Professional Documents
Culture Documents
June 2016
June 2016
CJF Ministries
PO Box 345
San Antonio, Texas 78292-0345
Telephone
(210) 226 - 0421
Fax
(210) 226 - 2140
E-mail
info@cjfm.org
OrderLine
(800) 926 - 5397
Website
www.cjfm.org
God has not forgotten the Jewish people, and neither have we.
June 2016
Today I want to introduce you to Jameel,1 pictured below. When his father
committed suicide in 2014, this Palestinian Muslim teenager felt like his
world had come to an end. Jameel, his mother, and his younger sister were left
alone to fend for themselves in their Arab village in northern Israel.
Fast forward a few months to the occasion when Jameel met our Arab pastor
friend, Najeeb Atteih.2 Pastor Najeeb, a strongly pro-Israel Arab believer, shared
the Gospel with Jameel and he gladly prayed to receive the Jewish Messiah right
on the spot! Najeeb began spending time with Jameel to mentor him in his new
faith. One day, the Palestinian teenager told Najeeb that he had decided to join
the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). When Najeeb earnestly asked Jameel what his
mother would say if she knew about his plans, he replied, It was her idea.
Isnt that just astonishing? A Muslim Palestinian mother was encouraging her
teenage son, who had recently become a Jesus-follower, to join Israels army!
And thats exactly what he did! Jameel is now in his first year of military service, and his mom says she is very proud of him.
Sadly, however, Jameel has come under persecution in their Arab village. His
decision to join the IDF was not popular with many of the locals. They mock and
sneer at him when hes wearing his uniform, and accuse him of being a traitor
to his people. In fact, he has stopped going home when hes on leave because it
creates tension between his family and the other villagers.
Jameel isnt alone. Im told that there are nearly a thousand Arab young people
who now serve in the IDF alongside Jewish soldiers. They serve because they
appreciate the freedom they enjoy while living in the Jewish State. But they do
experience persecution from their local Arab-Palestinian communities.
Inside this newsletter, youll read about Pastor Najeebs burden for these
young Arab soldiersand his plan for helping them in spiritual and practical
ways. I believe youll find it very exciting!
continued inside
1 Jameel gave us permission to use his real name (saying hes not afraid), but we are withholding it nonetheless for security purposes.
2 We initially met Pastor Najeeb through Ruth Nessim, a Messianic Jewish believer who has served as our CJFM ministry representative in
northern Israel for more than 30 years.
Representatives and scholars from various Jewish evangelistic organizations met in Arlington, Texas, (near Dallas) in
February to network and encourage one another in the work of ministry. The theme of this years annual gathering was
Jewish Evangelism in 2016Whats Working and What Isnt? Presenters included younger evangelists, seasoned veterans,
academics, and those engaged in day-to-day practical evangelism. Speakers compared Jewish evangelism in the Early Church
with similar evangelism today. You can find many of these presentations (and those from previous conferences) on lcje-na.org.
Attendees at the 2016 conference had the unique
opportunity to view ancient Hebrew scrolls
acquired by the Christian Heritage Foundation
of Cleburne, Texas. One of the Foundations
stated objectives is to Honor Israel. In partial
fulfillment of that objective, they have acquired
16 ancient Hebrew scrolls (a total of 40, when
you include duplicate books) making up the only
complete set of the Tanakh (all 39 books of the
Old Testament) available for public viewing. The
only other two or three complete sets in existence
cannot be seen by the general public. Most of
the scrolls within the Foundations collection
are more than 250 years old and were written in
places like Iraq, Morocco, Israel, Poland, and
Russia, among others. After eventually finding
their way to Jerusalem, these scrolls were located
and purchased by the Foundations Ancient
Hebrew Scrolls project.
Because they were written in different times and places, each scroll has a look and story of its own. The Foundation not only
showcases the scrolls, but also explains how and where they were created, the kinds of materials that were used, and so forth.
It is a visual demonstration of the truth that the Jewish people have been entrusted with the oracles of God (see Romans 3:2).
Humanity today knows about the one true God, the Creator of Heaven and earth, because of the faithfulness of Jewish scribes.
We owe a great debt to the Jewish people who have so carefully and meticulously preserved Gods Word for us today.
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$39,000
$0
GOAL
Were halfway
there!
by Arnold Fruchtenbaum
June 2016
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