Today we want to share with you a little more about The Olive Tree, which is a programme you can hear on TWR around the world, including here in the UK.
It’s a weekly programme aired in the UK on Saturdays at 11:45am and Sundays at 11:45pm. It tells the stories of what God is doing in Israel and the West Bank through the lives of believers who live there – Jewish and Arab people. The work at The Olive Tree Reconciliation Fund has been inspired by these words of Paul from Ephesians 2:14-16 from the beginning:
For Christ himself has brought peace to us. He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, in his own body on the cross, he broke down the wall of hostility that separated us. He did this by ending the system of law with its commandments and regulations. He made peace between Jews and Gentiles by creating in himself one new people from the two groups. Together as one body, Christ reconciled both groups to God by means of his death on the cross, and our hostility toward each other was put to death.
The team at The Olive Tree believe that Israel and the Jewish people have always been God’s ‘mouthpiece’ to the world. They say for Christians to ignore the Old Testament and only read the New, is like starting to watch a film half way through! If you don’t know the beginning of the story, the rest of the film doesn’t make sense! That’s why the host of this programme, Julia Fischer collects stories which can show the gentile church why they should take an active interest in our Jewish brothers and sisters and to understand that when Jesus returns, he’ll be returning to a church that contains a fusion of Jewish and gentile believers.
Throughout the episodes, the team will be interviewing believers in Israel and the West Bank, Jewish and Arab/Palestinian people sharing news about what God is doing in the region.
An Arab pastor, called Joseph, contacted The Olive Tree to share news from his neighbourhood. Living in the north of Israel, his congregation is largely Lebanese congregation (former refugees) and the people he is helping are their Muslim neighbours. He told us:
“We were able to assist this precious single mother who has 6 minors, they are living in an old apartment with almost no furniture. We were astonished as we visited them, in order to supply them with food baskets, to see all her little ones sleeping on thin mattresses on the floor. The mother, who comes from a Muslim background, told us that her kids had never slept on a regular bed since they were born because the only concern of their drug addicted father was to selfishly care for his drug supply. The Lord laid immediately on our hearts to supply them with beds. What a joy it was for the children to sleep for the first time on a normal bed. Now the best part of this story is that they, as Muslims, know that we are Christians and that we are doing that because of the command of our Lord Yeshua to love and care for the poor and the needy. Pray please, for the salvation of the whole family.
Thank you, Olive Tree fund, for your gifts have been making an impact through our ministry with the poor and needy in the land of Israel. In fact, we couldn’t do many of those acts of mercy without your faithful partnership and generous giving.”
If you’d like to find out more about the work of The Olive Tree, check out there website www.olivetreefund.org
Join with us as we pray for the work of The Olive Tree Reconciliation Fund and thank God for all he is doing throughout this region.