2 Peter 1:5-1
5 For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, (Or excellence) and virtue with knowledge, 6 and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, 7 and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. 8 For if these qualities (Greek these things) are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
9 For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. 10 Therefore, brothers (Or brothers and sisters. The plural Greek word adelphoi (translated "brothers") refers to siblings in a family. In New Testament usage, depending on the context, adelphoi may refer either to men or to both men and women who are siblings (brothers and sisters) in God's family, the Body of Messiah) , be all the more diligent to make your calling and election sure, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall.
GETTING OUT OF OUR COMFORT ZONES
I have included these verses with the footnotes from the devotional "Daily Light". I've always found these verses to be exceptional in that there is a promise at the end - that if we practice these things, we will never fall! Something to be taken seriously. I've noticed that in the life of the believer there needs to always be within us a pressing forward - like it says in Philippians 3:12-16, to press towards the mark in the race we are running. In the same way that I saw Ami pressing forward daily in the hospital, against all the odds of pain and trauma, and the terrible realities of what had happened to his body and to our family, yet every day, fuelled by the power of prayer, he would do something that he couldn't do the day before. Likewise, as believers, we are to press forward in our walk with Yeshua, never being afraid of the impossible which we see in ourselves, but believing that he who has called us will finish the work He has begun in Messiah Yeshua. (Phil. 1:6) Therefore the qualities or "things" that are listed in the passage in 2 Peter 1 can be ours through the working of the Holy Spirit in us - all we need are willing hearts.
I have noticed that one of the main problems in our walk with the Lord is the constant need to be moved out of our comfort zones - and this is bigger than we think. To be willing to be stretched by the Lord into the place where He ultimately wants us to be - and that is to move from brotherly affection to real love for our brothers and sisters in the Body - considering one another siblings, family in the true sense of the word, and not just friends. This was made real to me in May of 2008, when at least 70 congregational leaders and workers gathered in our congregation in Ariel for prayer. It was an amazing morning - and the Holy Spirit spoke to me clearly - we need to be different from now on - we need to love one another with burning love and zeal. Indeed, what happened to our family happened to the rest of the Body in Israel, and we are seeing the fruits of that in these days. With every victory the battle intensifies and we can't expect anything different. The red line was crossed by Yakov Teitel, and now other believers in the land are receiving very real and explicit death threats.
LEGAL PROCESS, MEDIA
The legal process is different in Israel because even though the State is prosecuting our case and the other 13 counts against Teitel, we have no jury system, only a judge or judges based on the Mosaic law and the decisions are made only by judges. There is a law for victim's rights and so we have the right to appeal every decision made by the court. The reason we have to use those rights in this case at every turn is because this is the first time in Israel's history that a Jewish person brought a bomb into another Jewish person's home with intent to murder because of ideological differences. It is a precedent setting case, and an example has to be set. For that reason we're also filing a civil suit against Teitel which we are doing together with the Balbisi family from East Jerusalem. Their son/brother was Teitel's first victim in this country. He was shot point blank in the head because he was an Arab. The civil suit is being done in conjunction with the State's prosecution, as we want any future Teitel's to know that their crimes will not pay in any form.
As I explained before, the media coverage is important also because public opinion plays a large part in the decisions of the court, and judges read newspapers and watch news as well. All of this has been very expensive for us as we have a lawyer, media advisers, private detectives, because as you know the police handled our case as if we were the suspects, and even questioned our witnesses about us and tried to drive a wedge between us - it's been a battle all the way.
We are pressing forward by faith, as we are taking advantage of another "first"in Israeli history - which our lawyer pointed out to us. Never before in Israel's history have Messianic Jews been covered with so much sympathy and support in the Israeli media. This has been the fruit of Calev Myer's (Jerusalem Institute for Justice) screening of newspaper articles and TV news reports, and quick reactions to misrepresentations of our faith (calling us a cult, and referring to Yeshua as "Yeshu"which is tantamount to a curse), and your letters to the editor, which was a part of the battle.
PRESSING TOWARDS THE MARK
However, because of the high media coverage, believers in different parts of the country are receiving terrible and explicit death threats - and the Body here is beginning also to gather to get out of the fortress in a way that we've never seen before, and we are working to be a part of this in every way possible. A group of native born Israeli believers received the inspiration/burden to spread the Good News and dispel misinformation on the Hebrew internet sites demonizing the faith. They noticed that if anyone would type in Messianic Judaism in Hebrew in their search, they would get a plethora of anti-missionary sites (which we prefer to call anti-freedom of religion sites), and no information for the seeker. They are working on sites, and different internet venues to correct this. Their website which states their aims and information is: http://www.oneforisrael.org/
Please pray for these precious believers as they put their faith into action on this project. (James 2:26) Look at the projects page, it is very exciting. They are asking for contributions of $1 a month, which as they explained is not for their support, but for the cost of maintaining and advertising the websites.
So there is a great pressing forward towards the mark that we are seeing, and we need your prayers and support to be able to do this effectively. I thank God because He has bound us together in love these 20 months as you have carried our burdens with us. The vision has expanded, and we are grateful to all who are still with us in covering all of this in prayer.
Please pray for the next court date in the middle of December, which will be the defence's response to the charges. David and I will, God willing, be there. Howard Bass from Beersheva and others have expressed the desire to be with us in court when we will see Teitel for the first time in person. Please begin to pray for this trial, and I ask especially for prayer for Ami. Ami has to process what is going on in his own heart and mind concerning the man who intentionally inflicted such harm on his person, with the explicit intent to murder our family. We are giving him space, and your prayer for him is greatly appreciated at this time. Also, please pray for our lawyer, Yossi Graiver, and his team as they are working hard and with excellence on this project. Please pray for the State prosecutor, and the judge who will be presiding. Please pray for fruit to come out of this process, and for the Name of Yeshua to be lifted up and glorified.
We love you in Yeshua,
Leah
9 For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. 10 Therefore, brothers (Or brothers and sisters. The plural Greek word adelphoi (translated "brothers") refers to siblings in a family. In New Testament usage, depending on the context, adelphoi may refer either to men or to both men and women who are siblings (brothers and sisters) in God's family, the Body of Messiah) , be all the more diligent to make your calling and election sure, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall.
GETTING OUT OF OUR COMFORT ZONES
I have included these verses with the footnotes from the devotional "Daily Light". I've always found these verses to be exceptional in that there is a promise at the end - that if we practice these things, we will never fall! Something to be taken seriously. I've noticed that in the life of the believer there needs to always be within us a pressing forward - like it says in Philippians 3:12-16, to press towards the mark in the race we are running. In the same way that I saw Ami pressing forward daily in the hospital, against all the odds of pain and trauma, and the terrible realities of what had happened to his body and to our family, yet every day, fuelled by the power of prayer, he would do something that he couldn't do the day before. Likewise, as believers, we are to press forward in our walk with Yeshua, never being afraid of the impossible which we see in ourselves, but believing that he who has called us will finish the work He has begun in Messiah Yeshua. (Phil. 1:6) Therefore the qualities or "things" that are listed in the passage in 2 Peter 1 can be ours through the working of the Holy Spirit in us - all we need are willing hearts.
I have noticed that one of the main problems in our walk with the Lord is the constant need to be moved out of our comfort zones - and this is bigger than we think. To be willing to be stretched by the Lord into the place where He ultimately wants us to be - and that is to move from brotherly affection to real love for our brothers and sisters in the Body - considering one another siblings, family in the true sense of the word, and not just friends. This was made real to me in May of 2008, when at least 70 congregational leaders and workers gathered in our congregation in Ariel for prayer. It was an amazing morning - and the Holy Spirit spoke to me clearly - we need to be different from now on - we need to love one another with burning love and zeal. Indeed, what happened to our family happened to the rest of the Body in Israel, and we are seeing the fruits of that in these days. With every victory the battle intensifies and we can't expect anything different. The red line was crossed by Yakov Teitel, and now other believers in the land are receiving very real and explicit death threats.
LEGAL PROCESS, MEDIA
The legal process is different in Israel because even though the State is prosecuting our case and the other 13 counts against Teitel, we have no jury system, only a judge or judges based on the Mosaic law and the decisions are made only by judges. There is a law for victim's rights and so we have the right to appeal every decision made by the court. The reason we have to use those rights in this case at every turn is because this is the first time in Israel's history that a Jewish person brought a bomb into another Jewish person's home with intent to murder because of ideological differences. It is a precedent setting case, and an example has to be set. For that reason we're also filing a civil suit against Teitel which we are doing together with the Balbisi family from East Jerusalem. Their son/brother was Teitel's first victim in this country. He was shot point blank in the head because he was an Arab. The civil suit is being done in conjunction with the State's prosecution, as we want any future Teitel's to know that their crimes will not pay in any form.
As I explained before, the media coverage is important also because public opinion plays a large part in the decisions of the court, and judges read newspapers and watch news as well. All of this has been very expensive for us as we have a lawyer, media advisers, private detectives, because as you know the police handled our case as if we were the suspects, and even questioned our witnesses about us and tried to drive a wedge between us - it's been a battle all the way.
We are pressing forward by faith, as we are taking advantage of another "first"in Israeli history - which our lawyer pointed out to us. Never before in Israel's history have Messianic Jews been covered with so much sympathy and support in the Israeli media. This has been the fruit of Calev Myer's (Jerusalem Institute for Justice) screening of newspaper articles and TV news reports, and quick reactions to misrepresentations of our faith (calling us a cult, and referring to Yeshua as "Yeshu"which is tantamount to a curse), and your letters to the editor, which was a part of the battle.
PRESSING TOWARDS THE MARK
However, because of the high media coverage, believers in different parts of the country are receiving terrible and explicit death threats - and the Body here is beginning also to gather to get out of the fortress in a way that we've never seen before, and we are working to be a part of this in every way possible. A group of native born Israeli believers received the inspiration/burden to spread the Good News and dispel misinformation on the Hebrew internet sites demonizing the faith. They noticed that if anyone would type in Messianic Judaism in Hebrew in their search, they would get a plethora of anti-missionary sites (which we prefer to call anti-freedom of religion sites), and no information for the seeker. They are working on sites, and different internet venues to correct this. Their website which states their aims and information is: http://www.oneforisrael.org/
Please pray for these precious believers as they put their faith into action on this project. (James 2:26) Look at the projects page, it is very exciting. They are asking for contributions of $1 a month, which as they explained is not for their support, but for the cost of maintaining and advertising the websites.
So there is a great pressing forward towards the mark that we are seeing, and we need your prayers and support to be able to do this effectively. I thank God because He has bound us together in love these 20 months as you have carried our burdens with us. The vision has expanded, and we are grateful to all who are still with us in covering all of this in prayer.
Please pray for the next court date in the middle of December, which will be the defence's response to the charges. David and I will, God willing, be there. Howard Bass from Beersheva and others have expressed the desire to be with us in court when we will see Teitel for the first time in person. Please begin to pray for this trial, and I ask especially for prayer for Ami. Ami has to process what is going on in his own heart and mind concerning the man who intentionally inflicted such harm on his person, with the explicit intent to murder our family. We are giving him space, and your prayer for him is greatly appreciated at this time. Also, please pray for our lawyer, Yossi Graiver, and his team as they are working hard and with excellence on this project. Please pray for the State prosecutor, and the judge who will be presiding. Please pray for fruit to come out of this process, and for the Name of Yeshua to be lifted up and glorified.
We love you in Yeshua,
Leah