Messianic believers in Israel request prayer for the town of Arad following recent opposition to the Messianic congregation.
At the end of August, a Messianic congregation, Hasdey Yeshua, was meeting in a warehouse facility in Arad, south Israel, when a group of 20-30 ultra-Orthodox Jews belonging to the Gur Hassidim gathered to protest the meeting by cursing and hurling religious slogans. An exaggerated and provocative version of events was then reported by Israeli news portal Arutz 7 on 31st August.
Later, a journalist from Israel Today contacted the congregation and published a corrected version of events, emphasising that the Messianic Jews were praying for the protesters.*
More recently, the Gur Hassidim have been trying to spread their influence in Arad in an aggressive manner, putting up signs and posters attacking the mayor and the secular community with regards to eating and dressing customs.
A leader of Hasdey Yeshua requests prayer: “Please pray for the peace of our city and for the protection of our Mayor. Please also pray for our Messianic community here in Arad in this time of spiritual darkness that we might shine brightly with the love of Yeshua to both the secular and the ultra-orthodox.”
* see www.israeltoday.co.il/NewsItem/tabid/178/nid/32319/Default.aspx
MAY BE CIRCULATED TO GENERAL MAILING LISTS, OUTSIDE ORGANISATIONS, AND QUOTED FROM FREELY IN REPORTS CITING “MIDDLE EAST CONCERN” AS THE SOURCE OF THE INFORMATION
Prayer Points
Please pray that:
a. The Lord will protect the mayor and the Messianic community in Arad
b. Wise counsel will prevail and that peace will be restored to Arad and that those who are trying to provoke aggression will be stopped and repent of their actions
c. This will become an opportunity for the Messianic Jews to become more widely accepted by the community in Arad and have a positive influence on both religious and secular sections of society
