His mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning. . .
"The LORD is my portion," says my soul,
"therefore I will hope in Him."
(Lam. 3.22-24)
10 July 2000
G'dday mates! Greetings from "down under"!
Dear Haverim, I send you "Shalom and Blessings" from the enormous continent of Australia - nearly as large in land mass as the continental United States, but with only 1/10th of its population. If you were to transpose the continental outline of Australia over a map of Europe, virtually all of it would be covered, from England and Ireland on the west, to the Scandinavian countries to the north, and all the way to the Mediterranean Sea just above Cairo, Egypt, to the south and east.
The Land Down Under
Just days ago the 20th annual convocation of the Celebration Shalom concluded. It was the principal reason I traveled to Australia, to be the featured speaker at this unique assembly of Christians and Jews. It was held on the Gold Coast, 1000 km north of Sydney, on the eastern seaboard of Australia. Down here, the further north you go, the warmer it gets (as you get closer to the equator). So to escape the winter weather of Sydney and points south, people go north on holiday to the Gold Coast.
It is a beautiful and booming area - from my 13th floor hotel window I counted 23 high-rise
condominium apartments and hotels (of 20 floors or more) along the miles of beach. The area reminds me
of the Florida coast from Ft. Lauderdale south, complete with countless shops, amusement parks and tourists.This is an 'upside-down' world for me. When I go to bed at 11:00 it is 9:00 in the morning in Dayton. If I arise at 7:00 a.m., say on Saturday, the Center's staff is just leaving the office at 5:00 p.m. on Friday! As you can imagine it has taken a while getting accommodated to the changes, both physically and mentally. And departing the heat of Dayton's summer for the cool winter in Australia has been weird as well. I am presently in Melbourne on the southern shores of the continent. It is quite cool ("fresh") here and overcast, reminiscent of a late autumn day in Dayton. I have on two sweaters and wish I had my "woolies" (long underwear) with me!
Notwithstanding all the obstacles, by God's grace and the kindness and generosity of His saints in this land, I am well. More importantly, the anointing and blessing of the Lord upon the spoken word has been most heartening. In some small but not insignificant ways I have seen His Kingdom advance and the name of His Son, Yeshua, lifted up. Bless the Lord, Who is worthy of all blessing!
Heavy Teaching Schedule
I am working very hard, teaching at a variety of venues-from big conferences to little country churches, from a Catholic-Evangelical Christian community to a Messianic congregation, from an international Discipleship Training Bible School to Sunday services at diverse denominational churches. At the moment I am in the midst of 24 meetings and teaching sessions in the span of 18 days. I am quite exhausted mentally and physically, but strengthened and encouraged in the Lord.
The kind of teaching the Lord has given me to do is striking a chord deep in the hearts of the believers here. They have never been exposed to this kind of in-depth Bible study from a Hebraic point of view. The level of biblical knowledge in the churches is not as high as you might expect. A very small percentage of the Australian population attends church services on Sunday, and an even smaller percentage are what you would consider serious, born-again Christians. But the hearts of the faithful saints and Israel supporters with whom I have interacted are being "strangely warmed" by the teaching, and a deep stirring in their souls yearns for more. The washing of the Word is refreshing indeed! Let me give you a couple of examples.
The Fruit of Teaching
I arrived in Sydney at 6:30 a.m., 28 hours after departing Dayton. At 10:00 that same morning, I gave my first lecture to a YWAM (Youth With A Mission) Kerygma Bible School. These students were from many nations (one even from Austin, Texas!) and different church backgrounds. Many were born-again Catholics. They were such a blessing to me. For three days we had intense fellowship and anointed times of teaching and discussion. My teacher's heart was deeply touched by their intense desire to love and serve the Lord with all their hearts. A very special bond between us was forged in the Spirit, as they soaked up everything I shared -- most of which was entirely new to them. Many of them even followed the 'rebbe' across town on Sunday after-noon to hear me preach to a large general gathering of the Servants of Jesus community.
On our last day together, they gave me a hand-made "Thank You" card, in which each student wrote a farewell greeting. As I read their comments I rejoiced in the goodness of the Lord that He would permit me to encourage their discipleship to the Rabbi from Naza-reth. Here are some sample comments. From an earnest young man from Sydney:
| "Dear Dwight, You have really helped me understand discipleship and to find fullness of shalom in Jesus by spending time in His presence. I hope now to grow in this and feel inspired this way. Thank you. Love, Gerard." |
From an Aussie young man with an Assemblies of God background, who recently lost his older brother:
| God bless you for sharing your wisdom and knowledge. You have inspired me to a new level of faith. Your words have pierced my heart. Shalom and Hesed be with you. Jeremie" |
This, from a Catholic young man from Austria:
| "Dear Dwight, You are an awesome person. For me you are a living witness doing God's will even though (I suppose) it's often not easy to travel and serve with your disease as a handicap. Thank you for sharing with us your great wisdom. In love, God bless. Alexander" |
I was not sure that Alex was really comprehending all that I taught, but after the Sunday service with the Servants community, he came up to me with tears in his eyes and said, "If I were your son, I would be very proud to call you my father." The Father heart of God had touched Alex and all these bright young Christians with a zeal to do His will. What a privilege, to be called Abba's children!
Golden Opportunities on the Gold Coast
From Sydney I flew north to the Gold Coast conference of Celebration Shalom International (CSI), an annual celebration of Christians and Jews, fostering Christian understanding and unconditional love of the Jewish people. For this 20th anniversary celebration, CSI had the largest Jewish participation ever, including a delightful orthodox Rabbi from Sydney. Seven Holocaust survivors attended, with their friends and family, and courageously agreed to be interviewed during the course of the conference. I taught five times in three days.
I had been told in advance that when I spoke at the final session, Sunday evening, it would be to an entirely Christian audience. I felt prompted of the Lord to teach on the Coming of the Son of Man. When I arrived at the auditorium, however, I was quite surprised to see all the Jewish people had returned, including the Rabbi! With some trepidation, I went ahead and spoke on the return of Jesus and the judgment we shall all face for our deeds. I sprinkled in a liberal dose of rabbinic references and favorable comparisons of Jesus' teaching to that of the Hebrew prophets and the sages.
To my astonishment, these lovely Jewish people - for many, their first serious interaction with Christians - sat there intently and listened carefully to my message. Two of them afterward told me how stimulating they found my presentation. And the Rabbi actually said, "Dwight, you were spot on in your presentation. We must take our deeds with the utmost seriousness." The founder of CSI, Audrey Hodges, later testified to me that she was absolutely amazed by my talk and the way the Jewish people listened so respectfully and intently. She said the name of Jesus was spoken more times in that one talk than by all their speakers together, in 20 years of conferences! God is doing some fascinating things in these days, even to our astonishment. What a humbling privilege it is to participate in His advancing kingdom and to speak highly of His son!
Surprises at Sunday Service
Last night I spoke to the evening service of the large Swanson St. Church in downtown Melbourne. I was really tired, having spoken Friday night, three times Saturday, and then Sunday morning at an Assemblies of God church. I could get no clear sense from the Lord what to share, plus I was limited to 30 minutes - always a big challenge for me! In fact, the pastor had invited me to come only after the repeated persistence of my host, Pat Ramsay of Shalom Israel. He had specified that I was not to speak on Israel.
I was buoyed a bit when I saw that the large evening crowd consisted of well over 100 university students, most of whom were Asians. Just moments before I went up to the platform, I was prompted of the Lord to speak on the text from John that "the truth shall set you free." I wove in my testimony of searching for truth in philosophy, eastern religions, psychic knowledge and the New Age Movement - in contrast to following the Rabbi from Nazareth as a fervent disciple. I explained that only in being totally bound up with Jesus, learning of Him and permitting Him to rule in your life as King, were you actually set free. For He is the way to life in its God-intended fullness. He alone is the Faithful and True One who sets free the captives!
It was a message intended to challenge these committed young Christians to pursue and study Jesus more vigorously. But when the Pastor, in closing, invited unbelievers to come forward to learn more about Jesus and for prayer, many came. Later, as I was leaving, the pastor told me that there were at least five "solid conversions" that had occurred! Praise Jesus! By the way, he called today to invite me back next year to conduct an all-day seminar at the church. God is good.
Please Pray
Please continue to keep me I your prayers, as I travel through the remainder of this month. I don't return to Dayton until the very end of July. I could not possibly manage this demanding schedule, physically or spiritually, without the powerful intercession of faithful friends of this ministry. Thank you!
And thanks, too, for your generous monthly support which makes an extended trip like this possible. The income from these engagements is marginal. Only the base of financial support from the Haverim enables me to go out and share the gospel of the Kingdom of God with believers around the world. You are an integral part of this, partners with me in this endeavor. Blessings upon you, dear friends! May the Lord prosper you!
Jerusalem at Crossroads
An extraordinary convergence of events is occurring in the Middle East that represents a very critical crossroad for the life and well-being of Israel. As this Update goes forth, Barak's coalition is crumbling, while he and Arafat are scheduled to meet in a historic summit with President Clinton. Please pray for the peace and protection of Jerusalem and all who dwell within her walls. Here are some reports you may not have seen.
4th Mosque on Temple Mount
The Moslem Wakf Authority is engaged in extensive digging on Jerusalem's Temple Mount, causing significant damage to the archaeological integrity of the site. The digging has caused more damage than any act since the destruction of the Second Temple according to officials of the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA).
Without regard for the historic and holy significance of the site, tractors are being deployed in the area of the northern arches of Solomon's Stables. Experts have already reported that the earth removed by heavy equipment in the past has done irreparable damage to the site, the holiest area to the Jewish people. A new report indicates that, "The Islamic Movement in Israel has a master plan to build a fourth mosque on the east-ern side of the Temple Mount, according to security officials." Photographs taken last week on the eastern section of the Temple Mount show that the construction of a new mosque is already underway. The government has turned a blind eye to the loud protests of Temple Mount activists as well as senior officials in the IAA, opting to permit the illegal work to continue to avoid an Islamic confrontation or widespread violence.
Serious Water Shortage Expected in Israel
Israel will face a serious water shortage next year that may affect urban and even domestic use, endangering the quality of groundwater and the water of the Kinneret, (Sea of Galilee). It is already clear that by the end of the summer, the level of the Kinneret will drop below the lowest red line discussed so far - minus 700 feet. If Israel suffers yet another drought this winter it is likely to suffer a shortage of drinking water of 130 million cubic meters, even if the allocation of potable water to farmers is completely halted. In such a situation, it will not be possible to use even the groundwater reservoirs, because they will provide only saline water.
One hydrological consultant to the government said, "Tel Aviv will be like a third-world city. Some streets will not have water part of the time, or some cities will not have water for a few hours each day."
Arafat to Declare State on September 13th
The PLO Central Council decided on July 3rd to declare a Palestinian state on September 13th. Prime Minister Barak said in response that if the Palestinian Authority unilaterally declares a state, Israel will annex the areas in Judea, Samaria, and Gaza (Yesha) planned for the settlement blocs. A senior PA official has called on the Islamic Jihad and Hamas to join forces with the PA in anticipation of what he called "the final battle with Israel." He told reporters that there will be a war over Jerusalem, and predicted that "no settler will be able to return to his home."
JCStudies.com
We are getting lots of positive feedback on the Center's new website: jcstudies.com. Have you seen it yet? One Haverim member from Florida writes:I just wanted to say "WOW"! The new look of the newsletter and the website are excellent! I went to each part of the site and clicked on everything! It is beautifully laid out, interesting and easy to navigate. It's wonderful for those of us who lean heavily on Dwight's teaching on our own, to have this resource readily available to us...24/7!
July Haverim Tape
I have Christian friends who choose to live what they are calling a "Torah-observant lifestyle." A sizable group of them assemble every Shabbat in Scottsdale, Arizona, for Torah study and fellowship. I was asked to speak to them about what it would mean to become a fully New Testament congregation. One of the messages I delivered is enclosed as your Haverim teaching tape for July. I think you will find it profitable listening, no matter what your church background.
Mazal Tov! Mazal Tov!
On June 29th a new member joined the Center's family. Her mom, Tamora, gave her birth, and her papa, James, gave thanks for Margaret Hope Whitman. This gift from heaven arrived in a 7lbs, 12oz, 19.5 inch package, delivered at home. Older sister Rosalind, and bro-ther Grayson, along with the Center's staff and friends, all rejoice at the goodness of our God. Mazal tov! Congratulations! to our Executive Director and his family.
On June 25th -- in memory of Jeanette -- a woman brought a beautiful array of fragrant wildflowers from her garden to the all day seminar I was teaching. On that date one year ago, on a Friday morning, my wife left for the House of the Lord to make preparations for the approaching Sabbath and to greet the Lord of the Sabbath. Thank God, her beauty and aroma still fill my life.
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