A Heart for Israel November 2008

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

7 Article by Eugene Chua GOD’S MEGA CANVAS Introduction

Chapter 1: Looking at the Painting Alone

Chapter 2: Getting Help to Understand the Painting and the Painter

Chapter 3: Getting to Know the Garden and the Gardener

Chapter 4: The Gardener’s Helpers

Chapter 5: Watchmen for Israel

Chapter 6: Concluding Thoughts

20 Testimony by Goh Lay Kwan THE GOD I DIDN’T QUITE KNOW

22 Testimony by Caroline Fong A HEART LIKE HIS

24 Testimony by Philip Tan A CHANGE OF HEART

26 Testimony by Michele Soh ANSWERED PRAYERS… & PRAYERS TO BE ANSWERED

28 Testimony by Michelle Phua THE PROMISED LAND

CONCLUSION – AN ENDING OR A START?

Design by Joanne Chua

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

7 Article by Eugene Chua GOD’S MEGA CANVAS Introduction

Chapter 1: Looking at the Painting Alone

Chapter 2: Getting Help to Understand the Painting and the Painter

Chapter 3: Getting to Know the Garden and the Gardener

Chapter 4: The Gardener’s Helpers

Chapter 5: Watchmen for Israel

Chapter 6: Concluding Thoughts

20 Testimony by Goh Lay Kwan THE GOD I DIDN’T QUITE KNOW

22 Testimony by Caroline Fong A HEART LIKE HIS

24 Testimony by Philip Tan A CHANGE OF HEART

26 Testimony by Michele Soh ANSWERED PRAYERS… & PRAYERS TO BE ANSWERED

28 Testimony by Michelle Phua THE PROMISED LAND

CONCLUSION – AN ENDING OR A START?

Design by Joanne Chua

INTRODUCTION

On 6 November 2008, 5 girls and a boy went on a journey to Israel for 12 days. The pre-departure feeling was one of hesitation – Would this trip be too spiritual? Would there be time to shop? Time to chill? But above these all-important questions, we went to Israel with a hunger (spiritually, that is) for knowing more about this nation and understanding the significance of this place in our faith.

Our trip was organised with the Mt Carmel School of Ministry (SOM) – an equipping school based in Israel, whose key purpose is to reach out to the Jews with the love and grace of Yeshua, as well as to share this burden with every believer who needs to know the importance of this message. While in Israel, our eyes and hearts were opened to truths we never knew, to parts of the Bible we have never read, to places we never saw. And for 12 days, albeit short, we started seeing Israel and the Jews with a new heart.

We returned to Singapore challenged, provoked and stirred. Our desire is for you to make a trip to this land and pray that your life would be changed in a way you’d never imagined – just like it did ours.

But for now, the least we can do is to share with you our story. And so, this documents our journey – 5 girls and a boy, who now have A Heart for Israel.

INTRODUCTION

On 6 November 2008, 5 girls and a boy went on a journey to Israel for 12 days. The pre-departure feeling was one of hesitation – Would this trip be too spiritual? Would there be time to shop? Time to chill? But above these all-important questions, we went to Israel with a hunger (spiritually, that is) for knowing more about this nation and understanding the significance of this place in our faith.

Our trip was organised with the Mt Carmel School of Ministry (SOM) – an equipping school based in Israel, whose key purpose is to reach out to the Jews with the love and grace of Yeshua, as well as to share this burden with every believer who needs to know the importance of this message. While in Israel, our eyes and hearts were opened to truths we never knew, to parts of the Bible we have never read, to places we never saw. And for 12 days, albeit short, we started seeing Israel and the Jews with a new heart.

We returned to Singapore challenged, provoked and stirred. Our desire is for you to make a trip to this land and pray that your life would be changed in a way you’d never imagined – just like it did ours.

But for now, the least we can do is to share with you our story. And so, this documents our journey – 5 girls and a boy, who now have A Heart for Israel.

INTRODUCTION

One question I’ve been asked a lot these past few weeks upon my return from Israel is, ”So what has changed since you returned from attending Peter Tsukahira’s School of Ministry in Israel?”

Hmm…..where do I start….?

To begin with, I must qualify that upon returning from Israel, I have not become some kind of Middle East expert, or bible scholar. In fact, far from that, I’ve merely come to realize how little I know, how narrow my view, how limited my understanding. This is my small attempt to tell you the very little I’ve learnt, in order to get you started on your own journey to discovery about God’s strategy in our world today.

If I were to ask you what you knew about the Jews, both in the bible, world history, today and the future, what would you answer? Well, as much as I’ve heard snippets here and there about the Jews being God’s chosen people and how they were disobedient. I could never really connect the dots. I’ve been thinking ”these are the people who rejected God, have been disobedient to Him, and that’s why so much misfortune has befallen them”, while also thinking ”wow…but they are God’s chosen people, that’s why they have so many brilliant scientists and inventors, and so many wealthy people….” Such was my confusion.

Not only do I have a limited understanding of the Jews, I also often conveniently forget the relevance of the Jews in God’s plan, in my attempt to walk with Jesus. This perhaps may be due to my own ignorance, and lack of learning in this

area, thus not recalling to a great extent, teaching on the importance of the Jews and Israel. My experience has mostly been limited to my personal walk, trying to impact the local community, and attempting to reach out to those who don’t know Jesus [both within and outside our national border]. But, I realize now, that this is only the view from one of my eyes. I have 2 eyes, and the other should be focused on Israel, in order to appreciate God’s greater overall strategy.

How I hope to be able to share with you what I’ve experienced in Israel is by building on Peter Tsukahira’s analogy about revelation – where you go beyond just looking at a painting of a garden to experiencing it by literally walking in it for yourself.

Imagine going to an art gallery, you see this great big multi dimensional painting of a garden. You stare at the painting for the longest time alone, but you just can’t really appreciate what the painter was doing.

Now the actual painter comes along, and he explains to you what his purpose of the painting was, the historical context of the painting and all the other elements relating to the painting of the garden.

Now imagine, after that encounter with the painter, you go to the actual garden that was painted. Now you walk through it. You see the actual scene the painter saw, you smell what the painter smelled, you hear what the painter heard, you begin to experience what the painter experienced. It is at this point, that you experience revelation.

My prayer is that God will grant you revelation.

7 A HEART FOR ISRAEL > ARTICLE > EUGENE CHUA

GOD’S MEGA CANVASEugene Chua, 30, Singapore

”My prayer is that God will grant you revelation."

INTRODUCTION

One question I’ve been asked a lot these past few weeks upon my return from Israel is, ”So what has changed since you returned from attending Peter Tsukahira’s School of Ministry in Israel?”

Hmm…..where do I start….?

To begin with, I must qualify that upon returning from Israel, I have not become some kind of Middle East expert, or bible scholar. In fact, far from that, I’ve merely come to realize how little I know, how narrow my view, how limited my understanding. This is my small attempt to tell you the very little I’ve learnt, in order to get you started on your own journey to discovery about God’s strategy in our world today.

If I were to ask you what you knew about the Jews, both in the bible, world history, today and the future, what would you answer? Well, as much as I’ve heard snippets here and there about the Jews being God’s chosen people and how they were disobedient. I could never really connect the dots. I’ve been thinking ”these are the people who rejected God, have been disobedient to Him, and that’s why so much misfortune has befallen them”, while also thinking ”wow…but they are God’s chosen people, that’s why they have so many brilliant scientists and inventors, and so many wealthy people….” Such was my confusion.

Not only do I have a limited understanding of the Jews, I also often conveniently forget the relevance of the Jews in God’s plan, in my attempt to walk with Jesus. This perhaps may be due to my own ignorance, and lack of learning in this

area, thus not recalling to a great extent, teaching on the importance of the Jews and Israel. My experience has mostly been limited to my personal walk, trying to impact the local community, and attempting to reach out to those who don’t know Jesus [both within and outside our national border]. But, I realize now, that this is only the view from one of my eyes. I have 2 eyes, and the other should be focused on Israel, in order to appreciate God’s greater overall strategy.

How I hope to be able to share with you what I’ve experienced in Israel is by building on Peter Tsukahira’s analogy about revelation – where you go beyond just looking at a painting of a garden to experiencing it by literally walking in it for yourself.

Imagine going to an art gallery, you see this great big multi dimensional painting of a garden. You stare at the painting for the longest time alone, but you just can’t really appreciate what the painter was doing.

Now the actual painter comes along, and he explains to you what his purpose of the painting was, the historical context of the painting and all the other elements relating to the painting of the garden.

Now imagine, after that encounter with the painter, you go to the actual garden that was painted. Now you walk through it. You see the actual scene the painter saw, you smell what the painter smelled, you hear what the painter heard, you begin to experience what the painter experienced. It is at this point, that you experience revelation.

My prayer is that God will grant you revelation.

7 A HEART FOR ISRAEL > ARTICLE > EUGENE CHUA

GOD’S MEGA CANVASEugene Chua, 30, Singapore

”My prayer is that God will grant you revelation."

CHAPTER 1: LOOKING AT THE PAINTING ALONE

Looking at the tiny portrait of the Mona Lisa in the Lourve Museum in Paris, I couldn’t help but wonder to myself, what was all the hype about this painting by Leonardo Da Vinci. I had seen it twice already, at this very museum, but I still didn’t get it. Perhaps I should have done some studying into this famous work of art, maybe then, I would have a better understanding and share a greater appreciation for this Renaissance masterpiece.

Sometimes, our Christian walk seems dreadfully similar. We look at God’s painting of the world as we know it, brood over the state of the world and wonder if God really knows what He’s doing. Wars, genocide, erosion of morals, injustice, financial crisis… the list goes on.

Specific to Israel and the Middle East, the same thread of thinking perpetuates. What is God doing in Israel? Is God even doing anything? Israel, as a nation has not acknowledged their Saviour, Jesus Christ. The peace process is in shambles. Terrorism is gaining momentum. Innocent lives are lost.

In our lives, many share the same fears and doubts. What’s God’s purpose in my life? Why am I doing this? What’s going on? Why does God allow that to happen? While we sometimes look at God’s painting alone and feel absolutely discouraged that we lack understanding of what God’s big plan is for the world, our country, our community, our church, our lives, I want you to know that God is in

control, even if we don’t feel or think that He is. I can only say this because He has provided us with help to understand this through His word, the bible and His helpers – the other painters around us.

CHAPTER 2: GETTING HELP TO UNDERSTAND THE PAINTING AND THE PAINTER

I like to have the big picture. Complexed as they may be, and while not fully understanding them in their entirety, big pictures help me understand why I function in my small role as part of God’s big picture. Big pictures help me know why I do what I do.

Some of us try to find answers to God’s big, complexed picture. We do so by asking people, reading books, studying the bible and praying. But we still have the nagging feeling that we can’t really get a grip of what God is doing sometimes.

While God Himself is the original master-painter, He has many other painters who we might refer to as apprentices or disciples. These people are able to draw for us what God is doing from their experience and walk with God. Many biblical prophets have actually taken on the role of painters to help us understand God’s painting and His garden, and the importance of Israel in His garden.

Ezekial was one such prophet who painted a picture about the restoration of Israel which we have witnessed in our time! Ezekial 36: 22-24 says:

”Therefore, give the people of Israel this message from the Sovereign Lord: I am bringing you back, but not because you deserve it. I am doing it to protect my holy name, on which you brought shame while you were scattered among the nations. I will show how holy my great name is—the name on which you brought shame among the nations. And when I reveal my holiness through you before their very eyes, says the Sovereign Lord, then the nations will know that I am the Lord. For I will gather you up from all the nations and bring you home again to your land.”

Other biblical prophets like Isaiah paint for us important pictures about Israel’s future, for in Isaiah 62: 2-5, he says:

”…The nations will see your righteousness. World leaders will be blinded by your glory. And you will be given a new name by the Lord’s own mouth. The Lord will hold you in His hand for all to see—a splendid crown in the hand of God. Never again will you be called ”The Forsaken City” or ”The Desolate Land.” Your new name will be ”The City of God’s Delight” and ”The Bride of God,” for the Lord delights in you and will claim you as His bride. Your children will commit themselves to you, O Jerusalem, just as a young man commits himself to his bride. Then God will rejoice over you as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride.”

God has also blessed us with many New Testament disciples who have painted thought provoking paintings of God’s future for the nations and for Israel.

Paul for example, in his letter to the Romans in chapters 9-11 wrote about the importance of Israel. For example, in chapter 11, he said:

”I ask, then, has God rejected His own people, the nation of Israel? Of course not! I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham and a member of the tribe of Benjamin. No, God has not rejected His own people, whom He chose from the very beginning…Did God’s people stumble and fall beyond recovery? Of course not! They were disobedient, so God made salvation available to the Gentiles. But He wanted His own people to become jealous and claim it for themselves. Now if the Gentiles were enriched because the people of Israel turned down God’s offer of salvation, think how much greater a blessing the world will share when they finally accept it.” [Rom 11: 1-2, 11-12]

I must also say at this point, that God is blessing us immensely through His teachers of today. Our pastors, bible teachers and bible commentators are all instrumental in God’s purpose of getting us to experience revelation, especially in His word. The truth is, revelation can only come from God, but the instruments God uses to impart that teaching that leads to revelation, are so very important as part of God’s plan, and it is this thought that makes me appreciate the teachings of our pastors and preachers like Peter Tsukahira.

” We look at God’s painting of the world as we know it, brood over the state of the world and wonder if God really knows what He’s doing.”

8 A HEART FOR ISRAEL > ARTICLE > EUGENE CHUA

CHAPTER 1: LOOKING AT THE PAINTING ALONE

Looking at the tiny portrait of the Mona Lisa in the Lourve Museum in Paris, I couldn’t help but wonder to myself, what was all the hype about this painting by Leonardo Da Vinci. I had seen it twice already, at this very museum, but I still didn’t get it. Perhaps I should have done some studying into this famous work of art, maybe then, I would have a better understanding and share a greater appreciation for this Renaissance masterpiece.

Sometimes, our Christian walk seems dreadfully similar. We look at God’s painting of the world as we know it, brood over the state of the world and wonder if God really knows what He’s doing. Wars, genocide, erosion of morals, injustice, financial crisis… the list goes on.

Specific to Israel and the Middle East, the same thread of thinking perpetuates. What is God doing in Israel? Is God even doing anything? Israel, as a nation has not acknowledged their Saviour, Jesus Christ. The peace process is in shambles. Terrorism is gaining momentum. Innocent lives are lost.

In our lives, many share the same fears and doubts. What’s God’s purpose in my life? Why am I doing this? What’s going on? Why does God allow that to happen? While we sometimes look at God’s painting alone and feel absolutely discouraged that we lack understanding of what God’s big plan is for the world, our country, our community, our church, our lives, I want you to know that God is in

control, even if we don’t feel or think that He is. I can only say this because He has provided us with help to understand this through His word, the bible and His helpers – the other painters around us.

CHAPTER 2: GETTING HELP TO UNDERSTAND THE PAINTING AND THE PAINTER

I like to have the big picture. Complexed as they may be, and while not fully understanding them in their entirety, big pictures help me understand why I function in my small role as part of God’s big picture. Big pictures help me know why I do what I do.

Some of us try to find answers to God’s big, complexed picture. We do so by asking people, reading books, studying the bible and praying. But we still have the nagging feeling that we can’t really get a grip of what God is doing sometimes.

While God Himself is the original master-painter, He has many other painters who we might refer to as apprentices or disciples. These people are able to draw for us what God is doing from their experience and walk with God. Many biblical prophets have actually taken on the role of painters to help us understand God’s painting and His garden, and the importance of Israel in His garden.

Ezekial was one such prophet who painted a picture about the restoration of Israel which we have witnessed in our time! Ezekial 36: 22-24 says:

”Therefore, give the people of Israel this message from the Sovereign Lord: I am bringing you back, but not because you deserve it. I am doing it to protect my holy name, on which you brought shame while you were scattered among the nations. I will show how holy my great name is—the name on which you brought shame among the nations. And when I reveal my holiness through you before their very eyes, says the Sovereign Lord, then the nations will know that I am the Lord. For I will gather you up from all the nations and bring you home again to your land.”

Other biblical prophets like Isaiah paint for us important pictures about Israel’s future, for in Isaiah 62: 2-5, he says:

”…The nations will see your righteousness. World leaders will be blinded by your glory. And you will be given a new name by the Lord’s own mouth. The Lord will hold you in His hand for all to see—a splendid crown in the hand of God. Never again will you be called ”The Forsaken City” or ”The Desolate Land.” Your new name will be ”The City of God’s Delight” and ”The Bride of God,” for the Lord delights in you and will claim you as His bride. Your children will commit themselves to you, O Jerusalem, just as a young man commits himself to his bride. Then God will rejoice over you as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride.”

God has also blessed us with many New Testament disciples who have painted thought provoking paintings of God’s future for the nations and for Israel.

Paul for example, in his letter to the Romans in chapters 9-11 wrote about the importance of Israel. For example, in chapter 11, he said:

”I ask, then, has God rejected His own people, the nation of Israel? Of course not! I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham and a member of the tribe of Benjamin. No, God has not rejected His own people, whom He chose from the very beginning…Did God’s people stumble and fall beyond recovery? Of course not! They were disobedient, so God made salvation available to the Gentiles. But He wanted His own people to become jealous and claim it for themselves. Now if the Gentiles were enriched because the people of Israel turned down God’s offer of salvation, think how much greater a blessing the world will share when they finally accept it.” [Rom 11: 1-2, 11-12]

I must also say at this point, that God is blessing us immensely through His teachers of today. Our pastors, bible teachers and bible commentators are all instrumental in God’s purpose of getting us to experience revelation, especially in His word. The truth is, revelation can only come from God, but the instruments God uses to impart that teaching that leads to revelation, are so very important as part of God’s plan, and it is this thought that makes me appreciate the teachings of our pastors and preachers like Peter Tsukahira.

” We look at God’s painting of the world as we know it, brood over the state of the world and wonder if God really knows what He’s doing.”

8 A HEART FOR ISRAEL > ARTICLE > EUGENE CHUA

”Ultimately, the goal of God’s painters is to help us understand and appreciate God’s garden. But a key ingredient to that is – REVELATION...”

A HEART FOR ISRAEL > ARTICLE > EUGENE CHUA

CHAPTER 3: GETTING TO KNOW THE GARDEN AND THE GARDENER

Ultimately, the goal of God’s painters is to help us understand and appreciate God’s garden. But a key ingredient to that is – REVELATION, which I had mentioned earlier, can only come from God.

The way revelation was described to me by Peter Tsukahira is, ”You move from looking at the painting, to being in the painting. You move from appreciating the garden from the outside, to experiencing what it’s like being in the garden.” Suddenly, you understand what God is doing [note the use of the progressive tense] in our world. This is no longer just about what He had done, it’s about what He is doing! Things that happen in our daily lives, which we read about in the newspapers suddenly have a spiritual significance!

Let me give you some examples. As a History teacher, I’m supposed to teach about events such as the Holocaust as well as the Middle East Conflict. I’ve never taught these topics with much spiritual revelation really, merely a worldly, historical description, bordering on an analysis of what had happened and why. While in Israel, our tour guide, Hannah said this about the Holocaust, ”The Holocaust was Satan’s attempt to destroy the Jews so that God’s promises to the Jews in the bible would have been broken – an attempt at making God look like a liar…This was a war of hatred against God.” In all my years of teaching everything about the Holocaust, I never saw that specific spiritual aspect of the Holocaust or the creation of the modern state of Israel. I received REVELATION. I understood part of God’s mega

canvas. I walked in the garden. And in the same way, Joseph said in Genesis 50:20, ”…you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result…”, God used this catastrophe to pave the way for the political restoration of the nation of Israel in 1948 – something that had never happened in the past 2000 years, since the division of Israel after Solomon’s reign.

I also teach global terrorism as part of the History syllabus, which now very much focuses on the jihad being waged by Islamic Fundamentalists. Without much spiritual understanding of this, God has revealed through Peter Tsukahira’s teaching on the identity and destiny of Islam. I wish I could properly tell you what this is about, but I think Peter’s book ”God’s Tsunami” does a much better job of it.

Ultimately, what this has led to for me, personally, is that while I see the unstable and destructive chain of events unraveling in the Middle East and the world, and I’m tempted to fall into the trap of despair with regards to the affairs of the world, I now, instead, begin to understand that while man may try to manipulate and alter the events of this world for whatever purpose, God’s ultimate sovereignty endures! This trickles down to my own personal life as well – If God is the God of Israel and all nations, He is certainly also the God of my life and is most certainly looking out for me!

I’ve entered the garden of Revelation. I am slowly experiencing what it means to have my spiritual eyes open, and to see and appreciate what God is doing in our world and our lives today. May God reveal to you His plans as well, may He grant you Revelation.

10

”Ultimately, the goal of God’s painters is to help us understand and appreciate God’s garden. But a key ingredient to that is – REVELATION...”

A HEART FOR ISRAEL > ARTICLE > EUGENE CHUA

CHAPTER 3: GETTING TO KNOW THE GARDEN AND THE GARDENER

Ultimately, the goal of God’s painters is to help us understand and appreciate God’s garden. But a key ingredient to that is – REVELATION, which I had mentioned earlier, can only come from God.

The way revelation was described to me by Peter Tsukahira is, ”You move from looking at the painting, to being in the painting. You move from appreciating the garden from the outside, to experiencing what it’s like being in the garden.” Suddenly, you understand what God is doing [note the use of the progressive tense] in our world. This is no longer just about what He had done, it’s about what He is doing! Things that happen in our daily lives, which we read about in the newspapers suddenly have a spiritual significance!

Let me give you some examples. As a History teacher, I’m supposed to teach about events such as the Holocaust as well as the Middle East Conflict. I’ve never taught these topics with much spiritual revelation really, merely a worldly, historical description, bordering on an analysis of what had happened and why. While in Israel, our tour guide, Hannah said this about the Holocaust, ”The Holocaust was Satan’s attempt to destroy the Jews so that God’s promises to the Jews in the bible would have been broken – an attempt at making God look like a liar…This was a war of hatred against God.” In all my years of teaching everything about the Holocaust, I never saw that specific spiritual aspect of the Holocaust or the creation of the modern state of Israel. I received REVELATION. I understood part of God’s mega

canvas. I walked in the garden. And in the same way, Joseph said in Genesis 50:20, ”…you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result…”, God used this catastrophe to pave the way for the political restoration of the nation of Israel in 1948 – something that had never happened in the past 2000 years, since the division of Israel after Solomon’s reign.

I also teach global terrorism as part of the History syllabus, which now very much focuses on the jihad being waged by Islamic Fundamentalists. Without much spiritual understanding of this, God has revealed through Peter Tsukahira’s teaching on the identity and destiny of Islam. I wish I could properly tell you what this is about, but I think Peter’s book ”God’s Tsunami” does a much better job of it.

Ultimately, what this has led to for me, personally, is that while I see the unstable and destructive chain of events unraveling in the Middle East and the world, and I’m tempted to fall into the trap of despair with regards to the affairs of the world, I now, instead, begin to understand that while man may try to manipulate and alter the events of this world for whatever purpose, God’s ultimate sovereignty endures! This trickles down to my own personal life as well – If God is the God of Israel and all nations, He is certainly also the God of my life and is most certainly looking out for me!

I’ve entered the garden of Revelation. I am slowly experiencing what it means to have my spiritual eyes open, and to see and appreciate what God is doing in our world and our lives today. May God reveal to you His plans as well, may He grant you Revelation.

10

A HEART FOR ISRAEL > ARTICLE > EUGENE CHUA

Mount Carmel School of MinistryThis was what we attended in Israel. The purpose of this course is to provide an intensive and life changing learning experience in the Land of Israel. It certainly achieved both purposes beyond anything we had expected!

During our stay in Israel, every opportunity was taken to teach the prophetic significance of modern Israel and to impart a vision of the Bible coming to life in our own times. Now, as I read the bible, God really reveals to me what He meant then, and what He means now. That happened, thanks to the teaching we received at SOM, and also thanks to God’s graciousness in giving us revelation.

We also had the chance to interact and learn from our fellowship with Messianic Jews and Arab Christians as well as participants from other nations. There were also opportunities to learn new songs, especially Hebrew language worship songs. And coming from someone who before this trip, thought ”I don’t like Jewish music, it’s so uncool…” I most certainly have been blessed by the worship! I now have 2 favourite Jewish choruses, ”Baruch Haba B’shem Adonai and Hodu L’Adonai”, that I sing often because of the power of those simple phrases and what they mean to God, and to me.

As Singaporeans, food is a quintessential part of our lives, and the meals, which included local Middle Eastern specialties certainly did not disappoint! After attending this course, I would, without a doubt, recommend that every Christian who is serious about knowing God’s masterplan, attend the course.

Sign Up at: http://mountcarmelsom.com/

New Covenant ChurchThis is a body of Arab believers from Mt. Carmel, Haifa. The church started with 3 couples in a home meeting in January 2003 and now, by the grace and provision of God, has its own builidng to worship God in.

Led by Pastor Yousef Dakwar, their vision is to proclaim the message of reconciliation to their families, in their neighborhoods and to the world. They face great opposition to the gospel of Christ in the land, both from Jews and Arabs and they are praying for reconciliation to God and to their brothers. There is also the ”One New Man” Ministry. [Ephesians 2:14-16] where the goal is to model a people transformed by Christ – no longer separated from their

neighbors by a wall of hostility, but reconciled to God and their brothers. Sons of Isaac and Ishmael, formerly bitter rivals, now reconciled as one new man in Christ!

Pastor Yousef’s church also has internet television and radio programmes being broadcast into Arab nations! The goal of these programmes is to bring a fresh presentation of the Gospel of Jesus to the Arabic-speaking world and to empower and encourage people with the Word of God in the Middle East and beyond. Through the creative use of contemporary media, with the Spirit’s enabling, they desire to see the water of life flowing into the dry and thirsty places of the world. God is using today’s technology to impact the young and spiritually restless populations in the Arab world. In many cases he is using them to deliver His word to the isolated, resistant, and needy, allowing them to cross hostile borders and overcome spiritual barriers.

See for yourself, go to: http://www.haifancc.org/crossmedia/home.html

King of Kings CommunityThis is a body of believers who worship in Jerusalem. [Notice I don't use the term ”church”. Jews who believe in Yeshua [Jesus] in Israel try to avoid using terms like Christian, Church and Missionary because of the often negative reaction they get from Jews when such terms are used. Furthermore, due to the extremely negative experience of Jews to the Church, Christians and the Crusades throughout history, many Jews are immediately turned off by the use of these Christian terms. It’s a long story, which hopefully one day I can share more on].

King of Kings Community is called to be a compelling, Messiah-centered, Spirit-empowered, disciple-making community that reveals the true face of Yeshua [Jesus] to Israel and to the nations. They worship at an auditorium called The Pavillion, which God most graciously has provided for, and they also have a Prayer Tower on the 14th floor of the building with a 360 degree view of Jerusalem, which is used for prayer of course! The Jerusalem Pavilion Prayer Tower is becoming a place of devoted Prayer without ceasing [Isaiah 62:7, 1. Tim. 5:17] until all Israel is saved [Rom. 11:26] and unending Worship [Psalms 27:4] in preparation for the day, when He makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth [Isaiah 62:7].

Learn more at: http://www.kkcj.org/

CHAPTER 4: THE GARDENER’S HELPERS

First of all, I must say that there are many of God’s helpers out there doing God’s work faithfully that I don’t know of. But what I want to share is what God has allowed me to discover so far in Israel.

House of Victory”Beit Nitzachon” in Hebrew, House of Victory is located in the city of Haifa on Mount Carmel. It was founded by David and Karen Davis in 1991 after the first Gulf War with the vision of the ”one new man” in the Messiah, described in Ephesians 2:14-16. This was Israel’s first Bible-based rehabilitation center which is now led by Eric Benson.

On one of the nights, we visited the House of Victory and were moved to hear many stories by both Jews and Arabs who had been delivered from life-controlling problems of drug abuse and alcoholism, and have found new life through the word of God and the power of the Holy Spirit. Through the programme at the House of Victory, marriages and families were restored and many of the graduates of the House of Victory are now leading productive lives, and some are also ministering to other afflicted individuals in Israel.

Want to know more about them? Go to: http://carmel-assembly.org.il/hov.html

Mount Carmel AssemblyKehilat HaCarmel [Carmel Assembly] is a Messianic congregation that began on Mount Carmel, Israel in 1991. Jews, Arabs and other Gentiles worship together and are building a caring community of reconciliation, faith and service.

The work of the congregation encompasses weekly worship and prayer services, both of which we had the privilege to attend and be blessed! They also have youth meetings and Shabbat school for younger children, as well as home groups for Hebrew, English, Russian, and Arabic speakers.

To find out more, type in your internet browser: http://carmel-assembly.org.il/

12

A HEART FOR ISRAEL > ARTICLE > EUGENE CHUA

Mount Carmel School of MinistryThis was what we attended in Israel. The purpose of this course is to provide an intensive and life changing learning experience in the Land of Israel. It certainly achieved both purposes beyond anything we had expected!

During our stay in Israel, every opportunity was taken to teach the prophetic significance of modern Israel and to impart a vision of the Bible coming to life in our own times. Now, as I read the bible, God really reveals to me what He meant then, and what He means now. That happened, thanks to the teaching we received at SOM, and also thanks to God’s graciousness in giving us revelation.

We also had the chance to interact and learn from our fellowship with Messianic Jews and Arab Christians as well as participants from other nations. There were also opportunities to learn new songs, especially Hebrew language worship songs. And coming from someone who before this trip, thought ”I don’t like Jewish music, it’s so uncool…” I most certainly have been blessed by the worship! I now have 2 favourite Jewish choruses, ”Baruch Haba B’shem Adonai and Hodu L’Adonai”, that I sing often because of the power of those simple phrases and what they mean to God, and to me.

As Singaporeans, food is a quintessential part of our lives, and the meals, which included local Middle Eastern specialties certainly did not disappoint! After attending this course, I would, without a doubt, recommend that every Christian who is serious about knowing God’s masterplan, attend the course.

Sign Up at: http://mountcarmelsom.com/

New Covenant ChurchThis is a body of Arab believers from Mt. Carmel, Haifa. The church started with 3 couples in a home meeting in January 2003 and now, by the grace and provision of God, has its own builidng to worship God in.

Led by Pastor Yousef Dakwar, their vision is to proclaim the message of reconciliation to their families, in their neighborhoods and to the world. They face great opposition to the gospel of Christ in the land, both from Jews and Arabs and they are praying for reconciliation to God and to their brothers. There is also the ”One New Man” Ministry. [Ephesians 2:14-16] where the goal is to model a people transformed by Christ – no longer separated from their

neighbors by a wall of hostility, but reconciled to God and their brothers. Sons of Isaac and Ishmael, formerly bitter rivals, now reconciled as one new man in Christ!

Pastor Yousef’s church also has internet television and radio programmes being broadcast into Arab nations! The goal of these programmes is to bring a fresh presentation of the Gospel of Jesus to the Arabic-speaking world and to empower and encourage people with the Word of God in the Middle East and beyond. Through the creative use of contemporary media, with the Spirit’s enabling, they desire to see the water of life flowing into the dry and thirsty places of the world. God is using today’s technology to impact the young and spiritually restless populations in the Arab world. In many cases he is using them to deliver His word to the isolated, resistant, and needy, allowing them to cross hostile borders and overcome spiritual barriers.

See for yourself, go to: http://www.haifancc.org/crossmedia/home.html

King of Kings CommunityThis is a body of believers who worship in Jerusalem. [Notice I don't use the term ”church”. Jews who believe in Yeshua [Jesus] in Israel try to avoid using terms like Christian, Church and Missionary because of the often negative reaction they get from Jews when such terms are used. Furthermore, due to the extremely negative experience of Jews to the Church, Christians and the Crusades throughout history, many Jews are immediately turned off by the use of these Christian terms. It’s a long story, which hopefully one day I can share more on].

King of Kings Community is called to be a compelling, Messiah-centered, Spirit-empowered, disciple-making community that reveals the true face of Yeshua [Jesus] to Israel and to the nations. They worship at an auditorium called The Pavillion, which God most graciously has provided for, and they also have a Prayer Tower on the 14th floor of the building with a 360 degree view of Jerusalem, which is used for prayer of course! The Jerusalem Pavilion Prayer Tower is becoming a place of devoted Prayer without ceasing [Isaiah 62:7, 1. Tim. 5:17] until all Israel is saved [Rom. 11:26] and unending Worship [Psalms 27:4] in preparation for the day, when He makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth [Isaiah 62:7].

Learn more at: http://www.kkcj.org/

CHAPTER 4: THE GARDENER’S HELPERS

First of all, I must say that there are many of God’s helpers out there doing God’s work faithfully that I don’t know of. But what I want to share is what God has allowed me to discover so far in Israel.

House of Victory”Beit Nitzachon” in Hebrew, House of Victory is located in the city of Haifa on Mount Carmel. It was founded by David and Karen Davis in 1991 after the first Gulf War with the vision of the ”one new man” in the Messiah, described in Ephesians 2:14-16. This was Israel’s first Bible-based rehabilitation center which is now led by Eric Benson.

On one of the nights, we visited the House of Victory and were moved to hear many stories by both Jews and Arabs who had been delivered from life-controlling problems of drug abuse and alcoholism, and have found new life through the word of God and the power of the Holy Spirit. Through the programme at the House of Victory, marriages and families were restored and many of the graduates of the House of Victory are now leading productive lives, and some are also ministering to other afflicted individuals in Israel.

Want to know more about them? Go to: http://carmel-assembly.org.il/hov.html

Mount Carmel AssemblyKehilat HaCarmel [Carmel Assembly] is a Messianic congregation that began on Mount Carmel, Israel in 1991. Jews, Arabs and other Gentiles worship together and are building a caring community of reconciliation, faith and service.

The work of the congregation encompasses weekly worship and prayer services, both of which we had the privilege to attend and be blessed! They also have youth meetings and Shabbat school for younger children, as well as home groups for Hebrew, English, Russian, and Arabic speakers.

To find out more, type in your internet browser: http://carmel-assembly.org.il/

12

A HEART FOR ISRAEL > ARTICLE > EUGENE CHUA15

”We need to have one eye on Israel, and the other on the Nations. What happens in Israel affects the Nations, and likewise, what happens to the Nations, will affect Israel (Romans 11).”

CHAPTER 5: WATCHMEN FOR ISRAEL

Imagine God’s painting of the garden is made into a massive 1,000,000 piece jigsaw puzzle. What’s your piece of the puzzle?

Our eyes need to focus on 2 areas. We need to have one eye on Israel, and the other on the Nations. What happens in Israel affects the Nations, and likewise, what happens to the Nations, will affect Israel [Romans 11]. Furthermore, one great end time prophesy we need to look out for is found in Matt 24:14, ”And the Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nations [including China, India, South East Asia, the Middle East, and Israel] will hear it; and then the end will come.”

PrayI believe that the most important thing we need to do is to pray for Israel and the Nations. After being there, I realize there’s so much to pray for. We need to pray that the prophecies for Israel and the world will be fulfilled such as the one Jesus said, ”You will not see me again until you say, ”Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord”” [Matthew 23:39]. The work that Peter Tsukahira and the rest of the messianic believers in Israel do is massive and hard. They too, desperately need our prayers. At the prayer session in the Prayer Tower– Jerusalem, God put in my heart Isaiah 40:26-31:

”Look up into the heavens. Who created all the stars? He brings them out like an army, one after another, calling each by its name. Because of His great power O Jacob, how can you say the Lord does not see your troubles? O Israel, how can you say God ignores your rights? Have you never heard? Have you never understood? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth. He never grows weak or weary. No one can measure the depths of His understanding. He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless. Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion. But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.”

Israel, believers and non-believers need our prayers.

While at the prayer meeting in Or HaCarmel, entitled ”Harps and Bowls” which is a reference to Rev 5:8, ”And when he took the scroll, the four living beings and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp, and they held gold bowls filled with incense, which are the prayers of God’s people.”, God revealed to me that because of the difficult circumstances of believers in Israel, their worship [referring to the harp in verse 8] was genuine, even though in our Singaporean eyes, it was not polished, and their prayers [referring to the bowl in verse 8] were desperate prayers. It is with such hearts, that God listens.

During the trip, we had the opportunity to have Peter Tsukahira at our dinner table and part of our dinner conversation centred around the churches of Singapore and its calling. Singapore believers, unlike messianic believers who face persecution regularly in Israel, have a much more comfortable situation. God has indeed blessed the nation not only with peace but prosperity and perhaps it is because of this idyllic situation that has caused us to become rather complacent, to the point where sometimes it feels like our prayer meetings are almost dead and our worship, while polished, is hollow.

Perhaps it’s time for us to take this blessing which churches in Singapore have received and really use it to further the Kingdom of God in the poorer nations of South East Asia in a big way [so that ”the end may come” – Matt 24:14], rather than being ever so often, caught up with local church growth – endeavoring to become mega-churches with 5 figure church memberships and million dollar church bank accounts. My fear is that if our nation’s churches do not fulfill God’s calling, we run the risk of being, like what Jesus said when he encountered the rich man in Matthew 19:23-24 – finding it harder to enter the Kingdom of God than for a camel to go through the eye of a needle. Perhaps also, we in Singapore really need to re-evaluate our worship to God, whether we worship in spirit and in truth, and whether our prayers are those born out of desperation and hunger to see God’s hand move in our world.

A HEART FOR ISRAEL > ARTICLE > EUGENE CHUA15

”We need to have one eye on Israel, and the other on the Nations. What happens in Israel affects the Nations, and likewise, what happens to the Nations, will affect Israel (Romans 11).”

CHAPTER 5: WATCHMEN FOR ISRAEL

Imagine God’s painting of the garden is made into a massive 1,000,000 piece jigsaw puzzle. What’s your piece of the puzzle?

Our eyes need to focus on 2 areas. We need to have one eye on Israel, and the other on the Nations. What happens in Israel affects the Nations, and likewise, what happens to the Nations, will affect Israel [Romans 11]. Furthermore, one great end time prophesy we need to look out for is found in Matt 24:14, ”And the Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nations [including China, India, South East Asia, the Middle East, and Israel] will hear it; and then the end will come.”

PrayI believe that the most important thing we need to do is to pray for Israel and the Nations. After being there, I realize there’s so much to pray for. We need to pray that the prophecies for Israel and the world will be fulfilled such as the one Jesus said, ”You will not see me again until you say, ”Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord”” [Matthew 23:39]. The work that Peter Tsukahira and the rest of the messianic believers in Israel do is massive and hard. They too, desperately need our prayers. At the prayer session in the Prayer Tower– Jerusalem, God put in my heart Isaiah 40:26-31:

”Look up into the heavens. Who created all the stars? He brings them out like an army, one after another, calling each by its name. Because of His great power O Jacob, how can you say the Lord does not see your troubles? O Israel, how can you say God ignores your rights? Have you never heard? Have you never understood? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth. He never grows weak or weary. No one can measure the depths of His understanding. He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless. Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion. But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.”

Israel, believers and non-believers need our prayers.

While at the prayer meeting in Or HaCarmel, entitled ”Harps and Bowls” which is a reference to Rev 5:8, ”And when he took the scroll, the four living beings and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp, and they held gold bowls filled with incense, which are the prayers of God’s people.”, God revealed to me that because of the difficult circumstances of believers in Israel, their worship [referring to the harp in verse 8] was genuine, even though in our Singaporean eyes, it was not polished, and their prayers [referring to the bowl in verse 8] were desperate prayers. It is with such hearts, that God listens.

During the trip, we had the opportunity to have Peter Tsukahira at our dinner table and part of our dinner conversation centred around the churches of Singapore and its calling. Singapore believers, unlike messianic believers who face persecution regularly in Israel, have a much more comfortable situation. God has indeed blessed the nation not only with peace but prosperity and perhaps it is because of this idyllic situation that has caused us to become rather complacent, to the point where sometimes it feels like our prayer meetings are almost dead and our worship, while polished, is hollow.

Perhaps it’s time for us to take this blessing which churches in Singapore have received and really use it to further the Kingdom of God in the poorer nations of South East Asia in a big way [so that ”the end may come” – Matt 24:14], rather than being ever so often, caught up with local church growth – endeavoring to become mega-churches with 5 figure church memberships and million dollar church bank accounts. My fear is that if our nation’s churches do not fulfill God’s calling, we run the risk of being, like what Jesus said when he encountered the rich man in Matthew 19:23-24 – finding it harder to enter the Kingdom of God than for a camel to go through the eye of a needle. Perhaps also, we in Singapore really need to re-evaluate our worship to God, whether we worship in spirit and in truth, and whether our prayers are those born out of desperation and hunger to see God’s hand move in our world.

”Pastor Yousef was relating an incident where he came to know about an Arab in one of the Middle East nations, who experienced a conversion moment when he had a visitation from Jesus. Pastor Yousef said that he asked God why he had never received such a vivid visitation from Jesus, the reply he got was, ”I appear because you disappear”. ” Study

I’ve been convicted on this trip that I know very little about God, His plan and the bible. As a result of that, since I came back, I’ve started reading. First and foremost, read the bible PRODUCTIVELY. In Israel, God, through SOM, opened my eyes as to how to read the bible in context, referring to the cross references between the Old and New Testament. It really makes a difference to our understanding! I’ve also found the maps in the study bible immensely helpful!

As a History teacher, I read academic books on stuff that’s been happening in our modern world. They are useful in understanding the current situation in Israel. With the help of Peter Tsukahira, I’ve got a few authors and books that might help:

– Alan Dershowitz, ”The Case for Israel”– Michael Oren, ”Power, Faith & Fantasy”– Chaim Herzog and Shlom Gazit, ”Arab Israeli Wars”

If you want to spruce up your Biblical History so that you can connect the dots better as you read the bible, you may also want to read up works by:

– Josephus Flavius, a first century Jew who survived and recorded the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70]. His works give insight into first-century Judaism. Josephus’s two most important works are "The Jewish War" which recounts the Jewish revolt against Rome [66-70] and "Antiquities of the Jews" which recounts the history of the world from a Jewish perspective. These works provide valuable insight into the background of first century Judaism and early Christianity. Next, if you want to understand God’s end time prophecy, you may want to read some of these books. What I really like about Peter Tsukahira’s books is that they are based more on interpreting the Bible and history than on mere conjecture, thus better connecting the dots for me:

– Peter Tsukahira, ”God’s Tsunami”– Peter Tsukahira, ”My Father’s Kingdom”– David Davis, ”The Elijah Legacy”– Derek Prince, ”Our Debt to Israel”– C.H Spurgeon, ”The Restoration and Conversion of the Jews”

Become WatchmenIn order to pray effectively for Israel, we also need to know what’s going on in Israel. Interestingly, keeping up with current affairs really helps us keep in tune with what’s happening in our world, and interpret spiritually, with the help of the Holy Spirit. Reading up on what is happening to Israel and the Nations, I believe, is really important too. As a word of caution, if you do embark on this, it’s important to be judicious and careful in believing what you read. The way the world media is going now, there is much unfair criticism heaped upon Israel on what is happening in the Gaza Strip, West Bank, the Palestinians and the Middle East nations.

A good mix of news sources may help you get a more balanced picture. And it is at this point that I suggest that you may want to read the Jerusalem Post.

ServingDuring our visit to the New Covenant Church [Arab Church] in Haifa, Pastor Yousef was relating an incident where he came to know about an Arab in one of the Middle East nations, who experienced a conversion moment when he had a visitation from Jesus. Pastor Yousef said that he asked God why he had never received such a vivid visitation from Jesus, the reply he got was, ”I appear because you disappear”.

I don’t know what’s your piece of the puzzle in God’s mega-canvas jigsaw puzzle. All I know in my heart is, I don’t want to disappear, after having experienced Israel, and made connections with the people there. My heart says that while I cannot be there to serve alongside them in the long term, I want to still be able to support them in whatever way I can, financially, spiritually and by spreading the word about what God is doing with Arab and Jewish believers in Israel and the Arab nations.

Earlier on, I also mentioned that while we have one eye on Israel, the other needs to be watching the nations. I also said that Singapore needs to fulfill God’s call to be a blessing to the nations in Asia, and I honestly believe the churches in Singapore need to take a great leap forward in this aspect and really move in missions to Asian nations. This is something I personally want to be able to contribute to, and I hope you will join me in exploring what God has ordained as your piece of the puzzle.

16 A HEART FOR ISRAEL > ARTICLE > EUGENE CHUA

”Pastor Yousef was relating an incident where he came to know about an Arab in one of the Middle East nations, who experienced a conversion moment when he had a visitation from Jesus. Pastor Yousef said that he asked God why he had never received such a vivid visitation from Jesus, the reply he got was, ”I appear because you disappear”. ” Study

I’ve been convicted on this trip that I know very little about God, His plan and the bible. As a result of that, since I came back, I’ve started reading. First and foremost, read the bible PRODUCTIVELY. In Israel, God, through SOM, opened my eyes as to how to read the bible in context, referring to the cross references between the Old and New Testament. It really makes a difference to our understanding! I’ve also found the maps in the study bible immensely helpful!

As a History teacher, I read academic books on stuff that’s been happening in our modern world. They are useful in understanding the current situation in Israel. With the help of Peter Tsukahira, I’ve got a few authors and books that might help:

– Alan Dershowitz, ”The Case for Israel”– Michael Oren, ”Power, Faith & Fantasy”– Chaim Herzog and Shlom Gazit, ”Arab Israeli Wars”

If you want to spruce up your Biblical History so that you can connect the dots better as you read the bible, you may also want to read up works by:

– Josephus Flavius, a first century Jew who survived and recorded the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70]. His works give insight into first-century Judaism. Josephus’s two most important works are "The Jewish War" which recounts the Jewish revolt against Rome [66-70] and "Antiquities of the Jews" which recounts the history of the world from a Jewish perspective. These works provide valuable insight into the background of first century Judaism and early Christianity. Next, if you want to understand God’s end time prophecy, you may want to read some of these books. What I really like about Peter Tsukahira’s books is that they are based more on interpreting the Bible and history than on mere conjecture, thus better connecting the dots for me:

– Peter Tsukahira, ”God’s Tsunami”– Peter Tsukahira, ”My Father’s Kingdom”– David Davis, ”The Elijah Legacy”– Derek Prince, ”Our Debt to Israel”– C.H Spurgeon, ”The Restoration and Conversion of the Jews”

Become WatchmenIn order to pray effectively for Israel, we also need to know what’s going on in Israel. Interestingly, keeping up with current affairs really helps us keep in tune with what’s happening in our world, and interpret spiritually, with the help of the Holy Spirit. Reading up on what is happening to Israel and the Nations, I believe, is really important too. As a word of caution, if you do embark on this, it’s important to be judicious and careful in believing what you read. The way the world media is going now, there is much unfair criticism heaped upon Israel on what is happening in the Gaza Strip, West Bank, the Palestinians and the Middle East nations.

A good mix of news sources may help you get a more balanced picture. And it is at this point that I suggest that you may want to read the Jerusalem Post.

ServingDuring our visit to the New Covenant Church [Arab Church] in Haifa, Pastor Yousef was relating an incident where he came to know about an Arab in one of the Middle East nations, who experienced a conversion moment when he had a visitation from Jesus. Pastor Yousef said that he asked God why he had never received such a vivid visitation from Jesus, the reply he got was, ”I appear because you disappear”.

I don’t know what’s your piece of the puzzle in God’s mega-canvas jigsaw puzzle. All I know in my heart is, I don’t want to disappear, after having experienced Israel, and made connections with the people there. My heart says that while I cannot be there to serve alongside them in the long term, I want to still be able to support them in whatever way I can, financially, spiritually and by spreading the word about what God is doing with Arab and Jewish believers in Israel and the Arab nations.

Earlier on, I also mentioned that while we have one eye on Israel, the other needs to be watching the nations. I also said that Singapore needs to fulfill God’s call to be a blessing to the nations in Asia, and I honestly believe the churches in Singapore need to take a great leap forward in this aspect and really move in missions to Asian nations. This is something I personally want to be able to contribute to, and I hope you will join me in exploring what God has ordained as your piece of the puzzle.

16 A HEART FOR ISRAEL > ARTICLE > EUGENE CHUA

"I believe in order to have a personal spiritual future, I need to pay attention to the biblical past."

......

… I actually wanted to end this rather long piece of writing at the full stop [.] of the last paragraph. But I somehow sensed that I needed to share one last thing that is deeply troubling me. It is with much fear and discomfort that I feel the need to deal with this. One thing that was evident throughout SOM was that many people [myself included] claiming to follow Christ and professing to be Christians either don’t know about Israel, don’t care about Israel, or believe that the covenant that God made with Israel has been broken because of the disobedience and hardened hearts of the Jews. Thus, you will find quite a bit of debate about the broken covenant with Israel, being replaced by the new covenant with Christians. [Such teaching is widely known as ’Replacement Theology]

While putting this entire SOM Experience "Package" together, we tried to think of ”human” ways to make people understand the calling of Israel, to make people feel what we feel. Truth is, I realize we can’t really do that. While we can – just as Peter Tsukahira does – share the heart for Israel with people, there will be many who will react with skepticism, even opposition to this teaching. Others may simply think it is irrelevant to the practicing of their religion or have a ”better than them” mentality towards the Jews. Revelation, for both advocate and disbeliever will come from God and only from Him.

Robert Anson Heinlein, an American novelist and science fiction writer once said, ”A generation which ignores history has no past and no future.” Being me, I believe in order to have a personal spiritual future, I need to pay attention to the biblical past. And it is with this intent that I would like to share with you these words of counsel from Paul’s letter to the Romans:

”But some of these branches from Abraham’s tree— some of the people of Israel—have been broken off. And you Gentiles, who were branches from a wild olive tree, have been grafted in. So now you also receive the blessing God has promised Abraham and his children, sharing in the rich nourishment from the root of God’s special olive tree. But you must not brag about being grafted in to replace the

branches that were broken off. You are just a branch, not the root. ”Well,” you may say, ”those branches were broken off to make room for me.” Yes, but remember—those branches were broken off because they didn’t believe in Christ, and you are there because you do believe. So don’t think highly of yourself, but fear what could happen. For if God did not spare the original branches, he won’t spare you either. Notice how God is both kind and severe. He is severe toward those who disobeyed, but kind to you if you continue to trust in his kindness. But if you stop trusting, you also will be cut off.” [Romans 11: 17 – 22]

CHAPTER 6: CONCLUDING THOUGHTS

One major challenge I faced in writing all this is that there is so much I want to tell you about what I experienced in Israel. But to tell you about all of it in this 1 article is impossible. And even if I somehow managed to do that, it would be rather unfair to expect you to "get it" and understand all of it. God was very patient with me. He gave me 30 years to begin to understand. God was very generous with me. He blessed me with the finances to be able to physically go to the land of Israel to experience revelation for myself.

I’m really excited to share with you more about what I’ve learnt. But for now, through this article, I hope you get a sense of what I’m trying to proclaim about God’s Mega Canvas, and can feel the exhilaration I’m experiencing from knowing a little of God’s plans and reading God’s word.

If you get a chance to, please go to Israel. Better still; attend Peter Tsukahira’s Mount Carmel School of Ministry. I guarantee you won’t regret! Go, so that you too, may receive revelation from God.

Shalom.

18 A HEART FOR ISRAEL > ARTICLE > EUGENE CHUA

"I believe in order to have a personal spiritual future, I need to pay attention to the biblical past."

......

… I actually wanted to end this rather long piece of writing at the full stop [.] of the last paragraph. But I somehow sensed that I needed to share one last thing that is deeply troubling me. It is with much fear and discomfort that I feel the need to deal with this. One thing that was evident throughout SOM was that many people [myself included] claiming to follow Christ and professing to be Christians either don’t know about Israel, don’t care about Israel, or believe that the covenant that God made with Israel has been broken because of the disobedience and hardened hearts of the Jews. Thus, you will find quite a bit of debate about the broken covenant with Israel, being replaced by the new covenant with Christians. [Such teaching is widely known as ’Replacement Theology]

While putting this entire SOM Experience "Package" together, we tried to think of ”human” ways to make people understand the calling of Israel, to make people feel what we feel. Truth is, I realize we can’t really do that. While we can – just as Peter Tsukahira does – share the heart for Israel with people, there will be many who will react with skepticism, even opposition to this teaching. Others may simply think it is irrelevant to the practicing of their religion or have a ”better than them” mentality towards the Jews. Revelation, for both advocate and disbeliever will come from God and only from Him.

Robert Anson Heinlein, an American novelist and science fiction writer once said, ”A generation which ignores history has no past and no future.” Being me, I believe in order to have a personal spiritual future, I need to pay attention to the biblical past. And it is with this intent that I would like to share with you these words of counsel from Paul’s letter to the Romans:

”But some of these branches from Abraham’s tree— some of the people of Israel—have been broken off. And you Gentiles, who were branches from a wild olive tree, have been grafted in. So now you also receive the blessing God has promised Abraham and his children, sharing in the rich nourishment from the root of God’s special olive tree. But you must not brag about being grafted in to replace the

branches that were broken off. You are just a branch, not the root. ”Well,” you may say, ”those branches were broken off to make room for me.” Yes, but remember—those branches were broken off because they didn’t believe in Christ, and you are there because you do believe. So don’t think highly of yourself, but fear what could happen. For if God did not spare the original branches, he won’t spare you either. Notice how God is both kind and severe. He is severe toward those who disobeyed, but kind to you if you continue to trust in his kindness. But if you stop trusting, you also will be cut off.” [Romans 11: 17 – 22]

CHAPTER 6: CONCLUDING THOUGHTS

One major challenge I faced in writing all this is that there is so much I want to tell you about what I experienced in Israel. But to tell you about all of it in this 1 article is impossible. And even if I somehow managed to do that, it would be rather unfair to expect you to "get it" and understand all of it. God was very patient with me. He gave me 30 years to begin to understand. God was very generous with me. He blessed me with the finances to be able to physically go to the land of Israel to experience revelation for myself.

I’m really excited to share with you more about what I’ve learnt. But for now, through this article, I hope you get a sense of what I’m trying to proclaim about God’s Mega Canvas, and can feel the exhilaration I’m experiencing from knowing a little of God’s plans and reading God’s word.

If you get a chance to, please go to Israel. Better still; attend Peter Tsukahira’s Mount Carmel School of Ministry. I guarantee you won’t regret! Go, so that you too, may receive revelation from God.

Shalom.

18 A HEART FOR ISRAEL > ARTICLE > EUGENE CHUA

A Heart for Israel 21

THE GOD I DIDN’T QUITE KNOWGoh Lay Kwan, 32, Singapore

Where do I even begin?

I’m eager to tell you what I learnt about God’s heart for Israel and the Jews. I’m excited to show you this amazing Arabic Christian church we visited in Israel. I’m dying to show you proof of how one really floats in the Dead Sea. I can’t wait to make you salivate by telling you how tasty Israeli food is. And I want to share with you how it has hit home for me that the Jews do not yet know their Messiah.

I’m rambling. So let’s start from the very beginning.

I honestly didn’t quite know what to expect before going to Israel. I wanted to see the land that Jesus walked on; I wanted an illumination of God’s truth that would shake me from my sedentary walk; I wanted to see and know God in a real and tangible way. I wanted all these things and yet didn’t quite know exactly what I was looking for. Maybe I was just lost, waiting to be found?

We started our journey in Haifa, in Northern Israel on Mt Carmel. The first few days were spent in teaching sessions with Pastor Peter Tsukahira – an American born Japanese who had married a Jewish woman and moved to Israel because of his heart and vision for the nation. Peter spoke and taught much about the Jews, the Muslims, the nation Israel and the history behind them all. We had many sessions with Peter and some of the other teachers at the School of Ministry, and what impacted me the most was hearing from them the significance of Israel in end-time prophecies and the promises that God has for all people – both Jews and Gentiles.

From Haifa we set off to Jerusalem. And so began my journey.

I liked Jerusalem for all its history, its culture, its vibe, its intensity and its significance for me as a Christian. This was where it all happened 2000 years ago! We saw the caves where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found, we floated in the Dead Sea; we listened to a sermon on the Mt of Olives, verified the empty tomb and prayed and spent some quiet time in the Garden of

Gethsemane. I don’t mean to glaze over these important sites – I had gone to Israel to see these sites and yet when I saw them, they were almost unimportant. Don’t get me wrong – these are significant places and sites which speak of the authenticity of my faith. But there were other things on my heart while I walked the walls of Jerusalem.

Jerusalem made me sad – walking the streets of the city made me realize more than anything that the Jews, God’s chosen people, do not yet know Jesus, their Jewish Messiah. And yet, the word of God has such specific prophecies and promises for the Jews. The Bible speaks about all of Israel coming into the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. For years, people and nations have waged war against the Jews and have sought to exterminate them from the earth. I’d read about and seen it, and yet remained indifferent, going about my life. But in Israel, as I walked through the city, it was as if I suddenly felt the heartbeat of God for His people. It was a burden I had never known about.

As I walked to the Wailing Wall of Jerusalem and saw the Jews religiously performing their rites, I cried. I have been ignorant and unmoved for too long.

There’s been a change in my life after my return from Israel. It is not an overt change that I can clearly explain or describe. Nor is it a change that people can sense or see perhaps. I think it is a silent knowledge between me and my Father that I’ve seen a side of the heart of God I never quite knew. It is as if I now have an authentic understanding of what it means to be a part of God’s plan on earth.

I’m not sure why I had to go all the way to Israel to find this out but I’ve come to realize this, in a new and illuminated way – God has a plan for the nation of Israel. God has a plan for the Jews. He has a plan for the Gentiles. And that to me means, that God has a plan for me.

Just lost, waiting to be found I’d say.

”I’m eager to tell you what I learnt about God’s heart for Israel and the Jews.”

A HEART FOR ISRAEL > TESTIMONY > GOH LAY KWAN20

A Heart for Israel 21

THE GOD I DIDN’T QUITE KNOWGoh Lay Kwan, 32, Singapore

Where do I even begin?

I’m eager to tell you what I learnt about God’s heart for Israel and the Jews. I’m excited to show you this amazing Arabic Christian church we visited in Israel. I’m dying to show you proof of how one really floats in the Dead Sea. I can’t wait to make you salivate by telling you how tasty Israeli food is. And I want to share with you how it has hit home for me that the Jews do not yet know their Messiah.

I’m rambling. So let’s start from the very beginning.

I honestly didn’t quite know what to expect before going to Israel. I wanted to see the land that Jesus walked on; I wanted an illumination of God’s truth that would shake me from my sedentary walk; I wanted to see and know God in a real and tangible way. I wanted all these things and yet didn’t quite know exactly what I was looking for. Maybe I was just lost, waiting to be found?

We started our journey in Haifa, in Northern Israel on Mt Carmel. The first few days were spent in teaching sessions with Pastor Peter Tsukahira – an American born Japanese who had married a Jewish woman and moved to Israel because of his heart and vision for the nation. Peter spoke and taught much about the Jews, the Muslims, the nation Israel and the history behind them all. We had many sessions with Peter and some of the other teachers at the School of Ministry, and what impacted me the most was hearing from them the significance of Israel in end-time prophecies and the promises that God has for all people – both Jews and Gentiles.

From Haifa we set off to Jerusalem. And so began my journey.

I liked Jerusalem for all its history, its culture, its vibe, its intensity and its significance for me as a Christian. This was where it all happened 2000 years ago! We saw the caves where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found, we floated in the Dead Sea; we listened to a sermon on the Mt of Olives, verified the empty tomb and prayed and spent some quiet time in the Garden of

Gethsemane. I don’t mean to glaze over these important sites – I had gone to Israel to see these sites and yet when I saw them, they were almost unimportant. Don’t get me wrong – these are significant places and sites which speak of the authenticity of my faith. But there were other things on my heart while I walked the walls of Jerusalem.

Jerusalem made me sad – walking the streets of the city made me realize more than anything that the Jews, God’s chosen people, do not yet know Jesus, their Jewish Messiah. And yet, the word of God has such specific prophecies and promises for the Jews. The Bible speaks about all of Israel coming into the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. For years, people and nations have waged war against the Jews and have sought to exterminate them from the earth. I’d read about and seen it, and yet remained indifferent, going about my life. But in Israel, as I walked through the city, it was as if I suddenly felt the heartbeat of God for His people. It was a burden I had never known about.

As I walked to the Wailing Wall of Jerusalem and saw the Jews religiously performing their rites, I cried. I have been ignorant and unmoved for too long.

There’s been a change in my life after my return from Israel. It is not an overt change that I can clearly explain or describe. Nor is it a change that people can sense or see perhaps. I think it is a silent knowledge between me and my Father that I’ve seen a side of the heart of God I never quite knew. It is as if I now have an authentic understanding of what it means to be a part of God’s plan on earth.

I’m not sure why I had to go all the way to Israel to find this out but I’ve come to realize this, in a new and illuminated way – God has a plan for the nation of Israel. God has a plan for the Jews. He has a plan for the Gentiles. And that to me means, that God has a plan for me.

Just lost, waiting to be found I’d say.

”I’m eager to tell you what I learnt about God’s heart for Israel and the Jews.”

A HEART FOR ISRAEL > TESTIMONY > GOH LAY KWAN20

A HEART FOR ISRAEL > TESTIMONY > CAROLINE FONG22

After a near life threatening incident at the border of Bolivia, I had a long one-on-one with God in the bus ride heading to Peru. When one is 4800m above sea level, somehow God does seem closer and striking a conversation never seems so easy. Here’s an abstract to what took place in early May 2008.

Me: God, why did you let me go through the ordeal?God: It could have been worse.Me: Where were your angels?God: They were more than you could imagine. [At this moment, I saw armies of angels on a huge field]. And they have always been with you no matter where you were.Me: I am tired of traveling. Can I not go to Israel?God: Wherever you have wanted to go, I have made it happen for you. This time round, can you do it for me? [*Gasped.. Speechless.. LONG Silence*]Me: Okie. Can I go next year?God: Do you love me?Me: Of course.God: Have I ever asked anything from you?Me: But it’s so expensive. I have spent too much this year on traveling.God: Have I not provided enough?

No presents for guessing how the conversation ended. Prior to leaving for Brazil/Bolivia/Peru, all I heard was CMC is organizing a Holy Land tour. So, you can imagine my shock when I saw the itinerary from SOM upon returning from my holiday [Studying and waking up at 6am, ending at 10pm was not my idea of a HOLIDAY]. I remembered saying, ’God, You must be kidding!’ Our father up there can be quite humorous at times!

Six months later, at the top of Mt Carmel, I finally understood why He wanted me there. It all started early this year, when I started asking myself how to love Him the way He loves us. What’s in His heart? What makes Him who He is? In fact, the very first book I bought was ’Learning to Have a heart like His’ by Max Lucado. I searched, I asked, I read... But somehow, something was missing. And at that moment in Haifa on Mt Carmel while we were praying for Israel, He spoke.

’This is My heart. This is My beloved. No amount of books could explain and help you to see it. I brought you here so you will know what’s in My heart, and also My love for Israel.’

I found the missing puzzle! I finally understood what’s in His heart and what He went through. What can be more painful than being rejected by your loved ones, and being persecuted by them...why Israel was the chosen one.. why the restoration of Jerusalem is so important? The trip and teachings by Peter Tsukahira unlocked the mystery of the bible… Not only has the bible come alive, I too have become more alive [no more falling asleep!!] when reading His word now.

Hallelujah!

A HEART LIKE HISCaroline Fong, 31, Singapore

”Six months later, at the top of Mt Carmel, I finally understood why He wanted me there.”

A HEART FOR ISRAEL > TESTIMONY > CAROLINE FONG22

After a near life threatening incident at the border of Bolivia, I had a long one-on-one with God in the bus ride heading to Peru. When one is 4800m above sea level, somehow God does seem closer and striking a conversation never seems so easy. Here’s an abstract to what took place in early May 2008.

Me: God, why did you let me go through the ordeal?God: It could have been worse.Me: Where were your angels?God: They were more than you could imagine. [At this moment, I saw armies of angels on a huge field]. And they have always been with you no matter where you were.Me: I am tired of traveling. Can I not go to Israel?God: Wherever you have wanted to go, I have made it happen for you. This time round, can you do it for me? [*Gasped.. Speechless.. LONG Silence*]Me: Okie. Can I go next year?God: Do you love me?Me: Of course.God: Have I ever asked anything from you?Me: But it’s so expensive. I have spent too much this year on traveling.God: Have I not provided enough?

No presents for guessing how the conversation ended. Prior to leaving for Brazil/Bolivia/Peru, all I heard was CMC is organizing a Holy Land tour. So, you can imagine my shock when I saw the itinerary from SOM upon returning from my holiday [Studying and waking up at 6am, ending at 10pm was not my idea of a HOLIDAY]. I remembered saying, ’God, You must be kidding!’ Our father up there can be quite humorous at times!

Six months later, at the top of Mt Carmel, I finally understood why He wanted me there. It all started early this year, when I started asking myself how to love Him the way He loves us. What’s in His heart? What makes Him who He is? In fact, the very first book I bought was ’Learning to Have a heart like His’ by Max Lucado. I searched, I asked, I read... But somehow, something was missing. And at that moment in Haifa on Mt Carmel while we were praying for Israel, He spoke.

’This is My heart. This is My beloved. No amount of books could explain and help you to see it. I brought you here so you will know what’s in My heart, and also My love for Israel.’

I found the missing puzzle! I finally understood what’s in His heart and what He went through. What can be more painful than being rejected by your loved ones, and being persecuted by them...why Israel was the chosen one.. why the restoration of Jerusalem is so important? The trip and teachings by Peter Tsukahira unlocked the mystery of the bible… Not only has the bible come alive, I too have become more alive [no more falling asleep!!] when reading His word now.

Hallelujah!

A HEART LIKE HISCaroline Fong, 31, Singapore

”Six months later, at the top of Mt Carmel, I finally understood why He wanted me there.”

A CHANGE OF HEARTGuest Writer Philip Tan, 19, Malaysia

A HEART FOR ISRAEL > TESTIMONY > PHILIP TAN25

”In the months leading up to SOM 19, I had so many doubts and regrets on my decision to go for SOM... ...During the trip, God opened my heart and He inserted Israel in it. I was wrong and ignorant.”

As the plane touched down on the tarmac of Kuala Lumpur International Airport, Malaysia on the 20th of November 2008, I knew that my life would change from that day on. My views, my perspective on the State of Israel have changed. My physical eyes and ears now see and hear things in a different light, as where I have been and what I have heard during the past two weeks before the 20th of November cut right through my physical being and touched the very soul and spirit within me; it went straight for my heart.

This journey of my change of heart and mind set started early in the year when both my parents returned from the School of Ministry [SOM] which is organised by Pastor Peter Tsukahira under the covering of Kehilat HaCarmel, based in the northern city of Haifa, Israel.

Since their return in March, they’ve been trying to tell me stories of their experience there. Being the teenager that I was, I told them that I’m too busy to hear their stories. Honestly, I did not care much about the land of Israel then. Like many, I would rather stay ignorant about that matter as the famous cliché quote goes, ”ignorance is bliss”. Sadly, my attitude blinded me from seeing that burning passion whenever my parents tried to share with me about Israel.

But my mother, being the person she is, signed me up for the next SOM [19] which was to begin in November. She did actually ask me for my permission, but before I could say no, she told me that it was a once in a lifetime opportunity and that I would be free during that month anyway. So, without any excuse to back me up, I reluctantly obeyed.

In the months leading up, I had so many doubts and regrets on my decision to go for SOM. A couple of reasons of why I should not go flooded my thoughts. Firstly, I would be alone [no friends or family whatsoever]. Secondly, I would be spending less time with my friends as I will be flying overseas early next year for my further studies. Thirdly, I just wanted to stay at home.

Throughout these months, I persecuted my mother. Every time when there was a mentioning of Israel or SOM or November, I would start complaining and grumbling.

However, God was working with my heart and I did not have even a hint of this. Slowly, I was learning to lay down my pride and humble myself and take this trip as a challenge and maybe something more.

In the months nearing November, I started to feel a tinge of excitement about going to Israel. I’ve been there before and

this was going to be my second time. So it should be pretty interesting, as I couldn’t remember much from my last trip [I was nine years old then]. But then there was that small sense of regret, disappointed with the fact that I couldn’t spend as much time with my friends back in Malaysia.

November finally came. The tension was high. Last minute packing and tonnes of meet ups with friends. I felt so tired during the plane ride. To make things worse, the transit flight from Bangkok to Amman, Jordan was delayed for 6 hours! But as the plane finally touched down in Tel Aviv, I felt a sense of peace, like all my weariness from travel was taken away. That’s when the two weeks of SOM had begun its course.

SOM was like no other Israel ”Holy Land Tour” experience. Any tour of the Holy Land would only give you factual recounts and with some biblical references added to the hype of it all, but not SOM. What makes SOM so different from other tours is that, instead of simply showing you the sites of Israel and giving you some historical background, one gets to understand and soak in the teachings given by the pastors of Kehilat HaCarmel. I have learnt so much, from what the Messianic Jewish community is facing to biblical prophecy and its relation to current affairs in the land of Israel. Worshiping in a congregation that consists of people from various tribes and tongues, all worshipping God, is really awesome and is beyond words.

I learnt that the Jews are important! According to Matthew 23:39 [NIV] Yeshua said ”For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ’Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’ ” This means that if the Jews do not proclaim and believe that Yeshua is their Messiah and Lord, He will not return! It really blew my mind at that moment. The historical background of the Jews do tell a lot about their situation now. And that we as believers, have to intercede for Israel to return to their Messiah.

Throughout the trip, I saw many sights and many faces. I came to know many friends. I learnt things that I know I could never learn by sitting at home. I heard and received teachings given by the pastors. I enjoyed myself. During the trip, God opened my heart and He inserted Israel in it. I was wrong and ignorant. Israel is God’s nation and He loves them because He is a covenant keeping God. He is faithful. And because of His grace, I’ve come to understand Israel now.

When my parents came to pick me up at the airport, I thanked them because they never gave up on making me go for SOM. That’s when I realised God is the same, He will never give up on Israel and He will never give up on you.

A CHANGE OF HEARTGuest Writer Philip Tan, 19, Malaysia

A HEART FOR ISRAEL > TESTIMONY > PHILIP TAN25

”In the months leading up to SOM 19, I had so many doubts and regrets on my decision to go for SOM... ...During the trip, God opened my heart and He inserted Israel in it. I was wrong and ignorant.”

As the plane touched down on the tarmac of Kuala Lumpur International Airport, Malaysia on the 20th of November 2008, I knew that my life would change from that day on. My views, my perspective on the State of Israel have changed. My physical eyes and ears now see and hear things in a different light, as where I have been and what I have heard during the past two weeks before the 20th of November cut right through my physical being and touched the very soul and spirit within me; it went straight for my heart.

This journey of my change of heart and mind set started early in the year when both my parents returned from the School of Ministry [SOM] which is organised by Pastor Peter Tsukahira under the covering of Kehilat HaCarmel, based in the northern city of Haifa, Israel.

Since their return in March, they’ve been trying to tell me stories of their experience there. Being the teenager that I was, I told them that I’m too busy to hear their stories. Honestly, I did not care much about the land of Israel then. Like many, I would rather stay ignorant about that matter as the famous cliché quote goes, ”ignorance is bliss”. Sadly, my attitude blinded me from seeing that burning passion whenever my parents tried to share with me about Israel.

But my mother, being the person she is, signed me up for the next SOM [19] which was to begin in November. She did actually ask me for my permission, but before I could say no, she told me that it was a once in a lifetime opportunity and that I would be free during that month anyway. So, without any excuse to back me up, I reluctantly obeyed.

In the months leading up, I had so many doubts and regrets on my decision to go for SOM. A couple of reasons of why I should not go flooded my thoughts. Firstly, I would be alone [no friends or family whatsoever]. Secondly, I would be spending less time with my friends as I will be flying overseas early next year for my further studies. Thirdly, I just wanted to stay at home.

Throughout these months, I persecuted my mother. Every time when there was a mentioning of Israel or SOM or November, I would start complaining and grumbling.

However, God was working with my heart and I did not have even a hint of this. Slowly, I was learning to lay down my pride and humble myself and take this trip as a challenge and maybe something more.

In the months nearing November, I started to feel a tinge of excitement about going to Israel. I’ve been there before and

this was going to be my second time. So it should be pretty interesting, as I couldn’t remember much from my last trip [I was nine years old then]. But then there was that small sense of regret, disappointed with the fact that I couldn’t spend as much time with my friends back in Malaysia.

November finally came. The tension was high. Last minute packing and tonnes of meet ups with friends. I felt so tired during the plane ride. To make things worse, the transit flight from Bangkok to Amman, Jordan was delayed for 6 hours! But as the plane finally touched down in Tel Aviv, I felt a sense of peace, like all my weariness from travel was taken away. That’s when the two weeks of SOM had begun its course.

SOM was like no other Israel ”Holy Land Tour” experience. Any tour of the Holy Land would only give you factual recounts and with some biblical references added to the hype of it all, but not SOM. What makes SOM so different from other tours is that, instead of simply showing you the sites of Israel and giving you some historical background, one gets to understand and soak in the teachings given by the pastors of Kehilat HaCarmel. I have learnt so much, from what the Messianic Jewish community is facing to biblical prophecy and its relation to current affairs in the land of Israel. Worshiping in a congregation that consists of people from various tribes and tongues, all worshipping God, is really awesome and is beyond words.

I learnt that the Jews are important! According to Matthew 23:39 [NIV] Yeshua said ”For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ’Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’ ” This means that if the Jews do not proclaim and believe that Yeshua is their Messiah and Lord, He will not return! It really blew my mind at that moment. The historical background of the Jews do tell a lot about their situation now. And that we as believers, have to intercede for Israel to return to their Messiah.

Throughout the trip, I saw many sights and many faces. I came to know many friends. I learnt things that I know I could never learn by sitting at home. I heard and received teachings given by the pastors. I enjoyed myself. During the trip, God opened my heart and He inserted Israel in it. I was wrong and ignorant. Israel is God’s nation and He loves them because He is a covenant keeping God. He is faithful. And because of His grace, I’ve come to understand Israel now.

When my parents came to pick me up at the airport, I thanked them because they never gave up on making me go for SOM. That’s when I realised God is the same, He will never give up on Israel and He will never give up on you.

ANSWERED PRAYERS…& PRAYERS TO BE ANSWEREDMichele Soh, 39, Singapore

God answers prayers. Israel has been a country I had wanted to visit for the past three years, but due to family and work commitments, the opportunities never came to bear fruit until November 2008. At one point, even this last trip felt like it would not take place as more than 30 people were not able to go for a number of valid reasons.

However, I felt God direct that the time was now when He set the wheels in motion. He brought together a group of six friends committed to going – to the land He gave His chosen people.

And because of God’s miraculous timing, my ”study tour” of Israel turned out to be an almost indescribable experience, filled with personal ”ah-ha” moments, and spirit-filled corporate teachings, sharing and worship with the two-week long Mount Carmel School of Ministry [SOM].

Answered prayers continued to shape and colour my life during pre-departure and travel to Israel. There was the trepidation of coping with the agenda of SOM which looked scarily intense, filled with teaching sessions morning, afternoon and evening; I prayed and went with an open mind and an expectant heart to uncover God’s will for me.

Throughout the trip, God filled me with a hungry spirit and energy to absorb everything. The SOM program was well balanced with a combination of lectures, teachings and excursions to go where our Lord went, to stand where He did, to walk where He walked. I gained a deeper understanding of His book and His purpose. Truly, His Word is living!

I returned to Singapore with new insights, new revelations, appreciation and joy in the words of God found in both the old and new testaments. Verses and passages become more real and offered new meaning. Old familiar parables received the breath of fresh air. More exciting for me was the beginnings of my understanding of the Bible’s relevance and timeliness within today’s context. I gained a new found appreciation of the shared roots and shared future of Jews and Christians.

Paul writes in Romans 11:11, 12 [NKJV] – ”I say then, have they stumbled that they should fall? Certainly not! But through their fall, to provoke them to jealousy, salvation has come to the Gentiles. Now if their fall is riches for the world, and their failure riches for the Gentiles, how much more their fullness!”

The role of Gentiles, which means you and me, is to provoke the Jews. We as Gentiles have been admitted into the church of God, become co-heirs of God’s holiness and blessings. Earlier in the same chapter, the analogy was given where Gentiles as ”wild olives” are grafted to ”cultivated olives” to share the advantages of being God’s chosen people. Imagine how much greater we will be blessed with riches when the Jewish people come into the fullness that God promises!

This was but one of many ”ah-ha” moments, both big and small, that make the visit to the Holy Land with SOM a wonderfully inspiring experience for me. What a confidence boost to know that the Bible I read today is truly God-breathed scripture as affirmed by the Dead Sea Scrolls, written more than 2,000 years ago! I marvel at the oneness of our common belief across the world during worship with a congregation of messianic Jews and believers from 10 nations. On hearing the testimonies of a messianic Jewish pastor and an Arab-Christian pastor; I was filled with a fresh hunger to get out there to tell the world of His desire for both Jews and believers.

On a personal note, God revealed His word for me during one of the quiet times spent in His presence. I am to expect more, under every green tree. More of what? And when? I do not know yet. But He also placed in my heart the assurance that God gives to our limit. While I expect God to put more on my plate, I know that whatever challenges He gives, He will also provide. I am given the assurance to stay focused on God even as I persevere with the ministries that He has placed on my heart. To echo Pastor Peter Tsukahira, I choose to wake each day and say to Him – I love you Lord, whatever ...[happens]!

Meanwhile, God has impressed on me to have a heart for Israel. I pray for a fresh understanding of God’s purpose for His chosen people and His children in all nations. Pray passionately for messianic Jews in Israel to lead their traditional Jewish brothers to know Yeshua [Jesus] as their Messiah. Only when the Jews are ready to accept their Messiah’s love, only then will Yeshua return. Pray for Arabs in Israel and neighbouring countries to come to know the Lord.

So that one day, all His people will cry: ”Baruch haba B’shem Adonai!” – Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord – Matthew 23:39.

”God has impressed on me to have a heart for Israel. I pray for a fresh understanding of God’s purpose for His chosen people and His children in all nations.”

A HEART FOR ISRAEL > TESTIMONY > MICHELE SOH26

ANSWERED PRAYERS…& PRAYERS TO BE ANSWEREDMichele Soh, 39, Singapore

God answers prayers. Israel has been a country I had wanted to visit for the past three years, but due to family and work commitments, the opportunities never came to bear fruit until November 2008. At one point, even this last trip felt like it would not take place as more than 30 people were not able to go for a number of valid reasons.

However, I felt God direct that the time was now when He set the wheels in motion. He brought together a group of six friends committed to going – to the land He gave His chosen people.

And because of God’s miraculous timing, my ”study tour” of Israel turned out to be an almost indescribable experience, filled with personal ”ah-ha” moments, and spirit-filled corporate teachings, sharing and worship with the two-week long Mount Carmel School of Ministry [SOM].

Answered prayers continued to shape and colour my life during pre-departure and travel to Israel. There was the trepidation of coping with the agenda of SOM which looked scarily intense, filled with teaching sessions morning, afternoon and evening; I prayed and went with an open mind and an expectant heart to uncover God’s will for me.

Throughout the trip, God filled me with a hungry spirit and energy to absorb everything. The SOM program was well balanced with a combination of lectures, teachings and excursions to go where our Lord went, to stand where He did, to walk where He walked. I gained a deeper understanding of His book and His purpose. Truly, His Word is living!

I returned to Singapore with new insights, new revelations, appreciation and joy in the words of God found in both the old and new testaments. Verses and passages become more real and offered new meaning. Old familiar parables received the breath of fresh air. More exciting for me was the beginnings of my understanding of the Bible’s relevance and timeliness within today’s context. I gained a new found appreciation of the shared roots and shared future of Jews and Christians.

Paul writes in Romans 11:11, 12 [NKJV] – ”I say then, have they stumbled that they should fall? Certainly not! But through their fall, to provoke them to jealousy, salvation has come to the Gentiles. Now if their fall is riches for the world, and their failure riches for the Gentiles, how much more their fullness!”

The role of Gentiles, which means you and me, is to provoke the Jews. We as Gentiles have been admitted into the church of God, become co-heirs of God’s holiness and blessings. Earlier in the same chapter, the analogy was given where Gentiles as ”wild olives” are grafted to ”cultivated olives” to share the advantages of being God’s chosen people. Imagine how much greater we will be blessed with riches when the Jewish people come into the fullness that God promises!

This was but one of many ”ah-ha” moments, both big and small, that make the visit to the Holy Land with SOM a wonderfully inspiring experience for me. What a confidence boost to know that the Bible I read today is truly God-breathed scripture as affirmed by the Dead Sea Scrolls, written more than 2,000 years ago! I marvel at the oneness of our common belief across the world during worship with a congregation of messianic Jews and believers from 10 nations. On hearing the testimonies of a messianic Jewish pastor and an Arab-Christian pastor; I was filled with a fresh hunger to get out there to tell the world of His desire for both Jews and believers.

On a personal note, God revealed His word for me during one of the quiet times spent in His presence. I am to expect more, under every green tree. More of what? And when? I do not know yet. But He also placed in my heart the assurance that God gives to our limit. While I expect God to put more on my plate, I know that whatever challenges He gives, He will also provide. I am given the assurance to stay focused on God even as I persevere with the ministries that He has placed on my heart. To echo Pastor Peter Tsukahira, I choose to wake each day and say to Him – I love you Lord, whatever ...[happens]!

Meanwhile, God has impressed on me to have a heart for Israel. I pray for a fresh understanding of God’s purpose for His chosen people and His children in all nations. Pray passionately for messianic Jews in Israel to lead their traditional Jewish brothers to know Yeshua [Jesus] as their Messiah. Only when the Jews are ready to accept their Messiah’s love, only then will Yeshua return. Pray for Arabs in Israel and neighbouring countries to come to know the Lord.

So that one day, all His people will cry: ”Baruch haba B’shem Adonai!” – Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord – Matthew 23:39.

”God has impressed on me to have a heart for Israel. I pray for a fresh understanding of God’s purpose for His chosen people and His children in all nations.”

A HEART FOR ISRAEL > TESTIMONY > MICHELE SOH26

THE PROMISED LANDMichelle Phua, 28, Singapore

have a revelation of chapters 9-11, having ’blinked’ past these chapters. I now understand that we are the wild olive tree that has been by God’s grace grafted into the cultivated olive tree [Israel]. Psalm 122:6 – we need to pray for the peace of Jerusalem. We need to join our brothers and sisters in Israel to pray for the nation, for God to protect the nation, for the leaders of the country to be hands of God [there is an election coming up next year], for the small but growing population of Yeshua believing Israelis. Remember them in your prayers – a nation threatened with annihilation by its neighbours and the plans of the evil one to destroy God’s chosen. For it is with Israel that God has chosen to reveal and stamp His name upon. And unless the people in Israel say ”Baruch Haba b’shem Adonai” – Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord – Christ will not return. So we need to pray and be watchmen for Israel.

The second thing I’ve learnt [from the teaching on the Sermon on the Mount which was taught to us literally on the mount of beatitudes] is to choose to operate in the Kingdom daily wherever I am, with whatever I am doing. The Kingdom is where God rules and He has chosen to rule lawfully. Jesus came not to abolish the law but to perfect it. He raised the bar and we need His grace all the more. I often like to ask, so what does God want me to do, what is my role… I think we need to watch what God is doing and catch the wave of the Holy Spirit’s move. For instance we know He is moving mightily in Asia in our generation, so be a sower, and a harvester. Personally, going to Israel has opened many doors to come back to share with many people about what God is doing and why God is so real and relevant – Colleagues, friends, family – anyone. This is something that I am pretty averse to but am glad for the opportunities daily to witness to and love my neighbour [anyone in my path who’s in need today].

Lastly I would like to share about the miracle of seeing Jews, Arabs and Christians all worshipping the same God together. We had the privilege of visiting an Arab congregation in the heart of Haifa city. To me, it was witnessing a miracle of God. I really had no concept of Arabs being able to worship God and even broadcasting on internet radio messages about Yeshua to the Arab world from Israel! And millions of people tune in. It really touched my heart because I had personally closed my mind to the concept of even trying to reach out to a Muslim. It is impossible! But God is moving and this is big. Pastor Yousef [who leads the 150 strong congregation] has a vision that God wants to show every Arab believer that they are His children too. There are 1.6 billion Muslims in the world today. Do we have the vision for them? God spoke to Pastor Yousef, I appeared because you disappeared. When the church was absent to testify, God miraculously appeared to the Arab Muslims in Egypt.

The beauty of seeing the big picture is to know that the master artist is at work TODAY. He is painting a picture of what the bible has already foretold. I have never understood the prophetic books in its primary context. I now read my bible differently. Only being back to Singapore for 3 weeks, the temptation to be sucked back into the worldly system and hum drum of life is real. Everyday I wake up praying to God to keep me focused on the big picture, His end game, singing Hodu L’Adonai ki tov, ki l’olam l’olam chasdo [Give thanks to God, who is good, for His mercy endures forever]. This was taught to us as a warfare song. And everyday we are at war, to submit to the kingship of God or not. This has been a struggle for me but to submit opens up a new realm of blessings beyond this world. Blessings eternal, joy lasting and peace that remains. God bless you all in this season of remembering our saviour who lived and died on this very earth to reveal Himself and the Kingdom to us that we might establish His rule and welcome the return of our King. Amen.

Just over a month ago, we’d embarked on a trip to the Holy Land, the Promised Land. The perception everyone had when I said I was going to Israel was of a ”pilgrimage”. In a sense, it was a personal search of direction for me. I had questions and wanted more, being deeply unsatisfied with where I was. To be honest however, it was not something I had prepared for [ie: read all the pre-reading material or finish the bible cover to cover] or anticipated with much excitement. It was really fatigue from having to finish up all my work before the trip and anxiety after discovering the intensity of the programme – 9am-10pm full day teaching, no sightseeing on some days? Hmm.

But as the days drew nearer, the reality of the trip finally set in. As Carol put in one email, less than a week to our day of departure, our trip to Israel IS REAL. In every sense of it, the trip provided me with a glimpse of true reality. The realness of the gospel opened up my eyes to understand the importance of Israel as a nation, the fulfillment of God’s prophecies and to operate in the reality of the Kingdom of God. Back home, what seems real is often not – being bogged down by daily life, living in a narrow world focusing on ”me” in our cushy lives and churches. Going to Israel and attending the school of ministry enlarged my understanding of God’s word and His purposes in a real way. God showed up again and again in our midst in a BIG way. It became a trip not about me, my life, or my walk but about Him. Just about Him.

One of the questions that most people asked is ”so what is the most impactful part of the trip for you and how has it changed your life?” People expect that life changes and it is true, going on a study trip to Israel definitely changes your life. For me, the impact that the teachings I’ve received revolutionized the way I think and also how I want to lead my life. In 10 days, I had finished all the pages of my journal which was only half filled in more than 2 years in Singapore!

In one of the first teachings, Peter talked about gazing at a picture of a garden. It will remain only a picture until you walk in it. To walk in it, we need revelation. I began to realize that unless we have revelation from God, we will grasp nothing. And for so many years of my Christian faith, I have had no revelation of the many things that I have learnt in Israel. Why were the teachings so impactful? I think it has to do with God’s grace in revealing it to us. Perhaps it also helped that we were walking in the garden that we were staring at, which made the Bible 3-dimensional, so to speak.

The first revelation shed light on the relevance of Israel and our debt to Israel. It is a miracle that Israel as a nation was formed and still exists amidst the hostility in the world. Israel is at war, not just with the physical enemies from Hizbullah [party of God] or the Palestinians [who do not recognize Israel as a sovereign state but that the land it is on, belongs to the Arab world] who exist to destroy the nation of Israel and its people. But that war is spiritual as well. This is the prophetic entry point into the end times. Ezekiel 36:21-24. God promised that He will re-instate the nation of Israel for His name’s sake. And He did. We are living in the generation that is seeing the prophecy of God fulfilled. Our God is a covenant keeping God and what He says He will do, He has done and will continue to do. It is not based on how we feel or ”perform” but for His name’s sake and based upon His word. I don’t know about you, but it is of utmost comfort to know that. Wow. Everything that God has committed to in word will come to pass. He will do it. Suddenly all the doubts I had about whether God will do this or that seemed to be so petty and irrelevant. I want to encourage you to believe that our God will do all He said He will.

It is impossible to not be touched and feel for Israel. For me, the context of the teachings was so applicable and was literally like someone had switched on the lights. I have read Romans so many times but have failed to understand or

A HEART FOR ISRAEL > TESTIMONY > MICHELLE PHUA29

”Our God is a covenant keeping God and what He says He will do, He has done and will continue to do.”

THE PROMISED LANDMichelle Phua, 28, Singapore

have a revelation of chapters 9-11, having ’blinked’ past these chapters. I now understand that we are the wild olive tree that has been by God’s grace grafted into the cultivated olive tree [Israel]. Psalm 122:6 – we need to pray for the peace of Jerusalem. We need to join our brothers and sisters in Israel to pray for the nation, for God to protect the nation, for the leaders of the country to be hands of God [there is an election coming up next year], for the small but growing population of Yeshua believing Israelis. Remember them in your prayers – a nation threatened with annihilation by its neighbours and the plans of the evil one to destroy God’s chosen. For it is with Israel that God has chosen to reveal and stamp His name upon. And unless the people in Israel say ”Baruch Haba b’shem Adonai” – Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord – Christ will not return. So we need to pray and be watchmen for Israel.

The second thing I’ve learnt [from the teaching on the Sermon on the Mount which was taught to us literally on the mount of beatitudes] is to choose to operate in the Kingdom daily wherever I am, with whatever I am doing. The Kingdom is where God rules and He has chosen to rule lawfully. Jesus came not to abolish the law but to perfect it. He raised the bar and we need His grace all the more. I often like to ask, so what does God want me to do, what is my role… I think we need to watch what God is doing and catch the wave of the Holy Spirit’s move. For instance we know He is moving mightily in Asia in our generation, so be a sower, and a harvester. Personally, going to Israel has opened many doors to come back to share with many people about what God is doing and why God is so real and relevant – Colleagues, friends, family – anyone. This is something that I am pretty averse to but am glad for the opportunities daily to witness to and love my neighbour [anyone in my path who’s in need today].

Lastly I would like to share about the miracle of seeing Jews, Arabs and Christians all worshipping the same God together. We had the privilege of visiting an Arab congregation in the heart of Haifa city. To me, it was witnessing a miracle of God. I really had no concept of Arabs being able to worship God and even broadcasting on internet radio messages about Yeshua to the Arab world from Israel! And millions of people tune in. It really touched my heart because I had personally closed my mind to the concept of even trying to reach out to a Muslim. It is impossible! But God is moving and this is big. Pastor Yousef [who leads the 150 strong congregation] has a vision that God wants to show every Arab believer that they are His children too. There are 1.6 billion Muslims in the world today. Do we have the vision for them? God spoke to Pastor Yousef, I appeared because you disappeared. When the church was absent to testify, God miraculously appeared to the Arab Muslims in Egypt.

The beauty of seeing the big picture is to know that the master artist is at work TODAY. He is painting a picture of what the bible has already foretold. I have never understood the prophetic books in its primary context. I now read my bible differently. Only being back to Singapore for 3 weeks, the temptation to be sucked back into the worldly system and hum drum of life is real. Everyday I wake up praying to God to keep me focused on the big picture, His end game, singing Hodu L’Adonai ki tov, ki l’olam l’olam chasdo [Give thanks to God, who is good, for His mercy endures forever]. This was taught to us as a warfare song. And everyday we are at war, to submit to the kingship of God or not. This has been a struggle for me but to submit opens up a new realm of blessings beyond this world. Blessings eternal, joy lasting and peace that remains. God bless you all in this season of remembering our saviour who lived and died on this very earth to reveal Himself and the Kingdom to us that we might establish His rule and welcome the return of our King. Amen.

Just over a month ago, we’d embarked on a trip to the Holy Land, the Promised Land. The perception everyone had when I said I was going to Israel was of a ”pilgrimage”. In a sense, it was a personal search of direction for me. I had questions and wanted more, being deeply unsatisfied with where I was. To be honest however, it was not something I had prepared for [ie: read all the pre-reading material or finish the bible cover to cover] or anticipated with much excitement. It was really fatigue from having to finish up all my work before the trip and anxiety after discovering the intensity of the programme – 9am-10pm full day teaching, no sightseeing on some days? Hmm.

But as the days drew nearer, the reality of the trip finally set in. As Carol put in one email, less than a week to our day of departure, our trip to Israel IS REAL. In every sense of it, the trip provided me with a glimpse of true reality. The realness of the gospel opened up my eyes to understand the importance of Israel as a nation, the fulfillment of God’s prophecies and to operate in the reality of the Kingdom of God. Back home, what seems real is often not – being bogged down by daily life, living in a narrow world focusing on ”me” in our cushy lives and churches. Going to Israel and attending the school of ministry enlarged my understanding of God’s word and His purposes in a real way. God showed up again and again in our midst in a BIG way. It became a trip not about me, my life, or my walk but about Him. Just about Him.

One of the questions that most people asked is ”so what is the most impactful part of the trip for you and how has it changed your life?” People expect that life changes and it is true, going on a study trip to Israel definitely changes your life. For me, the impact that the teachings I’ve received revolutionized the way I think and also how I want to lead my life. In 10 days, I had finished all the pages of my journal which was only half filled in more than 2 years in Singapore!

In one of the first teachings, Peter talked about gazing at a picture of a garden. It will remain only a picture until you walk in it. To walk in it, we need revelation. I began to realize that unless we have revelation from God, we will grasp nothing. And for so many years of my Christian faith, I have had no revelation of the many things that I have learnt in Israel. Why were the teachings so impactful? I think it has to do with God’s grace in revealing it to us. Perhaps it also helped that we were walking in the garden that we were staring at, which made the Bible 3-dimensional, so to speak.

The first revelation shed light on the relevance of Israel and our debt to Israel. It is a miracle that Israel as a nation was formed and still exists amidst the hostility in the world. Israel is at war, not just with the physical enemies from Hizbullah [party of God] or the Palestinians [who do not recognize Israel as a sovereign state but that the land it is on, belongs to the Arab world] who exist to destroy the nation of Israel and its people. But that war is spiritual as well. This is the prophetic entry point into the end times. Ezekiel 36:21-24. God promised that He will re-instate the nation of Israel for His name’s sake. And He did. We are living in the generation that is seeing the prophecy of God fulfilled. Our God is a covenant keeping God and what He says He will do, He has done and will continue to do. It is not based on how we feel or ”perform” but for His name’s sake and based upon His word. I don’t know about you, but it is of utmost comfort to know that. Wow. Everything that God has committed to in word will come to pass. He will do it. Suddenly all the doubts I had about whether God will do this or that seemed to be so petty and irrelevant. I want to encourage you to believe that our God will do all He said He will.

It is impossible to not be touched and feel for Israel. For me, the context of the teachings was so applicable and was literally like someone had switched on the lights. I have read Romans so many times but have failed to understand or

A HEART FOR ISRAEL > TESTIMONY > MICHELLE PHUA29

”Our God is a covenant keeping God and what He says He will do, He has done and will continue to do.”

"Indescribable!

Towards the end of the Israel trip, God put it in my heart to ask the others for a written testimony. The idea was very vague, perhaps a booklet of sorts. I knew it was the prompting of God because my first reaction was reluctance and excuses: "God...really? I don't like to ask and what if I get an "are you crazy" kind of response? Not to mention, there isn't quite a detailed brief or a purpose [at that point] and I'm not exactly your best bet at putting content together."

I left it as that, yet even then, the teachings of what I had seen and heard, and the revelations God graciously granted me during the Israel trip kept re-enacting in my mind. And so, on the very last night, I finally [tentatively and awkwardly] popped the question: "Hey, do you guys want to quickly write a short testimony? Maybe we can put together a rough booklet or something..."

That "rough booklet", with the enthusiasm of the others, became this CD, newsletter and sideshow that you now receive! Which just goes to show that one only needs to obey and God will provide and inspire the rest.

We, the 6 of us, have been blessed to experience Israel in the flesh, and one of our burning desires is that you the reader come away with an awareness of the significance of Israel. This is the main reason we have worked hard to birth this package into being.

If you are able to take the opportunity, we would strongly encourage you to sign up with the Mount Carmel School of Ministry. Truly, our prayer is that our God, the God of Abraham, Issac and Israel, will grant you revelation and that this would be your start to A Heart for Israel.

Shalom.

CONCLUSION AN ENDING OR A START?Joanne Chua, 30, Singapore

A HEART FOR ISRAEL > CONCLUSION > JOANNE CHUA30

"Indescribable!

Towards the end of the Israel trip, God put it in my heart to ask the others for a written testimony. The idea was very vague, perhaps a booklet of sorts. I knew it was the prompting of God because my first reaction was reluctance and excuses: "God...really? I don't like to ask and what if I get an "are you crazy" kind of response? Not to mention, there isn't quite a detailed brief or a purpose [at that point] and I'm not exactly your best bet at putting content together."

I left it as that, yet even then, the teachings of what I had seen and heard, and the revelations God graciously granted me during the Israel trip kept re-enacting in my mind. And so, on the very last night, I finally [tentatively and awkwardly] popped the question: "Hey, do you guys want to quickly write a short testimony? Maybe we can put together a rough booklet or something..."

That "rough booklet", with the enthusiasm of the others, became this CD, newsletter and sideshow that you now receive! Which just goes to show that one only needs to obey and God will provide and inspire the rest.

We, the 6 of us, have been blessed to experience Israel in the flesh, and one of our burning desires is that you the reader come away with an awareness of the significance of Israel. This is the main reason we have worked hard to birth this package into being.

If you are able to take the opportunity, we would strongly encourage you to sign up with the Mount Carmel School of Ministry. Truly, our prayer is that our God, the God of Abraham, Issac and Israel, will grant you revelation and that this would be your start to A Heart for Israel.

Shalom.

CONCLUSION AN ENDING OR A START?Joanne Chua, 30, Singapore

A HEART FOR ISRAEL > CONCLUSION > JOANNE CHUA30

”For Zion’s sake I will not hold my peace, And for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest, Until her righteousness goes forth as brightness, And her salvation as a lamp that burns.” – Isaiah 62:1

Join us in having a heart for Israel. www.carmel-assembly.org.il