Shalom and greetings from the city of our Lord Jesus Christ—Nazareth!
It is always a great joy to share the Word of God with you. As we walk with the Lord in these challenging times, we must return again and again to the foundation of His Word. Sometimes that means digging into the original Hebrew, understanding the meaning behind each word, and seeing how the Spirit breathes life into every verse—especially when it comes to God’s plan for Israel and the nations.
Today, I want to speak from the heart, about something very personal and very prophetic: our calling to be a light to the Jewish people.
As an Arab believer in Jesus, living in Israel, I face many challenges. But I know that it is the will of God that we, as Gentile believers, bring the Gospel back to the Jewish people. This is not something new. The Apostle Paul, in Romans chapters 9 through 11, clearly reveals God’s plan: that the Gentiles would make Israel jealous—not envious, but jealous.
And that through this, a remnant of Israel would be saved.
Let me explain the difference. Envy is when you desire something that belongs to someone else. But jealousy—holy jealousy—is when you realize something that belongs to you has been lost or taken from you. This is what we want the Jewish people to feel when they see Gentile believers loving their God, worshiping their Messiah, reading their Scriptures, and walking in the promises God gave them.
This is how we reach their hearts. Not by arguments, but by love. Not by force, but by serving.
I remember visiting an 80-year-old Holocaust survivor with a food package. When she saw me, she was shocked: “Are you Arab?” she asked. I said, “Yes, ma’am.” She replied, “Then why are you bringing food to a Jew? We are enemies.” And I said, “No, we are not—because of your Messiah.”
She was confused. “My Messiah hasn’t come yet,” she said.
Then I took her Bible and read to her—not from the New Testament, but from Isaiah 53, Psalm 22, Proverbs 30, and Jeremiah 4. Her eyes opened as she heard her own Scriptures speak of a suffering Messiah. And she wept. “Eighty years,” she said, “and I never knew.” That day, she accepted Yeshua as her Lord. Two years later, she went to be with Him.
Beloved, this is the oil in our lamps—when we shine the love of Jesus to His people. It is the time for the Church to arise and fulfill her calling toward Israel. We must be wise as serpents and gentle as doves (Matthew 10:16), sharing truth with humility and courage.
And we need your help.
Our humanitarian work continues here in the Galilee, where God has placed us between Jewish, Arab, and refugee communities. We are reaching Holocaust survivors, Ukrainian and Russian immigrants, and Arab families with food, hope, and the love of Yeshua. We are currently fundraising to purchase a building for our humanitarian aid center in Nof HaGalil—just minutes from Nazareth. This place will be a beacon of hope and unity.
Please pray for us. Pray for boldness, for open doors, and for protection. Stand with us in this prophetic mission to make Israel jealous—for her own Messiah.
And always remember what Paul wrote in Galatians 3:29: “If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” Jew and Gentile—one in Messiah.
Thank you for your love, your prayers, and your partnership in the Gospel.
With love from Nazareth,
Pastor Saleem Shalash