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Shavei Tzyon | Return to Zion Congregation
Haifa, Israel
Shalom to you in Messiah Yeshua! May mercy, peace, and love from God our Father be multiplied to you.
Thank you for your prayers, for your donations and for standing with us in these difficult days! We are strengthened by the Lord to walk with Him and fulfill His commission.
Recently our music school held a series of concerts. All were a testimony of God’s blessing. There are now more than 140 students in our school.
Many people in the congregation are exhausted by the war and rumors of war, as well as by worries about their loved ones in the IDF. To counter this stress and provide spiritual and emotional restoration, we organized a getaway for the married couples of our congregation. The time together was spent hiking Mount Tabor, listening to excellent teaching, playing games and eating delicious food. Our hearts were lighter and our minds refreshed upon our return.
In preparation for the Passover holiday, the humanitarian side of Shavai Tzion assembled many Passover gift sets to be shared with new immigrants, elderly, Holocaust survivors, for the project “Women in Problematic Situations,” and others in need. Altogether we prepared 500 gift sets. Each set costs about $35.00 (US). We greatly appreciate your prayers and participation in these gifts.
Youth Lead Purim
A few words about Purim. This year the retelling of God’s miracle from the book of Esther was arranged and presented by our youth group. They even wrote the songs themselves. About 200 people came to celebrate, and the performance was marvelous.
Please continue to intercede for our youth. They are reaching the age when they will soon be drafted into the IDF. These days we are even more aware of the need to pray protection over each one — spirit, soul and body!
Shirley and Ilya, our daughter and her husband, lead the youth group which has more than 20 members. It’s a mini-community with specific needs. That’s why the leaders need special wisdom!
Passover and Yom Kippur Sacrifices
The Messiah is a fulfillment of the Passover and Yom Kippur sacrifices. Those sacrifices are described in Leviticus, and they tell us about “unauthorized fire” and the fear of God. This shows us that the Messiah’s sacrifice is sufficient for everyone who comes to God the Father in the power of the new covenant sacrifice. And it also shows us how important it is to have the fear of God.
God’s eternal calling still rests on Israel through the covenant inheritance of our forefather, Abraham. Yet we know that the formal sacrifices ceased after the destruction of the Second Temple almost 2000 years ago. Therefore, there is no other way to come, purified and justified before God, except through Yeshua’s sacrifice. Both His Jewish and Gentile followers have this privilege today.
In Ephesians Paul said: “those who once were far off became fellow citizens with the saints.” In Galatians Paul states that in Messiah Gentiles become Abraham’s children. This is an important status because God chose Abraham and his descendants to be instruments in the Creator’s hands to “repair” the world now shattered by sin.
“For we are the temple of the living God — as God said, ‘I will house myself in them, and I will walk among you. I will be their God, and they will be my people.’ ” (2 Corinthians 6:16)
“Therefore, my dear friends, since we have these promises, let us purify ourselves from everything that can defile either body or spirit, and strive to be completely holy, out of reverence for God.” (2 Corinthians 7:1)
I wish everyone blessings and health and full joy in Messiah Yeshua as we celebrate His feasts and live each day dedicated to His service.
