Inspirational

ICONOCLASM

We have no desire to be trite, or petty or build mountains out of molehills, but we do desire to be true to the Word of God.

HOPELESS NIGHT or GLORIOUS SUNRISE

Jewish people are filled full with a zest for life. Candid and outgoing, they are often more recognizable by expression and gesture than by facial appearance. Rarely satisfied with being spectators…

Joel of Jerusalem Dec/Jan 1982/1983

I was reminded recently of the shortness of physical life. But because our souls are eternal, we all must prepare for eternity. For our physical bodies, we can purchase insurance.

Joel of Jerusalem Oct/Nov 1982

I thank the Lord, for He is so, good. After a very long time of having three of our children away in the army, we recently had the family together again around the table.

Joel of Jerusalem Aug/Sep 1982

Two of my sons and my daughter are not at home these days. They have gone to the north (Lebanese front) with the army. And now I have received a nice letter stating that the army wants me to go also, but I said, “Not this time!”

Joel of Jerusalem Jun/Jul 1982

It is hard to live between the hammer and the anvil. In times such as this it is hard to know what to do in certain situations. There are people all around us with many troubles…

Joel of Jerusalem Apr/May 1982

Here in Israel we have a special situation. There is much pressure from the north, south, east, and west. The wind is blowing from every direction, and we are in the center of the storm.

Joel of Jerusalem Feb/Mar 1982

I would like to tell you about our Passover celebration last year. As in every other year, my home was completely full on the Passover evening. Ii was expecting about ten people, but many more than that came.

God Has Spoken . . . In His Son

Christians commemorate December twenty-fifth as the day more than nineteen hundred years ago when the eternal Son of God was clothed in human flesh. That the day and month are almost certainly in error is of no great consequence.

A Word of Hope

For many people, ‘hope’ is simply the balancing of probabilities. A man wants to play golf. He looks out the window and says, “I ‘hope’ it doesn’t rain today” – but he knows it might.

God Keeps His Promises . . .

God’s promises are always enough – His Word is truth. He is not a man, that He should lie (Num. 23:19). What God’s mouth has spoken, His right arm of power will always perform.

Joel of Jerusalem Nov/Jan 1981/1982

Sometimes we see things which are hard to believe, but we know they are so. It is also funny to see how grown people can be as children and speak like them. They can confuse folklore and Bible truths.

Joel of Jerusalem Aug/Oct 1981

A few weeks ago I was thinking that I would like to go to the religious school, which is not far from my home, and give a witness about the Lord. Of course, I realized that this was impossible;

…your loins girded… with TRUTH

The old campaigner was hard-bitten, crafty and arrogant. His question was a cynical response to Jesus of Nazareth’s straightforward answer to a query: “Art thou the King of the Jews?” (Jn. 18:33).

…having on the BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS

Paul was certainly familiar with the armor of the soldier. Rome had control over Palestine in his day. As a young Pharisee in Jerusalem, he had often taken notice of the military…

…your feet shod with the… GOSPEL OF PEACE

The above advertisement is not a gimmick! How would you like to wear a pair of these shoes? Fine, now that we have your interest, may we give you the pertinent information and explicit details concerning them?

…taking the SHIELD OF FAITH

Shoes are to the feet . . . toothpaste is to the teeth . . . and clothes are to the body, as the shield of faith is to our spiritual lives.

…take the HELMET OF SALVATION

Handley Moule was a godly scholar-preacher who ministered in Great Britain around the turn of the century. One day, as he was walking along Princess Street in Edinburgh, he approached a corner where Salvation Army workers were conducting an open-air meeting.

…the SWORD OF THE SPIRIT

The ancient Roman soldier was called upon to fight in many and varied circumstances. Because of the privations of a long campaign, he would sometimes have to fight without part of his regular armor.

Joel of Jerusalem Jun/Jul 1981

Here in Israel it seems we are paying taxes even for the air we breathe. The more we earn, the more taxes they take and, as if this is not enough, I was recently called to the tax office for an audit.

Joel of Jerusalem Apr/May 1981

We often say that no ill is without its good, but until the good news comes we must usually go through many troubles. Even the worst people have some good in them, and I would like to tell you about one such person.

Joel of Jerusalem Feb/Mar 1981

I would like to tell you about an opportunity I had just a few days ago. On my way home from work, for some “unknown” reason I went by a different way than I usually take.

God’s Gift to YOU

“Why” is one of mankind’s most searching words. It is the word of the seeker — the word of the individual who wants to understand the “cause” of human events.

Joel of Jerusalem Dec/Jan 1980/1981

Here in Israel, people are thinking about the political situation more than ever, and many people are leaving the country because of fear. They are wondering what will happen next.

Joel from Jerusalem Oct/Nov 1980

I have been called up to the army once again and since I have been here I have received a nice new nickname – “revolutionary”. I didn’t know why they were calling me this…

Seven Minutes with the Director

Moses had a pedigreed education. He was raised in the home of the Pharaoh of Egypt, and the Bible points out that he was…

Joel of Jerusalem Aug/Sep 1980

I want to thank all of you for the wonderful time I recently had in America and for the friendships I made while there. It was so good to be in a place where people can openly sing “What a friend we have in Jesus”…

Seven Minutes with The Director

It must have been with quivering hands and tear-filled eyes that Horatio Spafford read the telegram. It was from his wife. It contained only two words: “Saved alone.”

Joel of Jerusalem Jun/Jul 1980

I don’t know how it is that so many people know about me here in Israel, but one evening as my family and I were returning home, two people stopped me…

Joel of Jerusalem Apr/May 1980

Recently I was in Hebron where I met many tourists. They were looking at the graves of our forefathers, but their guide was not giving them the right information about the place.

Conversion

Proselytism. Now there is a word that will quickly overheat the emotional systems of multitudes of Jewish people. It was the culprit instrumental in putting the much misunderstood “Anti-Missionary Law” on the books in Israel.

Seven Minutes With The International Director

The year 1979 is tumbling uncontrollably toward its end. For America, it was anything but a good year. Nor does 1980 hold out hope for a new horizon of opportunity and change.

Joel of Jerusalem Dec/Jan 1979/1980

Here in Israel the people are looking forward to seeing the promises of Camp David become real. But where is the peace? War seems very near. Will the promises ever be kept?

TEN WORDS

Ten words — that’s all the Wise Men used to ask one of the most searching and provocative questions of all time, “Where is he that is born King of the Jews?” (Matt. 2:2)

Joel of Jerusalem Oct/Nov 1979

Here in Israel believers experience much discrimination. We are reminded of what the Lord endured and when He said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”

Joel of Jerusalem Aug/Sep 1979

We have a new law here in Israel which says that Hebrew Christians are now to be called simply Christians. So was the recent decision of the courts in Israel, and it cannot be changed.

Joel of Jerusalem Jun/Jul 1979

Israel is a small country and at times we feel as if we are sheep among wolves. Even though we are small, we remain strong because the Lord is with us.

Passover

Their mood was somber. The small lamps flickering from the table top and about the room seemed to have difficulty dispelling the darkness invading the scene. This should have been a festive, happy occasion.

Joel of Jerusalem Apr/May 1979

Man is never sure of himself. What he says today, tomorrow he changes his mind about. Some people are sorry for this fault, and that is good.

The Song That Jesus Sang

Have you ever leaped out of bed in the morning, showered, dressed, felt the warm sun flooding through the window, contemplating your pleasant appointments for the day and then…

Joel of Jerusalem Feb/Mar 1979

Recently I had a conversation with the young men of the Yeshiva, which is a school for the most religious Jews. The young men devote their time to studying the…

Joel of Jerusalem Dec/Jan 1978/1979

The people here are now preparing for the feast of the New Year, followed by the greatest feast of all, Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, or as it is called…

The Gospel According To Esther

The careful reader of the book of Esther will see beneath the historical events a beautiful and, I believe, intentional presentation of the Gospel.

Joel of Jerusalem Aug/Sep 1978

Recently I have been working near the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, and sometimes I have contact with the students there. They try to act very intelligent, because they are studying at such a fine school.

Joel of Jerusalem Jun/Jul 1978

In preparing for my trip to the United States, I had matters to attend to at the American Consulate here in Jerusalem. While at the consulate, I talked with some of the religious Jews.

Ezekiel

In May, 1948, defying both the natural and reasonable, Israel became a living reality. During the following thirty years little David fought Goliath on four separate occasions.

The Bush Burned and Was Not Consumed Apr/May 1978

The forty years Moses spent on the back side of the desert had not been wasted years. Invaluable lessons had been learned. Moses needed the weary discipline of those quiet years before he could obey the high vocation and ministry to which God was now calling him.

Joel of Jerusalem Feb/Mar 1978

Now we are near the Passover, and the people are beginning to clean their homes of leaven or yeast which is a symbol of sin. While I was visiting in the home of a fellow worker, who is very religious, he and his wife inquired…

Sixty Seconds With The International Director

Among all the major biblical personalities only of two can it be said there is no recorded failure in their lives. For instance, Abraham had lapses of faith; Moses disobeyed; David indulged; Peter denied; Paul persecuted.

Joel of Jerusalem Dec/Jan 1977/1978

I praise the Lord for my children! They are good, and the Lord has blessed them. Not a day goes by that they do not read and study the Bible together. When I come home from work and see this, it makes me very happy.

Joel of Jerusalem Oct/Nov 1977

In a few days I will finish my current tour of duty in the army. This has not been a pleasant period for me, and I will be glad to get home to my family, but still I am happy. This was an important time in my witness for the Lord.

Joel of Jerusalem Aug/Sep 1977

When I went to the polling place to vote in the recent national election, I met several people I work with. Immediately, some of them wanted to know whom I was going to vote for.

Joel of Jerusalem Jun/Jul 1977

It has been more than a month since I began working in Tel Aviv because there is no work here in Jerusalem, but I am with the same company….

Joel of Jerusalem Apr/May 1977

One day a few weeks ago my son went to his music school to be tested on the saxophone, which he had only been playing for one month…

“For Such A Time As This”

There is a book in the Bible which is all about the rescue of the Jewish people from a threatened massacre. The villain is a man named Haman, who wanted to…

Joel of Jerusalem Feb/Mar 1977

A long time ago I had a discussion with some people about the question of a new life after the earthly body dies. Recently I was very surprised to see…

JESUS, Light of the World

Syria and Egypt are allies now – but such was not always the case. In 168 B.C., the infamous Antiochus Epiphanes, Ruler of Syria, came down…

Joel of Jerusalem Dec/Jan 1976/1977

Recently we spent an evening “celebrating” with a dear friend in his home. This man was very ill and had been in the hospital. He had cancer and…