20 years in ministry at a surprise party organized by Elisangela and the JVMI staff. Friends from around the world attended or sent videos, cards, and emails.
In 2005, the Jewish Voice Today television program first made its way into Israel via the internet on Israelnet.tv, which showed the programs of Messianic ministries. In 2005, Jonathan announced an additional long-sought-after expansion: the program would, at last, begin airing on television stations in Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East – including Israel.
Jonathan had yet another announcement in 2005. He began his letter in the magazine by proudly saying, “Well, my life has changed forever. At the ripe old age of 45, I am finally a father!” Jonathan and Elisangela’s first child, a daughter they named Liel, was born in March of that year.
Part of the mission of Jewish Voice Ministries is to inspire the Gentile Church to an appreciation for its deep connection to Judaism and a love for the Jewish people. The JVMI Speakers Bureau is an important avenue of this mission. In the summer of 2005, over 115 churches and groups across the country had scheduled meetings or presentations, and the JVMI speaking calendar was booked through the following April. For Passover 2006, Jonathan conducted the first ever valley-wide Passover Seder in the Phoenix area.
Also in 2006, JVMI grew to include Jewish Voice Ministries Canada, a branch of Jewish Voice Ministries International represented with a separate board of directors to help support and facilitate ministry functions there.
From the beginning, Hear O’ Israel Ministries had included humanitarian relief alongside its festivals. As the most intense revival years of post-Soviet Russia were tapering off, the Lord was pointing Jewish Voice toward the poverty-stricken “Lost Tribes” Jews of India and Ethiopia. Jonathan was in Ethiopia to speak at a conference when the Lord impressed upon his heart that Jewish Voice needed to respond in an ongoing way to the immense need Ethiopia. Jewish Voice was being called to Ethiopia.
Find out how God led Jonathan Bernis and JVMI into a new ministry direction focusing on humanitarian aid and medical outreaches we are known for today – next month in July’s JVMI 50th Anniversary blog post.
Don’t’ miss Flashback Fridays on our Facebook page where you’ll see glimpses of our 50-year journey.
Discover the whole inspiring JVMI story with our beautiful, full-color coffee table book, Jewish Voice: A Look at 50 Years. Along with a fascinating narrative chronicling 50 years of ministry, this special edition includes biographies, stories, and reflections from television guests, partners, and staff as well as over 200 photographs.
Join us on the Jewish Voice Blog each month in 2017 as we unfold the Jewish Voice story and piece together for you how two ministries with the same heart merged to become the Jewish Voice Ministries International you know today.
Previous JVMI 50th Anniversary blog posts:
Innocent Believers in Yeshua (Jesus) have been targeted by ISIS in yet another shocking massacre in the Middle East.
This time, the radical Islamic terror group attacked buses carrying Coptic Christians in the Minya region of Egypt, south of Cairo. Twenty-nine people were murdered, including children. And more than 20 others were injured, some critically.
Last Friday’s attack is the latest deadly assault on Coptic Christians in the Middle East’s most populous country.
In an attempt to honor their Islamic faith, the ruthless attackers struck on the eve of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
This is the third attack on followers of Yeshua in Egypt in six months. In April, ISIS bombed two Coptic churches on Palm Sunday. In December, a suicide bombing targeted a Cairo church. Together, the attacks killed more than 75 people and wounded scores more.
The Islamic State has vowed more attacks. Egypt has been under a three-month state of emergency ever since.
The slaughter drew immediate condemnation from President Donald Trump, who said, “[The attack] steels our resolve to bring nations together for the righteous purpose of crushing the evil organizations of terror, and exposing their depraved, twisted, and thuggish ideology.”
The killings also brought a quick response from Israel, prompting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to say, “There is no difference between terrorism harming Egypt and terrorism harming other countries. Terror will be beaten more quickly if all countries work against it together.”
The Jerusalem Post reported over the weekend that many Egyptian Believers think their country either does not take their plight seriously or cannot protect them against these determined fanatics. At a service to mourn the dead on Sunday, a relative of one of the victims said, “This is the result of only one thing: negligence – negligence from the government for not punishing these people.”
Egypt is fighting insurgents affiliated with ISIS who have killed hundreds of police and soldiers in the Sinai Peninsula. Egypt is also carrying out rocket attacks against the terrorist group along the southern border of Israel.
Coptic Christians are the largest group of Believers in the Middle East, representing about 10 percent of the population in Egypt. Because of this, some observers say it’s no surprise that ISIS is increasingly targeting Christians, calling them infidels and their “favorite prey.” ISIS’s war on Egyptian Christians has an obvious goal: to “encourage” them to leave their homeland under the threat of extermination. This attack won’t be the last.
We need to understand this: ISIS doesn’t merely want to make life difficult for Egyptian Believers; it wants to run them out of the country.
As ISIS amps up the frequency and brutality of its attacks across the Middle East, we must keep our fellow Believers in prayer. You and I might not be in a position to prevent further violence, but we serve a God who can. Let’s stand in union with the faithful in Egypt and pray to Yeshua, the Prince of Peace, for their safety.
Thank you for joining me in prayer for our brothers and sisters in Egypt—AND for partnering with Jewish Voice. Your support helps us continue to spread the Good News of Yeshua to a world in desperate need of His peace and hope. And we are so grateful for you.
As a token of our appreciation for your contribution of $40 or more today, we’ll send you Radical Islam: What You Should Know, an enlightening DVD featuring a panel of experts debating this rising threat and what it means to you. We’ll also send you a little box of powerful encouragement. The Promise Box is filled with 120 promises of God found in Scripture, and will surely be a lasting blessing.
Once again, thank you for coming alongside us in this Kingdom work.
