“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.”
(2 Timothy 4:3-4)
If there was ever a time that people could “heap up for themselves teachers”, it is now. We all have the ability to subscribe to our favourite teachers, and to choose ones who entertain us rather than those who challenge us. Whilst there is a whole host of good teaching online, it is much easier these days to be drawn astray by teaching that sounds accurate, but is actually a distortion that is used to turn Christians away from the truth.
We should never judge the Bible by what someone says. We should always judge what someone says by the Bible. This is why it’s so important that our main source of learning is the Bible itself.
Paul writes about Scripture, just a few verses before the above passage: “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17)
Sadly, too many Christians are ignorant of Scripture and are being led astray. Many are being tricked into hating Israel and the Jews. Do not be turned aside to fables. God still loves the Jewish people, and He will never break His covenant promises to Israel or the Church because God is the same yesterday, today, and forever!
Here are this week’s prayer points:
Israeli Embassy in London: On Friday, police were dealing with an apparent attack on the Israeli embassy in London. An Islamist group claimed to be using drones and chemical weapons to launch an attack and released a video. Police were dealing with a suspicious package, thought to be left by that group. At the time of writing, we don’t have full details, but please pray for the Israeli embassy and their staff, along with the Jewish community. This same group took responsibility for the ambulance arson attack a few weeks back. It is shameful that the UK is a staging ground for such attacks. Terrorism must be dealt with by British authorities. So let’s pray that Britain gets to grips with this situation.
Ceasefires: There are currently two ceasefires in place, one between Israel and Hezbollah, and one between the USA and Iran. This is bringing much needed respite for Israelis and other civilians in the region. The disruption to daily life for Israel has been immense, and the trauma for Israelis, particularly children, as they are constantly under threat and running to bomb shelters, is largely neglected, but it is very real. We pray that this will be a time of healing for Israel and that the enemies of Israel will put down their weapons for good.
Turkey: This week it was reported that the Turkish President Erdogan had threatened Israel with invasion. This wasn’t quite true, and the Telegraph deleted its article. However, we must still be watchful of Turkey. Erdogan’s rhetoric against Israel has, for many years, been troubling. Erdogan is an Islamist who believes in retaking Jerusalem for Allah and believes the Islamic verses about Muslims needing to fight the Jews to bring about the “Last Days”. He called Netanyahu the “Hitler of our time”, and in the Turkish parliament shortly after October 7, Erdogan declared, “their end will be soon.” We must pray against this evil. The Bible points to Turkey being an End Time player, and we must always be watchful.
Deception: As the Scriptures and short message above touched upon, there is a growing deception in the Church. As an organisation, we are constantly bombarded with anti-Israel hatred, but there is a growing amount coming from Christians. Many are duped by the lies of people who profess to be Christians but have strayed heavily from Biblical truth. We must pray that the Church will remain a stalwart of defence for the Jewish people, and that the message of CUFI will reach further to spread the light of truth to more people. Please pray for this important work.
