How Can a Christian Bless Israel?

by Suzanne McCarthy for TCC

"Now the Lord said to Abram, "Go forth from your country, and from your relatives and from your  father's house, to the land which I will show you; and I will make you a great nation, and I  will bless you, and make your name great; and so you shall be a blessing; and I will bless those who bless you,  and the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed." Genesis 12: 1-3

How can we bless Israel?

• Pray for the peace of Jerusalem and for the Jewish people in Israel and also out in the nations.
• Educate ourselves on the FACTS so that we can help to dispel the media distortions and propaganda which we are being fed. Be ready to speak up with verifiable facts. This is very important for the only thing that allows evil to florish is when good people do nothing.
• Donate time, if possible, and money when you can to agencies that offer humanitarian aid to Jews who are living in poverty.

Most Chrisitans do not realize that there are many Jews who are living in poverty both in the US and abroad.

We hear about Jews who are rich, but that is not the case for many Jewish people who struggle to make ends meet just as many Gentiles do.  We rarely hear about the Jewish people in Russia who hid their identities due to intense persecution.  This persecution still goes on today. Many are elderly and they often suffer through the brutal Russian winters without heat in their flats or not enough to eat. Their suffering is intense.

Remember, much of Russia is made up of Muslim republics where Jews are hated. There are agencies that help these Jews pay back rent or other bills owed so that they can get clearance to leave Russia and other nations with their way paid to Israel where they are paired up with social service agencies that help them with their needs. Some of these agencies are supported by evangelical Christians who take Yeshua's words to heart "For I was hungry, and you gave Me to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me to drink; I was a stranger,  and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me." Matthew 25:35-37 

Yeshua ends this discussion by saying "Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me." Matthew 25:40 The context of that passage was that His audience was ALL Jewish.  These verses have been used for centuries to encourage donations for missions and there is nothing wrong with that, but He was talking to and about His Jewish bretheren in the flesh.

Listed below are some very good groups both Jewish and Christian who give humanitarian aid to Jewish people. This list is by no means exhaustive. These are just the ones I know of who do a good job of giving aid. Please take time to visit all of these websites, pray and give whatever amount God leads you to donate.

• There are Jewish social service agencies that help anybody, Jewish or Gentile, who comes to them for help, and you can find one in your local yellow pages. You can donate to the United Way and specify that your donation, or part of it, goes to a Jewish agency.
• M.A.D.P. Tarshish Foundation is an international charitable foundation founded in 1999 in Israel which works with Jews and Gentiles to give aid to the needy in Israel. They give aid without prejudice to those who come to them. This is a VERY unique group! Please visit their website. Tarshish
• Bridges for Peace is Jerusalem-based organization of Christians. They provide welcome baskets to the new immigrants which contain needed items to set up housekeeping,clothing, food, educational supplies, and they even repair and paint the apartments of people in need. 
• Ezra USA 
• Ebenezer Emergency Fund - Operation Exodus 
• The Joseph Storehouse
• Christian Friends of Israel

Have a blessed Passover Season.