Newsletters

Wall into Door

(The Forge Newsletter_January_2024)

When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid. (1 Samuel 17:11)

When Goliath turned up and shouted towards the Israelite soldiers, they were terrified because of his size, his shouts and his shiny weapons. But When David turned up and heard Goliath’s shouts, he defied them and despised him because he knew the God of Israel who was greater and stronger than Goliath.

1. A great wall for king Saul, a great door for David
Goliath was the same person and the battle situation was the same for king Saul and for shepherd David. But when Goliath turned up, he was turned into a high and thick WALL for king Saul, yet Goliath was turned into a big and wide open DOOR for David. In other words, king Saul’s life was stopped and shut down by the wall of Goliath, but David’s life was opened up gloriously by the door of Goliath.

2. God can turn walls into doors
David didn’t know Goliath, but he knew God well. Also David had many private battles with lions, bears, and wolves, before facing the public battle with Goliath. Although king Saul had battle experience with the Ammonites at the beginning of his reign, he didn’t have private battles and didn’t know God intimately. Although David had many private battle experiences, he didn’t rely on his own strength but the God of Israel. For those who love God all things work together for good; even walls may be turned into doors.

3. God orchestrated to activate David’s anointing
David was already anointed by Samuel as the next king but then nothing happened until David faced Goliath. So did God orchestrated this battle for the activation of David’s anointing? In other words, this battle was the activation of dethroning Saul but of enthroning David. Sometimes God allows us to face overwhelming challenges like Goliath, in order to activate His anointing that is in us.

4. Doors into Walls and Walls into Doors during the Covid-19
I often think about the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic. People were in panic and toilet rolls, rubber glovers, masks ran out in the shops. I understand that people wanted to buy large amounts of gloves and masks, but I don’t know why people stored up toilet rolls. When fear invades our minds, people build up walls and imprison themselves.

Our family and my mother-in-law planned to visit my brother-in-law in New Zealand in 2020. But the New Zealand government closed the border, so we couldn’t go and we lost our tickets. During the Covid-19 Pandemic, we were locked in the house, schools were closed, and even hospitals were nearly closed. Even though some shops were opened, there were walls and barriers. However, God opened a door for me to start carpentry. Also I had to drive twice a week to a hospital for my friend who had kidney dialysis and I travelled to Egypt three times with the friend. Also God opened a special door to take part in an MBB(Moslem Background Believer)’s meeting in an Arabic-speaking country.

5. Lies bring fear and fear builds walls
People say that Gaza is the biggest prison in the world. Who built the walls? Israel built visible walls around Gaza for their protection but Hamas built invisible walls inside Gaza. The truth sets us free and love opens the doors of our hearts, but lies bring fear and fear builds walls.

6. Palestinian Arabs are not the descendants of the Philistines
Palestinian Arabs are not the descendants of the Philistines in the Bible, but they insist they are, because they want to show that they have the right of ownership of the land historically. The Philistines were an Aegean people. They were an Indo-European people and speaking a language related to Greek. The Philistines were conquered by Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar II around 604/603 B.C. and people were dispersed and deported to Mesopotamia. The remaining few ethnic Philistines disappeared into the Phoenicians and Judeans, Egyptians and Edomites.

After the Judean Revolt against Rome of 132–136 A.D., the Romans renamed Judea “Syria-Palaestina” in an attempt to destroy any connection between the region and its previous Judean inhabitants. Previously the term Palaestina had only been used as a geographical term. Even though from the seventh century Arab peoples began to settle in significant numbers in the land through the Islamic conquest, during the British Mandate of Palestine, ‘Palestinian’ was used to describe any inhabitant of the region, including Jews, Christians, and Muslims. During that period the term was used more often to describe Jews living in Palestine. The term only gained common use to describe the local Arab population after 1968 with the creation of the Palestinian National Charter. Nevertheless, the spirit that was working behind the Philistines has been working behind Palestinian Arabs to create their false identity, steal, kill, and destroy Israel, and more.

I am the DOOR. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. (John 10:9-10)

7. Israel should seek and cry out to God of Israel
Israel was slammed, slaughtered, stolen, raped and destroyed on 7^th October 2023 by Hamas. And it is still ongoing, since they are holding more than 130 hostages and 350 children have become orphans. Since that day, I have been thinking and asking why it would happen. God could have prevented the incident, couldn’t he? Why did God allow this? Didn’t he warn as he did before Judah and Jerusalem’s destruction by the Babylonians 586 B.C.? Now is the time for Israel to cry out to the God of Israel whole-heartedly, rather than looking to the USA. God has given me this song to sing over Israel and people in Israel including Gazans. (listen to the song ...) They have been terribly walled in, but I pray that they would meet Jesus who is the door for life.

[ News Update ]

1. Korean Youth visited Wales for five days
Eleven 17 year-old Christian high school students and one teacher came to Wales and journeyed with us. It was so precious time for both of us. Although lots of their plans were changed, God put all together for good.

2. Rowland Evans passed away
Five years ago, Rowland’s wife passed away suddenly, then he started going downhill. He lived in a care home for the last two years in Llanelli where we live. I took him out for lunch nearly every week until he was very weak and couldn’t walk safely. It was privilege to journey with him continuously. He used to help me a lot but our role was changed. He planted a lot of good seeds into peoples’ hearts, especially many Koreans. I thank God for his life. I do respect him, although he wasn’t perfect.

“For everything there is a season,

and a time for every matter under heaven:

a time to be born, and a time to die;

a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;

a time to kill, and a time to heal;

a time to break down, and a time to build up;

a time to weep, and a time to laugh;

a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;

a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;

a time to seek, and a time to lose;

a time to keep, and a time to cast away;

a time to tear, and a time to sew;

a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

a time to love, and a time to hate;

a time for war, and a time for peace. ”

(Ecclesiastic 3:1-8)

3. Without land, we cannot plant and build anything
While I and Owen have been working on carpentry and gardening, I sensed that we really need land and decent buildings in order to disciple people in spiritual and practical realms. So we have been praying and looking for 7 acres of that has decent buildings.

Shalom Shalom!

Qday LEE

(+44) 7870 653157

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