By Yakum Fitz-Henley
Keep not thou silence, O God: hold not thy peace, and be not still, O God. For, lo, thine enemies make a tumult: and they that hate thee have lifted up the head. They have taken crafty counsel against thy people, and consulted against thy hidden ones. They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance…Fill their faces with shame; that they may seek thy name, O Lord. Let them be confounded and troubled for ever; yea, let them be put to shame, and perish: That men may know that thou, whose name alone is Jehovah, art the most high over all the earth. Psalm 83:1-4, 16-18
WHY “YESHUA, A NIGHT OF WORSHIP” NOW?
This is an invitation to support a Missions project, “Yeshua, a Night of Worship”, planned for Sunday, October 22 at 6p.m. at Christian Life Fellowship Church. There is no cost, but donations will be accepted. We believe that by giving to this mission, you will be sowing into a biblical prophecy of
songs about the majesty of the glory of Jesus arising from the ends of the earth during some of the darkest hours of human history.
For the past few months, a ministry called One King has been fully engaged in organising a worship intensive in Israel called the “Isaiah 24 Project,” scheduled for November 28–December 7, 2023. Christian Life Fellowship (CLF) Missions ministry became aware of this and decided to support sending to the training Shelley-Anne Foster, worship leader at Jamaica House of Prayer, an entity with which CLF is affiliated.
The “Isaiah 24 Project” is named after a profound passage of Scripture prophesied by Isaiah over 2,500 years ago. In chapter 24, we read that:
- at the end of the age, when the songs of the earth cease; and
- when men no longer find comfort in their usual entertainment because of the trouble on the
earth; there will be a people even to the ends of the earth, in the islands of the sea, who sing with power about the majesty and glory of the God of Israel and His Son Christ Jesus.
Then, in view of the prophecy (verse 14), he commanded it to be done from the islands of the sea.” (verse 15)
The Isaiah 24 Project is an Israel experience that seeks to respond to the invitation of these prophecies. It is designed entirely for worship leaders, singers, musicians, and songwriters.
Its webpage states to the worship leaders who will be involved: “This is not an “Israel tour” for you to just see ancient places. Israel is not simply an ancient land. It is a vibrant, modern nation. And God wants to catch you up in His purpose for Israel… You live in the first generation in history where songs can be heard from the ends of the earth. Has this affected your worship leading? Are your songs in sync with the hour you are living in or are you chasing the latest trends on social media?” (See https://oneking.online/event/2023-the-isaiah-24-project.)
JAMAICA’S LINKAGE TO ISRAEL THROUGH MUSIC
We are particularly convicted about sowing into the Isaiah 24 Project with finances and worship leaders from Jamaica (though we are certain many other countries will be represented) because the Bible prophesies of a time when Jesus will evaluate nations (i.e., ethnic groups) according to how they responded to His purposes for Israel (Matthew 25:31–45, Joel 3:1–3).
The last international witness from the geographic location of Jamaica (which contains several ethnic groups) was Rastafari, through Reggae music. Unfortunately, the primary messengers of reggae music preached a message which: i) called people to worship a man who was not Jesus; ii) implied that Black people (independent of whether they pledged allegiance to Jesus) were God’s covenant people; and iii) implied that Africa was the promised land of the Bible.
The next witness that emanates from Jamaica will be decided by God’s sovereignty, and the mysterious role that intercession plays in His activities in the earth. However, we want to intentionally sow into a musical witness from Jamaica that: i)proclaims Jesus of Nazareth as the One King of all the nations; ii) stands with God’s purposes for the people of Israel; iii) stands with God’s purposes for the land of Jerusalem.
SHELLEY-ANNE FOSTER
Shelley-Anne Foster has been an intercessory missionary (a missionary with primary focus on praying for God’s purposes) for over a decade. Immediately upon leaving university with a bachelor’s degree in computer science, Shelley-Anne began serving full-time at the Jamaica House of Prayer (JaHOP). Primarily an intercessor, she would spend hours daily praying for
revival, the Church, Jamaica, and the purposes of God revealed in the Bible.
She led various initiatives, including organising, training, and leading JaHOP’s worship team, known as the Abide Collective. At JaHOP’s worship and prayer event, Abide, the Collective, headed by Shelley-Anne, sought to influence and impact the nation of Jamaica through prayer, worship, intercession, and music.
During her time at JaHOP, Shelley-Anne was also involved in pioneering initiatives aimed at training and discipling young people in worship and prayer in various contexts, including high schools and universities. Shelley-Anne is confident of one thing, and it is that there is a Man seated at the right hand of the Father, who alone is worthy of her everything. With all the talents and opportunities that God has blessed her with, she is content in knowing that no matter the activity, no matter the location, and no matter the capacity of service, her heart is set to love God, lead many to righteousness, and to make Yeshua known.
EXPECTED OUTPUTS
From this initiative we hope to:
- partner with God in His purposes of proclaiming His Son Jesus through music from an island that He has blessed with worldwide musical impact;
- equip Shelley-Anne to be a witness, and disciple other witnesses of Jesus and His purposes for the people and land of Israel;
- equip an established and proven leader in the area of worship and prayer to partner with God in His purposes for the nations of the earth.
THE RECENT BOMBING OF ISRAEL
Given the horrific events that have been unfolding in Israel since October 7, the Abide Collective is even more resolute than before to proceed with “YESHUA, A NIGHT OF WORSHIP.”
Shelley-Anne comments, “We will be using “Yeshua” as a platform to intercede at an even deeper level now for the nation of Israel and the nation of Jamaica as well. We are encouraging people to come with the intention to really seek God’s face. The events happening around the world are not just another day in the news.
“God inspiring us to do this event, to rally the Jamaican church to worship, pray, and even sing to and for Israel at the same that a war has broken out, is no coincidence. He is moving and we want to be paying attention and listening for His instructions. We don’t want to be offended at the way He is unfolding His purposes in the earth. We want to be like the wise virgins, watching and praying and being intentional about the oil in our lamps which can be likened to our intimacy with Him.
There’s a lot of trouble in the world: violence, wars, human trafficking, corrupt governance, poverty, natural disasters, identity confusions, you name it; and we can either be overwhelmed by despair, or apathetic, or preoccupied with our own agenda; or we can press into God and ask Him to catch us up in His story. I’d encourage people to accept this special invitation to enter deeper into the latter in this moment in time.
Come to Yeshua and be part of this pivotal moment that God has given us to be even more entrenched as Jamaicans in the story He has written for the nation of Israel.”
Giving to this mission can be done via:
Scotiabank – Liguanea, Shelley-Anne Foster, Personal Savings JMD A/C#: 825720; USD A/C#: 829081
NCB – Liguanea, Shelley-Anne Foster, Personal Savings JMD A/C#: 374464280; EMAIL and Zelle (US) [email protected]
