Up-Close and Personal by Susan Perlman

College Church missionary to the Jew, Susan Perlman has a timely perspective on the situation in Israel and Gaza. Susan is the chief partnership officer with Jews for Jesus.

The war broke out while I was meeting with a small group of our leaders at a location in the States. Two were Israeli born, one, the current head of our work there. He was also away from home in 2006—on a reconciliation trip with Palestinian brothers in Christ—when Israel and Gaza erupted into conflict. As Eli headed home then, knowing he would be redrafted into the army, his Palestinian friends were crying as they feared for his life.

I asked Eli, how he was doing this time, some fifteen years later. He replied:

“Growing up in Israel you get used to the fact that there is a group of terrorists (not all by any means) who, if given the chance will kill you. As a soldier, you realize that it’s your job to defend your country so that others can live without that fear.

This time as I was far away from home, my wife who did not grow up in Israel, realized that same hate I just assumed everyone lives with. Even though she is Jewish, she kept telling me this is not normal. Military conflicts exist around the world. But the feeling that just because you are a Jew, or an Israeli Jew, someone would rather see you and your children die is, truthfully, not normal.

Sure, there is a political and military conflict, but the rockets aren’t targeting the military they are targeting my children. I was surprised when I saw on social media how celebrities and journalists insinuated that because so few had died in Israel, Israel must stop retaliating. Yet, in that case who would protect us. I don’t want a war here or in Gaza. I believe in the preciousness of all life. I wish no one would be harmed. As a believer I understand that war is an evil sinful part of the fallen world. However, it is part of the reality I have lived in growing up in Israel.”

The weight of the war in Israel is felt by all of us—by our staff on the ground experiencing it firsthand, but also by those of us moved by family, friends and our own love for the people and land of Israel. Those of us living outside of Israel extend words of encouragement, support, and prayer to those coping with this crisis in the most immediate way. At the same time, we recognize that our perspective cannot be the same as those experiencing rockets falling or personal attacks on the streets where we live.

As a one-issue organization, we are intentional about not taking political stances in ways that would distract from the gospel message. However, the current Israeli-Palestinian crisis is provoking more than politics. It’s brought out spiritual and emotional issues, and blatant hatred and anti-Semitism—and it’s to those issues that we must speak. The heart of the gospel we aim to share remains unchanged, allowing us to be unified even as we contextualize that gospel message for our worldwide communities that may experience this situation differently, with various issues arising.

Our hearts agonize at the expressions of violence and hatred in our homeland, and subsequently, around the world. Israel is where many of us, our family, friends, and coworkers call home. As a Jewish ministry, we have a personal stake in this conflict. But it’s not just us who care. A large majority of U.S. Jews (82%) say caring about Israel is “essential” or “important” to their Jewish identity, and a large amount of the Diaspora agrees.

For a country that only makes up 0.24% of the land in the Middle East, Israel garners a disproportionate worldwide spotlight—whether positive or negative. Global news outlets have made Israel a daily headline fixture, and much of the media coverage of the current Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been incredibly polarizing. Some have called for the end of the existence of the State of Israel and the annihilation of all Jews. Some paint Israel as an idealized entity beyond reproach.

Neither stance reflects the truth. This conflict is the latest manifestation of an ancient, biblical conflict that predates us. Israel, like any country, can make mistakes. Criticism of Israel is appropriate where necessary because Israel is not perfect—but perfection is not a prerequisite for existence. If criticism of Israel is disproportionate, based on untrue assumptions, or uncontextualized, it can lead to the perpetuation of anti-Semitism. Often, anti-Zionism is a cover for anti-Semitism, and when that’s the case, we must be vigilant and stand against it.

Yet, we are called to be peacemakers—to show love to our enemies and grace to those who disagree with us. As peacemakers, we should seek balanced and credible information, listening to and supporting those who have been closely impacted by the conflict, and use our voices to speak truth, advocate for peace, prayer, and the preservation of life for all people. As Colossians 4:5-6 says, “Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.” (NIV)

Yeshua lived in a politically tumultuous time. He set an incredible example in his ability to sidestep the trap of polarizing questions and instead engage with the issues of the heart. He prayed for his enemies, engaged with people of diverse backgrounds, and spent time immersed in and meeting the needs of his community. His message had the power to tear down the walls of division and bring unity, to show grace in response to hatred.

This time is an opportunity for our Jews for Jesus’ missionaries and all believers to demonstrate the love of our Messiah. We carry in our hearts the only hope for lasting peace for our people and now more than ever, we need to share that hope—online and in person. Through the light of Messiah that dwells in each of us, we can stand against the darkness that threatens to weave itself into history.

Our staff are encouraged not to be fearful of going out of our comfort zones to engage with our Jewish people through ministry during this time. Here are some of the ways we are doing this:

• Conducting street outreach offering prayer and a message of peace for people of all different backgrounds.

• Creating environments and spaces for people to dialogue in peaceful ways.

• Posting gospel messaging using some of the language I’ve used in this article

• Reaching out to our contacts to provide a listening ear, support, and prayer as they navigate these painful times.

A wonderful example of how we as believers can demonstrate our unity is this statement by the Jewish and Arab pastors and elders in Israel. Here is an English translation:

In light of the current situation in which it is expressed in polarization and hatred between Arab and Jewish citizens, we Israeli Jews and Arabs, who share the same faith in Jesus as Messiah and Lord, declare that we are united in brotherly love that is rooted in our faith and based on the Scriptures of the Old and the New Testament, as written John 13: 34-35: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this, all people will know that you are my disciples if you have love for one another.”

Our hearts agonize at the expressions of violence and hatred in our country, where we all live together and we have no other country. Therefore, we call upon all our brothers and sisters who believe in Jesus our Lord, to practically express our unity in Christ Jesus, in love, in mutual help, and steadfastness, confronting the forces of Satan that are full of hatred. All of these since we have been called to be ambassadors of the Lord, and so that the name of God would receive glory and his son Jesus Christ our Lord would be magnified glorified bothin our country and in the world.

Our prayers are that the fighting and hostility would cease and that the peace of God prevails in our land and among our neighbors: For He himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility. (Ephesians 2:14) That they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. (John 17:21)

With blessings and hope for quieter and better days,

The Board of National Pastors and Elders

College Church family, as we navigate this situation together, let’s pray for one another to respond in a way that brings glory to the Lord. We have prayed for a ceasefire, and now there is one though no one knows how long it will last. Pray for protection of the Jewish and Arab citizens of Israel. Let’s pray for the Lord to change our hearts and attitudes to reflect his. And most important, pray that even in the midst of death and tragedy, God would bring about salvation and new life.

My Class Acts by Wil Triggs

Back when I was in Bible college, to fulfill one of the Bible and theology requirements, I had a choice between a class on the Book of Acts or a class more overtly focused on evangelism. I chose to take the class on the Book of Acts.

I’m embarrassed to say that I don’t remember the professor’s name. He wasn’t one of the more celebrated full-time profs. He taught one class at night on the side. Maybe he taught the same course another day, I don’t remember. He was the pastor of a church no one heard of. He had no office space. He drove to the college, taught his class and drove off back to his home and church.

Given the title of the class, I assumed it was going to be class on that particular book of the Bible. I’ve always loved the Book of Acts and was looking forward to studying various aspects of it. I took other classes in Romans and in John and found both to be formative to my faith in the years that followed.

Imagine my surprise when the class really turned out to be a class on evangelism. If I had wanted that, I would have chosen the other class, the real one called evangelism. I don’t think my class was meant to be that exactly. The teacher just couldn’t help himself.

He was passionate about telling other people about Jesus, and even though he was pretty sure we were all Christians, he did his best to tell us the gospel. This was, in part, because we as Christians are made for and meant to tell others the good news. But I think he also recognized that some students were encouraged more by their paying parents than by their transformed hearts to come to a school that required as many units of Bible and theology as whatever course of study you chose. The prof also did open-air evangelism in Los Angeles. He was always talking about the different people he had engaged in gospel conversations.

He required us to memorize the Romans Road, which was his favorite approach to sharing the gospel. He challenged us to pray for opportunities, and when they came, to take them.

He warned us, and it was a warning, not to fool ourselves into thinking that evangelism was something we did; instead, it was something that the Holy Spirit did through us and circumstances and other people.

He prayed for us in class out loud to have opportunities to tell other people about Jesus. Looking back, it seemed to me like he prayed that in every class, and it wasn’t a rote prayer, but a passionate one that came from his heart. We all were pretty sure that we were Christians, so finding people who weren’t was kind of a challenge.

I went home one weekend and connected with a good friend from high school. I’ll call him Ray.

Ray was smart. He was smarter than I was. He wasn’t a Christian, but we were in band and orchestra together through high school (he played French horn and I played trumpet) and we ended up in several other classes together. He made sure his Christian friends knew that he wasn’t a believer, but he liked us anyway. I knew I wanted to go to my Bible college (Biola), Ray went to USC. That impressed me—the big, exclusive, private, expensive school that always went to the Rose Bowl and usually won. (This was a long time ago.)

That weekend, he came over to my house, and we compared notes on our colleges and caught up with each other. During our conversation, Ray kept asking me questions about my faith in Jesus. It was sprinkled in between our talk of other friends who we had or hadn’t heard from and things we liked or didn’t like about college.

All the Scriptures that my nameless professor was pointing us to in class. . . I found myself opening the Bible and showing them to Ray because they were answering the questions he was asking.

I remember thinking, this is the weirdest thing. I mean, ringing in my ears, I heard the prayers of the Acts professor as I was talking. I remember thinking that God was answering that man’s prayers right then and there. The Holy Spirit was giving me the Scriptures that answered the exact questions Ray was asking. I got excited.

This was not the day he decided to follow Jesus. But a few weeks later, Ray made the leap from unbeliever to believer. Eventually he served several terms overseas as a missionary engaged in Bible translation.

A lasting lesson I learned from my professor is that evangelism is more than a technique or campaign. It's a story, your story, of how you were lost but now found, dead but now alive, far off but now near. Come to think of it, evangelism is also more than your story—it is God's story told throughout Scripture. It's his story we are to retell as we keep our eyes wide open for the lost and dead and far off, and our hearts wide open to the Holy Spirit working through us. Every person we meet has a story. We have only to pray, listen and be willing to speak.

From A Pastor Prays for His People by Wendell C. Hawley

Everlasting God, Lover of our souls,

Open our eyes to see your love for us—

your love which was established before creation

and continues unfailing and unending, even unto this very hour.

Your Word tells us that you had a plan for us a long, long time ago.

A love for us not based on

performance,

or beauty,

or inherent value.

A love which sent a Savior to the unlovely,

the destitute,

the helpless,

the condemned.

A Savior whose love prompted him to say:

“Come unto me all you who are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

Lord, may you this day be the present help of all who turn to you,

whether hurt or ashamed,

whether sick or disheartened,

whether troubled or angry.

You have come to change the human condition drastically, totally . . .

the sinful heart,

the stony heart,

the rebellious heart.

Holy physician, divine surgeon . . . work in our lives that our souls might

prosper in spiritual health and vitality.

Thank you, Lord,

for hearing,

for answering,

for meeting every need.

Amen.

"Got Thorns?" by Steve Krogh

Pastor, missionary, new church-plant elder, Steve Krogh's musing is from his book, Topography. The essay "Got Thorns" was first published in 2007 and remains timely.

In the movie "Amazing Grace" (about William Wilberforce's lifelong quest to abolish slavery in the British Empire more than two hundred years ago), there is a great scene where Wilberforce, a member of parliament in his young twenties, and his good friend William Pitt, who became prime minister at the tender age of twenty-four, are enjoying some good-natured horseplay on a morning exercise run.

They have been at their responsibilities awhile, and they are no longer naive to the cost of public service and positions of responsibility.

Since they lived in the days prior to Nike footwear, they are running barefoot. As they finish their run and are walking home, one of them painfully steps on a thorn and says, "Funny, how when you are running, you don't feel the pain of the thorns." Then, referring to the significant tasks before them, he concludes: "Let's keep running!"

Life is the same way, isn't it? When we slow down, get tired, start to give up

. . . then we feel the thorns. Perhaps it is the thorn of discouragement. Or the thorn of doubt. Or the thorn of criticism. Or the thorn of fear. When we are running the race, for some reason, we can step on the thorns and keep going.

The writer to the Hebrews says, "Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith." (Hebrews 12:2)

As we grow older, our pace will decline a bit. That is natural. Yet sometimes we lose our momentum a bit too soon. We slow down too much and aren't running as we should.

Is there an area in which you need to pick up the pace a bit? Have you slowed down when it comes to serving others with zeal? Spending time in the Word? Keeping up with a friend? Spending time with your spouse? Getting in shape? Keeping your commitments to the church body?

Sometimes when you feel the prick of the thorns, it's just an encouragement, to "Keep on running!"

The Fire Dependent by Lorraine Triggs

Any memories I have of Yellowstone National Park were contained in my trusty View-Master. (Historical note: “The View-Master system made the use of small high-quality photographic color images practical. Tourist attractions and travel views predominated in View-Master's early lists of reels, most of which were meant to be interesting to users of all ages.”)

Thanks to a recent episode of “Aerial America” on the Smithsonian Channel, my view of Yellowstone expanded beyond the View-Master.

On that episode, the camera first flew over lush forests made up of Lodgepole pine trees; then cut to footage from the devastating wildfires in 1988. The lush pine trees had become black charred sticks and littered close to 800,000 acres. So how did the new Lodgepole pines grow? Was there a massive plant a Lodgepole pine campaign?

In his soothing voice, the narrator explained a rather remarkable trait of these pines—the intense heat of the wildfires opened the trees’ cones which released thousands of new seeds that brought “new life” to the forests. The Lodgepole pines are a “fire-dependent” species.

I am not such a species.

You might say I am a “fire-averse” species, especially to trials of the fiery kind that lie in my pathway. My first reaction to a trial is usually one of surprise. How did this happen? This trial wasn’t supposed to be part of God’s plan for my wonderful life. My plan included more comfort and ease than hard decisions and anxious thoughts.

My second reaction is practical. Hmm, how I do I maneuver around the trial? What can I fix or do to make everything turn out all right? I want to hurry to the other side of the trial, with a happy ending of how great everything turned out. Like I said, I am fire-averse.

I have a hunch that Peter and James were like the Lodgepole pines—fire dependent. In just one verse, Peter dismisses my first reaction to trials, “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.” (I Peter 4:12) Perhaps the strange thing is a life absent of trials and pain.

James, also writing to first century Christians, takes care of my second reaction just as succinctly, “Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.” (James 1:12)

Also, like the Lodgepole pines, Peter and James knew that the intense heat of trials would explode into revealed glory and crowns of life in the presence of Jesus. New life bursts out of heat and fire. It was true for those first century Christians. It is true fo my fellow Christians in places like China, North Korea, Pakistan and Nigeria. And, reluctantly, it has to be true for me too.

That trial of the fiery kind? It still lies in my pathway, but today, I inched a bit closer to its heat, singing softly:

“When through fiery trials your pathway shall lie,

my grace, all sufficient, shall be your supply

The flames shall not hurt you. I only design

your dross to consume, and your gold to refine.”

True to His Nature - a prayer by Dr. Wendell C. Hawley

Most gracious God,

You have promised mercy through Jesus Christ to all who repent and believe in him.

We know that our only salvation is in Christ Jesus.

In his Word is our hope.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

"Faithful" and "just" - divine attributes that are alien to our nature.

You are reliable,

consistent,

dependable,

utterly true to your holy nature.

With you, God, there is absolutely no duplicity,

only absolute dependability.

That is why we rely on the promise of your Word -

that with our confession of sins committed

and belief in the cleansing of our hearts by faith,

we have the charge of "unrighteous" removed from our record

and the righteousness of Christ imputed to us.

Desiring such a divine transaction, we now confess our sins to you.

Thanks and praise be to God, for he has promised the removal of all unrighteousness.

Calvary's detergent makes us clean -

now, no condemnation;

now, peace with God.

This is good news:

We who are cleansed are reconciled.

May we be more thankful for your daily mercies.

May we be humble under your correction.

May we be zealous in doing your will.

May we be watchful against temptation.

May we be content under trial.

May we be what we profess.

Great Shepherd of the sheep -

Look with compassion upon our number experiencing the valley of shadows,

unpleasant, painful, disconcerting -

yea, devastating troubles affect some here today.

May the presence of Jesus penetrate such awful gloom and give joyful

victory to all who feel abandoned.

May all leave this place rejoicing and saying,

"It was good to be in God's house today."

Lovingkindness with a Limp by Wil Triggs

Pastor Stringer is in the process of packing up his office for the move to Georgia. I don’t like goodbyes.

Even though we will both continue to labor for the good news, it won’t be the same. I’ve been a little wistful, revisiting sweet memories over the course of the last ten years . . .

Sharing Josh’s enthusiasm for books during his resident stint with the bookstall

Talking with old and new friends over south campus dinners when we met at Edison Middle School

Having a resident butcher who helped me know what to do with a tenderloin or how to brine a turkey

Heeding the call for 500 cinnamon rolls on Easter Sunday (that was Josh’s idea)

Laughing, almost crying and praying with him and other men at Men’s Bible Study. (I know; he’s not taking our Bible study with him, but we will miss him.)

Watching Lorraine and his daughter, Annie, share an air hug at the end of a recent Wednesday night

This week, Josh offered some books to the pastors and directors. Looking through the stack, I took one: Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology by Dr. Walter Elwell.

In February 2019, I wrote a Saturday Musing about the word lovingkindness and William Tyndale, the Bible translator who created the English word. This word has stuck in my head and heart since then.

So when I got to my office with my new used treasure, I immediately opened to the word "lovingkindness" to see what the author had to say about it. The entry runs a full column. Here is a bit of what it says.

“The translation of the Hebrew word hesed in the KJV,” the entry begins.“…The nature of the God of Israel is love. Even when Israel has sinned, they are assured that Jehovah is full of lovingkindness. …The God of the covenant shows his covenantal faithfulness by his loving commitment to his people, regardless of their responsiveness or righteousness.”

As I have ruminated on the word over time, it seems as if this loving impulse of God is so opposite of my human impulses. That distinct otherness of God, manifested most obviously and fully in Jesus. I want unconditional love from God, and I’m getting it, but I’m not so sure I want to extend that love personally to others.

Nevertheless, Elwell’s entry continues to a place I'm not sure I want to go:

“The God who is love also expects his people to be sanctified by demonstrating lovingkindness to their covenant God and to others.”

So Josh is leaving, and even in his departure, God is using him (and his dictionary gift) to remind me of who God is and how he is calling me to live. I can be like Christ. I can walk in hesed, but it’s lovingkindness with a limp.

The nature of God, so antithetical to my natural human instincts, is more wonderful and right than anything I can manufacture in my humanity. Somehow, the Spirit works in and through us. We trust and rejoice and move forward.

God calls the Stringers to a new place. I pray God’s lovingkindness will be manifest in this move and in their church. In a post on his website, Michael Card, who wrote a whole book on hesed, shares a definition for the Hebrew word: “when the person from whom I have a right to expect nothing gives me everything.”

Thanks Josh, for your lovingkindness with a limp. Thank you for giving, well, not everything exactly, but a lot.

I Saw One Hanging on a Tree - hymn by John Newton

On the day between Good Friday and Easter, it would do our souls well to sit in front of the silent tomb and confront our sin that swirled in the bottom of the cup that Jesus drank.

I saw One hanging on a tree,

In agony and blood;

He fixed His loving eyes on me,

As near His cross I stood.

Sure, never to my latest breath,

Can I forget that look;

It seemed to charge me with His death,

Though not a word He spoke.

My conscience felt and owned the guilt,

And plunged me in despair:

I saw my sins His blood had spilt

And helped to nail Him there.

A second look He gave, which said,

"I freely all forgive:

This blood is for your ransom paid,

I die that you may live."

Chorus

O, can it be, upon a tree

The Savior died for me?

My soul is thrilled, my heart is filled,

To think He died for me!