Linga- Nazareth
Today, the town of Nazareth witnessed something incredible: a gathering of Arab and Jewish believers, uniting together in Christ at the Global Day of Prayer. The event, which drew more than 600 attendees, was held at the Golden Crown Hotel in Nazareth. Sponsors included the Evangelical Convention of Israel and the House of Prayer ministry of Nazareth.
Believers from across Israel joined together in worship and prayer, celebrating their common love of the Messiah in three languages, Arabic, Hebrew and English. Rajaei Samawei began the program with a word of welcome. Pierre Tanous and Eman Hanna provided translation into Hebrew and English. The Redeemer Praise Team, an Arab praise team from Alliance Church in Jerusalem, led the crowd in worship.
Pastor Ehab Ashkar from shared a devotion from John 17:20-26 and Joel 2:12-15 about the need for a repentant return to the Lord. The focus of the meeting was on seeking forgiveness and rededicating lives to a unity with Christ and fellow believers.
A Jewish praise team from a messianic congregation in Tel Aviv led worship following the Redeemer Praise Team, calling for “more of Jesus.”
Pastor Abraham Mizrachi shared a message focused on two questions: “Who is going to stand in the gap for the lost of this country?” And “Will God find people of faith for this mission?” He used references from Jeremiah 5: 1, 2, 4; Jeremiah 7:4-6; and Ezekiel 36:16-18.
He expounded on the importance of the common ground uniting Arab and Jewish believers: the blood of Yeshua “Jesus.” He elaborated on the need for unity and the current state of the country of Israel, which is burdened with high rates of homosexuality, abortion and New Age cults. He urged all believers to unite in prayer and led an emotional time of prayer and singing.
Pastor Edward Tanous and Pastor Mizrachi joined together at the pulpit to pray and publicly asked forgiveness on behalf of their respective people, Arabs and Jews, for their actions against one another. They sought God’s blessing for both people groups and prayed for the strength to become a source of blessing and inspiration to their communities.
Following this moment of public repentance, Rajaei Samawei , a member of the Evangelical Council, asked all Arab and Jewish pastors to gather at the front of the room to share communion. Salim Hanna, also a member of the Evangelical Council, prayed in Arabic and Pastor Yisrael Harael prayed in Hebrew.
Mr. Samawei called on all the Arab pastors to kneel and wash the feet of their Jewish brothers in Christ. The attendees all stood to their feet in prayer for their leaders and surrounded the pastors as they performed this ancient act of humility toward one another. The Jewish leaders followed the example and took their turn washing the feet of their Arab brothers.
Rania Sayegh, founder of the House of Prayer ministry, along Pastor Asher led a prayer for the youth on both sides. Pastor Majdi Anwar and his wife Reema led a prayer for the families and marriages represented among the attendees. This was followed by a collection to cover the expenses of the program.
The program ended with joint worship led by both Arab and Jewish praise teams, singing in two languages but united with one voice, asking God for blessing upon the land and upon all the believers. They ended with a chorus of “hallelujah.”
