Christian Space 360

(Jerusalem, Israel) — A legal and political bombshell just went off in Israel tonight.

“In a decision that drastically shakes up Israeli politics amid already ongoing chaos, Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit announced Thursday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will be charged with criminal wrongdoing in three separate cases against him, including bribery in the far-reaching Bezeq corruption probe,” reports the Times of Israel.

“The decision marks the first time in Israel’s history that a serving prime minister faces criminal charges, casting a heavy shadow over Netanyahu and his ongoing attempts to remain in power,” the Times added.

Netanyahu will be charged with fraud and breach of trust in Cases 1000 and 2000, and bribery, fraud and breach of trust in Case 4000, the state prosecution said in a statement as Mandelblit was set to address the press in his office in the Justice Ministry in Jerusalem at 7:30 p.m.”

Developing — I’ll post more updates on this breaking story on Twitter.

(Jericho, Palestinian Authority) — It is my deep conviction that Evangelicals in North America and around the world who love Israel and the Jewish people must also love all Arabs, including the Palestinian people.

The Bible is crystal clear: God loves all people everywhere. God most certainly loves the Palestinians. Indeed, He cares for them immensely and wants follows of Jesus to care for them, encourage them and pray for them.

The Lord especially wants us to stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters in the Palestinian Evangelical churches. We may not agree on everything theologically or geopolitically. Nor do they agree with us on everything. That’s okay. We can still live our neighbor and be committed to the kind of spiritual unity and fellowship that the Lord Jesus speaks of in John chapter 17.

To this end, I have some very encouraging news to share with you. God is showing His favor on Palestinian Evangelicals this month, and I wanted you to be aware of this news and rejoice over it.

“The Palestinian Authority has officially granted legal recognition to a regional evangelical group,” reports the Christian Post. “For years, the Council of Local Evangelical Churches in the Holy Land had operated in the West Bank, but without official recognition from the government….(Yet) Council President Munir Kakish announced at the World Evangelical Association (WEA) General Assembly held Nov. 7-12 near Jakarta, Indonesia, that the PA had finally granted his organization legal recognition.”

Munir Kakish, who pastors an Evangelical Church in Ramallah, has become a dear friend over the years, and I was so encouraged to get a direct report from him on all these developments. After all, I have been praying with him and his colleagues about such things for at least eight years.

Here are the remarks Pastor Munir gave at the WEA meeting. Please read them and share them with others. Please join me in thanking the Lord for this decision by the PA, and join me, too, in praying daily for the Palestinian churches to grow in depth, boldness and numbers.

“Good morning, I am Pastor Munir Kakish and I represent the Council of Local Evangelical Churches in Palestine (the West Bank), Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip. We are the united voice of the Evangelicals in Palestine.  

“We are committed to supporting those who are in Palestinian leadership positions through our prayers.   We are against injustice, tyranny, violence and racism and are for fairness, justice and peace for our Palestinian people.

“The council has been requesting official recognition from the Palestinian authorities to grant us our civil rights. Bishop Tendero  helped by visiting the authorities in order for them to grant us legal recognition. We appreciate his help.

“Just last week the Palestinian Authorities granted the Evangelicals legal recognition.

“Previously, we could not grant marriage licenses. Now ourlicenses are legally recognized.

“Previously, our churches could not open bank accounts. Now a church can open a bank account.

“Previously, we could not register land or church properties in the name of the Church.  Now our churches are able to legally purchase land.

“We have been granted our full civil rights as a religious organization.

“This is a historic moment as other countries nearby do not have recognition and this places the Palestine Authority as a leader for religious freedom in the area.

“Here is the presidential decree signed by the Palestinian President, President Mahmoud Abbas!  I have worked for 12 years to obtain this decree.  

“Our hearts are full of thankfulness to God for this new declaration.

“We also want to thank President Mahmoud Abbas and Dr. Ramzi Khoury for making the Evangelicals a legal organization in Palestine.

I urge you, pray for the Palestinian authorities and the Palestinian people.

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem!  Thank you.”

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• Would you like to make a secure, tax deductible investment in The Joshua Fund (www.joshuafund.net)? This is the non-profit organization that my wife, Lynn, and I founded in 2006 to educate and mobilize Christians to bless Israel and her neighbors in the name of Jesus, to strengthen the Church in the Epicenter, to preach the Gospel and teach the Word of God, to care for the poor and needy in Israel (both Jews and Arabs) with food and other humanitarian relief, care for Holocaust survivors, and care for Syrian and Iraqi refugees and others. The Joshua Fund is a member in good standing of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability. Please click here to learn more. Thanks so much.

(Jerusalem, Israel) — After several days of intense fighting, a cease-fire is in now place between Israel and the “Islamic Jihad” terrorist faction in Gaza.

The truce, brokered by Egyptian intelligence, was set to begin at 5:30am local time. It was broken by the terrorists, but as of 3pm local time now appears to be holding. 

“A spokesperson for the Israeli military said that around 450 rockets had been launched toward Israel during the recent escalation, of which 60% landed in open fields and 90% of the remainder were intercepted,” reported the Times of Israel.

In the face of this week’s fighting, I ask Christians around the world to pray for:

• calm and security to be fully restored on both sides of the border
• the Lord to comfort all Israelis and Palestinians who have been emotionally traumatized and physically wounded by the fighting
• the Lord to show mercy to the families of the 34 Palestinians killed in the fighting, 25 of whom were confirmed terrorists
• all Israeli and Palestinian children to be especially comforted — schools have been closed for the last three days and millions of kids have been huddled in basements and bomb shelters, alternately battling both fear and boredom
• the Jewish and Arab followers of Jesus in the Land to know how best to show compassion to their people and to have opportunities to be bold witnesses for the Lord — the people of this region so desperately need to know and experience the Good News of Jesus Christ.
• the Lord to give The Joshua Fund board and staff wisdom to know how best to be a blessing and comfort to those on both sides of the conflict.

Thanks so much. (For the latest updates and breaking news, please follow me on Twitter.)

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• Would you like to make a secure, tax deductible investment in The Joshua Fund (www.joshuafund.net)? This is the non-profit organization that my wife, Lynn, and I founded in 2006 to educate and mobilize Christians to bless Israel and her neighbors in the name of Jesus, to strengthen the Church in the Epicenter, to preach the Gospel and teach the Word of God, to care for the poor and needy in Israel (both Jews and Arabs) with food and other humanitarian relief, care for Holocaust survivors, and care for Syrian and Iraqi refugees and others. The Joshua Fund is a member in good standing of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability. Please click here to learn more. Thanks so much.