PRAYER UPDATE   CHRISTMAS 2015     Metula, Israel   250 Meters from Lebanon  Dec. 23, 2015

Dear friends,

  It is a privilege to be in Israel at this time of the year.  As I give out gospels here I can say this was “made in Israel” 2000 years ago.  I try to emphasize that it in not foreign to Israel but general attitude is that Christianity is not Jewish or Israeli. 

  Today I offered a gospel of Matthew to a man.  He said he lived in Canada for 2 years and there Major Henry of Salvation Army gave him a Hebrew New Testament.  He read it twice.  How wonderful to be involved in follow-up on work already done by the Holy Spirit.  What does Matthew tell us about the birth of the Messiah?

 1. Jesus was virgin conceived of the Holy Spirit.  1:18  This is in accordance with prophecy of the virgin birth in Isaiah 7:14

 2. In 1:20 the angel of the Lord confirmed the conception is of the Holy Ghost to joseph who was of the family of David.  The angel gave the name of the child, “Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins.”  1:21

 3. 1”22-23 Show the fulfillment of the virgin prophecy of Is 7:14.  Immanuel, God with us, has come!

 4. 1:24-25 Joseph was obedient to his heavenly vision and took unto himself Mary to be his wife but knew her not until after Jesus was born. 

 5. 2:1-6  Jesus was born in Bethlehem as Micah predicted.  Mic 5:2  I have been quoting this verse in Hebrew this month pointing people to the Christ Child Jesus.  Wise men came from the east to find and worship the Christ Child, the King of the Jews.  The wise men were led by a star.  Herod heard of the wise men and their mission.  He asked the chief priests and scribes where the Christ should be born.  From Micah 5:2 they answered Bethlehem.

 6. 2:9-15 The star led the wise men to a house and they were overjoyed “they rejoiced with exceeding great joy”.  They fell down before the Child and worshipped Him, and they gave their presents, gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.  I am confident that Joseph needed the gold for his trip to Egypt, and his time there.

 7. 2:15  One more Old Testament verse was fulfilled: Hose 11:1 when God called His Son out of Egypt.  Then Joseph & Mary returned to Israel to live in Nazareth.

  May we be inspired by the wise men to seek Jesus Christ, to worship Him, and to offer Him presents.  Jesus Christ gave His all for us, may we do the same for Him.  Let us give Christ the New Year in His honor and for His glory.

  On Dec. 25 I will leave Metula and go to Haifa, then on 29 I will go to Jerusalem to get the first stage of implants for my gums before returning to France on Jan. 6.  Early in Feb. 2016 I am due in Cluj, RO for the second half of one implant.  It was discussed that we would have a 3 day conference with the Mioveni church after the style of Matt 15:32 in Feb.

A BLESSED REMEMBRNCE OF THE BIRTH OF THE MESSIAH AND A FRUITFUL NEW YEAR IN 2016!

Michael Bentley