Fellowship again in Tel Aviv! And thoughts on the ceasefire 🇮🇱🇺🇸🇮🇷

Shabbat shalom. I can’t even express the joy that everyone in our congregation experienced by coming together to worship today in Tel Aviv. It was the first time in five weeks that we could be together face-to-face in fellowship.

The presence of God was so beautiful during the worship and the fellowship after the congregation was like seeing old friends you haven’t seen in long time. We had dinner plans and it was really difficult to leave.

Just imagine what it’s like to be a believer in war time and you can’t be with the body of Messiah. I also think about the believers in Iran where the fastest growing church in the world exists. It was much more intense for the people there. Hopefully they will have less opposition in coming together for worship in the aftermath of the war.

Thoughts on the Ceasefire

While no one is going to argue that life without the threat of missiles is better than life with, but the ceasefire has been very confusing for us here. You hear one thing out of the mouth of the Iranians, meaning the regime, that, of course, we can’t trust. But the agreement that President Trump promised was not accurate either.

It would seem that he threatened too much and then looked for a way out. So he celebrated a victory that wasn’t real. No one here wants to see this war end with Iran actually stronger than it was before.

Don’t get me wrong—overall, they’re weaker. Many people have died, including the supreme leader and many members of the regime. But you have to keep in mind that they do not care about their people—they’re indispensable. And the leaders who died will be celebrated as martyrs. If things stay as they are, two things will be remembered.

1. They withstood an onslaught from the United States and Israel and survived.

2. ⁠ They now control the Strait of Hormuz.

I have to assume that this war is not over but this is just what we call in Hebrew a hafsaka, a break.

If it ends like this, the US will look weak, Iran will look strong, and Iran will be pulling in millions of dollars a week from charging tolls in an area that they did not control five weeks ago.

The cease-fire here is extremely unpopular. Not because people want continued war, but they don’t want to live under the threat of Iran.

Having said that, we serve a mighty God. He is sovereign over all of the universe. I don’t let politics govern my state of mind. We have to keep our eyes on Him.

Have a great Shabbat!