|
|
February 2, 2007 1 Shvat, 5767 Dear Praying Friends,
Last week we met with our Board members in Germany and here in Israel to discern the word and way of the Spirit for us personally and for Emmaus Way. There was perfect unity concerning how to view what has taken place, the Lord's desire for us personally at this very moment, and the future vision for Emmaus Way. Our brethren confirmed what we have received from the Lord and expressed their confidence in the way we are being led. We are very thankful for the counselors God has surrounded us with, and for the wider circle of friends supporting us and cheering us on. Thank you so very much for your prayers and your many notes of encouragement, trust, and support. The spot of light at the end of the tunnel is getting bigger. We are blessed...even if a little battle weary.
Here are a few points to sum up the result of our meetings:
- It is essential that we do not look at how things came to a head, but acknowledge the Lord as having brought us all to a place of His choosing;
- It is a Divinely-appointed moment for Arni and Yonit to find healing and deliverance from issues and conditions that keep them from enjoying the fullness of our Father's blessing and get in the way of accurately representing his heart and mind to others;
- It seems good to us and acceptable to our Board that we continue with our hiatus from ministry for at least another month after our time of counseling in the States. In the end of March we will go before the Lord with our Board for the next step. We want to be sure to give ample time to digest and process what we will be receiving from the Lord in the days ahead;
- In keeping with numerous prophetic words we received over the last year, we believe God is about to do a new thing with Emmaus Way. Our present process and healing is an important part of the preparation for our work in the coming harvest. Our personal issues are reflective of the kinds of issues to be dealt with by the Jewish people in general and particularly by the young generation;
- We are called to worship. We are called to reach out to our people. We are called to go to the nations and bid them to come -- to come and worship in the Promised Land...to come and help the local body gather the harvest, and to stand with God’s purposes in Israel where they are.
* * *
From 1992 (when we immigrated to Israel) to 1997, the primary emphasis of Emmaus Way was evangelism. From 1998 to 2006, our focus was on worship ... ministering to the Lord … to prepare the way for the harvest to be reaped. These two callings are present in the story from Luke 24 of Yeshua meeting the two disciples on the way to Emmaus. He shared with them from the Scriptures about Himself (evangelism), and their hearts burned in His Presence (our experience in worship).
A third aspect of this story intersects with our present personal experience, and we believe it has within it an element that gives life to the other two aspects. The road to Emmaus, the path on which we come to understand His ways and encounter His Presence, was and is travelled by men and women whose efforts, hopes, and expectations have not turned out the way we were sure they would. The most intimate fellowship with God is found in the place of our greatest need, where the brokenness revealed is beyond our ability to correct. This is not a new revelation. Yeshua said it: ”Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.…” (Matthew 5:3-5)
The Greek, humanistic, here's-how-you-do-it gospel message that has been proliferated through Western culture does not hold the key to the heart of a people with a three-thousand-year-long history of rejection and planned annihilations. We see what God is doing in our lives right now as key in connecting us to the soul of our people. The Apostle Paul knew the Lord. His faith was real. He was real. After all he heard, saw, did, and experienced, he still considered himself as chief of sinners...”Oh wretched man that I am.” We do not believe that we can be vessels fit for the Master’s use, able to reveal Yeshua to our people, if we lose the sense of being lost without God even though saved.
As you pray for us personally, please pray for the people of Israel in the same vein. We believe that much of what we are going through is common to the Jewish, even generationally speaking.
* * *
We just received a call from an Israeli friend, a prophetic intercessor the Lord began burdening to pray for us back in September. She called to inform us that she believes the Lord showed her that there is an attack against the finances of the ministry and we needed to pray for protection over them. She said that a spirit is coming against us wanting to take what has been given to us. Our friend went on to share a dream she had four months ago. In the dream a large bag filled with money belonging to Emmaus Way was taken from me by someone and placed in a closet behind a locked door. We believe that the word and dream is from the Lord and reveals something about the battle we are in. Would you please pray with us for this spirit to be bound, the door of the closet to be opened, and for the money to be returned...with interest.
* * *
Please remember us from February 11-18 while we are with Arni”s mother in New York, and from February 19-23 during our time of counseling. We feel that both of these times will be defining. Please pray for us, that we will be able to reach Mom’s heart and lead her tenderly into the Kingdom of Heaven. We will be dedicating our whole time there to just being with her, and are so thankful to be granted this time to “honor our mother.”
* * *
Finally,we'd like to ask special prayer for our friend and team member, Qaumaniq, whom many of you know and love. She has been battling serious health issues for 19 years, and now an enlargement in her neck has been discovered. She is going to need some scans, and asked that we would ask you all to pray for her for provision for the medical bills, wisdom for her doctors, and for a good report.
May God bless you from Zion!
Your servants… For the Glory of His Name, Arni and Yonit |