Evangelical Missionary Building Boon in Jerusalem

[Jewish Israel]

Jewish settlements in Judea and Shomron may be frozen, but Christian missionaries are enjoying a real building boon in and around Jerusalem.

Prime property has recently been leased, sold, and permits for expansion granted, to evangelizing ministries and institutions. It should be understood that these buildings are not standard churches used strictly for private worship services. These are evangelistic institutions which place an emphasis on “outreach activities” and agendas which focus on the training of missionaries; missionary projects directed at Jews; and at strengthening of the apostate community in Israel.

The following are a few recent examples of prime evangelical property development in Israel:


Southeastern's Missionary Studies Center in Jerusalem gets a new name:

On March 24, 2009 Southeastern – a Christ-centered University which trains missionaries - opened the doors to its campus in Jerusalem which is located in the Nachalat Shiva neighborhood near the Café, Restaurant and tourist district of Yoel Solomon Street.

Eight months ago Jewish Israel reported that the deal for the 13,500 foot five-story building in the heart of Jerusalem, was orchestrated by messianic attorney Calev Myers, who was the featured commencement speaker at Southeastern U. His remarks reportedly focused "on the need...for further action to spread knowledge of Jesus. Southeastern graduates can help Israeli believers in Jesus by educating their congregations, praying for Israel and aligning themselves with Messianic Jewish congregations…He urged Jewish believers from around the world to relocate to Israel, as his family did when he was 18. ‘We believe the day is coming, friends, when Jesus once again will reveal himself to Israel, to the Jewish people,’ he said.”

Well last week the grand building was renamed “the George O. Wood Jerusalem Studies Center “ in honor of the general superintendent of the Assemblies of God,
the largest Pentecostal denomination in the world.

Assemblies of God, represented by Ray Gannon in Israel, is doing their utmost to bring Jews to Christ.

Jewish Israel would like to note that Chosen Peoples Ministries must come in a close second to Assemblies of God, as in 2005 they purchased a 3,500-square-foot building for their Jerusalem Messianic Center at the bargain price of $2,500,000.

Their center serves as a missionary hub for evangelism, discipleship, church planting and leadership
training – all with the express purpose of getting Jews to convert.

Getting back to our Missionary University which is coincidentally (strategically?) placed in the very place our Jerusalem Jewish youth love to hang out…

“Southeastern University is currently leasing the building, but a capital campaign is underway to raise the money to purchase it. Owning the property will make it possible for the university to offer opportunities to students in sister schools to train here, as well.”

The Jerusalem Assembly House of Redemption bought the top floor of a building in Talpiot.

The $3.4 million dollar project (including purchase and planned renovations) opened its doors early last month. Israeli missionary, Meno Kalisher, runs the operation which includes “Radio Yeshua “, and aggressive missionary campaigns.

Meno should not be confused with Victor Kalisher, his brother, who runs the missionary Bible Society in Israel. On Pat Robertson’s CBN, Victor, a publisher and distributor of evangelizing literature, plays the “Jewish” victim to the hilt – claiming bad Jews burnt his missionary materials. But recently on an ICEJ frontpagejerusalem radio show, which promoted Victor’s missionary efforts, he refers to himself as “a Christian”, “a Jew”, “a complete Jew”, a Christian-Jew” and a “Believer” (“All things to all people, huh Victor?).

We can’t really blame the Kalisher brothers for their severe identity crisis, as it appears to stem from their father, Zvi, who was handed a new testament by an elderly woman during his service in the 1948 war, and.. well… the rest is history.
Moral of the story: there may be no atheists in foxholes, but you will find the occasional apostate fox.

Last but not least, In October 2009, after an exhaustive court battle, Netivah Bible Instruction Ministry won the right to expand their premises.
Several months ago YNET reported that the residents of the secular neighborhood of Rehavia were up in arms over the missionary institution’s plans, and there were concerns that a violent conflict would ensue.

According to reports is was local secular residents of this normally quiet neighborhood, who were concerned for their children, and threatened riots and an “all out war”. With one resident stating, "We don't care if a mosque or a church are built here, but we won't tolerate the presence of missionary Messianic Jews” (and they say the Orthodox Jews are intolerant and volatile).

The director of Netivyah, Joseph Shulam, is another “lost and found soul” (lost Jew and found Christian) who believes, “If you are a Jew, and believe that Jesus is the Messiah, and you have not given up your identity as a Jew, then you are a Messianic Jew. That means a Jew who has Yeshua as his Lord, his Master and Savior.”

But here’s the catch… Shulam doesn’t think Jews need missionaries…well…sort of…

“We all appreciate what the missionaries have done. Most of the Jewish believers in my generation became believers through a Christian missionary, pastor or individual. And we appreciate it very much. But now we have matured. But the Christian missionaries have never said ‘now you are on your own, you can make your own decisions, we trust you’. That has happened in Africa, in China, but not with the Jews. So the best thing is that they go home now. And I believe that we can present Jesus to our people just fine…I think it is a primary thing, for Christians to support Israel, but is a different thing than sending missionaries, dominating the local believers but rather dealing with them as brothers in Yeshua.”

But Joseph Shulam exposes a problem that runs very deep. The many millions of dollars in funding for all of these missionary messianic institutions in Israel is coming from the evangelical “Christian Zionist” communities in America. And they just won’t go home and leave Israel alone…ever.

[Jewish Israel]

Jewish Israel received information on the Pastor who was visiting Itamar, as well as a recording which spells out his agenda quite clearly. Part of our agenda is to make sure that certain rabbis and community leaders of Itamar hear the Pastor's message.

The Knesset Christian Allies Caucus regularly turns a blind eye to the missionary status of their supporters and participants, but headlines in today's JPost were interesting. Rather than place an emphasis on the Caucus honoring an evangelizing Hungarian Pastor, the headlines read: "Knesset Christian caucus honors Hungarian journalist..." hmmmmm....

[Sharbano]

And Now we hear that Xtians are to be honored in Jerusalem.

This wouldn't be as much a concern if it weren't for articles such as this, especially in light of "the freeze" and the onslaught of the Xtian missionary movement.

There's a new religious theology in town.

There was an article by a Rabbi from Itamar. I noticed on the Itamar site a group of Xtians and one particular Xtian preacher. I did a little research and found his website and decided to listen to one of his lectures on Israel and the end times. I was astonished, amazed at what he came up with. It only took a few minutes to see his real opinion of Orthodox Judaism. Like many, he uses the term "legalisms" and "man-made laws". He spoke of a Jew that complained of keeping these "legalisms and man-made laws" and became a "Xtian, fulfilled Jew". He brings some "unique" interpretations of Eliyahu HaNavi returning the "Fathers to the children". The Xtians are the "spirit" of Elijah and are to be the "role models" for the Jewish people, the "Fathers" of their religion, by making them "jealous", as is their teaching.

I had always believed that if a Xtian would understand that 10 men will go to the Jew it should give them pause concerning who seeks who. Not so with this man's teaching. His interpretation is that it is the Xtian who comes to the Jew and since the Jew has come to Yeshu, G-d is NOW among them. I just about fell out of my chair. When a person can take a pasuk and so completely distort that which has full clarity into something that has No continuity with the narrative whatsoever there is no possibility of compatibility between the two groups.

This man further states that the church Did believe in a replacement theology but when Israel came into existence that theology was destroyed. As a result the church had to rethink its theology. THIS is the theology he, and I assume others, have now come up with. With replacement theology, the church would and could ignore the Jew but with THIS theology there is danger. Is it any wonder why the evangelical Xtian has come to despise the Torah Jew. The danger begins when Israel will allow "Christian Allies to Be Honored in Jerusalem".

I would venture to say that if and when Israel will institute Torah Law, as Justice Minister Yaakov Ne’eman suggested, there will be an uprising from not only the secular but even moreso from the Xtians now living in Israel. And considering a report by A7 how Xtians are to be honored how will the Torah community react to such a backlash.