Gen 49:10 The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come: and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.

Dear Allen,

Shalom. In a previous e-mail we mentioned a terrible event that happened in Israel a few months ago: Ami Ortiz, the son of a missionary couple, suffered extensive injuries after opening a bomb disguised as a Purim holiday gift.

This took place in the small town of Ariel, where Chosen People Ministries workers Henry and Irina N. are faithfully serving a small Russian-language congregation. The Lord has blessed their ministry, although they have lived with an incredible amount of stress because of their proximity to terrorist activities.

Unfortunately, what happened in Ariel is not the only incident in Israel where Messianic Jews today are being persecuted.

I understand why my Jewish people are so opposed to evangelism. Sadly, Christianity and our Messianic faith are seen as a threat to Jewish existence. These are the modern-day repercussions of a terrible history of "Christians" - those using the name of Christ, but not acting like His followers - persecuting Jews.

In general, Jewish people believe that when Jews accept Jesus they are no longer Jewish. Many of those within the Jewish community who protest evangelism do so because they honestly believe they are protecting the Jewish people from a national threat!

The Psalmist asked us to pray for the peace of Jerusalem. Would you please pray?

Please pray for the Ortiz family and for the Chosen People Ministries staff members in Israel, that the Lord will provide healing, strength and power to continue the work of preaching the Good News to our Jewish people - despite the persecution. Also, please pray for my family and me, as we will be living in Israel in July.

And dear friend, please also pray for the ultra-religious Jewish people who are initiating this persecution. The apostle Paul also understood what it meant to be persecuted and rejected by his own people. I love what Paul writes so briefly and powerfully in Romans 12:14: Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.

Would you also prayerfully consider partnering with us to share the Gospel in the Holy Land?

Rather than decreasing our Gospel efforts in Israel because of the opposition, we are increasing them. There is no doubt in my mind that we are living in the Last Days described by the prophets, and the time to reach Jewish people with the message of Jesus is NOW!

Our Israel budget requires almost a half million dollars per year! And unfortunately, this does not even go far enough right now because of the increase of the Israeli shekel against the dollar. So, as I am sure you know, your support is greatly appreciated and we know the Lord will multiply your gift to provide what is needed for this work of prophetic proportions in Israel.

You can use our secure online donation system or mail your gift to our office at 241 E. 51st Street, New York, NY, 10022.

Thanks so much for loving the Jewish people and for caring about Chosen People Ministries and our work of reaching God's chosen people for the Savior!

Yours in the Messiah,

Mitch