Supporting Israel –Curse. Blessing. Neither?
Will We Be Cursed If We Don’t Support Israel? Will we be blessed if we do?
First, let us be clear – we are not anti-support of Israel. In fact, we support Israel both financially and in prayers, but we don’t do this to avoid a curse or to obtain some financial gain. There’s a lot of Christian debate that if we (both individually and as a country) don’t support Israel we will be cursed, and if we do we will be blessed. For starters, ask yourself this……. how does being cursed line up with being under grace? You see, we have a huge contradiction. The reality is that not only is there no curse for believers, but we also already have every spiritual blessing in Christ (Eph 1:3) here and now, regardless of who you make your check payable to.
Again, I understand the desire to support Israel, and that’s awesome. But it becomes a problem when we turn it into some kind of side deal with God that if we give enough money to Israel God will bless us, but if we don’t then God will hurl wrath at us, individually or as a country. God is not interested in looking at the geographic boundaries that we tend to set. God’s will is that no one, anywhere, perishes. Jesus came not to judge the WORLD, but to save it. What we really should learn from the new testament gospel is that all of the boundaries are gone and that God is interested in saving individuals everywhere, not just in some geographic location or by a bloodline.
In Genesis 17 we discover that Abraham would be the father of MANY NATIONS. Not just Israel. So that by faith, no matter where you live, we have become the SPIRITUAL ISRAEL.
So again, supporting Israel is wonderful, especially if and when it makes sense. But where we go wrong is when we make it a condition for God’s grace or avoiding a curse. That is not the new covenant message, but rather He will never leave us or forsake us (no matter where you sleep). We should make this about love, not geography. So be it China, Korea, America, Israel, or Iran, God is not picking and choosing favorites. What He cares about is that all men on planet earth come to know His son and are saved. You are Israel. Right where you sit.
Author: Mike Cynar
Mike Cynar was raised in a church setting where he frequently noticed that many attendees would eventually drift away. The church labeled these individuals as ‘back sliders’ or ‘fake Christians’ just looking for ‘fire insurance’. However, Mike realized the issue was rarely with these individuals but instead with the church’s message itself. The teachings heavily emphasized behavior improvement and one’s flaws, with only a fleeting mention of one’s identity in Christ. It felt as though every sermon was tailored to the church of Corinth, who as we know or committing sins that even unbelievers don’t partake in. This trend was noticeable not just in one denomination, but across Baptist, Catholic, Pentecostal, and many other churches. Upon understanding the true essence of the gospel – that our righteousness comes from Jesus’ actions, not our own – Mike was inspired to liberate believers from lifeless sermons and reconnect them with the genuine teachings of Jesus. He believes that one can nurture a vibrant and growing bond with Jesus, unhindered by rigid religious practices. And thus, “Jesus Without Religion” was born.
It turns out that it is grace that leads to repentance. And if our heart is to get others to walk in the Spirit and live a godly life, then the best approach is not a beat down sermon, but rather to remind other that it is only when we understand our true identity in Christ that we will live it out. Yes, it’s true, if you’re convinced that God thinks you’re a dirty sinner, you will ultimately continue a lifestyle that mirrors that view, but if you truly believe that even on your worst day, you are called holy, sanctified, justified, and will be presented blameless in the end, well, it turns out this is the secret to living out on the outside what has been worked in to the inside.
