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In Touch Quarter 3 - 2017

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3 rd <strong>Quarter</strong> <strong>2017</strong> • No 192 Christian Friends of Israel UK<br />

The righteous will flourish<br />

like a palm tree<br />

Psalm 92.12<br />

INSIDE<br />

EDITORIAL - NEW TREASURES AS WELL AS OLD<br />

HEBRAIC BIBLE STUDY - DEEPENING YOUR CONFESSION<br />

BIG CHURCH DAY OUT REPORT<br />

HEBREW WORD STUDY - GLORY PART 2<br />

CFI LAND & LIFE 50 YEAR ANNIVERSARY TOUR REPORT<br />

INCREASING OUR EMPHASIS ON PRAYER<br />

ENGAGING SOCIAL MEDIA<br />

REGIONAL LINK PROFILE<br />

RESOURCES & EVENTS


Editorial<br />

Good teachers<br />

- new treasures as well as old<br />

About us<br />

CFI-UK seeks to bless Israel by<br />

means of practical and moral<br />

support, and to serve the Church in<br />

teaching about God’s purposes for<br />

Israel and the Hebraic heritage<br />

of our faith.<br />

CFI also produces a monthly Prayer<br />

Letter, an audio Middle East News<br />

Report and distributes the Haverim<br />

Hebraic teaching CDs.<br />

Please send for full details of<br />

projects in Israel and also of the<br />

many teaching resources available.<br />

As an educational charity,<br />

we carry a variety of<br />

resources relevant to our<br />

purpose. We do not<br />

necessarily endorse every<br />

view expressed by our<br />

guest writers or authors<br />

of these resources.<br />

Published by:<br />

CFI Charitable Trust<br />

PO Box 2687<br />

Eastbourne<br />

BN22 7LZ<br />

Tel: 01323 410 810<br />

Fax: 01323 410 211<br />

Email: info@cfi.org.uk<br />

Websites: www.cfi.org.uk<br />

www.keshercourse.org.uk<br />

facebook.com/cfiuk<br />

twitter.com/cfi_uk<br />

Registered Charity<br />

No. 1101899<br />

Registered Office c/o<br />

Caladine, Chantry House<br />

22 Upperton Road<br />

Eastbourne, BN21 1BF<br />

Company No: 0498515<br />

VAT Registration No: GB678780275<br />

Front Cover Image:<br />

Palm trees, Megiddo National Park<br />

Photo: Christina Hine<br />

Jacob Vince<br />

Today we are in the privileged<br />

position of having the full<br />

canon of Scripture against<br />

which everything can be tested.<br />

As we know, the Holy Spirit guided<br />

Jesus’ apostle-disciples into ‘all truth’<br />

(John 16:13) and, in the present day, us<br />

through what they completed. Now<br />

included are things which were not<br />

revealed to some of the earlier writers<br />

(See Matthew 13:16; Hebrews 11:40;<br />

1 Peter 1:10). The imperative for us is<br />

to ‘correctly handle the word of truth’ (2<br />

Timothy 2:15), submitting ourselves to<br />

the, ‘teaching, reproving, correcting and<br />

training’ of ‘all Scripture’ (2 Timothy 3:16).<br />

<strong>In</strong> his second letter the apostle Peter<br />

states that ‘we have the word of the prophets<br />

made more certain’ (2 Peter 1:19). Of<br />

course it was already certain before,<br />

but now it is made more certain - if this<br />

is possible. How amazing is that? But<br />

Peter’s instruction which follows is<br />

equally important. First he states that<br />

‘no prophecy of Scripture came about by the<br />

prophet’s own interpretation of things. For<br />

prophecy never had its origin in the human<br />

will, but prophets, though human, spoke from<br />

God as they were carried along by the Holy<br />

Spirit’ (2 Peter 1:20-21). It is worth noting<br />

that in using the phrase, ‘no prophecy of<br />

Scripture’, Peter defines prophecy in the<br />

Bible as distinct from any other extrabiblical<br />

prophecy.<br />

Next, by way of analogy Peter uses the<br />

false prophets of old to compare with<br />

false teachers then being encountered by<br />

his readers. The phrase ‘just as’ (2 Peter<br />

2:1) indicating a comparison being made<br />

between the two different categories<br />

of communicators – ‘prophets of old’ to<br />

‘teachers’ in his day. Hence for ourselves,<br />

now with the full canon of Scripture,<br />

perhaps the emphasis shifts toward the<br />

Bible teacher rather than any prophetic<br />

gifting. <strong>In</strong> other words, today we can<br />

test everything against the full canon of<br />

Scripture, and so we should.<br />

There are those designated and gifted<br />

to teach the word (Ephesians 4:11) but<br />

they in turn should do this diligently<br />

and humbly, under Scripture not above<br />

it. They should allow the listener to<br />

discern for themselves that what is<br />

being taught is true to the Scriptures -<br />

not misinterpreting the Scriptures, not<br />

taking away anything and not adding<br />

anything, nor giving any extra-biblical<br />

teaching the authority of Scripture.<br />

As we do this we must take care not<br />

to miss out sections of Scripture which<br />

do not fit our pattern of understanding,<br />

especially the earlier writings where the<br />

temptation is to over-interpret them in<br />

light of the newer writings. That would<br />

remove from them part of their original<br />

intention – which can, and indeed has,<br />

developed into a form of Marcionism.<br />

Marcion considered the God of what he<br />

defined as the New Testament a different<br />

and superior God to that described in<br />

what he referred to as the Old Testament,<br />

an early form of ‘replacement theology’<br />

or its new derivative ‘fulfilment<br />

theology’.<br />

For example, let us consider a<br />

foundational passage which shows the<br />

strength of combining the old and new.<br />

It comes after Jesus’ teaching using a set<br />

of familiar parables including the sower,<br />

the weeds, the mustard seed and yeast,<br />

the hidden treasure, the pearl and the net<br />

of fish. Before the narrative moves on<br />

to ‘When Jesus had finished these parables’<br />

(Matthew 13:53), Jesus asks the question,<br />

‘have you understood all these things?’<br />

(Matthew 13:51) Presumably the word<br />

‘all’ refers to all the previous parables<br />

in his summing up. ‘“Yes,” they replied’<br />

(Matthew 13:51). [A bold claim]. ‘He<br />

said to them, “Therefore every teacher of<br />

the law who has been instructed about the<br />

kingdom of heaven, [the subject Jesus has<br />

been speaking about in the preceding<br />

parables], is like the owner of a house who<br />

brings out of his storeroom new treasure<br />

as well as old” (Matthew 13:52). What<br />

does this mean? Well what it clearly<br />

says is that good teachers, that is those<br />

‘instructed about the kingdom of heaven’<br />

teachers, bring out both that which is<br />

new and that which is old. New as well<br />

as old. There is no replacement. <strong>In</strong>deed<br />

the clear indication is that both hold equal<br />

value. We need both, not just as a token,<br />

but in reality.<br />

We are so quick to discard the ancient<br />

paths, whereas the Bible continually<br />

points us back to them, (see Jeremiah<br />

6:16). There are many other similar<br />

examples and perhaps we will explore<br />

these in future editorials.<br />

2 IN TOUCH • 3 rd <strong>Quarter</strong> <strong>2017</strong><br />

www.cfi.org.uk


Special Report<br />

Robin Lane<br />

God worked<br />

extra hours<br />

Air France flight 139<br />

On Wednesday 3 rd May <strong>2017</strong> more than 60<br />

guests at a church in Heathfield, East Sussex,<br />

were treated to a vivid description of what<br />

is widely known as Operation Entebbe, although<br />

the Israelis renamed it Operation<br />

Yonatan after its leader, Yonatan<br />

Netanyahu - brother of Israel’s<br />

Prime Minister.<br />

It was a daring rescue that resolved<br />

a week-long hostage crisis which<br />

captured the world’s attention as soon<br />

as Air France flight 139 was hijacked<br />

on Sunday 27 th June 1976 by two<br />

Yoni Netanyahu<br />

members of the Baader Meinhoff Group and two members<br />

of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. There<br />

were 236 passengers on board, as well as 12 crew members.<br />

After initial negotiations and a six-hour stop in Benghazi,<br />

Libya, the plane and its passengers were eventually flown to<br />

Entebbe Airport in Uganda, and held hostage there while the<br />

hijackers made their demands.<br />

Entebbe Airport, Uganda<br />

Our presenter that Wednesday evening was one of the<br />

Israeli commandos who took part in the rescue operation,<br />

so much of what he described to us was first-hand evidence.<br />

<strong>In</strong> recent years he has pulled together much additional<br />

information, so as to be able to give a very full factual account<br />

of what happened. And that account held the attention of<br />

the audience for a full two hours.<br />

He described to us the way that, after days of uncertainty,<br />

the Israelis’ initial hopes that Air France and the French<br />

Government would resolve the situation had disappeared.<br />

Just 140 hostages were flown back to Paris late on the<br />

Wednesday, none of them Jewish. Then slowly there came<br />

the realisation that direct negotiation would not resolve it<br />

either. The Israeli Government concluded that if they did not<br />

act, the remaining hostages would all die. Thus the chosen<br />

group of soldiers and airmen were finally given the order to<br />

‘go’ on Saturday 3 rd July 1976.<br />

Three Hercules aircraft took off from Israel with around 200<br />

soldiers, 8 aircrew and 8 cars. They were accompanied by a<br />

fourth Hercules that was empty apart from its aircrew and<br />

some medical staff – ready to transport the hostages back to<br />

Israel. They were only given the final order to continue with<br />

the operation at 6:30pm – whilst already in flight towards<br />

Uganda!<br />

The flight took a total of 10 hours and they experienced a<br />

lot of turbulence because of flying at low altitude to avoid<br />

detection by radar. So there was much air sickness! They<br />

even had to press on for three hours through a tropical storm<br />

before reaching Entebbe Airport. So it was an immense relief<br />

to the soldiers when they finally landed, got out of the planes<br />

and went into action.<br />

That action lasted for less than an hour. Yet there were<br />

several points at which their plan seemed to go wrong, such<br />

as an initial burst of gunfire to silence a couple of Ugandan<br />

soldiers guarding the route to the terminal building. There<br />

was also trouble when the fourth Hercules plane sank into<br />

the ground at the side of the runway as the pilot turned it to<br />

pick up the hostages.<br />

But despite these problems the Israelis rescued most of the<br />

hostages – all but three who died in the gunfire and one who<br />

later died in the local hospital where she had been treated for<br />

an illness. All the terrorists were killed in the rescue, as were<br />

around 20 Ugandan soldiers who were acting in support of<br />

the terrorists at the command of their unpredictable dictator,<br />

Idi Amin. The one Israeli soldier who died in the rescue was<br />

Yonatan Netanyahu, the operation’s leader.<br />

Finally came the long return flight, which saw many of the<br />

soldiers and hostages sleep from sheer exhaustion – despite<br />

the lack of comfort in the Hercules transport aircraft. They<br />

arrived back in Israel on Sunday 4 th July to be welcomed<br />

as heroes. It was a major setback for the terrorists of the<br />

day. More than 100 hostages had been rescued without the<br />

terrorists’ demands being met, and all the terrorists were<br />

killed.<br />

Hostages celebrate their return to Israel<br />

It was astonishing that such a risky rescue operation<br />

had been carried out successfully. <strong>In</strong> the final words of the<br />

presenter that evening in Heathfield, success was made<br />

possible because “God had worked extra hours!”<br />

facebook.com/cfiuk twitter.com/cfi_uk 3 rd <strong>Quarter</strong> <strong>2017</strong> • IN TOUCH 3


Hebrew Word Study<br />

Melissa Briggs MA,<br />

Hebrew University of Jerusalem,<br />

Melissa is an experienced Hebrew<br />

teacher with a desire to make the<br />

rich language of the Scriptures<br />

accessible to Christians.<br />

God is worthy of all kavod. <strong>In</strong> Part 1 we explored<br />

the Hebrew word family around kavod<br />

and defined it as the public demonstration<br />

of God’s awesome greatness. It is God’s amazing<br />

character, beauty, weightiness, and power made<br />

visible and known. Jesus is the perfect reflection of<br />

God’s kavod.<br />

Amazingly, the Scriptures also indicate the ability for<br />

mankind, and indeed all of creation to reflect God’s kavod too.<br />

What a privilege and responsibility!<br />

How can creation reflect God’s kavod?<br />

Creation displays the kavod of the Lord in the amazing<br />

beauty and intricate systems God has put into place.<br />

Consider, for example, the precisely balanced food chains,<br />

the marvels of the water cycle, and the miracle of the body’s<br />

ability to grow and heal. God perfectly designs, orchestrates,<br />

and sustains the wonders of the created order.<br />

The visible order and beauty speak of the ingenuity and<br />

wisdom of the Creator and display God’s greatness in a<br />

public way for all to see. No one can say the Creator God did<br />

not show himself (see Romans 1:20-21).<br />

Though creation is fallen because of sin, it is still capable of<br />

reflecting God’s glory and making him known: “The heavens<br />

declare the kavod of God; and the firmament shows his handiwork…<br />

There is no speech nor language where their voice is not<br />

heard. Their line has gone out through all the earth, and<br />

their words to the end of the world” (Psalm 19:1-4).<br />

How can mankind reflect God’s kavod?<br />

The Lord bought our bodies with a price, and<br />

now we can be vessels through which his life,<br />

character, and power shine forth for his glory<br />

(see 1 Corinthians 6:20; Galatians 2:20). We are created in<br />

his image after all. When we accept praise or attention for<br />

ourselves, then we place the recognition and acclaim in the<br />

wrong direction (see Proverbs 25:6-7). Our Creator deserves<br />

the credit for all our beauty, goodness, gifts and talents (see 1<br />

Thessalonians 2:12). Are we willing to let our lives be mirrors<br />

where God can exhibit his kavod? (see 2 Corinthians 3:18).<br />

God’s good plan involves using mankind to reflect his<br />

kavod. When we show the world how satisfied we are in<br />

him—expressing that God is more fulfilling and better than<br />

all this world has to offer—then God is beautifully glorified<br />

through our lives.<br />

A practical example of a Hebraic worldview<br />

<strong>In</strong> Part 1 we asked the question: What would it look like to<br />

eat and drink to the kavod of God? (see 1 Corinthians 10:31).<br />

Traditionally, Greek thought emphasises the separation<br />

between the holy and the mundane. And what is more<br />

‘mundane’ than food? But the Hebrew Scriptures describe a<br />

God who cares about every aspect of the lives of mankind.<br />

He is not a controlling dictator, but a caring Father. When<br />

God gave his life-giving instruction to the Jewish people,<br />

he lovingly trained them on everything from bathing, to<br />

dressing, to bodily functions, to tattoos, to sexuality, to<br />

Glory<br />

PART 2<br />

We glorify<br />

God in our<br />

daily lives<br />

כָּבֹוד<br />

Part 1 was published in issue 191 which is<br />

available on the CFI-UK website<br />

employment, to finances, to farming, to family life, and yes —<br />

to food. (<strong>In</strong>terestingly, the very first sin in the Bible involved<br />

food!)<br />

As a mother I care about what my children eat because I<br />

love them and I want the best for them. I know firsthand<br />

that their mood, concentration, energy levels and overall<br />

health for the day — and for the long term — will fare better<br />

if they eat things like scrambled eggs, porridge and bananas<br />

for breakfast, rather than a bowl of sweeties! But do I love<br />

them any less if they choose Coco-Pops for breakfast at a hotel<br />

buffet, rather than a fruit salad? Of course not! This parental<br />

instinct gives us a taste of God’s viewpoint on our diet.<br />

God is the one who made food, created our need and<br />

appetite for it, and continually provides it (see Psalm 136:25).<br />

God created food for the good of mankind (see Genesis 1:29-<br />

31). The array of colours, tastes, textures, and flavours of food<br />

are unmistakably a gift from the generous and creative hand<br />

of God. He did not have to create us with taste buds, but<br />

thankfully he did! God designed food to be enjoyed.<br />

Let us stop and acknowledge how abundantly blessed we<br />

are to have food, especially when so many around the world<br />

struggle with famines and starvation. So often we take food<br />

for granted when food is meant to make us turn to God in<br />

praise and thanksgiving. We are meant to be generous with<br />

our food, to share it, and to look after the poor, not<br />

to be wasteful or selfish.<br />

When we view and use food according to the<br />

way that God intended, following the example<br />

of Jesus, we glorify God in our daily lives as<br />

we point to him as the Creator, Sustainer, and<br />

Provider. God designed proper interaction with<br />

food to inherently bring him glory!<br />

God intends food to give us nourishment, energy,<br />

sustenance and nutrition. When we consistently eat foods that<br />

neglect to accomplish those aims (such as highly-processed,<br />

refined foods that drain energy and lack nutrition), then we<br />

miss out on the opportunity to live out God’s good plan for<br />

the watching world to see. How often do we eat unhealthy<br />

food that diminishes our body’s health rather than optimise<br />

it? Do we eat in light of the truth that our body is a temple for<br />

the Holy Spirit? (see 1 Corinthians 6:19-20).<br />

What else did God intend food to do? God designed food<br />

to foster fellowship. He intended eating to be an opportunity<br />

to receive good gifts from the Father with thankfulness.<br />

Food and drink are to be a tangible way we can show God’s<br />

generosity to others (see Matthew 10:42; John 6:9). Mealtimes<br />

can foreshadow the Marriage Supper of the Lamb, and can<br />

be a time to remember that Jesus gave his body and blood for<br />

the redemption of mankind (see 1 Corinthians 11:24). Hunger<br />

is a physical pang in our body for sustenance which mirrors<br />

our spiritual need for ‘daily bread’ from the Lord (see Psalm<br />

42:1-2).<br />

How did Jesus interact with food as he daily came into<br />

contact with it? He thanked God for it. He provided it for<br />

hungry people. He fasted. He knew that man could not live<br />

4 IN TOUCH • 3 rd <strong>Quarter</strong> <strong>2017</strong><br />

www.cfi.org.uk


on bread alone. He ate when others expected him to fast. He<br />

blessed it. He cooked for others and invited them to eat. He<br />

believed God could multiply it. He shared it. <strong>In</strong> following<br />

Jesus’ example we can glorify God in our eating and drinking.<br />

God’s provision for our food does not start at the<br />

supermarket, or on the day we eat it. Amazingly, it starts<br />

months or years beforehand when the potatoes were planted<br />

in Ireland, or a farmer in Spain sowed the tomato seeds<br />

and reaped the harvest after months of labour. Perhaps the<br />

chickens were laid as eggs at a local farm and lovingly reared,<br />

fed and watered by a farmer; or a cow was conceived, born,<br />

and reared for two years as it grew to full maturity. Every<br />

plate of food tells a story of provision, growth, and love. How<br />

awe inspiring to contemplate the thought, time and care God<br />

has put into my ‘daily bread’!<br />

We are graciously given so much freedom in our food<br />

choices (see 1 Corinthians 10:23-27). But does God care more<br />

about our heart attitude or about what we actually eat? Health<br />

fanatics may eat only organic ‘superfoods’, and yet perhaps<br />

it is all about their own glory in having the ‘perfect body’?<br />

(Though eating mostly whole, natural foods means that we<br />

are sticking to God’s original design for that food, where<br />

nutrients and the equilibrium of things like fibre and amino<br />

acids are kept in balance). Two people might eat exactly the<br />

same foods for a week, but one could do it for God’s glory<br />

with a thankful heart, and one could do it with a self-obsessed<br />

attitude. Daniel’s attitude towards food is certainly worth<br />

studying.<br />

God loves to be in daily conversation with us. Would he<br />

rather we eat a slice of cake with gratitude from the hand of<br />

someone who lovingly prepared it, than to offend someone<br />

for the sake of never eating a spoonful of sugar? Ask him!<br />

(see 1 Timothy 4:1-4).<br />

Many people treat physical urges as irresistible, but we are<br />

to be ruled by the Spirit, not our flesh (see Galatians 5:15, 22-<br />

24). <strong>In</strong> the book of Genesis, God gave mankind dominion<br />

over creation — including fruits, vegetables, plants and<br />

animals — not creation dominion over mankind. Therefore,<br />

we do not need to be dominated by things in creation like the<br />

sugar cane plant, or the cocoa plant, or the tobacco plant, or<br />

potatoes (vodka), or grapes (wine).<br />

We display God’s kavod when we keep things in their<br />

rightful, God-given place. It is so easy to make an idol out<br />

of food by giving it roles and responsibilities it was never<br />

intended to bear, or by placing an inordinate emphasis or<br />

affection on food. God did not design food to be our Saviour<br />

and Comforter. He intended Jesus and the Holy Spirit to<br />

fulfil those roles. Eating in order to numb our emotions, or<br />

because we feel angry, stressed, scared, or bored fails to bring<br />

glory to God. Looking to God for help in all of these scenarios<br />

brings him glory. “I will be fully satisfied [in God] as with the<br />

richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you” (Psalm<br />

63:5).<br />

Thankfully we are not left alone to navigate our interaction<br />

with food (see John 14:26). We can ask God for help one meal<br />

at a time. “So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it<br />

all for the kavod of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31), because God<br />

certainly deserves all the glory!<br />

Learn Hebrew with Melissa at: www.explorehebrew.co.uk<br />

Report<br />

By Julia Soakell<br />

Big Church Day Out is a Christian extravaganza of family<br />

fun and music with many successful years of events in the<br />

south at East Witton, Sussex. This year CFI’s stand was<br />

staffed by Steve Hailes and Ruth Henderson plus new staff<br />

member Anne Scott and volunteers Ruth and Robin Foster.<br />

But this year CFI were also at the first Big Church Day Out in<br />

the North – held in Cheshire in the grounds of Capesthorne Hall, a<br />

beautiful stately home in the area around Alderley Edge.<br />

CFI Resources were also available at both sites, where we<br />

were able to help people make good choices for studying the<br />

Bible and gaining greater insight to the subject. We were<br />

able to chat with lots of youngsters and young adults about<br />

our Facebook page and Twitter feed, as well as encouraging<br />

them to attend our National Conference. It was great to see<br />

these young people who had been nurtured in their understanding<br />

by good churches, leaders and families to whom we are all indebted.<br />

We must pray that we can continue to make great connections with the<br />

youth of the UK churches, fellowships and Christian Unions in these<br />

days and use social media where necessary to do this. 90% of 16 – 35<br />

year olds now use either Facebook, Twitter or <strong>In</strong>stagram. Big Church<br />

Day Out has a great draw to this age group as a massive array of music,<br />

artists and entertainers perform through the day from late morning<br />

until After Hours, when the Comedy Tent hosts acts well into the night.<br />

This year’s artists included Tim Hughes, Drakeford, Chip K, Mary Mary,<br />

Casting Crowns, Lou Fellingham and Kings Chambers Orchestra; as<br />

well as comedy acts like John Archer and Tim Vine, and many more<br />

performing on six different stages.<br />

The Market Place, in a huge marquee, the location of our resources<br />

stall, was visited by some of the 10-15,000 visitors to the event, held<br />

on Friday 2 nd and Saturday 3 rd June. Alongside the 60+ other stalls<br />

for Christian gifts and services, charities and missions, were three other<br />

Israel-related ministries with whom the team, David and Julia Soakell,<br />

were able to share good fellowship and recommend each other’s stalls.<br />

Families came to the stand and asked questions about the shofar on<br />

display. Lots of free CFI literature was distributed and we were able to<br />

have conversations about the heritage of our Judaic Christian faith, and<br />

the blessing of being able to be enriched by Gods heart for Israel, her<br />

people and her land.<br />

facebook.com/cfiuk twitter.com/cfi_uk 3 rd <strong>Quarter</strong> <strong>2017</strong> • IN TOUCH 5


Hebraic Study<br />

James Whitman<br />

serves as president<br />

of The Centre for<br />

Judaic-Christian<br />

Studies (JC Studies)<br />

Our first confession of Jesus<br />

is the beginning of faith,<br />

not the end. Faith can<br />

mature — indeed it must. How<br />

blessed are those that discover<br />

how it grows!<br />

There was an inventor in my<br />

hometown of Dayton, Ohio, named<br />

Charles Kettering. <strong>In</strong> 1912 he solved the<br />

problem of hand cranking an automobile<br />

engine by inventing the self-starter,<br />

generator and lighting system still in use<br />

today. His perspicacity is legendary and<br />

reflected in quotes like this one, “There is<br />

a great difference between knowing and<br />

understanding. You can know a lot about<br />

something and not really understand it.”<br />

How very appropriate for our subject.<br />

Jesus is with us and desires to deepen<br />

our confession of him as Messiah (Christ)<br />

and King (Lord) — without which we<br />

are like a kite with a severed string. To<br />

learn how, we must use our imagination<br />

and, with humility, participate in a<br />

discipling discussion by hearing anew<br />

questions that are as relevant now as<br />

they were when he first asked them over<br />

two-thousand years ago. “Who do people<br />

say that the Son of Man is?” (Matthew<br />

16:13) Jesus begins, referring to himself<br />

in that uniquely biblical way. A better<br />

understanding of this story recorded in<br />

Matthew can help strengthen our resolve<br />

to follow the Master like our forbears in<br />

the faith.<br />

Location One:<br />

The Geography and Sociology<br />

There is a persistent myth that Jesus<br />

wandered Israel randomly, an idea<br />

wholly inconsistent with the eyewitness<br />

accounts that show the intentionality of<br />

his every move. The prophet Yeshua<br />

(Jesus), though calm and unhurried,<br />

exhibits the zeal of a Jewish missionary:<br />

he covers the population centres of an<br />

entire country including smaller villages,<br />

he returns to areas where his message is<br />

bearing fruit, and he avoids cities that<br />

flaunted Roman hegemony like Tiberius<br />

and Sepphoris. Experts estimate that<br />

Jesus could have easily covered over<br />

15,000 miles by foot during his lifetime<br />

(Merilyn Hargis, Christianity Today).<br />

“Jesus went throughout all the cities and<br />

villages, teaching in their synagogues and<br />

proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and<br />

healing every disease and every affliction”<br />

(Matthew 9:35).<br />

<strong>In</strong> his divine vocation as Israel’s<br />

Deepening Your<br />

Confession of Christ<br />

Messiah, Jesus fulfilled his commission<br />

to take the good news “to the lost sheep of<br />

the house of Israel” (Matthew 15:24). We<br />

now find him and his disciples near the<br />

headwaters of the Jordan River, the area<br />

of Caesarea Philippi in the northernmost<br />

region of the Holy Land. The location<br />

is rugged yet tranquil, perfect for soulsearching<br />

which the Master initiates<br />

by having his men identify the cultural<br />

clutter. “And they said, ‘Some say John<br />

the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others<br />

Jeremiah or one of the prophets’” (Matthew<br />

16:14). This small group exercise has<br />

meaning for all of God’s people, in every<br />

time and place. <strong>In</strong> your context, who do<br />

people say that Jesus is?<br />

Location Two: The Biblical Context<br />

Matthew’s Gospel narrative, like<br />

the life of his Lord, is characterised<br />

by purposeful design. Both lead us<br />

to a crucial turning point in history.<br />

Matthew uses a little phrase twice —<br />

literally, “from that time began Jesus”— to<br />

help us see the big picture arrangement<br />

of his book. The first use inaugurates<br />

Messiah’s ministry, “From that time<br />

Jesus began to preach, saying, ‘Repent for<br />

the kingdom of God is at hand’” (Matthew<br />

4:17). The second use inaugurates<br />

Messiah’s passion, “From that time Jesus<br />

began to show his disciples that he must go<br />

to Jerusalem and suffer many things from<br />

the elders and chief priests and scribes, and<br />

be killed, and on the third day be raised”<br />

Part 1 of 2<br />

(Matthew 16:21). The question and<br />

answer conversation we are observing is<br />

the link that connects the two parts.<br />

Think about the great significance<br />

of this scene. Jesus is preparing his<br />

followers to carry on his life’s work<br />

because his care for God’s flock is<br />

leading to his final destination, “the city<br />

of the Great King” (Matthew 5:35). And<br />

so, in classic Jewish style, he follows his<br />

general question with a more specific<br />

one, “But who do you say that I am?”<br />

(Matthew 16:15). An inspired answer<br />

from the student inspires an even more<br />

profound response from the teacher (see<br />

Matthew 16:16-19). No doubt you are<br />

familiar with all of this. We will unpack<br />

some of the theological wonders in this<br />

dialogue in my next article. But for now,<br />

I have some modest questions of my<br />

own: Why here? Why now? Why these<br />

particular questions?<br />

Why here?<br />

What we know for certain is that<br />

Jesus chose this location. From a<br />

geographical perspective, they are near<br />

the headwaters or source of the Jordan<br />

River, whose waters give life to all of<br />

Israel. From a sociological perspective,<br />

they are in the territory allotted to the<br />

tribe of Dan (from whence the Jordan<br />

derives its name when combined with<br />

the Hebrew ‘yadar’ which means to<br />

descend or flow down). This area carries<br />

special significance because Jeroboam<br />

built a temple here to ensure that the<br />

ten northern tribes of Israel would not<br />

reunite with the two southern tribes after<br />

the tragic split under King Solomon’s<br />

son Rehoboam. <strong>In</strong> another approach<br />

to understanding Matthew’s Gospel, a<br />

fascinating pattern emerges; not only is<br />

Jesus her rightful king, but he embodies<br />

the nation of Israel. Perhaps starting his<br />

journey from this strategic location also<br />

serves to illustrate the reconciliation of<br />

the twelve sons of Jacob.<br />

Why now?<br />

There is no need for conjecture here<br />

because, as we have seen, Matthew<br />

organises his book around the answer to<br />

this question (see Matthew 16:21). The last<br />

summer of his life is drawing to a close,<br />

and it is likely that they are in or near<br />

the month of ‘Elul’. According to Jewish<br />

tradition, the thirty days of Elul are set<br />

apart to contemplate and prepare for<br />

the biblical ‘autumn’ festival period of<br />

Trumpets and Tabernacles, punctuated<br />

by the solemn and soul-searching Day<br />

6 IN TOUCH • 3 rd <strong>Quarter</strong> <strong>2017</strong><br />

www.cfi.org.uk


of Atonement (see Leviticus 23:23-43).<br />

<strong>In</strong>terestingly, it is on the joy-filled last<br />

day of the Feast of Tabernacles that<br />

Jesus stands up and declares himself the<br />

source of living water for all humanity<br />

(see John 7:38).<br />

Why these particular questions?<br />

<strong>In</strong> most modern educational systems,<br />

questions posed by a superior are<br />

primarily an assessment tool, a way to<br />

measure what you do or do not know.<br />

<strong>In</strong> the best of Jewish tradition, questions<br />

are used to provoke deeper thinking and<br />

understanding in the student, leading<br />

to responsibility, repentance, and right<br />

living. This kind of healthy, relational<br />

dialectic is designed to train the student<br />

how to think. The learner, in this<br />

paradigm, must go deeper than knowing<br />

about something, moving towards<br />

understanding and wisdom. It is the<br />

way of a parent with a child.<br />

Jesus — who is the Son of our good<br />

Father as Peter’s confession reminds us<br />

(see Matthew 16:16) — understands that<br />

he must leave as part of God’s plan, one<br />

that his men cannot grasp ... yet. He is<br />

wise that in our weakness we are easily<br />

corrupted, proven by the very next thing<br />

we hear Peter say (see Matthew 16:22).<br />

But failure is part of the curriculum, and<br />

the most remarkable part of this story<br />

for me is that in the short time left he<br />

successfully equips his faithful disciples<br />

to navigate the coming storm. “I have not<br />

lost one of those you gave me” (John 18:9).<br />

How does he do this? Or said another<br />

way, what resources does Jesus expect<br />

his disciples to draw from to gain<br />

insight into the core question of his<br />

identity? If you responded, “the Bible,<br />

or God’s word,” then you get a gold<br />

star. But remember, we want our faith to<br />

mature, and for that to happen we must<br />

go beyond merely knowing the right<br />

answer. The heart-level question every<br />

person wants to know is, “What is God<br />

like?” The biblical answer to that honest<br />

inquiry is the only anchor that holds<br />

against the challenges we face in a fallen<br />

world. Jesus came to show us the Father.<br />

The Father reveals himself by showing<br />

us the Son. All of this is a work of his<br />

Spirit.<br />

<strong>In</strong> light of the above, here is my attempt<br />

to answer the question of how Jesus<br />

equipped his disciples. He taught them<br />

that deepening their understanding of<br />

what they know about God requires<br />

the Father to teach them about his Son,<br />

through his word, played out in their life<br />

experiences.<br />

Where did I get these ideas? The same<br />

place Jesus did, from his Father. <strong>In</strong> a<br />

story so critical that Matthew, Mark, and<br />

Luke all record it, Jesus joins John at the<br />

Jordan River to submit to baptism in one<br />

of those embodying-Israel moments, “it<br />

is fitting for us to fulfil all righteousness”<br />

(Matthew 3:15). When Jesus emerges<br />

from the water, three big things happen<br />

in succession: there is a dramatic event<br />

in the sky, followed by the Spirit of God<br />

descending on him, concluding with a<br />

voice out of the newly opened heavens<br />

(Matthew 3:16-17). The voice says, “This<br />

is my beloved Son, with whom I am well<br />

pleased” — breathtaking!<br />

At the public presentation of Jesus,<br />

the very inauguration of his ministry,<br />

the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob<br />

addressed the “Who do you say that I<br />

am?” question (Matthew 16:15). His onesentence<br />

encouragement to Jesus is a<br />

portal into profound truths that deepen<br />

faith. “This is my beloved Son,” alludes to<br />

Psalm 2:7; “with whom I am well pleased,”<br />

refers to Isaiah 42:1. Psalm 2 is a poetic<br />

reflection on the messianic king in 2<br />

Samuel 7, whilst Isaiah 42 is a prophetic<br />

summation of the messianic kingdom,<br />

the great hope of the Hebrew Bible (Old<br />

Testament). Each of these messianic<br />

texts is a portal into deep truths about<br />

Jesus that shine fresh light on his deeds<br />

and his words. We are to build our lives<br />

on his words, because he is God’s word<br />

made flesh.<br />

CFI-UK REGIONAL LINK PROFILE<br />

Christian Friends of Israel would like to welcome on board<br />

our latest Regional Link – Glynis Brookes – who will look<br />

after York and the surrounding areas.<br />

Glynis is a teacher by profession, latterly<br />

working as an advisory teacher for young<br />

children with Special Educational Needs<br />

(SEN) and regularly delivering training to<br />

teachers and other professionals. She has<br />

held various leadership positions in the<br />

church, preaching God’s word and working<br />

for several years as a volunteer speaker for<br />

Open Doors, a Christian charity which serves<br />

the persecuted church worldwide in places<br />

where faith costs the most.<br />

Glynis writes ‘My road to a personal faith<br />

in Jesus and the unfolding of his word and<br />

purposes has been a journey that has been<br />

exciting and challenging and continues to be<br />

so.<br />

I was raised in a caring but non-<br />

Christian home and had little knowledge<br />

of the Bible or Jesus except that gained<br />

through the occasional assembly or RE lesson at school. Whilst<br />

studying at university I had many interesting, and some very<br />

heated, conversations with the ‘God squad’ (born again believers),<br />

verbally disagreeing with them on occasions about their views, but<br />

quietly gaining interest as I reflected on what they had said – the<br />

Scriptures particularly reverberating in my heart. Through his<br />

word and Spirit, God was working in me. But it took a few more<br />

years, after other key encounters with Christians, before I asked<br />

Jesus into my life. What a turnaround! I became a member of the<br />

‘God squad’ myself!<br />

YORK & AREA – by CFI’s David Soakell<br />

From the earliest days of my conversion I had a strong desire<br />

to know the truth. God’s word became very dear to me. He led<br />

me to Bible College and the years of study there reinforced my<br />

love of Scripture. However, looking back,<br />

my understanding of Israel and his people<br />

at that time remained unclear until slowly<br />

he unfolded his word. Then my love for his<br />

people and understanding of his plans and<br />

purposes became more relevant to me. I<br />

have visited Israel several times over the<br />

last six years, with the last visit being for<br />

an extended 7-week period which included<br />

outreach work alongside some Messianic<br />

believers and visiting key sites in the land,<br />

including those which are of future prophetic<br />

significance.<br />

Standing in modern Israel with the Bible in<br />

one hand, a camera in the other and relating<br />

the two is exciting! As at the beginning of my<br />

journey of faith, I continue to have a desire<br />

to know the truth. The Bible says that the<br />

last days will be ones where deception abounds (Matthew 24:5,<br />

24; 2 Thessalonians 2:9-10) and I am keen to not be deceived<br />

myself, but also to share God’s word with others as he provides the<br />

opportunity, including his plans for Israel and his people, as well as<br />

helping people to see through popular media sound bites and halftruths,<br />

and to pray for the land.’<br />

If you would like Glynis to speak in your fellowship regarding<br />

CFI-UK, then please email her at:<br />

gbrookes3@hotmail.com or phone her on: 07763 059210<br />

facebook.com/cfiuk twitter.com/cfi_uk 3 rd <strong>Quarter</strong> <strong>2017</strong> • IN TOUCH 7


Report<br />

CFI Land and Life Jerusalem<br />

Jubilee 50 year Anniversary Tour<br />

A<br />

group of over twenty participants left via EL<br />

AL airlines, arriving early evening at Golden<br />

Crown Hotel Nazareth, an ideal staging post<br />

from where to explore the north of Israel and Galilee.<br />

The programme contained some more conventional pilgrim<br />

sites, but also focused on the campaigns during the First<br />

World War (when the British and Allied forces ended the<br />

400-year Turkish Ottoman occupation in 1917), Israel’s War of<br />

<strong>In</strong>dependence in 1948, the Golan campaigns of 1967 and 1973,<br />

and 50 th anniversary of the 1967 reunification of Jerusalem,<br />

plus some of the contemporary security challenges.<br />

the Golan Heights viewing point looked down on the Hula<br />

valley where Syria located its military base prior to 1967.<br />

Moving down the coast, after Caesarea we visited the<br />

<strong>In</strong>dependence Hall in Tel Aviv where the re-born State of<br />

Israel was declared by Ben Gurion, then on to Emmanuel<br />

House, former home of Baron Ustinov, viewing their<br />

Tel Sheva Memorial<br />

Hula Valley Nature Reserve<br />

Highlights in northern Israel on the first two days included<br />

viewing the recently uncovered first century synagogue at<br />

Magdala, walking through the Hula Valley Nature Reserve<br />

and later the narrow alleys of Safed. On the military side, we<br />

viewed Syria from the nearest location to the border and from<br />

Caesarea coastline<br />

collection of lantern slides showing the history of Old Jaffa,<br />

where we later walked.<br />

<strong>In</strong> Jerusalem we stayed at Rimonim Hotel, from where<br />

we visited the Allenby Memorial and Commonwealth War<br />

cemetery. The next day we went south to Beersheba – and<br />

the Tel Sheva memorial – site of a significant battle at the<br />

time of the Balfour Declaration. We laid flowers at the<br />

Commonwealth war cemetery there, before travelling across<br />

to Sderot and a Gaza viewing site. Returning via Latrun,<br />

location of a British built police fort which was circumvented<br />

Beersheba Cemetary<br />

The tour group at Abraham’s Well<br />

All photos courtesy of: Christina Hine<br />

8 IN TOUCH • 3 rd <strong>Quarter</strong> <strong>2017</strong> www.cfi.org.uk


Nabi Samuel viewpoint<br />

during the 1948 War of <strong>In</strong>dependence to maintain the supply<br />

line to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv, we climbed up to Nabi<br />

Samuel strategic viewpoint, where historically pilgrims<br />

would view Jerusalem from a distance for the first time –<br />

such locations at the time known as Mount Joy.<br />

Those who stayed for the CFI Jerusalem conference had<br />

the enormous privilege of observing great enthusiasm for<br />

the re-unification of Jerusalem and access to worship at the<br />

Western Wall after nineteen years of Jordanian occupation,<br />

as well as excellent Bible teaching and modern political<br />

analysis.<br />

The tour was timely, educational and spiritually uplifting<br />

for all who came. There were on-location talks at the<br />

Synagogue of Capernaum and Caesarea, where two gentile<br />

Centurions were highly commended for their support of the<br />

Jewish people and nation, both great examples for Christian<br />

Friends of Israel today; and at the Garden Tomb a talk<br />

overviewing the much needed Christian testimony in the<br />

days in which we live.<br />

All returned with fresh enthusiasm to share what they had<br />

learned with fellow Christians and continue their learning<br />

and practical outworking back home in the UK. We look<br />

forward to meeting up at the CFI UK National Conference<br />

in September. Next year there is a CFI Jerusalem conference<br />

taking place during the 70 th year of the establishment of the<br />

State of Israel, when we hope to arrange a tour in conjunction<br />

with the conference – further details will be provided once<br />

known.<br />

Western Wall Plaza<br />

Recently, CFI’s David & Julia Soakell have been<br />

touring the UK speaking at various places including<br />

several dates in the North of England; three days in<br />

Norfolk, and a conference on the Isle of Wight.<br />

The main theme of the<br />

talks centred on the issue<br />

of Jerusalem. As Israel’s<br />

Communications Minister, Tzachi<br />

Hanegbi, stated in Washington<br />

recently, “Moral claims to the land [of<br />

Israel] come from the Bible, not Google<br />

or Wikipedia.” Tzachi Hanegbi was<br />

speaking at an event held in support<br />

of placing what are alleged to be ‘West<br />

Bank settlements,’ or rather Jewish<br />

Communities, within final borders of<br />

the Jewish state of Israel. As the nations<br />

of the world increase unfair pressure<br />

upon Israel, the City of Jerusalem is<br />

returning to centre stage in world<br />

history. One of the questions David<br />

posed in his talks was, “Are we close<br />

to the words of Zechariah chapters 12<br />

& 14 coming to pass?” (‘All nations will<br />

gather against Jerusalem’ Zechariah 12:3).<br />

At the conference on the Isle of<br />

Wight, Julia spoke on a ‘Heart for a<br />

Generation’ which included updates<br />

and answers to prayer. David<br />

concentrated his talks on how 2016 had<br />

been a year of great uncertainty. He<br />

looked at the way in which the Syrian<br />

conflict saw the historic city of Aleppo<br />

Taking the word<br />

around the UK<br />

slip further into peril; commented on<br />

Brexit, Donald Trump, and challenged<br />

the audience regarding the attempts<br />

to erase Jewish history in Jerusalem,<br />

and other parts of Israel, through the<br />

United Nations Educational, Scientific<br />

and Cultural agency, UNESCO.<br />

David stated, “Throughout 2016,<br />

religious and ethnic cleansing<br />

continued as it has for many years in<br />

the Islamic Middle East in general, and<br />

Syria in particular. Islamic group ISIS<br />

have killed multitudes of Christian<br />

and other minorities; and in Syria,<br />

Shia Muslims joined Alawite Muslims<br />

to exterminate Sunni Muslims, yet<br />

the United Nations have done very<br />

little about it. The United Nations not<br />

only appeared to ignore the issue with<br />

Syria, but focused their condemnation<br />

on the world’s only Jewish state,<br />

Israel – a country that has nearly 2<br />

million Arabs and the one place in<br />

the Middle East where Muslims are<br />

safe. All the while, Mahmoud Abbas’<br />

Palestinian Authority demanded the<br />

UN acknowledge the Temple Mount<br />

and the Western Wall in Jerusalem’s<br />

Old City as having no historic ties to<br />

Judaism.”<br />

David then challenged the Christian<br />

audience that if the UN agreed that<br />

the Temple Mount and the Western<br />

Wall were exclusively Islamic and<br />

had nothing to do with Judaism, they<br />

were declaring that the Gospel writers<br />

were wrong, and by implication all<br />

the New Testament is untrue, as Jesus<br />

could not have done what the Bible<br />

proclaims he did in Jerusalem’s Temple<br />

courts. Showing through archaeology,<br />

and taking the audience on a pictorial<br />

journey through the Western Wall<br />

tunnels and the Southern Wall’s ancient<br />

steps (that date back to Herod’s Temple<br />

and beyond), David enabled the<br />

audience to see the importance of the<br />

truth, and how we needed to act and<br />

pray against these actions by the UN in<br />

dismissing Israel’s biblical history<br />

All the talks at St Paul’s Church,<br />

Newport, Isle of Wight, can be heard<br />

on MP3 at http://www.stpaulsbarton.<br />

co.uk/ . To watch one of the talks from<br />

an earlier event go to https://www.<br />

youtube.com/watch?v=z7Bd04Vy1sw<br />

facebook.com/cfiuk twitter.com/cfi_uk 3 rd <strong>Quarter</strong> <strong>2017</strong> • IN TOUCH 9


FEATURE<br />

Julia Soakell<br />

<strong>In</strong>creasing our<br />

emphasis on prayer<br />

“Prayer does not fit us for<br />

the greater work; prayer is<br />

the greater work.”<br />

Oswald Chambers<br />

The legacy of decades of faithful prayer for Israel and<br />

CFI is being seen in the prayer groups and churches<br />

of the nation, even as the absence of absolute truth,<br />

godly wisdom and discernment are seen in so many church<br />

activities, politics and thinking. Many of us cry out for<br />

a greater hunger for the word of God in our churches;<br />

for the revelation of God’s purposes for Israel, and for an<br />

understanding of the Hebraic heritage of our faith to be<br />

given to our leaders, both nationally and in the churches.<br />

We believe that God is faithful and has given us the<br />

privilege of prayer – prayer is the key.<br />

Here at CFI we want to encourage all our supporters to<br />

ask for guidance from the Holy Spirit on how to pray about<br />

these matters and with whom to pray. We ask the Lord for<br />

his divine revelation and guidance for all who stand in the<br />

gap for Israel, or stand alongside the Jewish community<br />

in the UK. We want to encourage those with a heart for<br />

prayer to use the CFI website prayer pages, where there are<br />

some details on specific prayer topics to help individuals<br />

and groups to cover special activities like the festivals<br />

attended by CFI and other forthcoming events such as the<br />

CFI National Conference and the UK Speaking Tour in<br />

September.<br />

Please pray too for our visibility on social media to attract<br />

and connect with teenagers and young adults on matters<br />

relating to media bias. We need to stand for godly truth<br />

and see Hebraic teaching in the Church. We need to pray<br />

for young people to share information with others who may<br />

be interested, or who haven’t come across such teaching,<br />

along with social media postings or news articles that may<br />

challenge and deepen their faith. As we see the forces of evil<br />

and bias against Israel using the social media platform for<br />

deception, we need to make truth and righteousness shine.<br />

We need to challenge lies and bad teaching, replacement<br />

theology and all distortion of the word of God.<br />

See our CFI Facebook page at facebook.com/cfiuk and CFI<br />

twitter at twitter.com/cfi_uk and encourage your church,<br />

friends and family to visit www.cfi.org.uk and the CFI<br />

Jerusalem website too.<br />

CFI-UK &<br />

in prayer<br />

For many years Christian Friends of<br />

Israel have had a strong connection<br />

with the Lydia Fellowship – an<br />

international women’s ministry of<br />

intercession with a clear mandate to<br />

pray for the nations, and especially<br />

Israel. This close relationship was a<br />

legacy of the late Jenny Forbes, who<br />

was a CFI trustee for many years, as<br />

well as being a loyal supporter, advisor<br />

and coordinator for Lydia in her own<br />

region and nationally.<br />

Through this connection, strong ties<br />

exist with the National Coordinator,<br />

Margaret Watts, the regional team<br />

and its leaders. Specific and deep<br />

intercession is made regularly around<br />

the country for the land and people<br />

of Israel, as well as for the ministry of<br />

CFI.<br />

Julia Soakell was invited to speak<br />

to the Lydia National Conference<br />

in May at Swanwick, Derbyshire,<br />

alongside David Tidy. She led the<br />

ladies in a session about the need for<br />

godly wisdom and discernment in<br />

the Church at this time, as well as the<br />

prayer needs for Israel and for CFI –<br />

here in the UK and in other countries<br />

too. The conference was a tremendous<br />

time of prayer and intercession for the<br />

General Election in the UK, for MPs<br />

and for the Brexit discussions. There<br />

was also intercession for the continued<br />

strengthening of the relationship<br />

between the UK and Israel in the years<br />

to come, in relation to the Balfour<br />

Declaration amongst other things.<br />

Many of the ladies signed up<br />

for regular CFI mailings and took<br />

advantage of the CFI bookstall. We<br />

now have several Church Links who<br />

represent their Lydia cells. We would<br />

like to thank the Lydia Fellowship,<br />

Margaret and her team for their<br />

intercessions and loyal support.<br />

PRAYER SUPPORT<br />

Do you have a heart for prayer?<br />

Why not use the prayer pages on our<br />

CFI website, where we have helpful<br />

suggestions on prayer and regular<br />

updates of areas which need your<br />

specific support. If you lead a group<br />

that prays for Israel and would like<br />

to be on our CFI Prayer Contacts<br />

listing, let us know – we hope to<br />

be able to send out direct requests<br />

for strategic prayer in the days and<br />

months to come, as the needs arise.<br />

Contact: julia.soakell@cfi.org.uk<br />

10 IN TOUCH • 3 rd <strong>Quarter</strong> <strong>2017</strong> www.cfi.org.uk


FEATURE<br />

A time for<br />

Social Media<br />

Engagement<br />

By Matthew Soakell<br />

Do you remember when<br />

personal computers were<br />

a new development and<br />

everyone was a bit skeptical?<br />

Then came the <strong>In</strong>ternet; and that was<br />

scary, and it too had its skeptics.<br />

Then you could purchase things on<br />

the <strong>In</strong>ternet: groceries, electronics and<br />

software – some things that didn’t<br />

even exist in a physical form! You<br />

could download things. And that had<br />

its skeptics too.<br />

And then social media came along,<br />

allowing people and businesses to<br />

have an online presence and allowing<br />

them to communicate in this nonexistent<br />

space (cyberspace) that kind of<br />

exists at the same time.<br />

So we find ourselves in this day and<br />

age where more and more methods of<br />

communicating, making transactions<br />

and exchanging information are being<br />

developed using the <strong>In</strong>ternet. <strong>In</strong> fact,<br />

over 50% of Google searches are now<br />

done on mobile devices. Thus having a<br />

social media presence is no longer just<br />

the next big thing, it is an important<br />

part of communication.<br />

And that’s where we come into<br />

the picture. You’re the CFI Regional<br />

Links, Church Links and prayer<br />

group members. Ours are the voices<br />

speaking in our fellowships and local<br />

areas; or getting information into our<br />

fellowships, presenting a positive<br />

message about Israel and the Church’s<br />

Hebraic heritage to those around us.<br />

And this is important. We’re now at<br />

a time in history when social media<br />

plays a huge part in the spreading of<br />

breaking news and people’s opinions.<br />

To underestimate the influence of<br />

social media would be a big mistake.<br />

‘We have the<br />

opportunity<br />

to promote a<br />

positive message<br />

about Israel’<br />

Matthew Soakell<br />

There are now more than 2.3 billion<br />

active social media users around the<br />

world. <strong>In</strong> 2016 the number of social<br />

media users grew by 176 million<br />

people. There are 1,000,000 new active<br />

mobile social media users added<br />

every day. That’s 12 new users every<br />

second.<br />

What does this mean then for us in<br />

our role with CFI? Well, more than<br />

ever before it is important that we<br />

encourage those who follow CFI and<br />

who have an interest in Israel to engage<br />

in our social media channels. There is<br />

such a huge wave of anti-Israel opinion<br />

online, especially on social media, that<br />

needs to be counteracted. We have<br />

the opportunity to promote a positive<br />

message about Israel, in a loving,<br />

compassionate way. Not driving up<br />

hatred against those who stand for<br />

BDS or for the Palestinian cause, but<br />

encouraging them to see the truth<br />

whilst following the apostle Paul’s<br />

advice. “If I speak in the tongues of men<br />

or of angels, but do not have love, I am only<br />

a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If<br />

I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom<br />

all mysteries and all knowledge, and if<br />

I have a faith that can move mountains,<br />

but do not have love, I am nothing.”<br />

(1 Corinthians 13:1-2).<br />

So please do encourage those you<br />

interact with who are Christian<br />

friends of Israel to like, follow and<br />

share the content that CFI puts online<br />

via Facebook & Twitter. Encourage<br />

them to stand in the gap for Israel in<br />

the digital age. Soon there will be a<br />

generation who have known little other<br />

than social media, and so it’s important<br />

that we keep up in our methods of<br />

communication about Israel.<br />

REGIONALINK<br />

CHURCHLINK<br />

Update from Julia Soakell<br />

Since January 2016, we have promoted<br />

the new ‘Church Links’ and now have 35<br />

around the country. We have now also<br />

created Regional Links (replacing the<br />

Area Representatives, some of whom have<br />

decided to become Church Links). However,<br />

we still have 17 Regional Links – including<br />

Glynis Brookes who is taking on York and<br />

surrounding area (see page 7).<br />

REGIONALINK We are delighted that<br />

Regional Link Kristie Daniel-Sam (nee<br />

King) and her husband Ivan, now living in<br />

Bolton, announced the birth of a beautiful,<br />

thriving baby girl Taliya Ellen, born mid-<br />

May, weighing 6lbs and all doing well.<br />

Our Regional Links are:<br />

Philip Aitchison – Scottish Borders<br />

Julie Archer – Durham & Tees Valley<br />

Sharn Asbridge – North Wales<br />

Moira Dare-Edwards – Essex<br />

Matt & Immy Elwick – Wiltshire area<br />

Caroline Geuter – South West Midlands<br />

Paul Hayes – Edinburgh<br />

Judy Johnson – Dorset area<br />

Kristie Daniel-Sam – Bolton<br />

Audrey Lee – Glasgow<br />

Donald MacDougall – Perthshire, Scotland<br />

Elspeth Masson – Northern Scotland<br />

David & Julia Soakell – Tyne & Wear plus<br />

David Walker – West Midlands<br />

Martin & Julia West – South West<br />

Glynis Brookes – York & surrounding area<br />

Philip Aitchison hosted a CFI Conference Day<br />

in Hawick, Scottish Borders, in May where<br />

Julie Archer spoke about Israel – Apartheid<br />

State or Political Accident? – a detailed study<br />

of Israel’s history in the land. Julia Soakell<br />

led the prayer session on the ‘Need for Biblical<br />

Truth in the Church and Understanding of<br />

Hebraic heritage.’ The Borders area has a<br />

legacy of strong and faithful supporters and<br />

believers over decades and we pray the Lord<br />

will add more understanding and support for<br />

Israel as a result of this rich prayer coverage.<br />

CHURCHLINK Many who have taken on<br />

the role of Church Link have developed their<br />

positions greatly over recent months, praying<br />

for their pastors and approaching new people<br />

with CFI free literature, making CFI displays<br />

for their churches. Church Link Yolanda<br />

Conniff held a fantastic event based around<br />

the ‘Forsaken Promise’ film and highlighted<br />

the Balfour Declaration and the UK’s position<br />

on Israel over the centuries. The response<br />

to the event was really good. Other Church<br />

Links are serving small ladies fellowships<br />

and Lydia Cells. Please thank God for these<br />

individuals who are making a great difference<br />

in understanding CFI’s core values and the<br />

biblical stance for Israel within the local<br />

church. Pray for each of them to be blessed<br />

and fruitful in their own circle of influence.<br />

We also have had many supporters asking<br />

where they can join groups who pray for Israel<br />

and have added more prayer coordinators to<br />

our data base. For details on subjects covered<br />

here contact julia.soakell@cfi.org.uk<br />

facebook.com/cfiuk twitter.com/cfi_uk 3 rd <strong>Quarter</strong> <strong>2017</strong> • IN TOUCH 11


Resources www.cfi.org.uk/shop call: 01323 410 810<br />

DESTINY’S DATE? Documentary film by Kelvin Crombie<br />

“31st October - Destiny’s Date?” is a documentary that looks at four major events which occurred on 31st October. The<br />

links are such that it almost seems as if they were destined to occur on the same day.<br />

On 31st October 1517 Martin Luther openly challenged the Roman Catholic Church, marking the ‘official’ start of the<br />

Protestant Reformation. The central message being the need for a personal relationship with Jesus. It also resulted in the<br />

Bible being translated into numerous languages.<br />

Almost simultaneously two other major movements began: the formation of the Ottoman Turkish Empire and the age of<br />

discovery, when the European maritime nations sought direct access to the regions of <strong>In</strong>dia and the East.<br />

The four major events which occurred on 31st October are: the Reformation itself, Keiser Wilhelm II opening a new<br />

German Church in Jerusalem, agreeing the Balfour declaration, and the victory at Beersheba by the British and Allied<br />

forces which opened the way to Jerusalem and the re-establishment of a Jewish homeland.<br />

D138 // DVD // 123 mins // £16.50 (incl. UK p&p)<br />

LIVIN’ THE LIFE Steve Maltz<br />

A simple faith in the risen Jesus has become a multi-faceted worldwide organisation, with structures and hierarchies and<br />

thousands of different expressions and textures. It is surely not too late to re-evaluate everything we think and do in the<br />

name of our Jewish Messiah. This book shows us that there can be another way to LIVE LIFE ... for those with an open<br />

mind and a teachable spirit.<br />

Using tools developed over the last few years in a series of ground-breaking books, Steve Maltz re-examines a wide<br />

spectrum of what we think and how we act as followers of Jesus Christ. To move forward in our faith we really need to go<br />

back to the very beginning.<br />

B487 // BOOK // 240 pages // £12.50 (incl. UK p&p)<br />

Upcoming Events<br />

A NATION CALLED BY GOD<br />

This is a revised edition of a booklet first published by Love Never Fails. It reviews the development of a vision among<br />

prominent evangelical church leaders in Britain that took place over more than three centuries and led to the Balfour<br />

Declaration in 1917. It highlights Britain’s calling to be chief facilitator in the restoration of the Jewish people to their<br />

ancient Promised Land and her positive contribution towards this. It goes on to describe the way the British administration<br />

obstructed that restoration and calls for appropriate response.<br />

This edition builds on the earlier work drawn from contributions of Ken Burnett and Derek Prince with additional material<br />

from their original sources, as well as some from extra sources.<br />

BT120 // BOOKLET // 28 pages // £3.50 (incl. UK p&p)<br />

NEW CREATION HAS BEGUN Dr J Richard Middleton<br />

This CD set contains three lectures from the Haverim series that were given by Dr Richard Middleton at a seminar held on<br />

18 th March <strong>2017</strong> at the Centre for Judaic-Christian Studies, Dayton, Ohio, USA. The lectures are based on his critically<br />

acclaimed book titled ‘A New Heaven and a New Earth: Reclaiming Biblical Eschatology.’ They give insight into why the<br />

full gospel of the early church turned the world upside down, and come complete with study notes prepared by the author.<br />

Disc 1: The High Calling of Being God’s Image in the World<br />

Disc 2: The Plot of the Biblical Story from Beginning to End<br />

Disc 3: The New Heaven and the New Earth as Consummation of God’s Purposes<br />

Dr J Richard Middleton is Professor of Biblical Worldview and Exegesis at Northeastern Seminary, on the campus of<br />

Roberts Wesleyan College in Rochester, NY.<br />

CDS132 // 3CDs // 134 mins // £13.50 (incl. UK p&p)<br />

Israel: Covenants & Kingdom<br />

CFI-UK 32 nd National Conference<br />

Friday 22 nd & Saturday 23 rd September, <strong>2017</strong><br />

Venue: Victoria Baptist Church, Eldon Road, Eastbourne BN21 1UE<br />

<strong>In</strong>ternational speakers<br />

Willem Glashouwer<br />

Andrew Tucker<br />

Advance<br />

Notice:<br />

Dates for<br />

your diary<br />

Stacey & Kevin Howard<br />

James Patrick<br />

Join us at Sandown Park<br />

17-19 October <strong>2017</strong><br />

Portsmouth Rd, Esher<br />

Surrey KT10 9AJ

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