Reaching Israel with the Love of Christ

Experiencing Israel

As I walked the old city of Jerusalem for the first time, the city of King David—a man after God’s own heart—where King Solomon built a house for the name of the Lord, I was in awe.

Our team went on to see Jericho, where God gave Joshua astounding victory, and to Bethlehem to touch the very spot where evidence says sat the humble stable where the Messiah was born.

Finally, we followed the Via Dolorosa, where Christ carried the cross and gave His life for us all. The entire experience was nothing short of amazing.

Visiting Israel was an opportunity to bring the events and people of the Bible into new perspective, to understand their geographical significance and to give history a visual context. The Bible came to life before my very eyes.

Yet I must be completely honest—I wondered why I didn’t “feel” different. I was absolutely delighted by the experience, honored to be there and giddy with excitement, but I didn’t necessarily feel closer to God.

Am I terrible to admit that? Please don’t think me ungrateful or worse, spiritually insensitive. It was a journey I will never forget. I knew the Holy Spirit was there, gently teaching me and sometimes giving me pretty strong nudges…and this is what I believe He was saying.

Like David, we all must strive to be people after God’s own heart. We are God’s house, His temple. And above all, we each walk in Jesus’ footsteps each and every day.

Beautiful News

I realized I didn’t feel different because I am always in God’s presence, and the amazing fact is everywhere we go becomes holy because God’s Spirit is in us. What beautiful news to grasp! You are a vessel for God’s love and you can scatter it everywhere you walk.

And there is the purpose behind our trip to Israel—to share the amazing love of the Messiah. Something you, our partners, are continually making possible.

You most likely don’t even realize the incredible things that you are doing in this nation. As a partner with Joyce Meyer Ministries, you have supported the work Hand of Hope has done here for many years. Sharing the Gospel message in many different ways, with a vast array of people.

Israel is an incredibly diverse place. You’ll meet Jewish Israelis, Arab Israelis, Christians, Muslims and those who don’t believe at all. And it requires different sensitivities and approaches to reach these different groups.

That is why we connect with many different ministries in Israel who understand the need, the languages, the culture and have a profound love for the people here. Together, we are seeing God do amazing things every day.

A Life-Changing Revelation

Joyce’s teachings are available in Arabic, Hebrew, Amharic, and Russian and are impacting people in Israel and beyond into many Arab countries.

Joyce is an encouragement, a teacher and a role model for many Arab women who desperately need to hear what God says about who they are. They appreciate her straightforward style and connect deeply with her personal story.

I spoke with multiple women who expressed how very broken and worthless they feel. They used words like, “mistake,” “disappointment” and “hatred” to describe how they feel about themselves and how they believe their families and even God feels about them.

One woman in particular, Mayada, is the fifth daughter in her Arab family, or as she describes it, “The last chance for her parents to have a son.”

She lived in shame most of her life, believing that she was an embarrassment to both her parents and to God. In her mind, she deserved the punishment she received each time her drug-addicted husband beat her.

Then, she started reading Joyce’s books and watching on television, and the Word of God began to sink into her heart. She was chosen, beautiful, cherished.

Her life changed as she accepted the love of Christ and the truth that God was pleased with her—in fact, He was delighted in her womanhood.

It is not only women who are watching; many men are as well. Tony is a third-generation owner of a century-old spice mill in Nazareth.

He says that listening to Joyce share God’s Word teaches him how to love all the people who come into his business—Christian, Arab and whoever God brings across his threshold.

Tony says he believes that it is only this kind of love—the unselfish, unconditional love of Christ—that offers hope for people to live together in peace. As Tony puts it, “No more ‘What about me?’” for him.

Newly Opening Doors

Many newly emerging opportunities to bring the Gospel to Israel are extremely exciting. 

Samar lived near Bethlehem and followed our Arabic Facebook page. When she was struggling with her son and was sure she was failing as a mother, she took encouragement from Joyce’s experience with her own children.

Samar said through tears that those videos and posts focus her on Christ and give her great hope. 

Meet a Need, Gain a Friend

We are also finding here as in other countries across the globe that meeting the physical needs of people opens the hearts to the spiritual. When we lovingly help someone, a connection is birthed. It is that friendship that perhaps brings the greatest opportunities.

Dental care is extremely expensive in Israel and is not included in their government-provided services, so most people go without it, and many walk around in great pain.

The HaTikva Project provides a free dental clinic and shares the reason for this outpouring of love—their love for the Messiah. Hand of Hope provided the funds to build and operate a clinic in the city of Haifa. That means as a partner with Joyce Meyer Ministries, you are sharing the Gospel with the people of Israel through this wonderful outreach every day.

Together, with King of Kings Community, we are feeding the hungry, providing for immigrants and much more. For years, this growing fellowship has made an impact on the people of Jerusalem and the surrounding area, and you have been right there beside them.

Encouraged Yet?

There are many more stories to share, more statistics and details of the impact you are making, but the reality is much more than stories or statistics. You are helping real people in tangible ways that impact them eternally. Thank you for walking in Jesus’ footsteps every day. For praying as God commands for Israel and being a vessel for His great love for all, here and far beyond.

Updated: October 2022