Ari Bussel is inspired by the first Christian Media Summit in Jerusalem that took place October 15-18, 2017.
Here’s a description excerpt from ARUTZ SHEVA 7:
The annual Christian Media Summit
conference is taking place this week in Jerusalem. The four-day summit brings
together a select group of top Christian media broadcasters, publishers,
journalists, and communicators from around the world for discussion and study
on topics related to Israel and the Christian world.
The Ministry of Jerusalem Affairs
and Heritage, together with the Government Press Office (GPO), helped to
organize the event.
Mark Jenkins, the President of the
Words of Visionary Missionaries, said at the conference that the delegates at
the conference were "people who certainly have a heart for Israel. These
are people who are typically Israel advocates in the United States."
James Smith, the Communications
Vice President of the National Religious Broadcasters, said that the conference
is "an attempt to help Christians understand why Israel matters
politically, from a security standpoint, from a historical standpoint, and why
Christians should understand that, and should support Israel's interests."
(Watch: Christian media leaders explain why
Israel matters; By Yoni Kempinski; Arutz
Sheva 7 – INN; 10/16/17 21:38)
Now it’s time for Ari’s viewpoint.
**************
The Gospel of Jerusalem - Our Task (First Christian Media
Summit)
By Ari Bussel
Sent 10/20/2017 7:50 AM
Dear Friends of Zion and Jerusalem,
Dear Colleagues in the Christian Media,
A Dream
For the past four days, I was dreaming. I had to pinch
myself, but was afraid to do so, lest I be awakened from a most wonderful
dream.
I went to sleep every night and awoke early the next morning
(ready for a magnificent Israeli breakfast) and turned toward the Temple Mount,
for Jews everywhere around the world turn toward Jerusalem in prayer, and when
in Jerusalem, we turn toward the Temple Mount, and when there, we turn to the
Holy of Holies.
I breathed in, enough air to fill the lungs to capacity, and
refused to exhale. I wanted to cherish the moment, which lasted four
magnificent days, so that it will remain, an endless source of light and energy
to be used forevermore - at a time of great sorrow or dire condition or great
peril; at times of great joy and celebration.
For what we have uncovered together was nothing short than
the essence of God the Almighty, residing among His people at the place of His
choosing - right here in Zion Jerusalem. It was a gift of a lifetime, the
culmination of years in the making and the source of all time to come.
So when the time came to say goodbye and for each of us to
leave back - to the States, UK, Holland, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Hungary,
Ukraine, Czech Republic, Indonesia, Philippines, Australia, Guatemala, Nepal,
Korea and to more than two dozen other countries - I simply refused!
Alas, each of us had to take a plane, but we know that the friendship
crafted during this First Christian Media Summit will be with us,
for it is indestructible.
Psalms Chapter 126 תְּהִלִּים
א שִׁיר, הַמַּעֲלוֹת:
בְּשׁוּב יְהוָה, אֶת-שִׁיבַת צִיּוֹן-- הָיִינוּ, כְּחֹלְמִים. |
1 A Song of Ascents. {N}
When the LORD brought back those that returned to Zion, we were like unto them that dream. |
ב אָז יִמָּלֵא שְׂחוֹק, פִּינוּ-- וּלְשׁוֹנֵנוּ רִנָּה:
אָז, יֹאמְרוּ בַגּוֹיִם-- הִגְדִּיל יְהוָה, לַעֲשׂוֹת עִם-אֵלֶּה. |
2 Then was our mouth filled
with laughter, and our tongue with singing; {N}
then said they among the nations: 'The LORD hath done great things with these.' |
ג הִגְדִּיל יְהוָה, לַעֲשׂוֹת עִמָּנוּ-- הָיִינוּ שְׂמֵחִים.
|
3 The LORD hath done great
things with us; we are rejoiced.
|
Praise and Song to the Almighty
2017 is a most significant year to Israel and the Jewish
people. The year marks:
* the 120th anniversary of the
First Zionist Congress in Basel,
* the 100th anniversary of the
Balfour Declaration,
* the 70th year of the UN
Partition Plan,
* the 50th anniversary of the Six
Day War,
* and 50 years for the
Reunification of Jerusalem.
In Los Angeles, the City of Angels saluted the City of
God in a series of events that took place earlier this year. Here is some
background material we prepared for the press that you might find useful:
In 2017, and for the past 50
years, there is only one place in the entire Middle East and the African
continent where freedom of religion is paramount, and people as well as holy
sites flourish, as they are protected by law and by practice.
This place is Jerusalem,
Israel’s capital from Biblical to present times. For two thousand years,
the Jewish people yearned to return to their homeland and to the holy city of
Jerusalem.
Here, Abraham prepared to
sacrifice his son Isaac as a test of his loyalty to God the Almighty; Jacob
dreamed of the ladder with angels ascending and descending; King David
conquered the city and made it his capital, bringing the Ark of the Covenant
here; His son King Solomon built the First Temple, a magnificent marvel; the
First and Second Temple were then destroyed, but a portion of the Western Wall
remains to this very day; and here is where Jesus walked in the Way of
Suffering, Via Dolorosa, was crucified and then resurrected.
The Prophet Isaiah instructed and
highlighted (66:10): “Rejoice with Jerusalem and be glad with her,
all who love her!” the city "Jerusalem that is built as a
city which is joined together” (Psalms 122:3) and which is remembered
and constantly highlighted “If I forget you, O Jerusalem, let my right
hand forget her cunning, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth if I
remember thee not, if I set not Jerusalem above my chiefest joy”
(Psalms 137:5-6).
It is in this spirit, 50 years to
the date from when the Israeli flag was raised over the Temple Mount, that
Christians and Jews and other minorities will gather and declare:
There is no other place like
Jerusalem, Jerusalem of Gold, the City of God!
Throughout the Middle East and
Africa Christians and other minorities are being raped, sold to slavery,
executed en masse (including Muslims in the hands of other Muslims) and
murdered, and holy places (churches, mosques, etc.) are desecrated, burned to
the ground and destroyed. Jerusalem is the only place where
freedom of religion and protection of religious rights and institutions is by
law and practice.
Jerusalem is the
only place that for the past 50 years church bells can be heard, as well as the
Muezzin call to prayer. Jews walk freely, living their daily lives side
by side other minorities. Jerusalem is the only place in the entire
region and beyond where the Christian population experiences a net positive
growth; where minorities feel safe and welcome.
This is the theme being
highlighted, celebrating a Jubilee of humanity flourishing.
###
We celebrated Jerusalem in a night of Song and Praise
(Shir ve Hallel) to God the Almighty. We called it Jerusalem of
Gold. We rejoiced and gave thanks. We stood together -
Israelis, Jews, Russians, Iranians, Armenians, Korean, …; Christians of all streams; Latinos;
whites and blacks; men and women; old and young; and we were blessed. (There
are 18 clips available for viewing:
Pierre Lavi, a publisher in Jerusalem, produced the
following song about Jerusalem. I invite you to enjoy this four minute
clip:
[Blog Editor: Here is the embed for the above video link:
Posted by laviph
Published on Mar 9, 2014
השיר "ירושלים" מאת משה חלימי ובביצוע אסתר
פורשיאן. הופק ובוים על ידי: לביא פ. אנטרפרייז בע"מ - הוצאה לאור עם מגע
אישי/הפקות.
The song "Yerushalaim"
by Moshe Halimi, singer: Esther Porshain, directed by: Lavi P. Enterprises Ltd.
- Publishing House/Productions. Please make your own video clip about
Jerusalem, based on this song and send it to us. the best one will win a prise
(laviph@gmail.com)]
Also, Mayor Nir Barkat’s office prepared the following
three-minute segment to communities around the world, Voices of Jerusalem.
Please use it freely!
[Blog Editor: I uploaded this
video to my Youtube Channel:
End Editor’s Note]
Our assignment
Psalms 48 tells us that our Lord is Great, and it directs
us to take what we have seen and heard, the Glory of God the Almighty. It
tells us to go ‘round Zion Jerusalem, study and learn it in detail, and tell
what we have learned and experienced - tell LeDor Acharon (to the
last generation):
ב גָּדוֹל יְהוָה וּמְהֻלָּל מְאֹד-- בְּעִיר אֱלֹהֵינוּ, הַר-קָדְשׁוֹ.
|
2 Great is the LORD, and highly to
be praised, in the city of our God, His holy mountain,
|
ט כַּאֲשֶׁר שָׁמַעְנוּ,
כֵּן רָאִינוּ--
בְּעִיר-יְהוָה צְבָאוֹת, בְּעִיר אֱלֹהֵינוּ: אֱלֹהִים יְכוֹנְנֶהָ עַד-עוֹלָם סֶלָה. |
9 As we have heard, so have
we seen {N}
in the city of the LORD of hosts, in the city of our God-- {N} God establish it for ever. Selah |
י דִּמִּינוּ אֱלֹהִים חַסְדֶּךָ-- בְּקֶרֶב, הֵיכָלֶךָ.
|
10 We have thought on Thy
lovingkindness, O God, in the midst of Thy temple.
|
יג סֹבּוּ צִיּוֹן, וְהַקִּיפוּהָ;
סִפְרוּ,
מִגְדָּלֶיהָ.
|
13 Walk about Zion, and go
round about her; count the towers thereof.
|
יד שִׁיתוּ לִבְּכֶם, לְחֵילָה--פַּסְּגוּ אַרְמְנוֹתֶיהָ: לְמַעַן תְּסַפְּרוּ, לְדוֹר אַחֲרוֹן.
|
14 Mark ye well her
ramparts, traverse her palaces; that ye may tell it to the generation
following.
|
We have been driven inside and around the City, we went
under the ground and emerged on the Temple Mount, we circled the City from
outside, we went to her tops, climbed her hills and mountains, and we descended
down into the earth underneath her. We saw excavations and new discoveries,
and we stood in awe under the magnificent skies, at a place closest to God; and
we said a prayer
a prayer with our entire body and
soul
for it is here that all had
started - the very Creation -
where the past comes alive
giving us meaning and a purpose
and it is here, in Zion
Jerusalem, that the fulfillment of our very being
is being accomplished
at present time and in the future
And so we step forward
for we have been anointed with a
task
a responsibility that we carry
with us
right from Zion Jerusalem to all
ends of the world
We bring the Gospel (good news)
of Jerusalem
to the world that surrounds us
We are the messengers -
the new Guards of Zion Jerusalem,
and an assignment was given to us
-
in those times, millennia
ago,
and at present time
Says the Prophet Isaiah:
Isaiah Chapter
62 יְשַׁעְיָהוּ
א לְמַעַן צִיּוֹן לֹא אֶחֱשֶׁה, וּלְמַעַן יְרוּשָׁלִַם
לֹא אֶשְׁקוֹט, עַד-יֵצֵא כַנֹּגַהּ צִדְקָהּ, וִישׁוּעָתָהּ כְּלַפִּיד
יִבְעָר.
|
1 For Zion's sake will I not hold
My peace, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, until her triumph go
forth as brightness, and her salvation as a torch that burneth.
|
ב וְרָאוּ גוֹיִם צִדְקֵךְ, וְכָל-מְלָכִים כְּבוֹדֵךְ;
וְקֹרָא לָךְ שֵׁם חָדָשׁ, אֲשֶׁר פִּי יְהוָה יִקֳּבֶנּוּ.
|
2 And the nations shall see
thy triumph, and all kings thy glory; and thou shalt be called by a new name,
which the mouth of the LORD shall mark out.
|
And he specifically tells us:
ו עַל-חוֹמֹתַיִךְ יְרוּשָׁלִַם, הִפְקַדְתִּי
שֹׁמְרִים--כָּל-הַיּוֹם וְכָל-הַלַּיְלָה תָּמִיד, לֹא יֶחֱשׁוּ;
הַמַּזְכִּרִים, אֶת-יְהוָה--אַל-דֳּמִי, לָכֶם.
|
6 I have set watchmen upon thy
walls, O Jerusalem, they shall never hold their peace day nor night: 'Ye that
are the LORD'S remembrancers, take ye no rest,
|
We must not be silent! We must act - day and night,
all the time.
What a tremendous assignment;
Indeed what an astonishing honor;
what an amazing experience of
having the Bible assume life
and we - the dry bones - be
breathed life by God Himself
and sent to fulfill His task!
Let us hear the Word of the Lord
-
as He spoke to Ezekiel (37) after
taking him all around the valley full of dry bones
and He told Ezekiel to prophesy,
so that the dry bones hear the word of the Lord.
There we stood on the mountain, and we saw the wind, and
we heard the noise; and we saw the fire; and then - utter and complete silence.
(1 Kings19:11-13)
Now that we left the Garden of
Eden, we have a task upon us;
and the task is enormous
yet magnificent
challenging, almost
insurmountable, but absolutely doable
if we only set our hearts and
minds to it
and pray with all our might
to be guided properly
to be supported when needed
and to have the strength to
continue
so that we can do what is
expected
so that tomorrow can rise
a better day
a different day
a day when the words of the
Prophet Zechariah (9:3-5, 22) are fulfilled:
ג כֹּה, אָמַר יְהוָה, שַׁבְתִּי אֶל-צִיּוֹן,
וְשָׁכַנְתִּי בְּתוֹךְ יְרוּשָׁלִָם; וְנִקְרְאָה יְרוּשָׁלִַם עִיר הָאֱמֶת,
וְהַר-יְהוָה צְבָאוֹת הַר הַקֹּדֶשׁ.
{ס}
|
3 Thus saith the LORD: I return
unto Zion, and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem; and Jerusalem shall be
called the city of truth; and the mountain of the LORD of hosts the holy
mountain. {S}
|
4 Thus saith the LORD of
hosts: There shall yet old men and old women sit in the broad places of
Jerusalem, every man with his staff in his hand for very age.
|
|
5 And the broad places of
the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in the broad places
thereof. {S}
|
כב וּבָאוּ עַמִּים רַבִּים וְגוֹיִם עֲצוּמִים, לְבַקֵּשׁ
אֶת-יְהוָה צְבָאוֹת בִּירוּשָׁלִָם, וּלְחַלּוֹת, אֶת-פְּנֵי יְהוָה. {ס}
|
22 Yea, many peoples and mighty
nations shall come to seek the LORD of hosts in Jerusalem, and to entreat the
favour of the LORD. {S}
|
And (ibid:14):
ט וְהָיָה יְהוָה לְמֶלֶךְ, עַל-כָּל-הָאָרֶץ; בַּיּוֹם
הַהוּא, יִהְיֶה יְהוָה אֶחָד--וּשְׁמוֹ אֶחָד.
|
9 And the LORD shall be King over
all the earth; in that day shall the LORD be One, and His name one
|
It has been a tremendous journey
together,
but we have only started.
We are now lights around the
world
all connected in a network
a great big army, an exceedingly
great host
and God will lead us,
as says the Prophet Joel (2):
יא וַיהוָה, נָתַן קוֹלוֹ לִפְנֵי חֵילוֹ--כִּי רַב מְאֹד
מַחֲנֵהוּ, כִּי עָצוּם עֹשֵׂה דְבָרוֹ:
כִּי-גָדוֹל
יוֹם-יְהוָה וְנוֹרָא מְאֹד, וּמִי יְכִילֶנּוּ.
|
11 And the LORD uttereth His voice
before His army; for His camp is very great, for he is mighty that executeth
His word; for great is the day of the LORD and very terrible; and who can
abide it?
|
כז וִידַעְתֶּם, כִּי בְקֶרֶב יִשְׂרָאֵל אָנִי, וַאֲנִי
יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם, וְאֵין עוֹד; וְלֹא-יֵבֹשׁוּ עַמִּי, לְעוֹלָם. {פ}
|
27 And ye shall know that I am in
the midst of Israel, and that I am the LORD your God, and there is none else;
and My people shall never be ashamed. {P}
|
SHALOM from Zion Jerusalem!
Dead Sea Scrolls; Psalms 133
א שִׁיר הַמַּעֲלוֹת, לְדָוִד:
הִנֵּה מַה-טּוֹב, וּמַה-נָּעִים-- שֶׁבֶת אַחִים גַּם-יָחַד. |
1 A Song of Ascents; of
David. {N}
Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! |
At the Shrine of the Book
Ancient and the inspiration for the way the Shrine was
conceived
Jerusalem of once, made of 50m stones
Model at the Israel Museum
The
City of David
Remnants
of the Destruction
Archway
of the bridge that once led unto the south-west most corner of the Temple Mount
The
Western Wall
A
picture in the President’s Residence
On
loan from the Israel Museum
________________
Edited by John R.
Houk
Text enclosed by
brackets are by the Editor.
© Ari Bussel
Ari Bussel Bio via
Saybrex International
Ari Bussel is Vice
President of Operations at Saybrex International, a privately held family
business specializing in the distribution of fine wines and spirits. He is
responsible for the day-to-day operations of the company and has held various
positions in the company since 1993.
Prior to joining
Saybrex, Mr. Bussel served as First Lieutenant in the Center for Systems
Analysis at General Headquarters of the Israel Defense Forces, where he led the
implementation of the Logistics War Doctrine in the Computerized Wargame
Program.
Mr. Bussel is
involved in a variety of philanthropic and civic activities. Mr. Bussel
completed the Team Beverly Hills Leadership Program and served on the
Environmental Sustainability Topic Committee of the City of Beverly Hills. He
was a member of the Steering Committees of former Beverly Hills Mayor MeraLee
Goldman and the current Beverly Hills City Treasurer, the Hon. Eliot Finkel.
Mr. Bussel also completed and participated in the Community Emergency Response
Training Program of the City of Beverly Hills as well as the Crisis Response
Team of the Maple Counseling Center.
Mr. Bussel was among
the founding members and served on the boards of Gen. Shimon Erem’s Israel
Christian Nexus, the Western Region of Friends of Israel Firefighters and the
Israel Institute for Alternative Energy Advancement. He completed the Salvin
Leadership Program of the Anti-Defamation League.
Mr. Bussel writes
regularly. For the past decade, his weekly columns appeared in print in Israel
Jewish Life, Shalom LA, Muslim World Today and Israeli Week. Mr. Bussel’s
articles appear on numerous websites, including Canada Free Press, Free
Republic, NewsBlaze, SlantRight and OpEdNews. He is a member
of the Los Angeles Press Club.
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