A Show Of Force
From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it. —Matthew 11:12
The evening we arrived in Bethlehem, in the area known as the West Bank, it was also the beginning day of the first conference in 20 years of the Palestinian political organization, Fatah, which had been given permission by Israel to meet in Bethlehem. Over 2000 Fatah delegates from all over the Middle East were meeting at the Jerusalem Peace Center on Manger Square. According to The Jerusalem Post, several infamous terrorists were in attendance.
Security was extremely high and so was the tension. There was constant movement of troops in vans, pickup trucks, motorcycles, and other military vehicles from one point in the city to another. With the blaring of sirens, flashing red and blue lights and the ever-present exposure of automatic weapons, and snipers on the rooftops, and even ambulances, we were sure that war or a terrorist attack could happen at any moment. All we were looking for was a nice place to eat.
Later we learned that this show of strength was orchestrated by Fatah to send a message to one of their chief rivals in the Middle East, the terrorist organization Hamas, controllers of Gaza in the south. The message was clear, "Keep your hands off of the West Bank." It was a Fatah show of force.
The next day about noon in Bethlehem, as the Fatah conference was breaking for lunch, Israeli military jets suddenly made several passes over the city, low enough to be clearly recognized and heard. There was no mistaking their message to the Fatah delegates, "We're in control of this land and don't you forget it." It was an Israeli show of force.
That same afternoon, our valiant warrior, Pastor Philip Saa'd, who we have grown to love and admire, decided we should all go to the Fatah conference center and pray for God to bless their meeting, to show His presence and exercise His will. We did. Now I don't want to overdo it, but the scene there was like a Jack Bauer 24 episode. Black Mercedes would drive up to the security gate, guys in dark suits and sun glasses would jump out, look around, and then a high level delegate would pass through the checkpoint manned by well armed security forces, some in military dress, others in plain clothes—all looking pretty serious. He wanted us to go through that?
We first prayed outside at an upper level where we could see the delegates mingling below. But to Pastor Philip that wasn't enough. He wanted to be right in the middle of the meeting and pray where they could see us. Gulp. Why could I suddenly not swallow?
We were told by the press near by that this was a closed meeting. Not even they were allowed in. I said, "Philip, are you sure they will let us in?" He replied, "If that is God's will, yes." A few minutes later, while refusing to take "No" for an answer, Phillip had negotiated our way miraculously onto the floor of the conference for five minutes of prayer. So Dorothy, myself, Pastor Philip and his wife Violet all walked down to the lower level where all the delegates were gathered, and speeches were being made and we raised our hands, closed our eyes and prayed to our heavenly Father that He would bless this meeting, that His will would be done in the Middle East among these people and that all would come to the saving knowledge of His Son
Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace. The message we delivered I believe was clear, "The earth is the LORD's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it." (Psalm 24:1) It was God's show of force.
So our trip to Israel has come to an end but not the memories and new friendships. Our hearts are knit together with fellow believers there and we have become their intercessors, encouragers and zealous supporters. Please join with us as often as possible to pray for the Haifa Baptist Arab Christian Church, Pastor Philip Saa'd and his wife Violet, for their children Nardine, Nasrine, Sharon, Peter, John Mark and Paul, along with the many members of their church
and the evangelical churches in Israel and the Middle East. Once again, thank you for your prayers. They made a difference. "Let God be magnified!" (Psalm 70:4).
Love in Christ,
Pastor Don and Dorothy
The evening we arrived in Bethlehem, in the area known as the West Bank, it was also the beginning day of the first conference in 20 years of the Palestinian political organization, Fatah, which had been given permission by Israel to meet in Bethlehem. Over 2000 Fatah delegates from all over the Middle East were meeting at the Jerusalem Peace Center on Manger Square. According to The Jerusalem Post, several infamous terrorists were in attendance.
Security was extremely high and so was the tension. There was constant movement of troops in vans, pickup trucks, motorcycles, and other military vehicles from one point in the city to another. With the blaring of sirens, flashing red and blue lights and the ever-present exposure of automatic weapons, and snipers on the rooftops, and even ambulances, we were sure that war or a terrorist attack could happen at any moment. All we were looking for was a nice place to eat.
Later we learned that this show of strength was orchestrated by Fatah to send a message to one of their chief rivals in the Middle East, the terrorist organization Hamas, controllers of Gaza in the south. The message was clear, "Keep your hands off of the West Bank." It was a Fatah show of force.
The next day about noon in Bethlehem, as the Fatah conference was breaking for lunch, Israeli military jets suddenly made several passes over the city, low enough to be clearly recognized and heard. There was no mistaking their message to the Fatah delegates, "We're in control of this land and don't you forget it." It was an Israeli show of force.
That same afternoon, our valiant warrior, Pastor Philip Saa'd, who we have grown to love and admire, decided we should all go to the Fatah conference center and pray for God to bless their meeting, to show His presence and exercise His will. We did. Now I don't want to overdo it, but the scene there was like a Jack Bauer 24 episode. Black Mercedes would drive up to the security gate, guys in dark suits and sun glasses would jump out, look around, and then a high level delegate would pass through the checkpoint manned by well armed security forces, some in military dress, others in plain clothes—all looking pretty serious. He wanted us to go through that?
We first prayed outside at an upper level where we could see the delegates mingling below. But to Pastor Philip that wasn't enough. He wanted to be right in the middle of the meeting and pray where they could see us. Gulp. Why could I suddenly not swallow?
We were told by the press near by that this was a closed meeting. Not even they were allowed in. I said, "Philip, are you sure they will let us in?" He replied, "If that is God's will, yes." A few minutes later, while refusing to take "No" for an answer, Phillip had negotiated our way miraculously onto the floor of the conference for five minutes of prayer. So Dorothy, myself, Pastor Philip and his wife Violet all walked down to the lower level where all the delegates were gathered, and speeches were being made and we raised our hands, closed our eyes and prayed to our heavenly Father that He would bless this meeting, that His will would be done in the Middle East among these people and that all would come to the saving knowledge of His Son
Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace. The message we delivered I believe was clear, "The earth is the LORD's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it." (Psalm 24:1) It was God's show of force.
So our trip to Israel has come to an end but not the memories and new friendships. Our hearts are knit together with fellow believers there and we have become their intercessors, encouragers and zealous supporters. Please join with us as often as possible to pray for the Haifa Baptist Arab Christian Church, Pastor Philip Saa'd and his wife Violet, for their children Nardine, Nasrine, Sharon, Peter, John Mark and Paul, along with the many members of their church
and the evangelical churches in Israel and the Middle East. Once again, thank you for your prayers. They made a difference. "Let God be magnified!" (Psalm 70:4).
Love in Christ,
Pastor Don and Dorothy
posted by Don Kimbro | 1:44 PM
1 Comments:
Uncle,
I am copying and sending this to my pastor and worship leader and fellow band members. Our church had begun a new, round-the-clock prayer ministry for our community and our world. We will all be keeping you and Pastor Phillips family in our prayers. Love you! Jhoanna
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