We stand in agreement with Gen.12:3 which says, And I will bless those who bless you (who confer prosperity or happiness upon you) & curse him who curses or uses insolent language toward you; regarding Gods chosen people, the Jews.

His Land is My Land

We have inherited a great land through the promises of God that have been passed down throughout the generations from Abraham. We have the privilege of sharing this land and a responsibility to help care for this land as well.

According to the New Jerusalem bible translation in Genesis 12:1-3 it says, Now ADONAI said to Avram,  Get yourself out of your country, away from your kinsmen and away from your fathers house, and go to the land that I will show you. I will make of you a great nation, I will bless you, and I will make your name great; and you are to be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, but I will curse anyone who curses you; and by you all the families of the earth will be blessed. In essence what the Lord is saying to Abram is that he is to leave the place that is familiar to him and go into the new land or place that the Lord has prepared for him. This has become the land of Israel named after Abrahams grandson Jacob whos name was changed from Jacob to Israel in Gen. 32:28. Here we can see the parallel with the land of Israel. Then the man said, Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel because you have struggled with God and with men and overcome. Israel as we know it is still struggling but she will overcome!

The Lord was asking Abram to leave his family, friends and his fathers house so that He could bless him with new family, friends and a house that belongs to the Father in heaven. It becomes very clear then that when the Lord God said I will make of you a great nation He referred to the nation of Israel. In Gen. 17:3-8 the Lord establishes Abraham as the father of many nations, that kings would come out from him as was evidenced by David from whose lineage Jesus came.

We know through the many scriptures that Abraham, Isaac and Jacob are the foundation of the patriarchs which is the bedrock of our faith. Acts 3:13a says that the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus. And in Galatians 3:29 it says that If you belong to Jesus Christ, then you are Abrahams seed and heirs according to the promise.

Abba Father has laid out before us a spiritual road map that comes out of His heart for us all. The Old Testament is the inspired word of God as passed on to us by His patriarchs and prophets. Abraham who was first called Abram, was Gods chosen representative to go into a land unknown to him so that he would become the Father of many nations. Before that could happen, God made Abraham the Father of a great nation, a promise that was fulfilled as Israel. God said He was going to bless Israel, His God given land. As we travel into the New Testament we discover in the scriptures that Jesus and the Father are one and it is the plan that we too are to be one with Jesus and one with the Father through Jesus. John 17:20-23; John 17:11; John 14:10,11 and John 15:23-25 show and lay before us the foundational basis of this statement.

The Father so loves His nation Israel that He sent His Son to set free the many nations. The light of the world is Jesus and His land is the land of Israel. In Isaiah 60:1-3 it was prophesied 700 years before the birth of Christ that the nations will run to the light. Jesus is the Light Who originates and shines out from Israel to the nations. The Cross at Calvary, the Blood of Christ, the freedom for all who believe have all originated in the land given to Abraham so that the many nations would be drawn back to the one, Israel.

We as the Church cannot say that we have replaced Israel and that the Lord has forgotten His land and His people. To say or think such a thing would be to speak or believe a lie. Scripture makes it quite clear that we are grafted in to the vine and we cannot separate ourselves from the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. We belong to the Father just as Jesus belongs to Him and we to Jesus. Allow the Holy Spirit to confront you with the truth of His word and I would encourage you to look deeper into the things of our homeland, the land of Israel.

I recently went to His land, our land, my land; Israel this February. It was a life changing experience that has caused me to become more deeply in love with the Lord Jesus and  committed as a church to stand with and for the land of Israel. We at Resurrection Life Church will continue to bless Israel. We will continue to pray for the land and the peace of Jerusalem and it is our desire to worship on Mount Zion, the city of our God.

If you are interested in going to Israel, we will be going the first 2 weeks in April, 2005. We will be going to pray and intercede, plant trees and to feed the hungry in Israel. You or your pastor may contact us or get more information from the web site at www.resurrectionlife.bc.ca .

Submitted by  Ray Johnson, Exsecutive Director Resurrection Life Ministries

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