MORE THAN 1,000 SYRIAN LEADERS ATTEND PREMIERE OF GOSPEL FILM
Also: I’ll be on Glenn Beck’s radio and TV shows on Wednesday.
(Virginia Beach, Virginia, March 10, 2009) — This morning on the Christian Broadcasting Network’s “700 Club,” I was interviewed about Inside The Revolution. I spoke about the Iranian nuclear threat to the U.S. and Israel, as well as the good news from Iran — that more than 1 million Shia Muslims there have come to faith in Jesus Christ over the past thirty years.
Just before lunch, I spoke to several hundred CBN employees about some of the amazing stories I have personally witnessed of how the God of the Bible is transforming lives throughout the Muslim world, and spreading the message of the gospel throughout the epicenter.
Just after I spoke, I receive an email from a friend in the Middle East with the latest piece of good news from that region. Last week, as you’ll recall, I alerted you to the fact that a major motion picture about the life of the Apostle Paul and how he came to faith in Jesus Christ on the road to Damascus was going to premiere in the Syrian capital. I also asked you to pray that God would bless the showing of the film entitled, Damascus.
Let me report that your prayers have been answered. More than 1,000 Syrian political, business, and religious leaders — along with journalists — attended and there is a lot of buzz in the region about the film.
Here are excerpts from an email I just received from one of the film’s producers, that I post with his permission:
* “It is with great joy that I report to you that the Lord, in His love and mercy, accorded us a truly historic event for the premier of Damascus, in the capital city of Syria, Damascus, where it all began 2,000 years ago. The Government took a personal interest in the production of this film, made it very easy for us, and facilitated everything we needed. The invitation for the premiere went all the way to the Presidential palace, which received it with great favor, delegating the responsibility of hosting the premier to the Minister of Culture, and designated that it should be held in the Opera in Damascus….
* “A huge [billboard] was hung in a public place for several weeks leading up to the premiere, literally seen by at least one million people every day….1,135 people attended the premier, so the Opera was…a full house. We were honored by the presence not only of the Minister of Culture, but also of other Cabinet members, very high government officials, and two patriarchs, with a third sending his inaugural speech to be delivered by his assistant.
* “The head of the Synod of the Evangelical churches of Lebanon and Syria sent his speech, to be delivered by his vice-president, who represented him….All the main actors and crew were also present, also the head of the Islamic community sent his inaugural speech, to be delivered by his right-hand man, one of the main Sunni leaders in the country….
* “All the speeches were extremely positive, and all gave honor and glory to God, and also commended the Syrian government for its support of the production of this film, and the potential it has to revive the Christian message, and transform lives, as it happened with Saul on the way to Damascus….We were honored by having with us representatives of the mainstream Christian denominations from all the neighboring countries as well….
* “The film was positively received. In fact, the crowd broke into applause at the opening of the eyes of Saul, at the baptismal scene, and also at the scene when followers of the Way were first called Christians….[Let us give] honor and glory to God and our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who still transforms lives, and proclaim that, from this evening on, Paul, as promised by the Lord, will appear before Kings and Presidents and will take the message to all the nations of the world, on the large as well as the small screen….
* “Twelve television stations and all the main newspapers in the country and the Arab world were represented, as part of the press group. Dozens and dozens of people were interviewed before and after the showing. Today, literally the entire Arab world is talking about this premiere and the inaugural showing of Damascus…..The English dubbing was completed…last week, and it should be ready very soon. Other languages are underway: Turkish, Farsi, Russian, Urdu, Hindi, Kurdish, and many others….Thank you so much for praying for the inaugural showing in Damascus. Please continue to pray.”
There is plenty of bad news coming out of the Middle East, including out of Iran. But let us keep in mind that the God of the Bible is faithful. He is on the move. He loves all the people of the epicenter, and His message cannot be thwarted by the kingdoms of mankind. What a message of hope as we head into the Easter season.
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COME TO ISRAEL WITH US IN NOVEMBER
Dear Friends:
It is with great excitement over God’s wonderful love and plan for Israel and the people of the epicenter that I invite you to join us for our next Joshua Fund “Prayer & Vision Trip.” It will be held November 5-17, 2009, and culminate in our first-ever “Jerusalem Prayer Summit.”
If you have never been to the Holy Land, it is hard to describe what a profound spiritual effect such a journey can have on you and your family. You may have heard others say God’s Word seemed to “come alive” in a new way when they walked where Jesus walked, from the shores of Galilee to the Mount of Olives and into the streets of Jerusalem. Well, it’s true, and I believe our 2009 Israel trip will allow you to experience this for yourself and intensify your desire to walk closely with Jesus Christ.
If you have been to Israel before, this trip will be a great opportunity to deepen your understanding of how powerfully the Lord is moving there. I will teach at key locations and answer your questions about the future of the epicenter. You will have the opportunity to meet with and pray for local pastors and ministry leaders. We are arranging for you to spend time engaged in a practical Joshua Fund ministry project to bless the poor and needy. What’s more, you will participate in a two-day conference to pray for the peace of Jerusalem at this critical hour.
We can take up to 300 people, and to make your experience as personal and special as possible, you will be assigned to one of seven buses of about 45 people. Each bus will be hosted by a Joshua Fund staff or board member or couple, or one of our close allies. You will ride that bus with your host every day, and in the process you’ll get to know the people on your bus, study the Bible with them, pray with and for them, discover Israel together with them, ask questions with them, and thus form a small community. Lord willing, I will rotate through the buses to get to know you and answer your questions. Each bus will also have a professional, licensed Israeli tour guide who know every detail of the country inside and out.
Now, that said, please realize that there are now some 90,000 people on this Flash Traffic email list. So space is going to fill up quickly. Please prayerfully consider joining us for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
[NOTE: To learn more, or to register today on-line, please click on the link below]
My team and I are praying for you, and we’d love to have you join us this November.
Yours to bless Israel and her neighbors in the name of Jesus,
Joel C. Rosenberg
Founder and President of The Joshua Fund
—————
In Matthew chapter 25, Jesus praises His followers for feeding the hungry and caring for those who are suffering.
For more than a year, the Joshua Fund has been financing the purchase of some 10 tons of food each month to care for the poor and needy in northern Israel through some of our trusted allies near the Lebanon border. This typically includes rice, flour, canned vegetables, cooking oil, and other staples. Because of your gracious donations, we have already purchased a total of more than 200 tons of food. This has blessed thousands of Israelis living under the poverty level. The cost of this project is $21,500 a month.
At the same time, we are helping provide food for needy Israelis under the poverty level in the town of Sderot in southern Israel, just a few kilometers from Gaza. Like in the north, we work through trusted allies. Some are Israeli Jews. Others are evangelical Christians. It is an honor to work together with both and help them love their neighbors with unconditional love. The Sderot project requires a monthly budget of $10,000.
Would you prayerfully consider making a $50, $100, or $500 donation to help us with these and similar projects? Thank you so much.
At the same time, please also pray that we can finish raising about $134,000 to complete a new ministry training center in Iraq. As I mentioned in a recent Flash Traffic, in the course of my travels to Iraq, an exciting opportunity has presented itself. Christians leaders in Iraq want to complete the building of a ministry training center inside their country. For security reasons, I can’t say too much about where it will be or who is involved in the project, but I can say we have known these leaders for years and have seen them bear much fruit. Part of the building is already complete and is being used. Finishing the rest will create urgently needed new classroom space for teaching the Scriptures and training current and future Christian leaders. There will also be facilities to accommodate guests coming from other parts of Iraq or from abroad to train or be trained. There will be office space, and communications facilities for staff and volunteers to correspond with believers and seekers from all over the country via phone, letter, emails and chat rooms. We would be deeply grateful if you would pray for us and those Iraqi Christian leaders we are working closely with. If you would like to help us financially meet this goal and complete this project, we would be deeply grateful as well.
As always, we will do our best to keep you up-to-date on the kinds of projects we are doing, and brief you on how those projects are proceeding. We will also let you know about the kinds of projects we are developing for the future. In no way do we want to pressure anyone to give financially. We fully believe the Lord will provide for the needs of the people we seek to serve. But if you or others wish to help, we welcome your support, and all financial gifts are tax-deductible.
If you would like to make a contribution to the on-going work of The Joshua Fund please make your check payable to “The Joshua Fund” and send to:
The Joshua Fund
18950 Base Camp Road
Monument, Colorado 80132-8009
Thanks so much and may the Lord richly bless you and your family as you bless Israel and Iraq in the name of Jesus — especially at critical moment in history of the epicenter.
Would you consider making a donation of $50, $100 or $500 per month to The Joshua Fund to help us bless Israelis and Iraqis in the name of Jesus? Please click here to find out more, and/or to make a secure donation on-line.
To get the latest prayer requests and updates on the work of TJF, please visit The Joshua Fund’s weblog
To learn more about The Joshua Fund’s Prayer & Vision Trip to Israel, or to register today on-line, please click here
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TO BOOK JOEL FOR AN INTERVIEW please contact Beverly Rykerd at 1-888-481-0405, (719) 481-0537, or (719) 440-2746 (cell), or brykerd @ ix.netcom.com.