Tom Doyle on Joel Rosenberg’s 9/11 Townhall Meeting Webcast

To watch this important event just go to this website. http://www.insidetherevolution.org/

Joel Rosenberg, Janet Parshall, and Hormoz Shariatt were informative and inspiring. I was humbled to be a part of this! God’s blessings to you, Tom

Netanyahu at the UN, Obama Fails, and Muslims on Capitol Hill

Today and tomorrow are very important days in our beloved United States of America. Here are three bullet points that we as believers need to be fully informed and praying about:

 

1. President Obama’s Speech at the United Nations. Joel Rosenberg writes this about the address in his Flash Traffic released today:

 

“President Obama’s first address to the United Nations General Assembly was not just a disappointment, it was dangerous.

Weak on Iran. Hard on Israel. Virtually silent on Afghanistan.

The President effectively called for Israel’s capital city of Jerusalem to be divided, for Israel itself to be divided, and proposed no enforcement mechanism to stop Iran from getting the Bomb. This will only encourage the Radicals from Gaza City to Tehran.

Ahmadinejad’s speech was also dangerous, in a different way. The tone was low-key, quiet, deceitfully tame — it was clear he didn’t want to make splashy, provocative headlines this time around. The speech was aimed at temporarily mollifying critics (or at least not giving them fresh ammunition against him), and buying time so the West doesn’t act decisively and Iran can finish building nuclear weapons without interference. What’s so dangerous is this strategy is likely to work.” Joel Rosenberg 

 

 

Joel and his team just talked about the Iranian situation in depth during his Town Hall meeting on September 11th. I was blessed to be one of the speakers on the Inside the Revolution 9/11 Town Hall Meeting Webcast with Joel in Philadelphia. It was a great experience and a significant meeting. If you didn’t get to see it here is the link for the program: 

http://www.insidetherevolution.org/?P=webcast   (The program is worth watching in it’s entirety because Joel really explains the present day situation so well. He is gifted and God’s hand is clearly on him. But if you only have a short time my interview starts at about the 55 minute mark.)

  

 

2. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech at the United Nations:

 

The Prime Minister was at his best at the United Nations today. He was clear, convincing, and ever so strong about the Iranian threat. Here is a short clip of Netanyahu’s speech. All I can say is wow! Praise the Lord for this speech! It’s about time we hear this at the UN. Pray for Israel. They are in a critical time of need today! We believers are needed for intercession on behalf of the nation of Israel. 

 http://www.breitbart.tv/netanyahu-slams-u-n-for-giving-ahmadinejad-forum-have-you-no-shame/

  

Here are a few of Netanyahu’s points as summarized by Joel Rosenberg:

• The Prime Minister laid down the gauntlet with Iran, and the world.
• He commended the nations whose leaders and diplomats either boycotted or walked out of Ahmadinejad’s speech yesterday for their “moral clarity.”
• He also shamed those who stayed and those U.N. leaders who gave the Iranian leader – who calls the Holocaust “a lie” while publicly threatening to annihilate the Jewish people in the not-too-distant future – a platform to spew his vile beliefs.
• “To those who gave this Holocaust denier a hearing, I say on behalf of my people, Have you no shame? Have you no decency?”
• He showed the world original Nazi documents explaining the Holocaust that were given him by the German government and repeatedly asked world leaders, “Are these a lie?”
• He noted that President Obama recently visited a Nazi death camp in Europe and asked whether Obama gave validation to “a lie.”
  
• Netanyahu urged the world to stop Iran now from getting the Bomb, and warned the failure to do so could lead to incalculable suffering and damage.
• He challenged the U.N. for its anti-Semitic and anti-Israel “Goldstone Commission” report. The report charges the Jewish state with war crimes for defending her people from eight years of 10,000-plus rockets and missiles raining down from Gaza. What’s more, he challenged the U.N. to reject the commission’s report and thus side with Israel, or accept the report and side with and reward the Hamas terrorists in Gaza. He asked how Israel could possibly take more “risks for peace” if the world condemned Israel for defending herself from terror attacks launched from the last swath of land offered to the Palestinians in the name of peace. 

3. Islam Makes a Statement on the Capitol Steps tomorrow September 25th: T

 

Tomorrow an estimated 50,000 Muslims will gather on the Capitol steps of for Friday noon prayers. Jummah (Friday noon prayers for the false religion of Islam) will be held at our nation’s most important building. Here is what the prayer team at Focus on the Family has to say about the event:. Kamal has interpreted the Arabic writing on the hand of the Muslim logo  below posted on this events website. It is the 1^st Sura in the Koran. This hand with the Koran Sura super imposed over the Constitution and embracing the hand of America is a powerful symbolic gesture as is the International symbol of Islam super-imposed over the American Flag and the statement Our Time Is Come.  Please look at this website and you will know why we as believers need to be be praying and fasting today and tomorrow. http://www.islamoncapitolhill.com/ But the Good News is that Believers will be there at the Capitol tomorrow too! There are many organized groups that will be praying, sharing with Muslims, giving out the Jesus DVD and being a godly witness for Jesus Christ. Please pray for their protection and that God would open the hearts of these Muslim leaders, some of whom are of the extreme hard line Jihadist persuasion!

 

“Our President has recently proclaimed, honored, encouraged the Muslim holy days of prayer and fasting called Ramadan. He was very silent on the National Day of Prayer but very vocal on the support of Ramadan. Interestingly at the same time a major Christian leader of the Emergent Church called for forty days of fasting and prayer in the same Ramadan period with the goal that the church will better understand our Muslim friends.  We are all for understanding but we must have spiritual discernment as to the spiritual dark powers that are being invoked into our nation.

 

At the same time, on the 25th of September, Muslims are calling for a Muslim Day of Prayer in Washington DC (http://www.islamoncapitolhill.com/). They are calling for 50,000 Muslims to gather and pray on the DC Mall. This is the exact word of one of the Sheikhs who is leading this historic gathering, “Muslims should march on the White House. We are going to the White House so that Islam will be victorious, Allah willing, and the White House will become into a Muslim house.” These are not empty words. They speak of a dark spiritual intent and a coming day of great trouble to America.”

Kamal Saleem is a former terrorist but now he is a passionate believer and has written a great book on his life and the threat of radical Islam called Blood of the Lambs. http://www.koomeministries.com/  He has reads Arabic fluently of course and 

 

Thank you for taking the time to read this. Thank you for being on our prayer team as we are up on the front lines of this spiritual battle. Thank you for your faithful support. Without you, we would not be able to be serving Christ throughout the Middle East and Central Asia. Thank you. You are making a difference with your prayers and generous giving. I leave for Israel in a few weeks.

Our son Tommy did our website and we’d love for you to see it! It has e3 mission trips, our speaking schedule and lots more! We love you!      Tom and JoAnn www.GoodNewsFromtheMiddleEast.com

 

 

Israel, Gaza, Terrorists in Bethlehem and Selah

College Students Make an Impact on Israel! The college team that we took from Northwestern College in St. Paul, Minnesota was led by Matt Selby our new e3 Middle East intern, and we also had some young people from New Life Church here in Colorado Springs. What a joy to work with! These students were godly, fun, and gifted. They all are musically talented and led us in worship everywhere we went. They shared the gospel faithfully with religious Jews, secular Jews, Muslims, and nominal Christians. They gave out Hebrew New Testaments to Jews in Tel-Aviv. They fearlessly walked the streets in Tel-Aviv, Haifa, Jerusalem, Bethlehem, and Ramallah bringing Christ to lost and the religious which surprisingly are often more difficult to reach than hard line Muslims. Praise the Lord for these “missionaries in training” and their passionate hearts for Jesus! They led people to Christ and God used them greatly. Way to go team! I hope we can take a college team or two each year to the Middle East.

 

 Terrorists and the Selah Conference- JoAnn, Julia Schatz, Kathleen Flynn, and Angel Davis teamed up with Madeline Sara (who is the wife of Palestinian pastor Jack Sara of Jerusalem and the leader we work with in the West Bank) to host a Selah Women’s Conference in Bethlehem. When we scheduled the conference months ago, we had no idea what the ladies would be walking into in Bethlehem! Here is a short narrative of the situation that greeted us as we arrived in Jesus’ birthplace written by a friend, pastor Don Kimbro, of Albuquerque who was also there at the time:

 

    ”The evening we arrived in Bethlehem, in the area known as the West Bank, it was also the beginning day of the first conference in 20 years of the Palestinian political organization, Fatah, which had been given permission by Israel to meet in Bethlehem. Over 2000 Fatah delegates from all over the Middle East were meeting at the Jerusalem Peace Center on Manger Square. According to The Jerusalem Post, several infamous terrorists were in attendance.

Security was extremely high and so was the tension. There was constant movement of troops in vans, pickup trucks, motorcycles, and other military vehicles from one point in the city to another. With the blaring of sirens, flashing red and blue lights and the ever-present exposure of automatic weapons, and snipers on the rooftops, and even ambulances, we were sure that war or a terrorist attack could happen at any moment. 

Later we learned that this show of strength was orchestrated by Fatah to send a message to one of their chief rivals in the Middle East, the terrorist organization Hamas, controllers of Gaza in the south. The message was clear, “Keep your hands off of the West Bank.” It was a Fatah show of force. The next day at about noon in Bethlehem, as the Fatah conference was breaking for lunch, Israeli military jets suddenly made several passes over the city, low enough to be clearly recognized and heard. There was no mistaking their message to the Fatah delegates, “We’re in control of this land and don’t you forget it. This was an Israeli show of force. ” Pastor Don Kimbro

 

   
    Wow, what a setting! Talk about taking the gospel into the darkness! Many of the members of the Fatah party were staying in the same hotel that the Selah team was in! The first night of the Selah conference, JoAnn and the team felt that they were fighting against the forces of hell itself as everything that could go wrong did! There was evil in the air and the Palestinian women could feel it along with the American team. What they did not know was that across the street in the Fatah meeting violence broke out as one delegate was shot dead and 45 were wounded as the Selah team was ministering to the Palestinian women. Since CNN and all the other news teams were not allowed in the Fatah conference and were kept blocks away, this event went unreported in the press. The reason we found this out was because of Palestinian believers that were there when it happened kept us informed.

 

    But God was glorified as the Palestinian leadership, the Selah team, and the college students prayed for the women and for God to touch these women who live in such difficult situations under the continual threat of fundamentalist Islam. Many of them fasted and prayed and God answered their prayers. The next morning there was a breakthrough as the Lord began to move among the women in power. There were some former Muslims in attendance also. What a blessing from God this was! Once again the contrast was so clear to all of us. God is not going to solve things in the Middle East politically. The reason for this is because the problems in the region are spiritual in nature rather than political. The news outlets are putting a lot of stock in this “historic Fatah conference.” But nothing will change.  Even though the Fatah party is somewhat “moderate” compared to Hamas, it is sad to hear that at the conference they called for renewed violence against Israel. They are also calling for every Jew to be gone from East Jerusalem and the West Bank entirely.  And if that was not bad enough, Fatah voted to include the Al-Aksa Martyr’s Brigade in their ”security force” while in the Bethlehem summit. They are as equally dangerous as Hamas.  And this is who is Israel is supposed to negotiate with?

 

Phone Tapping- Because Israel has the best security in the world they listen to phone calls in order to catch terrorists in the act. Certain words trigger a response and you can hear the volume go down on your phone call if you say words like Gaza, or Hamas, or Terrorism etc. etc. So needless to say, we try to avoid these words when talking on the phone in Israel! After being in Gaza for two days, a national radio program called and asked if I would do an interview and I said sure. As the interview developed the host asked a few times about Gaza, Hamas, and Terrorism specifically. As I started to give my answers and keep it “kind of general” I heard the volume go down on the phone line and the Israeli’s talking in the background!!! They were talking to each other saying “What is he talking about? What? Where?” I was so distracted and of course very cautious in what I said that I am sure that it was about the worst interview I have ever done! Such is life in Israel! Where 6 million Jews are surrounded by Muslims that want to destroy them. Some of them are in the Fatah party.

 

And so there you have it! Thank you for making of all this possible. Thank you for your prayers and generous support! We are so blessed to work with you for the cause of Christ in the Middle East! Next month we are off to Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon to work with our e3 leadership team and do some trainings. Until then we are praying and working on enlisting new people to support us in this ministry. Thank you for your faithfulness. Would you please pray for us as we work on support? God Bless you and thank you for all you are doing! We love you, Tom and JoAnn

Israel, Iran, Syria, and Jimmy Carter

Hi Everyone,

 

        I just returned from Israel and it was a fantastic trip! What a blessing to be there and to travel from the Golan Heights in the north all the way to the Negev desert in the south. The Sea of Galilee is better than you can imagine, and there is no city in the world that compares to Jerusalem. We also met with believers and heard their stories of what God is doing in their lives in the midst of persecution. We had a wonderful team that went with us and they fell in love with both the Palestinians and Messianic Believers as we worshipped with both of them while in Israel.  

        Currently, there are so many major events happening in the region. The Middle East is unpredictable and always in the news. Islamic Terrorists have brought hatred and instability to the region and it is growing. Yet God is moving in powerful ways there. Muslims are receiving Jesus as their Savior in record numbers today. In the midst of the darkness over the Middle East, the light of the gospel is shining brightly. Here are some of the current top stories and how they relate to the church in the Middle East:

 

Iran Erupts!  All this week in Tehran the streets have been packed with hundreds of thousands of Iranians protesting the reelection of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as President of Iran. Iranians are claiming that the election was stolen from the popular candidate Hossein Mousavi and that in some Iranian cities “the official vote” for Ahmadinejad was higher than the actual population of the individual city itself!  Protests are extremely rare in Iran as the people fear the Ayatollah Khamenei’s Revolutionary Guard and it’s brutal crackdowns. Massive crowds are gathered at Tehran University and in Revolution Square which commemorates the Iranian Revolution of 1979. Young people are energized and boldly protesting with signs that say “Death to the Dictator!” and “Death to Dictatorship!” A suicide bomber just blew himself up killing a handful of people near the shrine of Ayatollah Khomeini the architect of the Iranian Revolution and it’s first Supreme leader.

        I believe that the protests that have now become riots are not just connected to the election but also in large part to the 30 year Sharia Law rule of  this cruel and corrupt regime. The people of Iran live in paranoid fear of the long arm of the evil government.

 

Fast Facts About Iran:

-The majority of the people of Iran (about 70%) now claim that they are atheists after 3 decades of hard line Islam.

-Iran is one of the most drug addicted countries in the world.

-68-70% of Iran is younger than 30. This is a youth oriented country.

-Young people in their 20’s speak openly about committing suicide if they cannot immigrate to another country.

-In 1979 there were about 500 Christians in Iran. The Ayatollah vowed to crush the church as he said “there is no room for two religions in Iran.”

-But Jesus promised in Matthew 16 “I will build MY church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.” No government or leader can stand in Jesus’ way.

        They are no match for HIS incredible love for the people of the world and his power. Today the church in Iran numbers between 1-2 million! 

                 

Israel is Ready for Conflict with Iran  While in Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu’s government prepared the people for an Iranian war with a 5 day emergency practice test run. With no expected help from the Obama administration, Israel is ready and willing to defend itself alone and without American backing. But as believers we know that “indeed, He who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.” Psalm 121:4

One week ago today I had the privilege of preaching at a Messianic congregation in Tel-Aviv. The worship was passionate and just before I spoke I received a text message from a new believer and former Muslim in Iran named Amir. He was upset because of the results of the election. I told him that I was in Israel and ready to preach at a Jewish Messianic congregation and then Amir sent a message for me to read to them. He said: ” Brothers and sisters in Israel, we love you in Iran. Regardless of what our evil government says, we have a great connection to you since we have lived together in Persia since the Babylonian captivity. We are practically cousins. Many people in Iran are coming to Jesus as Savior and we pray for you in Israel and we pray also that one day we will be free to travel to Israel to worship Jesus Christ together in Jerusalem!”  After I read the text from Amir there was a few seconds of shocked silence (most Israelis imagine that every Iranian wants to ‘wipe the Jews off the map’ like Ahmadinejad does) and then the place erupted in applause!!!  I will never forget that moment as the Love of Jesus broke through the negative news, the threats from Iran, and the coming conflict and united the hearts of the believers in Israel with the believers in Iran. Amir would have been smiling if he could have been there. Our American team was laughing and crying ourselves.

 

Syria- Iran’s Partner in the Pursuit of Israel’s Destruction The relationship between the two terrorist governments of Iran and Syria is tight. Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah is from Lebanon and resides in Syria. He studied Islam in Iran’s radical seminaries in Qom and Najaf. He is bent on the all-out destruction of Israel. That’s the bad news. The good news is that Muslims and Alawites are coming to faith in Christ in Syria rapidly! Our e3 Partners leadership team there is 30-40 people now. They are godly and gifted leaders and bringing Christ to the people of Syria. Please pray for them when you see anything on the news about Syria. They are leading the a spiritual revolution right in the heart of fanatical Islam.   

 

 Jimmy Carter Targeted for Assassination By Hamas  Last Monday we were in Jerusalem having dinner at the American Colony hotel and in walked former President Jimmy Carter. Known for being completely out of touch with the situation in Israel, he has consistently reached out to Palestinian terrorists. But for the first time in 3 decades of travel to Israel, Carter went on the other side of the fence and visited a Jewish settlement in the West Bank. He now says that the residents of Gush Etzion in the West Bank should be allowed to remain there. This is quite a turnaround for him. Which shockingly means that Jimmy Carter has a slightly more conservative view of Israel than does current US President Barack Obama who is demanding Israel to dismantle all Jewish settlements.

        Carter holds to a “moral equivalence” view which equates Israeli Defense Force soldiers who are called on to protect their country, with Palestinian terrorist groups like Hamas and Islamic Jihad. He is now asking President Obama to take Hamas off of the US terrorist list. If I were him I think I would be seriously rethinking my rose colored view of Hamas…since they tried to kill him while entering Gaza last week. Roadside bombs were found on the route that Carter was traveling on into Gaza City. Just another example of how Jihadist groups like Hamas really don’t care if you are conservative like George Bush or liberal like Jimmy Carter….. they want to kill all of us. In the end there is no solving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict politically. The problems are spiritual in nature and they require spiritual solutions. Praise the Lord that former Palestinian terrorists and Israeli seculars are coming together in the freedom and forgiveness that can only be found in Jesus Christ.

        The good news is that our e3 leaders in Israel are committed to intentionally launching new churches that are half Jewish and half Palestinian. This is extremely confidential due to what would happen to Palestinian believers if they were caught with Jewish believers. But they believe that this will be a great lesson to the people of Israel both Jew and Arab that the only solution to the conflict is forgiveness in Jesus Christ. This is erasing the hatred that has been rooted in the Holy Land for 4000 years of which began with Isaac and Ishmael. We are thrilled to be a part of this historic movement. And you are a part of this historic movement! Thank you for your prayers for the Doyle family, your love and your generous gifts to our work through e3 Partners. We could not be involved in 10 countries in the Middle East without your help. We are so blessed to serve with you in this important region of the world. Please pray for our support as we are in the midst of working on that now.

            

We love you! We are honored and blessed to serve Christ in the Middle East and Central Asia. We are honored to represent you there too! God Bless you in the midst of these important days that we live in,

                Tom and JoAnn Doyle- e3 Partners     www.goodnewsfromthemiddleast.com  

 

Joel Rosenberg Interviews Tom Doyle

Joel Rosenberg Interviews Tom Doyle

On The Iranian Threat to Israel

 

 

 

Joel- Tom, do you see a war between Iran and Israel coming? How soon? What are you seeing and hearing?  

Tom- I think it is unavoidable at this point. Israel cannot afford to sit back and do nothing as Iran’s nuclear program continues to move forward rapidly and as President Ahmadinejad boasts that Iran will “wipe Israel off the map.” My guess is that Israel will take out some of the nuclear sites within the year.  An Israeli advisor to the Prime Minister told me that Israel does not have to hit all 39 nuclear sites but rather just 6 of the 39 to stop the program from being a threat to Israel and the rest of the world for about 6 years. 

Joel- When was the last time you were in Iran? What’s your take on President Ahmadinejad?  

Tom -I was in Iran last fall and the mood among the Iranians is gloomy to say the least! The people are fully aware that the Ayatollah and his spokesman President Ahmadinejad have isolated Iran from the West and a conflict with Israel is certain. Joel, I talked to Muslims and born again believers in Iran and they have one thing in common; they both despise President Ahmadinejad!  One Muslim man that I met who had served in the military with him said that “everyone in Iran knows that Ahmadinejad is crazy.” His reasoning was that since he spent so many years up on the frontlines in the Iraq-Iran war from 1980-1988 that he merely went insane. This moderate Muslim man was himself repulsed by the tactics used by the Iranians on the frontlines… he saw beheadings and mass electrocution. It seems the Iranian soldiers would lay electric cables in the river that the Iraqi soldiers were approaching and then wait until the majority of the troops were wading in it and then electrocute them. This man that I met in Tehran said “Ahmadinejad enjoyed this kind of brutality. He saw so much of it on a daily basis that I think he cracked up.” 

Joel- Are the Iranian people supporting Ahmadinejad and the Ayatollah Khameini? 

Tom- Not at all! The people believe that the Islamic Revolution has destroyed their country. The people live in constant fear daily because of the government’s fanatical obsession with upholding Sharia Law that was imposed on them in 1979. Iranians also believe that the government cannot be trusted and that corruption is rampant. In the last “election” in Iran I am told by insiders that only about 10% of the entire country voted. Another tell-tale sign is that an estimated 70% of Iranians claim to be atheists now. The majority of the people want nothing to do with Islam and their leaders.

 

 

Joel- What’s happening spiritually in Iran — and why?

Tom- In 1979 when the Islamic Revolution began there were probably about 500 believers in Iran. The country was going to become “an Islamic model” for other Muslim nations to follow. But those plans failed miserably. Because today we know that there are 1-2 million believers in Iran! The Church in Iran took off once the Islamic Revolution took place. Joel, the people of Iran are so open to Jesus! We had many people walk up and ask us to tell them about Jesus. The believers meet in secrecy, they share Bibles written in Farsi, and they worship passionately. In Iran if you are a believer your life is obviously at risk. Some key leaders have been martyred for their faith. 

Joel- I love your new book, Two Nations under God. It’s powerful and provocative. How would you summarize the central point you’re making? 

Thank you Joel! I believe that America has been blessed for supporting and loving Israel now for over the last 60 years. America has been Israel’s best friend and has stood with Israel as they have defended their tiny nation during 6 major wars. We have blessed them and in turn God has blessed us. The promise to Abraham in Genesis 12 to ”bless those who bless you” has been realized in the United States of America. Also while ministering in Israel we have found that the Palestinians are very open to the Gospel and as believers we are called to love them too. God’s love is for all people and unfortunately most people in America when they hear the word “Palestinian” think of terrorism. While terrorism is most certainly destroying the Palestinian culture, on the other hand there is a vibrant Palestinian Church in Israel and in other countries where Palestinians live like in Jordan and in Lebanon. The Palestinians are some of the warmest and most loving believers we have ever worked with. We love them! They are amazing in how they follow Christ in the midst of such danger. 

     We know that Jesus is the only answer to the Israel Palestinian conflict. Peace treaties will come and go and so will the leaders who write them. But those peace treaties will never be able to deal with the hatred that the two groups have for each other. Only Jesus can give you a new heart. And he is doing that as Jews and Palestinians are coming to Christ and finding true reconciliation. Joel, seeing Jewish believers and Palestinian believers worship together is one of the most exciting experiences I have ever been a part of. It makes your hair stand up! 

Joel- You’re not Jewish, right? How did you develop such a love of the Jewish people?  

Tom- No I’m not Jewish. Actually I’m Irish…Thomas James Patrick Doyle! But I love the Jewish people and that love for them began when I went to Israel for the first time in 1995. My life was changed dramatically touring Israel. I realized that the Bible was so clear about God’s love for the Jewish people and also that we were called to have the same heart and love for them too. I never stopped going to Israel.  I eventually became a licensed Tour Guide for Israel. God is moving in Israel today and Jews are coming to faith in Christ.   

Joel- How do you explain the deep and widespread love evangelical Christians have for the Jewish people and the nation of Israel? 

Tom- I think that because about 80% of our Bible is about Israel that it comes natural for us to love them. And it should! Our faith has roots dug deeply into Israel’s soil. Our Lord walked there. The prophets preached there. Jesus started His Church there. The Apostles took the Great Commission to the world from there. And of course the Scriptures were given by God to His choice leaders there. The Jewish people today of course are diverse in beliefs but their persistence and resiliency amazes me. My wife and I have a deep love for the Jewish people. It seems to me Joel that more believers are discovering Israel today and the love for Jewish people is growing in the church. I believe God is pleased. 

    The nation itself is a miracle to That Israel survives is a miracle in that it is positioned in the midst of the Islamic Middle East. But the Jews of Israel not only survive… they thrive and in Two Nations under God, I list just a few of Israel’s accomplishments. Here is just a partial list: 

 

• The cell phone was developed in Israel by Israelis working for Motorola. 
• Voice mail technology was developed in Israel by Israelis working for Microsoft and Cisco.
• Instant Messenger for America Online was developed in 1996 by four young Israelis.
• Israel has the largest number of NASDAQ listed companies outside the United States and Canada.
• Israel has the highest number of scientists and technicians per capita in the workforce.  One hundred forty five out of every ten thousand Israelis are employed in these technical professions.
• Israel is the only country to enter the twenty-first century with a net gain of trees.
• Israel ranks number 2 in the world with the second highest per capita of new books.
• Israel has the world’s best airline flight security.
• Israel also has the largest number of biotech startups per capita.
• And this one is just flat-out mind blowing – between 1901 and 2006 there have been 750 Nobel Peace Prize winners.  Of the 750 winners, Jews have accounted for 158!  Twelve million Jews account for twenty-two percent of all Nobel Peace Prizes.

Joel- What’s happening spiritually in Israel right now — and why? 

Tom- Jews and Palestinians are desperate as the conflict shows no signs of letting up. But God is breaking through the strife. Muslims are having dreams and visions about Jesus and coming to faith in Christ. The Church is strong and healthy in the Palestinian areas. They are so passionate for Jesus. Jews also are opening up to Jesus as their Messiah. When I first began going to Israel it was rare to hear about a Jew becoming a follower of Yeshua. Joel, now we hear that routinely. The Messianic movement is growing in Israel. The worship is awesome to be a part of as Jewish believers recognize the Biblical feasts and festivals. Holocaust survivors, Israel soldiers, Orthodox Jews and secular Israelis are just a few of the people that I know of that have received Jesus as their Savior just in the last few months. Israel is ripe. The spiritual harvest has begun.

Joel- What is E3 Partners, and how can people be praying for the ministry you’re engaged in? 

Tom-I am privileged to serve with e3 Partners and it is a strategic church planting ministry. We pray that God will plant a church in every village worldwide. e3 stands for “We equip believers to evangelize their nation and establish new churches.”  That’s our heart and that’s our passion. Our ministry President, Curtis Hail, told us recently that about 3500 churches were planted last year alone by e3 leaders around the world. God is so powerful and so loving and He does not want anyone to perish. The most effective way to be a part of that is to disciple believers and helps them start new churches where they live. We saw 127 new churches launch last year in the Middle East alone! My wife JoAnn started a women’s ministry with e3 Partners in the Middle East called Selah. It just started a year ago but they have been invited to 15 countries already. Women in the Middle East need to know that the God of the Bible values them and loves them. 

    Please pray for the Gospel to advance even more this year and for God to rise up more national leaders to disciple the massive number of new believers worldwide. Once new believers are discipled they will be the leaders that plant new churches around the world.

 

To order Two Nations under God simply click on the link below.

http://www.amazon.com/Two-Nations-Under-God-Should/dp/0805447717/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1217708656&sr=8-1

  

Or pick up a copy at your local bookstore.

 

A Great Time to Go to Israel!

In one month I take a group to Israel for a Bible Tour. It is the Two Nations Under God Bible Tour. Betty Hollan is the winner of the free trip to Israel that was sponsored by Broadman Holman the publisher of Two Nations Under God…Why You Should Care About Israel.  I cannot wait!

This is one of most important times to visit Israel. The relationship between America and Israel is hanging in the balance. A showdown is underway and it is between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel and US President Barack Obama. The US President has made no secret of the fact that he is going to pressure Israel into a peace agreement that could prove disastrous for her. Most Israelis are ready to concede the West Bank to the Palestinians. What keeps them awake at night is what will happen after that. Since the terrorist group Hamas is ruling in Gaza and gaining popularity in the West Bank, what does the future hold for Israel? If President Obama demands that Israel give up the Golan Heights to Syria, plus give over the West Bank completly to the Palestinians… Israel will be indefensible.

This will make things impossible for Israel. Though we desire to see the Palestinians have a better life, they will never have it with terrorist leadership calling the shots in Gaza and in the West Bank. Some Palestinian Muslims privately told me recently that they fear for their lives if a Two-State Solution is adopted. We must pray. Pray for Israel. Pray for the meeting between the Prime Minister and the US President. Pray for the Palestinians whose leadership has proven that they do not want peace with Israel but rather the Jewish State’s destruction.

And we must go to Israel! This a great time to make a difference in the Land of the Bible. I believe that the only solution for Jews and Palestinians is the peace that is available in Jesus Christ. Jews will not leave Israel. Palestinians are not leaving either. The only way that they can live together is when Christ frees them from the hate and bitterness that is residing in their hearts toward each other. Palestinians have been set free in Christ from the evil that drives them to want to kill Jews. Jews, likewise have been set free from their prejudice and harsh treatment against Palestinians when they have received Yeshua as their savior.

There can be peace in Israel. It will come in Jesus and in Jesus alone.  Join us in Israel this summer and you will meet Jewish believers and Palestinian believers too. They are experiencing Jesus’ true peace and this is something that no government can give them. Just go to www.goodnewsfromthemiddleeast.com  for more information. Shalom and Salaam is in Jesus!

Malta and Reaching Muslims for Jesus!

Hi Everyone,

            Greetings from the Island of Malta! In Acts 27-28 Paul the Apostle went for what would be his last voyage on the Mediterranean and shipwrecked here in about AD 60. He was on his way to Rome for his trial before Caesar. He would eventually get to Rome and die a martyr’s death there a few years later. If you remember from the Biblical account the weather was violent and this is the reason for the shipwreck on Malta. They were forced to stay here for 3 months. The time of year was “after the fast” which is a reference to the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur). Since this special holy day was held during the fall that means that sometime during the November to February timeframe was when the famous crash landing on Malta happened. Paul used that time to preach the gospel and great miracles occurred during his time here. The entire Island of Malta was cured of diseases. No wonder they wanted Paul to stay!

 

        Acts 28 tells us that the people were unusually kind and it was rainy and cold the entire time he was here. Things haven’t changed much in nearly 2000 years. The people are wonderful here and we are freezing in the cold rain. The conference I am attending with ministry friends has been awesome. God is doing so much in the Muslim world. In the last 5 years many doors have opened from Morocco all the way to Pakistan. These are great days to share the gospel with Muslims. Several Muslim Background Believers are here from all over. In the Book of Acts God used the shipwreck to reach an entire island. Isn’t that how He sometimes works through us? In the midst of trials God can use us for His glory and do the miraculous when we least expect it. I think it is great that today leaders from around the world meet in this Biblically historic site to pray and strategize on how to reach Muslims which is the last gospel frontier.

 

        A special thanks to all the Colorado people for coming to the dessert at our home a few weeks ago. I think it was our best one yet. It was a blast having all 117 of you! We didn’t know our home could hold that many. Ziad and his family were thrilled and with your generosity the entire amount for the Jordan Training Center was raised in one night. That’s right… all of it came in! We cannot thank you enough!!

    

    We love you all and thank you for being such a big part of the Middle East ministry. God is using you so much in our lives and in the lives of the people of the Middle East. God Bless you and thank you for your prayers and faithfulness and generosity!!

        

        Back to the conference and then on to Rome… er…. I mean Colorado!

                                        Jesus lives!

                            From St. Paul’s Bay, Malta - God Bless you, Tom

What’s Really happening in Gaza!

Dear Friends,

    There are so many major stories developing in the conflict in Gaza in the last few days. Here is a quick rundown:

The Gaza Strip- Israel’s Defense Forces have entered the Gaza Strip in a ground war offensive against Hamas after a week of air attacks. Hamas has vowed to fight to the death and they may get their wish as Israel appears to mean business this time. After 3 1/2 years of receiving a missile every three hours compliments of Hamas, this otherwise passive government has decided to go after the terrorist group. On December 23rd the Hamas terrorist government voted unanimously to institute Sharia Law in the Gaza Strip. They are receiving their cues from another terrorist government run by the Ayatollah in Iran. They have become the new spiritual mentors of Hamas. One of the things that Sharia Law calls for is death by crucifixion in certain cases. Check out this quote right from the Qur’an:

In Surah 5:33, The Qur’an mentions crucifixion as a form of punishment for those who fight Allah and his messenger.

‘The punishment of those who wage war against Allah and His Messenger, and strive with might and main for mischief through the land is: execution, or crucifixion, or the cutting off of hands and feet from opposite sides, or exile from the land: that is their disgrace in this world, and a heavy punishment is theirs in the Hereafter.’ Surah 5:33

Because of this verse in the Qur’an crucifixion is still one of the Hadd punishments in the Islamic Republic of Iran (Iran’s Islamic Criminal Law, Article 195)^[33].

    The Iranian Influence-The Iranians are especially proud of crucifixion since it was invented in their country when it was part of the Persian Empire in the 6th century BC. Most people think that the Romans invented this gruesome persecution that our Lord Jesus endured, but they merely perfected it. The Persians practiced it several centuries before the Romans even heard of it. It is being practiced in Iran today and sadly, now it will be a part of the Gaza Islamic death culture. The targets will be supposed “Israeli sympathizers” and believers. One time while we were in the Gaza Strip, 4 men were hung because terrorists suspected them of collaborating with the Israelis. After the men had been executed, they were found to be not guilty, but of course it was to late and what’s more, no one seemed to care. How sad and ironic it is that the people of Persia now called Iran have brought back the cruel practice of crucifixion to the land of Israel.

    How to Pray-This is an important time to pray for the believers in Gaza and for the suffering people of the Strip. We have spent many days in the refugee camps and the people are so open to Christ. This is also a time to pray for the IDF soldiers who are trying to make Israel a safe place by ridding the region of Hamas. We know Israeli soldiers who are believers and they are now in for the fight of their lives.  Everyone will be thrilled if Hamas is successfully defeated. Both Jews and Palestinians have suffered tremendously under their evil. Because Hamas has an unrealistic obsession with eliminating the nation of Israel, both Jews and Palestinians fear for their lives today. Jews are in bomb shelters in the Biblical cities of Ashkelon, and Ashdod and in other southern Israeli towns, villages and cities. Palestinians likewise are confined to their homes as the streets of Gaza are far to unsafe for anyone to leave their homes.

Pastor Hanna and his family are safely out of Gaza and so are many of the believers from the Gaza Baptist Church. Pastor Hanna will be at our e3 World Conference in a few weeks. 

The Map- I have attached a map so you can see the major conflict areas. The first map shows Gaza and you should be able to enlarge it to see it better. In Gaza City the “The Gaza Training Center” that was hit by a missile is right across the street from the Gaza Baptist Church. The church is on the frontlines of the conflict! In the second map you can see the places that have been receiving the missiles from Hamas. Since this is a UN Map, you can clearly see the anti-Israel bias as it says “reported Hamas rocket attack locations.” The people of these cities and villages have had to run to safety in bomb shelters on an almost daily basis for years now. I’m sure the people living in southern Israel can attest to the fact that these are real attacks not merely “reported attacks.”

Thank you for taking the time to read this email. Please pray that God would give Israel a victory over Hamas! This would make life so much better for Israelis and Palestinians. May God be glorified in the midst of all this!

There are so many great things that are happening for the Lord in the Middle East despite the war in Gaza.  Even though the Middle East is in conflict once again, this is going to be a great year for the Lord in the region. People are desperate, open and ready for Jesus. He is the only answer to all of this! 

                                            God Bless you. We love you! Tom and JoAnn

Out of Egypt!

We just returned from Egypt, Jordan, and Iraq. It was an amazing time.

JoAnn and the Selah Women’s Team of Kathleen Flynn, Cheri Fitzsimmons, Julia Schatz, Diane Jones, Connie Prince, and Angel Davis ministered to 4 different women’s groups in Egypt and in Jordan. God opened up the women’s hearts in each place. Our national leaders from these countries said they had never seen anything so powerful like this. The Selah team goes to minister and not lecture teach. They are led by God to build up the oppressed women of the Middle East. They worship, share their testimonies that are tied to Women from the Bible and then they wash the feet of every woman there. 

All the walls of shame and hurt crumble after this and the women freely begin to share the hurts and pain of their past. Women in the Muslim countries are considered second class and are treated that way. In Cairo for instance, 85% of the women surveyed by the Cairo Times said that they had been molested on city buses! You can imagine what happens in private. I am so proud of the Selah Team and their wonderful servant hearts. God is blessing this ministry. The team ministered to over 200 women and 20-30 of them committed their lives to Jesus in Egypt and Jordan too. Praise the Lord. pain of their past. Women in the Muslim countries are considered second class and are treated that way. In Cairo for instance, 85% of the women surveyed by the Cairo Times said that they had been molested on city buses! You can imagine what happens in private. I am so proud of the Selah Team and their wonderful servant hearts. God is blessing this ministry. The team ministered to over 200 women and 20-30 of them committed their lives to Jesus in Egypt and Jordan too. Praise the Lord.

The men’s team trained national workers in Egypt in our Church Planting course First Steps. The conference is 3 days and at the conclusion of it we sent three teams out to share the Gospel in villages in Egypt. The results were again amazing. About 250 people accepted Jesus as savior and we have now launched 10 new churches in these villages where there was no Christian work going on whatsoever. Praise the Lord. We also were blessed to train 4 congregations with the EvangeCube throughout Egypt. Curtis Hail the President of e3 Partners and Steve Cretin did the training along with our national workers. We were just blown away to see our national workers in action. I can remember having a few workers in the Middle East when we started the work in 2001. Now our Middle East national team is over 100. They carry the work on of sharing the gospel, discipling new believers, and starting new churches 52 weeks out of the year. God has built a great team in the Middle East. We are honored to work with them. It was great for me to travel into Iraq. The situation is better in Iraq since the last time I visited but there are at least 10 major terrorist groups currently operating in the area. Recently, believers have been targeted. 

In fact, we have a big prayer request. The believers in the Middle East are experiencing a new wave of persecution. It is intense and inspired by satan himself. These saints of God need our prayers. Here are a few of the recent events that our e3 leaders told me personally about. 

In Egypt- Christian homes were blown up in El Minya by Muslim terrorists and the local police did not respond until the hard line Islamic group was finished. They kept saying “we are coming.” It was easy to see that the persecution was approved of by the police. One believer was killed and 19 were burned and injured severely.  

In Jordan- A young Muslim woman just became a believer and when her father found out he killed her. He stabbed her repeatedly and then smashed her head with a heavy boulder. The father believed that he was killing his daughter to please Allah. This is a well known story in Jordan but authorities have done nothing.  

In Iraq- A pastor that is a friend of mine was kidnapped in the middle of the night and taken out of Baghdad where his Islamic abductors made him watch as they executed several Christians. They were going to kill him too but a gun fight ensued as American troops arrived and miraculously he escaped.  

One pastor that I met in Iraq told me that his brother was killed recently. He was translating for an American businessman and traveling in a car in Southern Iraq. Islamic terrorists killed his brother brutally and then sold the American businessman to Iranians militants. The American is still in Iran as a hostage.  

In Syria- The Druze are considered an unreached people group and perhaps the most difficult to reach in the region. Recently we have seen Druze become followers of Christ and because of this these new believers have been killed. No one is safe as even teenagers have been murdered because of their new faith in Christ. 

 That’s the bad news. The good news is that the church in the Middle East is growing faster than ever before. More Muslims have come to Christ in the last 10 years than in the last 15 centuries of Islam.   

The believers in the Middle East send you their love and told us to tell you that they pray for you in America everyday!   Believe me, you and I are privileged to have these saints of God pray for us. They are passionate prayer warriors.

 

Obama and the Middle East

Now that the election is over it is interesting to see the attitudes about Barack Obama developing in the Middle East. JoAnn and I left for Egypt on election day. We had with us leadership from e3 Partners and the Selah Women’s Team too. I am training national leaders in Egypt, Jordan, and also Iraq. JoAnn’s ladies team is doing 3 women’s conferences in Egypt and one big one in Jordan.

It is a joy to serve with these committed believers here in the Middle East. The women’s conferences have been fantastic as the Selah Team has ministered to some special but hurting ladies. Women of the Middle East face so much discrimination just because of the low view of women in Islam.

In one leadership training that our e3 men’s team did in El Minya, we sent three teams out into the villages along the Nile River to share the Gospel. How awesome God is! We saw 220 pray to receive Christ!!! Our e3 Egyptian leaders will follow them up and disciple them now.

When we get to Iraq, I will be meeting with believers from Mosul who escaped their ancient city formerly called Ninevah when Muslims started killing them in the streets just weeks ago. The church in Iraq is under so much persecution and they need our prayers!

So what do the people of the Middle East think of our president elect?  There are three responses: Muslims love him! Christians are afraid of him. Jews are petrified of him. Many have told me that they think his Muslim roots will help Islamic countries. Muslims have even said openly “he says he is a Christian but he really is a Muslim right?”

Actually, most believers that I know in America are wondering the same thing! More later on that!

We will be training Egyptians to share their faith with the EvangeCube tonight in the northern region of Egypt. God Bless you from one of the great cities of the world- in Alexandria, Egypt with love, Tom and JoAnn