As evangelists and follow-up workers in Israel, we often get to meet with people from all walks of life, and from different backgrounds, as well as different countries of origin. We’ve come to see that nearly every time we get to share the Gospel with them, the Holy Spirit comes and touches them. It truly is how the Bible says that “the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you” in John 14:26.
We recently met with a lady, Olga, who had made aliyah from Moscow, We were talking with her about Israel and what it means to find salvation through faith in Jesus. Olga said that she had heard about Him, and admitted that she often felt a tugging in her heart to know more about Him. She had also often wondered what it would be like to read the Bible. In response to Olga sharing her heart, we presented Olga with her very first Bible and started sharing with her about reading the Bible daily, and how to apply God’s wisdom in her daily walk. We also explained to her that to have the Word come alive in her heart, and to find that everlasting life that the Bible speaks about, she needs the newness of life that only Jesus can give.
We continued meeting with Olga on a regular basis, as she enjoyed studying the Bible and praying with us. We would often invite Olga to pray the prayer of salvation with us, but she would declare that she didn’t feel ready. That all changed last week when the seeds sown into Olga’s heart came to fruition and she expressed her sincere desire to receive Jesus as her Lord and Savior. We offered to pray the sinner’s prayer with her, and she said that she was ready. We all held hands and prayed with Olga to receive Jesus. The peace and joy that came over Olga was evident, and we could see that the Lord had done a deep work in her life. We remained in that attitude of prayer and peace for quite some time, as the Holy Spirit ministered to Olga.
We invited Olga to start attending our Shabbat meetings, as well as a local homegroup in her area, to which she gladly agreed. She also looks forward to joining us for our Bible excursions to Jerusalem, and for our next evangelism event during Shavuot.It’s such a privilege to see the Word of God in action, and to experience the true change and liberty that it can bring to someone’s life, like Olga’s.
Hallelujah!
Beit Hallel is a Messianic Jewish congregation in Ashdod, led by pastor Israel Pochtar, serving holocaust survivors and the poor and needy locally and throughout the nation of Israel, while building up the body of Messiah in the promised land of Israel.