Opposition in Israel

Recently, I attended a conference in Jerusalem. The goal of the organization behind the conference is to connect believers (from other countries) to local Israeli ministries. So, our ministry had an information table at the conference. Most of the people who came to the conference were believers from outside of Israel, but some local Israelis came as well.

On the first night of the conference some radical ultra-orthodox Jewish men came with the goal of disrupting the conference.  The tried to enter the conference, which forced the organizers to close the entrance.

They came into the area yelling, "Jesus is dead" and "we crucified Jesus." This group of ultra-orthodox was sent by an organization which is known for being quite violent. They have burned down churches and attacked people.

So, when opposition like this comes, it's important to know how to proceed.  I saw a number of believers try to talk to these guys. But as you might expect, they weren't really interested in having a conversation. Even if a believer brought up a reasonable point, the protestor certainly couldn't indicate his peeked interest in front of his protesting colleagues. I saw one major mistake, that almost turned this situation into a violent protest.  One of the young protesters (Probably about 25 years old) leaned up against one of the organizers information tables. The volunteer behind the table, decided to do something, so he tipped the table and made the protester fall on the floor. He was mad and looking for a fight. If security guards had not just arrived, it may have turned violent.

So, what do we do in situations like these? 

First of all, you don't engage with people who are quick to anger, "A man of wrath stirs up strife, and one given to anger causes much transgression" (Pv 29:22).

Secondly, whenever possible, we prevent the situation from escalating and prevent them from occurring. On the second day, the security guards had set up a parameter and did not let the protesters close enough to interrupt.

Thirdly, we engage with those who are looking on from the outside. I spoke with a young man about why the protesters came. He was an ultra-orthodox Jew, like the protesters. He agreed with their message. Although I did try to give some reasonable answers, he was not able to grasp the basic concepts of logic and reason. I honestly think this young man has a serious disability. I would like you to pray for him, first and foremost that the Lord would open his mind and heal whatever is preventing him from thinking clearly. Secondly, that the Lord would open his heart to the Gospel. 

Which leads me to the last point, in situations like these. We pray for them. Please pray for these protesters, that as they go home and consider the success or lack of success of their protest, that God would reveal the truths of the Gospel to them. Most of them believe in a false history and lies about our Messiah. Pray that God would convince them to search for the real history and the real facts about Messiah Yeshua (Jesus).

In situations like these, the best response is always prayer. Now I don't have a lot of experience with these kinds of protests. But I was standing next to Mitch Glaser, the President of Chosen People Ministries, who has a ton of experience with this kind of opposition to the Gospel. I found it very telling, that his initial reaction, was to step to the side and he never engaged with the protesters. 

As we begin to become more active and more well known in our new area, we expect some opposition. So please keep our activities in your prayers as well.