Comforting God's People

Shepherd Staff Ministries (SSM) is a ministry focused on the Return of God’s kingdom and God’s will on earth as it is in heaven. Our vision is the Restoration of God and His Messiah to His people, the Jews, and restoration of the End-Time church of Jew and Gentile (Ephesians 2:14-18). We believe when God’s people are restored to Israel, our King Jesus/Yeshua will return. Our Biblical mandate is from Isaiah 40:1-2:

“Comfort, yes, comfort My people!” says your God. “Speak comfort to Jerusalem, and cry out to her, That her warfare is ended, That her iniquity is pardoned; For she has received from the LORD’s hand Double for all her sins.”  

SSM is also for the purpose of training and equipping believers to comfort God’s people. This website is offering Biblical instruction and a plan of action to answer God’s call.

Our prayer is to restore God’s people to their promised land, to restore the land to His Biblical borders, and for His people to be restored to their God.

How do we comfort God’s People?

 The Bible instructs us to:

• Pray For(Psalms 122:3) “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem. May they prosper who love you.”
• Watch Over God’s People(Isaiah 62:6-7) “I have set watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem; They shall never hold their peace day or night. You who make mention of the LORD, do not keep silent, And give Him no rest till He establishes And till He makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth.” 
• Give(Romans 15:26-27) “For it pleased those from Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution for the poor among the saints who are in Jerusalem. It pleased them indeed, and they are their debtors. For if the Gentiles have been partakers of their spiritual things, their duty is also to minister to them in material things.”
• (Isaiah 60:5-6)“Then you shall see and become radiant, And your heart shall swell with joy; Because the abundance of the sea shall be turned to you, The wealth of the Gentiles shall come to you. The multitude of camels shall cover your land, The dromedaries of Midian and Ephah; All those from Sheba shall come; They shall bring gold and incense, And they shall proclaim the praises of the LORD.” This scripture also pertains to the next point of carrying.
• Carry/Aliyah [There are 64 scriptures pertaining to Aliyah] (Jeremiah 32:41) “Behold, I will gather them out of all countries where I have driven them in My anger, in My fury, and in great wrath; I will bring them back to this place (Israel), and I will cause them to dwell safely. They shall be My people, and I will be their God; then I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear Me forever, for the good of them and their children after them. And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from doing them good; but I will put My fear in their hearts so that they will not depart from Me. Yes, I will rejoice over them to do them good, and I will assuredly plant them in this land (Israel), with all My heart and with all My soul.’” (This is the only scripture in which God says He will do something “with all His heart and with all His soul”!)
• Show Mercy (Romans 11:30-31) “For as you were once disobedient to God, yet have now obtained mercy through their disobedience, even so these also have now been disobedient, that through the mercy shown you they also may obtain mercy.”
• Proclaim(Isaiah 52:7) “How beautiful upon the mountains Are the feet of him who brings good news, Who proclaims peace, Who brings glad tidings of good things, Who proclaims salvation, Who says to Zion, “Your God reigns!” 
• Provoke to Jealousy (Romans 11:11) “I say then, have they stumbled that they should fall? Certainly not! But through their fall, to provoke them to jealousy, salvation has come to the Gentiles.”
• (The above came from Chuck Cohen’s, Director of Intercessor’s for Israel, message, “What the Gentile Part of the Church is to do for the Jewish People.”)

Plan of Action

• Pray individually or pray with a friend, start a prayer group in your home or at your church. Any time you pray, tithe your prayer time in praying for Israel and encourage others to do so.
• Watching over God’s people requires understanding God’s plans and purposes for Israel and the Jewish people as stated in God’s word, the Bible. God has chosen to reveal Himself through a people and a land. If Israel does not remain a nation and if the Jews do not remain in the land, then God’s word is not true.
• Visit the Land of Israel
• Watch the news
• Sign up for IFI prayer points http://www.ifi.org.il/
• Attend IFI Prayer Conference in January annually.
• Give financially and materially. We believe it is important to support the believers in the land who are accomplishing God’s work there. One difference with SSM is we support the believers in the land believing it is important for the Jews to see believers blessed and blessing others.
• Get involve in praying for and supporting Jews returning to the land of Israel. Share why you believe this is what God is doing in bringing back His people to Israel. There are 64 scriptures about this. Consider memorizing a few of them.
• Show mercy to His people by letting them know you pray for them and believe what God’s word says about them. Support buying their products and speak up when you hear lies about them. Ask God to give you His heart for His people and His land.
• Proclaim peace – Shalom -which means wholeness or completeness. Pray for the completion of God’s will for Jerusalem (which is ultimately the return of the Lion of the Tribe of Judah – Jesus Christ or Yeshua) Shout and proclaim, “Your God reigns!”
• We provoke the Jews to jealousy by having what belongs to the Jews: His covenants of promise and blessings. The church has in no way replaced Israel as some believe. Paul talks about the one new man – Jew and Gentile as one, allowing each to worship God as He leads them. Ephesians 2:14-18.