What’s it like to be a Christian and in the Israeli Defense Force?

LISTEN NOW! (Or WATCH FULL PROGRAM!)Can you imagine serving in Israel’s military, The Israeli Defense Forces? Now add to that, being an Israeli Christian, serving in the IDF. Hananya Naftali is a Jewish Christian who serves in the IDF. When he often gets the question of “how is it possible to be a Jew and a Christian”, he responds, “I’m Jewish by blood and I’m Christian by heart.” He continues to share his thoughts, “Jesus Himself was a Jew, so I don’t understand why some people get confused with this.”

Naftali shares how he previously served in a tank crew and now works as a medic. During his time serving in the tank crew, he kept his Bible with him everywhere he went. “So, even if we go on long missions, I can still get my spiritual food.” He also talks about how he kept his Bible with him during the Gaza War. “I kept my Bible inside the tank because we weren’t able to get out of the tank. And, the Bible was literally a charger to my spirit. Just like we charge our phones to give them power, the Bible had strengthened me during those times in Gaza.”

When Naftali began his service in the IDF, he was concerned about his tank team when he read his Bible. But, he shares this pivotal realization. “They don’t realize, I don’t need to adjust myself to society. If they don’t accept me the way that I am, it’s not my problem. It’s for God to solve using me.” He also shares insightful wisdom how Jews are sensitive to receiving the Gospel of Jesus Christ based on what occurred in the Crusades and The Holocaust. “So to many Jewish people, the word ‘Jesus’, symbolizes the Crusaders that killed Jews.” Because of this, he shares his own way to share the message of Jesus Christ to the soldiers around him.

This is such an encouraging and educational awareness of military life in the Israeli Defense Forces, as well as what life is like for Christians in Israel. See the full dialogue from Naftali to get a better understanding, and so much more. Also shared in this segment: curses, witnessing, evangelism, Christianity, The Israeli Defense Forces, and love. Greg and John shared in this segment.

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