Pastor Claude Esagouri from Tiberius on the Sea of Galilee who is currently visiting South Africa through the David and Jonathan Foundation (D&J) reminded the Encounter Church congregation in Claremont, Cape Town last Sunday that while Christians long for Jesus’ return, many do not understand how to speed the day.
Scripture in Revelation asserts that Jesus’ first re-appearance will be when He plants His feet on the Mt of Olives in Jerusalem in Israel, yet Jesus said himself that His feet will not rest there until the Jewish people welcome Him saying: “Baruch haba ba’shem Adonai”, Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.
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Esagouri praised D&J for their work in empowering Israeli believers to evangelise Jewish people to see that Jesus (Yeshua) is a Jew, and recognise him as their Messiah.
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The D&J primary mission is in twinning congregations in South Africa with Messianic congregations in Israel in order to bless them in response to Rom:15:27.
Esagouri’s Morning Star Congregation is one of the 13 congregations in Israel blessed by the foundation. The pastor has experienced years of dogged perseverance in standing for what he believed was God’s word that his church should be established in busy downtown Tiberius instead of tucked away safely in the industrial area.
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His testimony speaks of the stumbling blocks and handicaps that dogged their way for nine years. Yet Morning Star Church is now miraculously standing and evangelising at the side of the open square familiar to many visitors, in the heart of the Tiberius CBD.
Because of the veil that God has drawn over his people, most do not understand either that Jesus (Yeshua) is Jewish nor that Jews do not change their religion by believing in him. Consequently, believers are persecuted by their own people and need a special outpouring of comfort from Christians worldwide. Christian focus should be on readying Israelis to bless Jesus Yeshua.
D&j has many meetings lined up for Esagouri who has preached in Cape Town and Hermanus and can be heard in Port Elizabeth on Thursday evening at 7pm at the Full Gospel Church, Lorraine.
Back in Cape Town, he will preside over the Shabbat celebration in Diep River, at the Key Church at 7pm, then on Saturday at an open meeting at Sea Point Evangelical Congregational Church at 9am with an evening service at Beit Jezreel, Muizenberg at 6pm. His final preachings will be on Sunday at 9.30am at Table View Baptist Church and an evening service at 6pm at EGK Tygerberg in Lowenstein.
Pastor Claude deseres all the encouragement we can give hhim in his courageous and seemingly lonely outpost in Tiberias. I’ll include him in my Sabbath prayers for the Jewish people.
He says many Christians don’t know HOW to speed the day of Jesus’ return. Of course we must spread the Gospel to all nations including Israel (Matt 24:14).
Furthermore, 2 Peter 3:11 seems to teach that we “speed the Day” by living “lives of holiness and godliness”. This ‘HOW’ imperitive must be included in all our teaching on the Second Coming.