Hanukkah 5779

New Jerusalem Jewish Messianic Congregation Worship team in Odessa

"Hanukkah" means dedication or renewal in Hebrew. We have experienced a great response in Ukraine among the Jewish people. There has been great attendance at every Hanukkah service in all three cities: Kyiv, Zaporozhye, and Odessa. Many Jewish and Slavic people raised their hands responding to a call to repentance and to receive the Messiah as LORD of their lives! A huge thanks for your prayers during this season. Also, well over 200 Jewish homes in need will have received food packages during this time frame. Your commitment to support Messiah's Compassion is truly impactful for the Kingdom. Have a blessed holiday season with your family and loved ones!

GIVING THANKS

Jeff, Pastor Sergey K., Gennady G., Ron S. at Promised Land Congregation

Messiah's Compassion wishes each of you a very blessed Thanksgiving! We have so much for which to be grateful unto the LORD of Israel! Photo above was taken after service in September in Kotovskovo district (Odessa, Ukraine). This is just one location of several that you have helped us in partnering to see planted in recent years. - Will you please pray now as we prepare for Hanukkah outreaches in Kiev, Odessa, and southeast Ukraine? I (Jeff) will be going back overseas on Nov. 27th. God powerfully bless your lives! We are certainly thankful for each of you.

Anti-Semitism and its Re-emergence; Intercessory Prayer

Please especially keep the Jewish community of the Pittsburgh, PA area in your prayers in the wake of the recent massacre that left eleven people dead who were attending the services in their synagogue. This crime of hate underscores the rise of anti-Semitism in North America as well as in other parts of Europe. Israel undergoes constant attacks from its opponents, and anticipates those from its enemies. However, when vehement crimes of anti-Semitism in the States happen, we as westerners are taken off guard. I ask all of our friends who pray for us in this ministry to step up the prayers for protection for all Jewish communities (including the Messianic Jewish congregations) in the North America, Europe, and Israel. Here are the names of those who perished so you may more effectively pray for their family members:

Richard Gottfried, 65
Rose Mallinger, 97
Jerry Rabinowitz, 66
Cecil Rosenthal, 59
David Rosenthal, 54
Bernice Simon, 84
Sylvan Simon, 86
Daniel Stein, 71
Melvin Wax, 88
Irving Younger, 69

Pray that there will be a plan in place for pastors of churches to respond in an awakening to seriously obey the call for Christians everywhere to intercede for the salvation of Jewish people worldwide and for Israel (the peace of Jerusalem). Scripturally, these mandates are not optional for the Church, but sadly intercessory prayer for Jewish people is often absent from regular practice even on an annual basis. Thankfully, there are churches who regularly do intercede for the salvation of Israel, and my desire is to see that steadily increase.

Heartfelt Thanks regarding Autumn Biblical Feasts Outreaches

Upon recently having returned from Ukraine and Israel, we want to extend a huge expression of gratitude for your prayers during these recent weeks. Many Jewish people were touched by the acts of compassion when receiving a food package and personal visit in their homes. About 200 Jewish families in Ukraine were served.

This tremendous effort would not have been possible without our partner congregations in both Kiev and Odessa: Magen Israel and New Jerusalem. My uncle Ron and I were so blessed to be a part of their services as well as participate in the visits to homes of needy Jewish people. Several individuals during the visits actually prayed to ask Messiah to come into their lives! Likewise, during Yom Kippur services in Odessa, there were other Jewish people who prayed to receive Yeshua (Jesus) as Messiah. These responses make every mile traveled worth it dozens of times over. Spiritually hungry Jewish people are eager to engage in a meaningful conversation regarding their eternal destiny when given the opportunity.

Feast of Trumpets / Yom Teruah 5779

Magen Israel congregation in Kyiv, Ukraine

It is a great joy to be here in Ukraine serving among the Messianic Jewish communities during these special days of Autumn biblical feasts. The New Year of 5779 has now begun and we have made purchases to get food parcels into dozens of needy Jewish homes. Please pray for my Uncle Ron and I as we join local leaders to make deliveries / visits to these people and share the good news of Messiah who can bring forgiveness and joy into their lives. We have had opportunities already to share testimony, the Word and pray for several individuals following their Shabbat service. The LORD is drawing the Jewish people unto Himself in these Last Days. Providentially, we had an unusual opportunity to share about our love for Israel and the Messiah Jesus (Yeshua) with an Orthodox Jewish young man from the East Coast in U.S.A. who is visiting Ukraine. 

The Ways of The Ruach HaKodesh

The ways of the Holy Spirit are vastly opposed to man's logical thinking - especially a western culture mindset! We in the West are taught to be assertive, free-thinking, and independent. In the East, the community and spiritual leadership are more highly valued within their cultures. Remember our biblical roots are all fundamental to the nation of Israel -Hebrew thought - even when the New Covenant writers penned their words in Greek language. Their spiritual discipline of thought originated in the Old Covenant Scriptures of writers like Moses, Isaiah, and David.

Isaiah 55:9

 For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways

 are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.

Scripture instructs us to praise ADONAI even when outward circumstances look horrible and hopeless. The Spirit encourages us to rejoice in the midst of severe trials when one experiences rejection, suffering and even persecution. How often do we as believers apply these "illogical" biblical ways of the Spirit? It is NOT easy to apply, but therein lies the spiritual victory.

Friends, I sense that very difficult times are coming to all nations, even the United States of America. Finding myself less than prepared for what could be the toughest days our nation has ever seen, the Spirit has challenged me to get much more deeply into His Word, look for every possibility to share the gospel, and pray at times when I would rather be sleeping. Am I overly negative or a pessimist? I see spiritual victories coming, but in the midst of horrific challenging trials. Perhaps it is the personal spiritual growth plan for me, especially as I seek to find the best ways to be involved in establishing "Messiah's Compassion, Inc." to be a vehicle in position to bless hundreds of Jewish people. In any case, I have felt compelled to write for a period of time to the readers here. Let's prepare now in our "walk with the Spirit and in the Word", and not delay until the severe trials come upon the whole earth prior to our Messiah's return for His bride. (I do believe in pre-tribulation rapture; however, I sense times of great testing will happen even prior to that time period.)

Let us pray for one another. Thank you for your prayers for the ongoing ministry to Jewish in the Great Lakes area, as well as, the upcoming September outreaches in Ukraine, and special ministry in Israel. Your intercession is tremendously valuable to us!  May the LORD powerfully bless you.

Black Sea Water Immersions in Odessa, Ukraine

New Jerusalem Congregation & affiliates in recent event