As Christians Standing with Israel (CSI), we wholeheartedly stand with our Arab brothers and sisters in faith in Israel. We want to support them in being a blessing to their neighbors, both Jewish and Arab, right in the heart of the country. Nizar Francis is one such benefactor. He has a vision of bringing Jews and Arabs together through music at the heart of God. CSI staff member Anemone Rüger met him.
By Anemone Rüger
At the Israir check-in at Berlin airport, hearing only Arabic instead of Hebrew in front of and behind me was very unusual. But as always, I prayed before the flight for the passengers boarding with me. Then my gaze fell on the T-shirt of a young Arab man in the queue: "My peace I leave with you... Not as the world gives..." A special start to a special journey.
A special evening of worship
How wonderful it is to leave behind the hectic and architecturally unappealing suburbs of Haifa and take the high road across the Carmel Mountains towards the Druze villages. Even in summer, everything here is green. The forested mountains repeatedly offer glimpses of the deep blue Mediterranean Sea. I flew to Israel a week early for this evening. I want to be there when Arab and Jewish musicians worship the God of Israel together. A special night of praise, meticulously planned and born from a deep connection of the heart – in a unity that, beyond the many negative news stories in the media, is a heavenly reality in this place.
The worship songs are sung in three languages: Hebrew, Arabic, and English. Nizar Francis, the evening's initiator and host, leads the Arabic parts, Shilo Ben Hod the Hebrew. Each member of the band also effortlessly sings along in the other languages. Several hundred guests join in, also speaking a variety of native languages. The atmosphere is intense. God's presence is palpable.
Shortly before the closing hymn, Shilo Nizar warmly expressed his gratitude for having initiated and championed the vision for this evening of worship. He thanked everyone for all the struggles he had fought for it and for following the dream God had given him: to live and visibly demonstrate unity with his Jewish brothers and sisters in worship. To these special friends, I can also say: You are not alone. You bear a powerful witness that Israel needs now. You embody something with far-reaching impact.
Nizar and Rana: Love for Israel in Arabic
Nothing comforted me as much after the Hamas massacre of October 7th and the raging global spread of anti-Semitism as the worship videos shared by Nizar and his musician friends. I met them in person in the spring. Contrary to the trend, the congregation in Haifa has grown so much since the coronavirus pandemic that there are now two services every Shabbat.
“We see the calling of Israel, beginning with Abraham,” says Nizar. “It was God’s decision. And in his plan, there is also a place for non-Jews. It’s important for us to share this.” When the pandemic began, Nizar had just finished Bible school. He turned the necessity of the restrictions on public gatherings into a virtue. “Nizar recorded a video of praise and a message every day and posted it on Facebook. In Arabic. We reached many people that way,” says his wife, Rana.
Raised in a Muslim family and in an anti-Semitic environment, the lawyer had a long journey before she could love Jews. But when she met Jesus and immersed herself in the word of God, she could no longer deny this love. "We see our identity first and foremost in our Messiah," says Nizar. "Only then does our nationality come into play. And in Yeshua we can find ourselves—as Jews, Arabs, and believers from all nations."
Liberating biblical truth
Nizar recounts many encounters he has had with Arabs and Palestinians from other parts of the country, most recently with a Christian from Bethlehem. “He was surprised that I don’t see myself as Palestinian, but as Israeli. We had a long conversation. Political convictions are very fixed; many can’t break free from the mindset they were raised with. But then I challenge the person I’m speaking with to look at what Scripture says. It was a revelation for this man. By the end of the conversation, he was able to identify with Israel so strongly, based on the Bible, that he could imagine accepting Israeli citizenship.”
Nizar and Rana are not (yet) a mass movement. They are pioneers of the unity for which Jesus asked his Father in heaven shortly before his death. They bring their Arab compatriots the Gospel, the good news for each individual, packaged with God's plan of salvation for Israel and the nations. And in doing so, they bring people together. "For many years, we have had the vision of expressing our unity with our Jewish brothers and sisters through music, through shared worship. And so, during the coronavirus pandemic, we began publishing worship videos in Hebrew, Arabic, and English."
Some time ago, Nizar visited a Syrian congregation in Germany near the Dutch border. “A few dozen members of the congregation had gathered to hear me speak live about what was happening in the Middle East. Naturally, they harbored the greatest reservations about Israel. While they themselves don't actively hate Israel because they have become believers, people from these countries grow up with a deep hatred for Israel and, even as Christians, have no connection to it whatsoever – they've simply never heard anything different. Only an Arab can speak to them. I showed them God's plan of salvation for Israel and the nations, based on Scripture, where even the Arab believers have their place through the Messiah Jesus. At the end, the pastor stood up and asked his congregation for forgiveness: ‘We have been seeing this wrong until now.’ And then, for the first time in his life, he prayed for Israel with his entire congregation!”
Please support these courageous brothers and sisters and their ministry in prayer!
This article first appeared in our newspaper "Israelaktuell," issue 142. You can order the newspaper here . We would also be happy to send you several copies for distribution.
