Former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad threw his country’s upcoming election into turmoil last week when he registered as a candidate to run for president again.

You may remember Ahmadinejad as the Iranian leader who frequently outraged the West with his outbursts of inflammatory rhetoric and warlike policies during his eight years in office from 2005 to 2013. He questioned the scale of the Holocaust, called for the demise of Israel, and expanded Iran’s nuclear program.

His surprise candidacy is seen as a direct challenge to the authority of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Khamenei had warned Ahmadinejad not to nominate himself, saying in September that his candidacy could create divisions in Iran and harm the country.

As quoted in the Jerusalem Post, Khamenei said, “He (Ahmadinejad) came to me and I told him not to stand as I think it is not in his interest and that of the country.”

At first, Ahmadinejad indicated he would comply and stay out of the race, saying he would support his former deputy Hamid Baghaei, who also registered on the same day.

But at a press conference last week, Ahmadinejad characterized Khamenei’s warning not to put his name forward as “just advice.”

Ahmadinejad’s candidacy must still be approved by Iran’s Guardian Council, which is closely aligned with Khamenei, who appoints half its members.

What Ahmadinejad may be thinking

Ahmadinejad and Baghaei seem to be responding to a growing desire of hardliners in Iran, who seek a tough-talking candidate who will stand up to U.S. President Donald Trump.

Iran’s current president, the more moderate Hassan Rouhani, who negotiated Iran’s nuclear deal with world powers, is expected to run for reelection. And, he seems to still enjoy the support of Khamenei.

Some observers are speculating that Ahmadinejad may be registering as a strategy to help Baghaei, who is one of his primary allies.

In fact, Ahmadinejad was quoted as saying that he registered “only to support Baghaei.”

By registering as a candidate himself, Ahmadinejad may be trying to discourage the Guardian Council from disqualifying Baghaei. The thought is that the Council may not want to risk angering hardliners by voiding the candidacy of both at the same time.

The Council is composed of clerics and Islamic jurists and normally disqualifies dissidents, women, and most reformists. It is scheduled to release the list of approved candidates by April 27.

Last week after registering his candidacy, Ahmadinejad commented on recent missile strikes — ordered by President Trump against a Syrian government airbase — in response to a chemical weapons attack by Syria against a rebel-held town.

“I do not think it has a message for Iran,” said Ahmadinejad in the Times of Israel. “Iran is a powerful country and people like Mr. Trump or the United States administration cannot hurt Iran.”

The Trump administration had earlier this year announced it was putting Iran “on notice,” in part over its ballistic missile tests. Iran has been the primary regional supporter of Syrian President Bashar Assad in that country’s civil war. Iran is also directly involved in providing military support to the Syrian government.

All of this turmoil and uncertainty in world events makes our calling to be Yeshua’s (Jesus’) ambassadors more relevant than ever.

Will you join me to pray for peace in the region and for the people to be reconciled first to God and then to each other?

Thank you for praying in this way. Our interest is not a matter of politics, but of passion to serve the Jewish people in the name of their Jewish Savior and to proclaim His truth to all who will hear.

And, as you pray, I hope you’ll consider making a gift to Jewish Voice. Your support enables us to continue taking the Good News of Yeshua and compassionate humanitarian aid to Jewish people throughout the world.

For your gift of $35 or more today, we’ll send you an inspiring set of gifts. You’ll receive the Jerusalem/Grafted-in keychain plus the amazing DVD story of Majed El Shafie, a former Muslim turned Believer who was arrested, tortured, and sentenced to death for his faith in Yeshua. You’ll learn how he escaped and now advocates for the rights of religious minorities around the world. I want you to know how much I appreciate your prayers for the nation of Israel and the work of Jewish Voice among the people there and worldwide. Both your prayer and financial support are making a difference. We are so grateful for your help in this work.

 

Gaining Momentum in Masvingo!

One of the definitions Merriam Webster gives for momentum is: “the strength or force that allows something to continue or to grow stronger or faster as time passes.”  When we speak of spiritual things, we know that strength or force doesn’t come from us, but from the mighty power of the Holy Spirit.

That is why we are seeking the Lord for momentum in Masvingo. In 2015 we tried to reach out there but the door closed. We went in 2016, and now we are returning for our second outreach there with many of the same key team leaders and volunteer outreach partners.  Spiritually speaking, together we tilled some hard soil, and this year on our return, we are hoping for an even greater harvest of fruit.

Please pray with us daily for the spiritual momentum to accelerate in Masvingo, Zimbawe as we return less than 9 months after our first outreach there.

Here are some requests for each day – please pray for:

Wednesday, April 19 through Wednesday, April 26 – Isaiah 40:3

• Our advance team as they take care of last minute preparations
• Our volunteer partners as they prepare to be away from work, family, and home during the outreach
• Protection from false religions, cults, and witchcraft for the preparations and outreach itself, new Believers, and local congregations and that the Kingdom of Light will prevail

Thursday, April 27 – Deuteronomy 31:8

• Smooth travels for our volunteer outreach partners, including flight connections
• The Lord to speak to and prepare them even as they travel
• Their luggage and easy transitions through customs

Friday, April 28 – Psalm 86:9

• A good arrival and ease in overcoming jet lag and making cultural adjustments
• Unity to be established during the Welcome meeting tonight and that it remains strong through the week
• The worship team to welcome the Lord’s presence and help us set our hearts and focus in the right place each day, starting tonight

Saturday, April 29 – Isaiah 30:15a

• Safe travel to our medical clinic site, six hours away on land
• A good night’s sleep at our outreach campsite tonight and every night
• For revelation during tonight’s meeting on the identity and calling of the Lemba to whom we will be ministering

Sunday, April 30 – Ephesians 6:10

• Every detail of this busy and pivotal day to go smoothly
• Clarity, unity, and understanding of all aspects during today’s orientation
• Safe and effective set-up of the clinic itself
• Favor and discernment in the hiring of well over 100 local workers to come alongside us for the week
• The first patients as the clinic opens (about 12noon to 5pm Zimbabwe time) and they are invited in

Monday, May 1 – Psalm 34:9

• The Lord to bring healing to many throughout the week and that we ourselves would be protected from every form of illness or injury
• Favor with any authorities or others who may be visiting the clinic
• For good weather – moderately warm with cloud cover – all week

Tuesday, May 2 – Psalm 116:1-2

• The Lord to deliver us from anyone who would do us harm or be a distraction or deterrent to what the He wants to do there through us
• A successful pilot of the Zehra (“seed” in Hebrew) program for children who come to the clinic – that they would have an encounter with Yeshua (Jesus) and begin to learn at a young age more about their own identity
• The nation and people of Zimbabwe, as they are experiencing a severe financial crisis leading to many hardships―may the Lord have mercy on them, and may their hearts be open to receive Yeshua

Wednesday, May 3 – Hebrews 2:4

• Miracles, signs and wonders throughout the week that will accompany the truth of the words being spoken
• Individuals of great influence in the community to come to Yeshua this week and give testimony to His salvation with their changed lives

Thursday, May 4 – Luke 10:27

• Physical stamina all the way to the end of the outreach
• Spiritual stamina, including during the early morning (5am) prayer meetings each morning
• Divine insight as blessings are decreed over the nation and people of Zimbabwe each day―may those of us praying for the outreach from home join in with our own blessings and decrees as well

Friday, May 5 – Psalm 126:3

• As the clinic closes, please pray for those whom we were just not able to see.  May the Lord meet them with healing and salvation
• Safety tearing down and packing up the tents, medical, and camping equipment and other assets
• Shalom as we pay the local workers. Pray also that the Lord will touch and bring some of them to salvation as a result of what they have experienced over the week
• A real sense of joy and gratitude for all the Lord has done at the end of the day; and safety during the 6-hour drive back to the hotel this evening

Saturday, May 6 – Hebrews 4:9

• A wonderful day for each outreach participant filled with rest, refreshment, fun, joy, gratitude, time with the Lord, and a sense of celebration and accomplishment from partnering with Him throughout the week

Sunday, May 7 – Monday, May 8 and beyond – Acts 9:31

• Safe travels home for all our outreach partners and their luggage; health and peaceful re-entry into family and work life
• Our staff team members and local partners as they close out the details of the outreach and begin to travel home through the week
• Focus and diligence for the local congregations as they follow up on those who received Yeshua and were open to being contacted – may they be connected with other Believers and grow in their relationship with Yeshua

LORD, it is only You who can activate and sustain the momentum needed to see souls saved, bodies and minds healed, and lives changed, as we partner with You in deed and in prayer.  May we see miracles beyond what we ask, and may the Lemba people and their neighbors in Zimbabwe receive blessing upon blessing from Your gracious hand as they come for care and find You. In Yeshua’s name, AMEN.

Beyond question, one of the greatest evils in human history was the Holocaust — the evil plan by Adolf Hitler and his Nazi henchmen to exterminate the Jews of Europe.

The horrors suffered by Jewish people during the Holocaust, while well known, are almost beyond comprehension. They were:

• Robbed of their homes, businesses, and possessions, with no compensation
• Stripped of their citizenship and freedoms
• Forced to live in terrible conditions in work camps or sealed ghettos across Europe, then later herded onto trains for transport to concentration and extermination camps
• Starved, tortured, worked to death, and executed in concentration camps

In all, an estimated 6 million Jewish people were murdered by the Nazis — 3 out of 5 Jews in Europe.

And the only crime they committed was being Jewish.

Today, 72 years after World War II, about half a million Holocaust survivors are still alive worldwide, including those who fled Nazi Germany. About 100,000 of those are men and women who actually survived the camps and ghettos, or hid from the Nazis.

Today the average age of a Jewish Holocaust survivor is 88. Many suffer from the common problems of old age: failing health, loneliness, and isolation — especially since many have no remaining family members.

But many also still suffer from the damage done by years of malnourishment, overwork, and even torture under the Nazis. In 2016, about 1 in 4 of the 180,000 Holocaust survivors living in Israel struggled to survive below the poverty line. They’re dying at the rate of 13,000 per year.

We’ve met some who are so poor, they’re forced to get by on nothing but scrounged raw vegetables and powdered soup. Others must sleep in two coats because they’re unable to pay for heat in the winter. And many find themselves unable to afford eyeglasses, dental care, or other basics.

These dear Jewish men and women suffered more than we can imagine. It’s appalling and embarrassing that they now must continue to suffer in poverty.

That’s why, with your help, Jewish Voice Ministries is doing all we can to help!

Working with partner agencies in Israel, Jewish Voice is providing Holocaust survivors with eye care, glasses, dental care, and dentures -- significant needs which, because of their high cost in Israel, often go unmet. But you can help meet these needs with your gift today:

• The average cost of eye care is just $25 per person
• The average cost of dental care is about $800
• And in addition to our special concern for Holocaust survivors, your support of Jewish Voice also helps other elderly and impoverished Israelis who need our help

Our special focus in Israel will continue to be Holocaust survivors.

You see, remembering the Holocaust is important. In a 2015 study by the Pew Foundation in the United States, three-quarters of Jewish people surveyed said remembering the Holocaust was “essential to their sense of Jewishness.” This ranked the idea of remembering the Holocaust as more important than any other factor to the Jewish people.

So we must remember the horror that was the Holocaust, if only to ensure that the world doesn’t repeat it. And the best way to remember is to cherish and preserve those who lived in and through those terrible times.

Won’t you help give these survivors the respect and dignity they deserve, as so many of them approach the end of their lives?

Won’t you join with Jewish Voice to bring healing and comfort to these dear people in their final years?

Your generous contribution right now will help these Jewish men and women know they have not been forgotten. You can help relieve the suffering for those who have known far too much suffering in the past.

If you can help right now, I want to send you one or more special gifts — as our way of saying thank you for your compassionate support:

• For your gift of any amount, you’ll receive our special Holocaust Remembrance Pin. Inscribed with the Hebrew word Yizkor (“Remember”), this metal pin will affirm your commitment to remember the millions who suffered and died at Nazi hands.
  
  The motif of budding life from barbed wire honors how the Jewish spirit transformed one of history’s greatest tragedies into one of its greatest miracles — the rebirth of the Nation of Israel in the Promised Land.

• For your gift of $30 or more, you’ll receive the Holocaust Remembrance Pin, plus the book Trapped in Hitler’s Hell. This book tells the story of Anita Dittman, who, as a little girl raised by a Jewish mother, came to believe in Yeshua just as Nazism took control of Europe. Anita had to fight for survival, even as she grew in her love for Yeshua. It’s an extraordinary account of courage and trust in the face of evil.

• For your gift of $60 or more, you’ll receive the Holocaust Remembrance Pin, the book Trapped in Hitler’s Hell, PLUS the DVD version of Trapped in Hitler’s Hell to make it easy to share this powerful story with your family and friends.

And you have one more special reason to respond now to help Jewish Holocaust survivors living in Israel . . .

Just a few days from now — from sundown on April 23, through sundown on April 24 — we’ll observe Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day. It’s the time every year when Jewish people, and we Believers in Yeshua who care about them, stop and remember the suffering and sacrifice of so many who died at the hands of the Nazis.

Won’t you join in this Yom HaShoah remembrance by sending the most generous gift you can right now to help suffering Holocaust survivors in Israel?

Donate Now 

We have a new look!

INTRODUCING: The new Jewish Voice Ministries website! 

We’re super excited for you to see the new JVMI website! Our web designers have been hard at work for many months to create a better web experience for you, and we think you’re going to like our new look. The new Jewish Voice Ministries website has so many features to make your visit with us easier, faster, and more enjoyable.

Here are just a few things you can look forward to:

Improved Readability

Our new layout provides a more visually pleasing browsing experience, and the clean, comfortably-sized fonts make content easier to read.

Dynamic Home Page Content

Now you’ll be able to see the latest JVMI news, articles, and outreach information, right on the home page in a news feed. No need to go clicking around the whole website to stay up-to-date. Just scroll down on the home page and all the latest JVMI info is right there for you.

Redesigned Navigation

Our simplified menus get straight to the point of what you want to do when you visit our website. Do you want to Watch, Read, Learn, Pray, Go, Shop, Donate, find out more About us and Ways To Give? Our main menu bar leads you right to the content you want about our television program, publications, learning about Messianic Judaism, outreaches, ways to pray and give, products, and more. Sub-menus help you zero in further.

Reorganized Content

The new website features reorganized content that has removed former “clutter” and redundant content.  Everything is sorted into simpler categories to help you locate the content you want the most. (See a quick reference guide below to help you find some of your favorite web pages.)

Powerful Search Functionality

We’ve amped up our search capabilities to produce better results for you, helping you find what you want faster and more easily.

Integrated Blog and Website

The new website is fully integrated with our blog so that your searches will produce more complete results. Now, when you search for a topic you want to know more about, you’ll get results from our web content and the blog, something that wasn’t possible with our old website.

Advanced Filtering

You’re really going to like this feature. Say, you want to watch a specific episode of our television program with Jonathan Cahn as our guest, but you don’t know when it aired. Or maybe you’d like to take a look at all shows when he was the featured guest. Now you can apply search filters to call up only those shows when he was the guest. Our old website didn’t have these advanced filtering capabilities, but with our new site, you can find just what you’re looking for in a snap.

Mobile Optimized

And of course, our new website is fully optimized to adapt to any of your mobile devices for easy reading and navigating. Watch television shows, learn more about Messianic Judaism, catch up on outreach field reports, shop, or donate to support your favorite program – all on the go wherever you are.

Visit our new website at www.jvmi.org and get acquainted with our new look. We think you’re going to love how fresh, clean, and easy it is.

Also, you are to eat it this way: with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand. You are to eat it in haste. It is Adonai’s Passover.

―Exodus 12:11

The Israelites were to make themselves ready for God’s deliverance of them. On the night of Passover, they were to eat their meal in haste, prepared to leave at any moment the Lord called them into their freedom. When it came time to go, they didn’t have time for their bread to rise but took it with them as it was, unleavened.

What a vivid picture their readiness is for our lives as Believers today. Several times in the New Covenant God instructs us to be ready.

Ready to explain to others the reason for the hope we have in God.

Instead, sanctify Messiah as Lord in your hearts. Always be ready to give an answer to anyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you

―1 Peter 3:15

Ready to share the Good News that Yeshua paid the price for our sin and set us free to eternal life.

Proclaim the word! Be ready to preach the word, when it’s convenient and when it’s not.

―2 Timothy 4:2

Ready for Yeshua’s return for us.

If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself that where I am, there you may be also.

―John 14:3

You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you don’t expect.

―Luke 12:40

Lord, thank You for all that You have done for me. You have delivered me from slavery to sin, and have freed me to abundant life, the protection of Your Lordship, and to freely worship You and walk in who You designed me to be. Because of Yeshua, I can know Your freely given love. Help me to live in readiness for You – ready to be used by You, to share with others the hope and good news You have given me. May I be ever ready for Your return when You will make our freedom complete!

Get the informative Passover Seder Plate Infographic!

Learn more about Passover, here: 

Yeshua, Our Passover Lamb – Passover Devotional 1

He Heard the Cry of Our Affliction – Passover Devotional 2

When I See the Blood – Passover Devotional 3

With Outstretched Arm – Passover Devotional 4

If God Had Not – Passover Devotional 5

Free Indeed – Passover Devotional 6

Freed to Serve A Good Master – Passover Devotional 7

Living Ready – Passover Devotional Day 8

Then Adonai said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and say to him: This is what Adonai says: ‘Let My people go, so they may serve Me.

―Exodus 7:26

When God called His people out of Egypt and into freedom, it wasn’t to a freedom without purpose or parameters. He called them to be a people unto Himself. No longer would they serve Pharaoh who did not have their best interest at heart. God called them into freedom through serving, following, and worshipping Him. They were to serve God who had promised to give them a land for themselves that was good and abundant.

True freedom is that which creates an environment for us to live fully as we were designed. We have been designed to know and worship God, who is the only One deserving of our praise and devotion. The apostle Paul wrote much about our freedom in Yeshua (Jesus) Messiah, yet he called himself His bondservant. Paul seemed to have a clear understanding that serving God is freedom.

But now, having been set free from sin and having become enslaved to God, you have your fruit resulting in holiness. And the outcome is eternal life.

―Romans 6:22

Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.

―Matthew 11:29-30

Father, thank You that You know what true freedom is for me. Thank You that in serving and worshiping You, I become free. Thank You for Your love. You are a good Master, and You have put the protection of Your Lordship over me. I will gladly serve You all the days of my life. I worship You, Yeshua. You are the perfect Lamb of God who purchased my freedom through Your death and resurrection.

Get the informative Passover Seder Plate Infographic!

Learn more about Passover, here: 

Yeshua, Our Passover Lamb – Passover Devotional 1

He Heard the Cry of Our Affliction – Passover Devotional 2

When I See the Blood – Passover Devotional 3

With Outstretched Arm – Passover Devotional 4

If God Had Not – Passover Devotional 5

Free Indeed – Passover Devotional 6

Freed to Serve A Good Master – Passover Devotional 7

Living Ready – Passover Devotional Day 8