Ahavat Yeshua means the “love of Yeshua.” 

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This is also the name of a Messianic congregation in Israel with a unique “birth” story!

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In 2003, a bunch of Messianic believers, including myself, traveled way out into the Negev Desert in southern Israel. We were led by Asher Intrater and Eddie Santoro (a precious brother who is now with the Lord—his son, Evan, is our station manager at Shelanu TV!). And there, over the course of a weekend, we established Ahavat Yeshua. And then, literally, the next weekend, we moved the “baby” congregation up to Jerusalem! And there, Ahavat Yeshua has thrived for almost 20 years now.

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Over the last two decades, Ahavat Yeshua has grown and reached a lot of Israelis. Today, Jonathan Moore is the senior leader. And now, he and the other elders at Ahavat Yeshua are investing in the NEXT generation of Messianic leaders to pass the baton to them one day soon. 

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One special characteristic about Ahavat Yeshua is that they do EVERYTHING in Hebrew—from the worship to the fellowship! From the start, they had a deep conviction that when an Israeli walked into their service, they wanted them to know that it was not a “foreign” congregation planted by people from overseas. But that it was authentically Israeli. So literally, only Hebrew is spoken there. 

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It’s congregations like Ahavat Yeshua and others that we are introducing you to in the CITIES OF ISRAEL campaign that are on the frontlines sharing the love of Yeshua with Israelis day in and day out. The work is hard, and the “soil” of people’s hearts can be rocky. Sharing the gospel in Israel comes with persecution, but most of the time, we only have to deal with harsh words or cold shoulders.

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But when I moved here 20 years ago, I had one thing on my heart—to see my people come to know Yeshua as their Messiah. And that passion still burns in me, which is why we are investing in these ministries and congregations here in the land. 

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Only about 0.3% of Israelis are Messianic—and we are praying, working, planting, and believing together every day that number will grow. The harvest is coming! God’s word promises that one day ALL Israel will be saved. 

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And so, TODAY, let’s invest in the expansion of the kingdom of God in Jerusalem.