Operation Ignite

[Rubens]

This is just by way of sharing. Although if anyone has any comments or wants to relate similar experiences please sing out.

Probably like many ACSI members, on Sundays I attend a nice healthy fellowship with blossoming youth ministry and lots of life. However, there is never any "official" position on Israel and the Jews. You wonder whether pastors have to be apolitical on this subject when beholden to a denomination like the Baptist Union or whichever.

I'd heard about a youth ministry group called "Operation Ignite", an arm of Return Ministries http://www.return.co.il/home_web.html . Their travelling show of testimonial, dance, music and drama claimed to "ignite the church with God's heart for Israel".

Tentatively I contacted them and, um, leaked my pastor's email address to them. Before I knew it they were booked in, and I was happily lumped with coordinating it. Our fellowship was a little stuck for material, it seems, plus our pastor was to be on extended leave so any idea to fill a Sunday morning service was clearly going to be welcomed.

They were three Canadians (Return Ministries is based in Canada), two Aussies, and one Israeli from Tel Aviv. They filled our Sunday am service and an evening youth service (which is not a norm. You might say there was popular demand...!) It was an amazing presentation, it richly blessed our church, and whats more...it filled the house. To say they were a total hit, especially with the youth, would be an understatement.

Hopefully in no more than 18 months - 2 years, they'll be back (with a greater Israeli content). I will certainly be informing as many through ACSI as possible.

The reason I share this is because it proved one thing- while fellowships affiliated with larger denominations or Unions might stay silent on what seems like a political hot potato, the rank and file in the pews come out of the woodwork, either with a pre-existing heart for Israel or a genuine desire to know and experience more.

Who knows, "The Church", who have basically been asleep at the wheel when it comes to Israel and the Jewish people, may wake up with a start, with a little encouragement. What does everyone think?

[joyful]

Yes have heard Ignite and know some of them and they have a great medium for getting the message across about Israel. Have also experienced many in the pews eager to hear about Israel as I think there is an awakening amongst ordinary folks (some would say since 1996) but the hierarchy of the church seem to have a total blind spot in many instances. They might not be openly antagonistic as those are who are into replacement theology but just indifferent which God is still going to hold them accountable for I believe.

Having said that I was a Christian for 23 years before I had any understanding of Israel and it really came from "acidentally" visiting the Holy Land in 1999 (went to help an elderly friend) and "whammo" I was hit over the head with stuff that I had never heard from the pulpit. It actually came from wandering up to the wall thinking "oh yes , I'll pray everybody else is praying" and I went down like a pack of cards, sobbing my heart out and heard a voice (yes I really did) saying "deep cries unto deep" Psalms 42:7.  Since then I continually get blown away by the treasures that the Church is missing out on because it has no understanding of it's Hebraic Roots and has even forgotten I believe that Jesus is Jewish and even came to the Jewish people first before us even!!!

I'm sure you would agree there are such wonderful, wonderful truths n the Word still to be discovered by the Church if they would only put God and Israel in there instead of themselves all the time but I'm convinced that it's like being born again - only the Holy Sprirt can bring illumination. In the meantime we can only say and do what the Holy Spirit instructs and pray that "the lights come" on for people as Israel is not going to go away and it behoves us in the days that are coming to be hanging onto the tallit of a Jew because we know their God goes with them Zech 8:23. Blessings