Shalom Faithful Brothers and Sisters,
I bet that title got your attention!
Romans 6:22 “But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life.”
As I was attending service tonight, this verse really stood out to me. Actually, it hit me hard. I was wondering where we lost sight of becoming slaves to God and how the body of Believers as a whole became so self-seeking and arrogant. These days we almost think God owes it to us to bless every move we make, grant us immediate financial prosperity and make life as easy as possible for us. But how often do you say to yourself “I am God’s slave”? Probably not very often. Especially in our politically correct society where even the term “slave” can be grounds for a lawsuit. And then I wondered… if I am supposed to be God’s slave, that means life can never be lived on nominal terms, comfort zones, high-profile lifestyles and materialistic surroundings. Ouch! Being a slave doesn’t mean we are to live in pain, anguish and harsh conditions, but it means we have to give up a lot of worldly comforts for the sake of the people who are perishing daily without the saving knowledge of Yeshua. I am a slave. Sure, I have my moments of pain, we all do… but just the same I am His slave. I think the most amazing thing about being a slave to the Master is that I have come to know Grace and Mercy in amazing ways. You see, I was sold into slavery. My sin took control and the Enemy viewed me as worthless. I was left out to die. But Jesus came along and saw me and said, “This one is mine and I will be her new master and I will love her, I will even die for her… she was once a slave to sin but now she is a granted freedom and eternal life.” The same happened to you. You were once a slave to sin and the Enemy left you out in the cold to die… but Jesus found you, took you, loved you and became your Master. So let’s live like it.
This has been yet another amazing week! I have registered for my Hebrew classes and I start my first day on November 6th. I am so excited and I will be earning college credit at Hebrew University. My class is in central Jerusalem so it’s easy to get to by bus. I got my giant book and already it looks intimidating but if I apply myself, I am sure I can learn it. Classes are two nights a week for three hours both nights. I’ll go up half a unit every three months.
I have finally found what I consider to be my home congregation. It’s a Messianic Congregation called “King of Kings” also located in central Jerusalem. The services are amazing and I find it to be a great combination of Messianic traditions and upbeat praise and worship and a powerful message. There is a young adults group (ages 21-35) that I meet with on Tuesday and Thursday evenings and once a month we have what is called “The Deep End” which is an entire praise and worship night for young adults my age. I am truly being fed here and I am so joyful that God has led me to this congregation. It’s a huge answer to prayer.
I am sure you are all seeing the news reports on Gaza. Hamas and Al Qaeda have set up shop there (that’s a nice way of putting it) and they are already starting to breach the peace agreement (surprise, surprise… yawn). They, of course, blame Israel for everything. They have launched several rockets into Israel and Israel has retaliated… rightfully so! Things are heating up here and we need prayer like never before. Politically, things are getting interesting with possible elections being moved to this coming November and the entire mess in Gaza. Also, this weekend there are going to be Arab demonstrations in Jerusalem protesting absolutely everything Israel does. PLEASE PRAY FOR ISRAEL’S SAFETY AND THAT THE ARABS WILL NOT COMMIT ACTS OF TERROR!!! In fact, if you would like to fast a meal this weekend to pray specifically for this need, it would be greatly appreciated. It’s going to be a crazy week.
Sarah Rose and I are getting along wonderfully. We talk everyday and then she has me to her room to watch The Young and the Restless for half an hour each day! And wow does she know the story line! She tells me all about who is cheating on who, who has a child with who, who killed so and so and then came back to life after a mysterious plane crash in Columbia… heehee! I just sit there and giggle because she has quite a sharp mind and loves to talk! I can’t believe she’s 94. Rafael is another special patient of ours who I call “Saba” (Grampa in Hebrew) and I sit with him and talk to him everyday.
This week, one of our worker’s family members passed away and Abdul went to the hospital for kidney stones and our activities coordinator had a family emergency so we are three staff members short!!! I had to step up to the plate and help fill in as much as possible, which is very demanding work but it’s what I am here for (reminding myself I am a slave for God). I am extremely tired (and fighting a cold) but God is supplying me with His strength even though I am not getting as much sleep as I should. I am just glad to be here at such a time…
Yesterday after work I went to Yad Vashem (The Holocaust Museum). I haven’t been there since 1999. It was extremely emotional and I think what got to me most was that I went through the entire museum with an Israeli friend of mine. It totally changed my perspective because I was reading and intently watching the exhibits knowing that my dear friend was one of these people they would have killed simply because he’s a Jew. I started to cry at different points and as we stood there watching interviews of Holocaust Survivors I turned around and all I could say was, “I am so, so sorry.” When we went to the section dedicated to those who helped save the Jews in amazing ways, he said, “You are a modern-day hero just like them because you gave up your life in the USA to come here to Israel to help us when no one else is willing to. You are on our side.” I cried. Moments like these remain frozen in my memory and keep me going when I feel weak. It was an honor to accompany my Jewish friend to such a place. May we never forget what happened in our not so distant past and may we do everything we can to fight modern-day anti-Semitism that has sadly crept into the church and society as a whole.
I still have time weekly to see Moti, Dror, Julie, Abdul, Raul, Luze, Pamela and all the many other friends I have made here and am sharing my story with. Sometimes I wonder where I find the time to do all of this!
Please pray this week as often as possible for Israel. We really depend upon it.
This is Erin reporting LIVE from Jerusalem as a slave for God…