Koinonia: October 2023

Netivyah Bible Instruction Ministry

The Jerusalem Prayer List – October 22, 2023

by Joseph Shulam

Out of Zion

Dear Brothers and Sisters around the world,

Israel is being attacked today from Gaza, including rockets being shot toward Jerusalem and the surrounding hills, including Mevasseret Zion where we live. Rockets were shot toward Israel from as far as Yemen, that is by the Houties a part of Iran’s long arm in the Middle East.

Now the arena has spread from Lebanon and Syria in the North, Gaza in the South and Yemen from the far South, with Iran orchestrating and threatening Israel.

This is a red-light district now and Israel needs help and the most important help has to come from God and from Heaven. Please lift up your voices and open up your generosity.

Netivyah is at the tip of the sword as far as Jewish Disciples of Yeshua in the Land of Israel and the help to the Israeli Defense Forces with much needed gear and other supplies including hot meals for our soldiers in the very front lines.

Our congregation just had the Korean brothers and sisters cook a typical Korean Meal and took it to the front lines and the soldiers expressed a gratitude and enjoyed every bit of the spicy Korean food.

I can’t stress the seriousness of this time and this situation. It might sound dramatic and panicky, but it is not. Israel’s existence is being threatened from some five Arab countries and from all four winds of the earth. The abilities and the arsenal of these countries is at least four times
bigger than little old Israel.

Especially Iran has an army that is at least 3 times the size of Israel and a huge arsenal of long and medium range rockets with very big war heads.

Israel and we, the Jewish Disciples of Yeshua, need your prayers and your practical and financial support. You all know that we have very seldom and very rarely have asked for financial help. Now we need your help so that we can help our soldiers in the front lines.

It is not only a physical help. On the contrary, the major help is not the physical, but the physical help with tactical materials that they need and with other materials that will make their lives in the battlefield easier and less stressful.

The change in the attitude toward the Jewish Disciples of Yeshua in this land and the good witness of our soldiers in the front lines is a change of the Consciousness; not only toward us, the Jewish Disciples of Yeshua and our brothers from Netivyah and the Roeh Israel Congregation that come from Korea, Japan, Holland, Finland, Papua, Switzerland, Germany, the USA, and South America.

The international nature of our congregation in Jerusalem will spread good news with a global scope with every good deed thatwe do for our soldiers in the front lines.

Please contribute so that we can continue to bless and provide much needed gear for our soldiers.

Please click on the donate button or read more:

Especially pray and pray and knock knock knock on Heaven’s door as the prophet Isaiah
says to the nations:

“For Zion’s sake I will not hold My peace, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest, until her righteousness goes forth as brightness, and her salvation as a lamp that burns. The Gentiles shall see your righteousness, and all kings your glory. You shall be called by a new name, which the mouth of the LORD will name. You shall also be a crown of glory in the hand of the LORD, and a royal diadem in the hand of your God. You shall no longer be termed forsaken, nor shall your land any more be termed desolate; but you shall be called Hephzibah, and your land Beulah; For the LORD delights
in you, and your land shall be married. For as a young man marries a virgin, so shall your sons marry you; and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice
over you.” (Isaiah 62:1-5 NKJV)

By the way, our brothers and sisters in the United States that need tax credit for your charitable contributions can contribute to the Netivyah USA account and get the tax credit. I know that this helps and the credit that you get will bless not only the Lord’s work in Israel and round the world, but also give you an added blessing. You can do this through the Netivyah.org web page and just choose the “Netivyah USA “button. I know that this is just a little added benefit for the American citizens that need that IRS credit.

Scan the barcode to donate
to Netivyah USA:

In the darkness of war, and the very bitter hate that the enemies of Israel have against us, the biblical parallel is with the Amalek. The Hamas and those who finance them have proven more than one time that they are Amalek. This is what the Word of God commands Israel already during the exodus from Egypt:

“Remember what Amalek did to you on the way as you were coming out of Egypt, how he met you on the way and attacked your rear ranks, all the stragglers at your rear, when you were tired and weary; and he did not fear God. Therefore, it shall be, when the LORD your God has given you rest from your enemies all around, in the land which the LORD your God is giving you to possess as an inheritance, that you will blot out the remembrance of
Amalek from under heaven. You shall not forget." (Deut. 25:17-19 New King James Version)

The behavior of the Hamas leader and their terrorists and their beastly and beyond beastly behavior has proven that they are not only descendants of the Amalek but that they are the Amalek. Or should I say the reincarnation of their long-passed ancestors from the same roots of the Amalek. [1] I am sad to say again that our most bitter and cruel enemies throughout our history have been from among our own ethnic roots, our kind of not-so-distant relatives. Isaiah the prophet already said this in the 8 th Century B.C.

I have a very high respect and deep friendship with many Palestinians, both Muslims and Christians. I deeply respect Palestinian Muslim friends and confess that I trust them more than I trust some of my so called “messianic Jewish brothers” or some Christian missionaries.

I know for sure that many Palestinians both Christians and Muslims are also ashamed and embarrassed by what these demonized and heated creatures drugged with hate did to innocent human beings and to innocent girls and women and little children.

Only the Devil himself can be the architect of such horrible and demonic behavior and only our Lord Jesus Christ can change such twisted souls as those who raped mothers in front their children and then shoot or cut the throat of their fathers and mothers and took the children as hostages. Such behavior could only be compared to what the Nazis did to Jews during World War II.

We all know that as the darkness of human behavior grows, even a little light has the power to dispel it and allow people to see the goodness that exists in human beings. Yes, what happened in Gaza just a few short days ago is a product of racism and hate, and envy and brainwashing by the Hamas leadership that uses the people of Gaza as human shields to be cannon fodder for their own private enrichment while the common people suffer.

The Torah portion that is being read in the synagogues this Shabbat is the portion called Noah.

The reading is from Genesis 6:9 – 11:32. The Haftarah,reading from the prophets is from
Isaiah 54:1 -55:5, and the reading from the New Testament is from Luke 17:20-27.

The most significant verse in the Torah portion of Noah and may be especially in these days, the most important verse in the whole Bible for our days:

“And the LORD was sorry (Repented) that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. So the LORD said, “I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them.” But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.” (Genesis 6:6-8 NKJV)

I have a hard time imagining how it is possible for God, the Creator of all and the father of all mankind, could have regretted, repented, sorry, that HE has made man on this earth.

I sometimes, especially when I am sick and have to stay at home, take up a brush and do some very amateurish painting. I have hanging on my walls my paintings; some are good and some are not so good; but they are my babies. I have never thought that I will destroy even one of my not so good and not so successful works of art.

Here we have the creator of the Universe repenting, regretting, being sorry that He created man! This is one of the saddest texts in the whole Bible. But I am so happy that this “But” exists in the Word of God, “But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.” There you have it dear brothers. The power of one semi-righteous man, and his family; Noah who made God think twice before destroying the world. The power of one righteous and just and obedient individual that saved the fate of humanity and was able by his dedication and obedience to preserve the human race as we know it from Genesis till now!

This is probably my greatest teaching – the power of one individual to change the world. If I would not believe in this BIBLICAL TRUTH, I would not have dedicated my life to teach the Word of God all around the world, and to make disciples from both Jews and Arabs, white and black, from Finland and from China, all the way to Brazil and Bulgaria.

It is this one short verse that has, over and over and over, renewed my faith in my own self, and in other individuals: that have changed my understanding of God and of man alike.

I just want to mention of a few of these individuals. Ernest Stewart, Ralph Henley, Bill Long, W.B.West (with whom I had the privilege of spending a few weeks in Israel, but from whom I learned what it means to be committed to the restoration of the First Century Church!).
Dr. John McRay and His family, and
Moshe Ben-Maier and his wife Ahuva. And from Joseph Vactor, who was as different as a person
can be, but as great a disciple of Yeshua and as much as an Orthodox Jew can take the Good
News seriously.

There are some more Holy men and women that have a great influence on me, but no one like Noah who found grace in the eyes of the Lord when the rest of humanity didn’t care! [2]

Please don’t forget to stand with Israel these days, don’t forget to pray for Israel and for us personally, these days. Don’t forget to help us help our men in the front lines during this harsh time.

Don’t give up and keep holding our hands up in praise and gratitude like Joshua and Hur held the hands of Moses to keep the battle against Amalek.

Pray for faithful brothers and sisters in Israel.

Please pray for the list of the sick and especially pray for our dear sister Lea Kurkey.

Please pray for Israel. In the last 48 hours Israel entered into the city of Gennin – a terrorist hothouse.  More than 18 Jews were killed in the last two months by terrorists that came out of the city of Gennin.

As I am writing this prayer list – I am also watching television and seeing the operation that the Israeli Military is conducting in this nest of snakes called Gennin.  Praise the Lord that from the several thousand Israeli soldiers no one has been killed or wounded in the last 48 hours.

We need to pray that this continues to be the case.  We need to pray for the World to understand and see that Israel is dealing with people that at least their leadership, is not interested in peace. They are radical Islamists who are only driven by hate for Israel and for Jews and peace is the last thing on their minds.

Our government was holding back for months from opening this Pandora’s box and getting rid of the terrorists that are not only killing Jews and terrorizing the peaceful Israeli population, but also preventing their own people from working in Israel in good paying jobs provides honorable living for their families.

I hate that our boys, the men of our congregation, still serve in the Army and most of them in reserves have to fight and use weapons and do war in order to protect the civilian population of Israel from terrorism driven by hate and blindness.

Please pray for the Middle East and for the world to see and understand what the reality is here in this part of the world.  The land that provided King David, and the prophets and Yeshua the Messiah – wants peace with our neighbors.
But they don’t want the hand that is stretched out in peace. They want to kill all the Jews and take their land, that is flourishing and being a blessing for all the world, and make it a dump like their own place in Gaza and in the Arab countries.

In Jerusalem pray for the following brothers and sisters who are in need of divine grace and the gentle touch of the hand of God for healing and strength.

Ilana Ahijervie, a dear sister who is 98 years old and suffering from memory problems.

Sarit, a sister born in Jerusalem, over 88 years old, lives alone. Has no close family, and suffers from several old-age illnesses.

Yehuda Hochman, a dear older brother living in the Negev desert with some illness that needs healing.

Please keep praying for Marcia Shulam my wife. Pray that Marcia’s memory will stop weakening, and that her arthritis be healed and stop being active, and her strength to return to where she can take more care of herself.

Please pray for people in the prayer list: as you can see, we pray for people in every continent, because we have brothers and sisters around the world, and our interest is not only for ourselves, but for God’s people in the north and south, east and west, even in the far islands of the oceans. There is power in the prayers of those people who have a global interest for God’s Light to come from Zion and reach the darkest corners of God’s Earth.

Your prayers for Alexander and Sarah, and Andrew, who were raised as believers and have left their faith behind, have been answered, the Divine Shepherd guided these members of the same family gently back to the fold, please keep praying for their general and spiritual welfare!

Pray for Adam R. Adam has lost much of his hearing as a result of a virus. Pray for Adam and his family of 8 children.

Pray for Adam’s father and mother, Barry and Dalia. They too have some health problems and challenges.

Pray for Miriam and for Hannah her daughter. Miriam is a dear sister and has lost her husband recently.

Pray for Daniel S. and his children.

Our dear leader in the Ro’eh Israel congregation, Gary, and his health, and for his wife Melanie and their family.

Pray for Um Mahmud Abu-Eid and Jimmy Abu-Eid and all of the family. This is a dear family of old friends that needs healing and wisdom for the children and for their work.

Please pray for the Romero family who live deep in the Negev desert. It is hot there and they are far from our congregation and we miss them.

Please pray for Shannon’s father, Michael McGoff, Michael had heart surgery and we need to pray for his full recovery.

Pray for brothers and sisters in the U.K.

We bless our dear sister Celestine with health and blessings from Heaven for her life and her family. We pray for the Lord to be her comfort and provide sister Celestine all her physical and her spiritual and her social needs with His grace.

Pray for Deborah Isaiah. I pray for the Lord to find Deborah Isaiah and lead her to a blessed life and family and a solution to her problems.

I pray healing for Aries Franklin Mayers Sr., and Tony Black.

Pray for our dear brother Dennis D’Costa and his family, as they find their way and have a clear vision of what and where God wants them to live and serve and grow their family. Lord open the right doors for Dennis D’Costa and his family.

Australia

A dear friend from Hong Kong, Bonnie, asked that we pray for her brother who lives in Australia. Bonnie’s brother’s name is Ray Chen. Please mention the name Ray Chen and ask God to show this man the grace of God and God’s powerful healing of body and soul and restoration of faith and life of holiness and sanctity.

In Finland we have some precious and dear brothers and sisters that need our prayers:

Pray for Keijo and Salme, our dear partners and fellow workers in God’s flock. Both Keijo and Salme have some challenging heart issues.

Sipra, our dear sister in Nokia who is a widow with some health issues.

Satu-Maria, Sinni Tuuli, Anne Mirjami, our dear sisters, and all our other brothers and sisters in Finland who need our prayers: Eva H., Patty, Andrea, Julia and Victor, and Aaron Tani, and Hillel.

Please don’t forget to pray for the health of Kari Antilles in Finland. He is a dear brother and supporter in prayer for Netivyah for many years.

Brazil

Pray for the congregations related to Netivyah in Brazil, to have the strength and stamina to face the challenges in front of them with courage and strength of faithfulness to the Lord, and to the vision of the restoration of the church and Israel.

Pray for the millions of victims of the Spanish and Portuguese Inquisition who have been forced to convert to the Catholic church, and now want to return home to the land of Israel and to the faith of our fathers.

Pray for the state of Israel to open the doors for these lost Jews to be able to return and fulfill God’s promises to the prophet Ovadyah:

“But on Mount Zion there shall be deliverance, And there shall be holiness; The house of Jacob shall possess their possessions. The house of Jacob shall be a fire, And the house of Joseph a flame; But the house of Esau shall be stubble; They shall kindle them and devour them, And no survivor shall remain of the house of Esau, For the Lord has spoken. The South shall possess the mountains of Esau, And the Lowland shall possess Philistia. They shall possess the fields of Ephraim And the fields of Samaria. Benjamin shall possess Gilead. And the captives of this host of the children of Israel Shall possess the land of the Canaanites As far as Zarephath. The captives of Jerusalem who are in Sepharad Shall possess the cities of the South. Then saviors shall come to Mount Zion To judge the mountains of Esau, And the kingdom shall be the Lord’s.” — Obadiah 1:17-21 [NKJV]

Pray for a dear young man, Paulo, from Curitiba, Brazil, who is seriously needing our prayers for sanity and mental health.

Pray for Rita Sassai, from Vitória, ES.

Please pray for a dear sister with the name: Claudia Rita Souze Arau. She has cancer and needs God’s healing hands to touch her with healing.

Fatima Maria Docarmo Guimararaes - pray for her health and her granddaughters twin babies.

Pray for Livia Schnell Nothen, she has some issues with her physical health and a growth in her adrenal gland. And other health issues.

Guilherme Antonio Nothen Becker, who is suffering from back problems.

Aratuza de Oliveira his wife. Pray for this 3-year-old child that has serious problems with his eyes and ask the Lord to give healing to his eyes. This child’s name is Caique de Oliveira Becker.

Please pray for a dear sister in Brazil that is named: Aratuza de Oliveira.

Pray for Bernardo Antonio Nothen Becker. Bernardo is addicted to gambling and playing poker. This caused deep sorrow to his family.

Please pray for Bruno Henrique Cardoso jr. for his studies and his health.

Fernanda Nothen Becker, our dear sister has problems with her job that cause her pressure and challenges. Pray for the social situation in Fernanda’s work to turn and her suffering to turn into joy and friendship.

A 70-year-old Pastor Paulo C. Pereira Braga Dias, He is the father of a dear sister in Brazil, and suffers from diabetes.

Pray for Roberto Morias, a dear brother who is going through heart surgery and an angiogram.

In Asia we have several brothers and sisters who need our prayers.

Pray for Pastor Barnabas in Korea, who is in a coma.

Please pray for a dear 71-year-old sister called Bee Kim. She lost consciousness on February 26, 2023. She has not regained her consciousness after a massive stroke.

Pray for pastor T.J. in Taiwan.

Brothers and sisters in China

Pray for Joe Choe’s and his mother Sarah

Pray for Deborah Ruth a dear sister from China

Pray for sister Reiko Ishiida and Elder Takeo and his wife Tomoko from Tokyo, and for Daisuke Sensei in Osaka. Dr. Yuizawa, and Pastor Yushida and his family.

Pray for Sister Yoko Nagumo in Japan.

In India, Pastor Isaac, from Chennai, needs our prayers. Pastor Isaac is suffering from kidney problems and has to have dialysis several times per week.

Tony Tam and his wife Luisa and son Marco need special prayer for their situation.

Pray for the Cohen family in Hong Kong and for the leadership and congregation of 611 in Hong Kong.

We continue to pray for Zhou Wenrian, Abe family, Toru San, Yumi Ohara and her family. Deborah Ruth, Ayla and Daniel and their daughter. Dr. Song, and his wife Sister Harriet Kim.

Please pray for Ruby K. from Hong Kong. Ruby has gone through a very complicated surgery for multiple cancers in her body. The surgery was very long, and Ruby is back home now recovering. Please lift Ruby K. and ask the Lord to heal and deliver Ruby from Hong Kong.

Pray for family and friends and dear brothers and sisters in the United States of America.

Dear Friends and brothers and sisters, Ruby Little is and was one of the biggest women in her lifetime! She was the mythogical secretary of Dr. J.P. Sanders as the dean of Pepperdine University and continued to be his secretary as the president of Columbia Christian College in Portland, Oragon. Moved to Jerusalem and was the secretary of Netivyah during the very difficult years of the formation of the pioneering ministry and movement that encompasses the whole world. Without Ruby I have serious doubts that Netivyah would have reached the wide spread international ministry that it is today. Ruby was a quiet person but had enough iron in her to contend with the South Pacific railroad. Her wisdom and her strength both served and motivated others around her to serve. God bless her and use her talents in heaven! I am sure that even in heaven Ruby will not just seat under a palm tree and count the birds that fly overhead! God bless Ruby Little’s soul eternally! Ruby you are a real big sister to so many people that you served and encouraged!

Please pray for the daughter of Bill Colwell, who is very sick with cancer.

Please pray for my family in the United States: Barry my son and his wife Beth, and for Joey my grandson. Pray for their divine protection and health.

Pray for Danah my daughter's health issues. I pray for the Lord to give Danah wisdom and peace and calm in life and in her work.

Pray for Noaam my granddaughter. She is working two jobs now and needs good health and wisdom to make the right choices and plans for life, education, immigration to Israel, and just general protection from all harm.

Pray for David Young the preacher in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, who is back to preaching after recovering from medical issues. Please keep David in your prayers.

Aaron Hook, Nancy Hook’s oldest son, needs our prayers for wisdom and healing from past issues of life.

Lift for blessing and healing Jonathan B. and his wife Aviva and their new baby, his mother, and his brother Daniel. Pray for these very important men of God: Rabbi Salt, his family, and Rabbi Hasselblad. They are both older and need protection and blessings.

Pray a blessing for a dear sister Angela Isby and her situation. Pray for Tiz H. and Lion H.

Also pray for Ilana Avramov who is married to my cousin Nissim and lives in New York City. Ilana has fallen and in now in rehab learning how to walk again. We pray for her full recovery. She and Nissim both need our prayers.

Joseph Mock, a young man in his 30s, a dear brother that was named after me, has leukemia in an advanced stage. He is in the hospital and needs our urgent prayers. Joseph Mock is the son of Steve Mock, who is also one of the faithful disciples of Yeshua who became a believer in the early years of Netivyah.

Steve Mock - His cognitive condition has declined, and we ask for the grace of God and His Healing and strength. Steve and Josie’s son Joseph that is named after Joseph Shulam – has received a wonderful and glorious report. After the last bone marrow transplant the report is that the doctors didn’t find any leukemia his body! Praise the Lord!

Pray for three women of God in Canada who need healing, Lynda, Sandy and Joanne.

I am asking a special prayer for a dear brother and friend who is now doing a greatly important work in a very dangerous and precarious part of the world. Just mention DadyLion in your prayers, and ask for divine protection and angelic accompaniment for this man of God.

Please pray for Netivyah and for the good work that Netivyah is doing in Israel and around the world.

We need more workers because of the challenges and needs and opportunities to bless the King Yeshua and His Kingdom down here on Earth and bless the poor people of Jerusalem visit here do what they can and produce more materials, books, and magazines.

We ask you to join us in prayer that the right young people, talented and anointed by the Spirit of God will come and work with us, and the provision to pay the Netivyah workers a fair and just payment.

I pray that the Lord will inspire and motivate brothers and sisters and ministries who can help with this to visit here do what they can to make it possible for us to double or more than double, the number of people and families that we serve.

Please go to the YouTube Channel of Netivyah Bible Instruction Ministry and see and hear wonderful teachings.

I wish all of you, who stand with Israel and who pray for Jerusalem, the best of the Lord’s blessings and the fulfillment of all His promises to His faithful children.

Those who hear God and do His will are the ones who are called wise! Those who only hear His word and don’t do it are called foolish!

Let us all strive to be wise and never foolish! The best is yet to come!

May the Lord God of Israel and the grace of Yeshua our Messiah, King, Teacher, Rabbi, and Lord be with you all!

Joseph Shulam

These days, there are so many different ways to stay connected with those we care about.