In 2015, Phil Fischer of Jesus Lives traveled to Jerusalem. During a visit to Hebron, Palestine he was asked to share about his faith. He delivered an in-depth and moving sermon at an undisclosed mosque in Hebron to a mixed crowd of Palestinian Christians, Jews, and Muslims. The sermon was recorded clandestinely and shared on Youtube in 2018, where it has since been viewed by over 380,000 people.
Fast forward six years and Fischer delivered another powerful sermon called the five fold giftings to over 200 muslims on the Jordanian border.
Why preach the gospel in Palestine
This land in particular holds significance to followers of Christ. The area where Fischer preaches is where Moses was denied entrance into the promised land and where he is buried. Still, he wasn’t sure what to expect when he came to Palestine. “I was planning on having a worship team, but despite the promises no one wanted to come here with me so I came alone,” he says.
He admits that everything he learned about Palestine was wrong. Americans are told many things about Palestine but being on the land and spending time with its people changes his outlook on both. While visiting, he was struck by how much respect Palestinians give to the holy sites of Jesus Christ. “Jordan takes great care of the baptism site where Jesus was baptized and Christians around the world thank you so much for this,” Fischer notes. “It’s an honor to be in this beautiful and ancient land testifying about Jesus Christ.”
Fischer now feels strongly that it’s easier to lead Muslims to Christ than it is to lead people from Seattle to Christ. “The spirit of liberalism is so strong here, it makes it almost impossible to lead people to Christ so it’s always encouraging to go and see people on fire get changed and set free. I love Palestine because they love Jesus,” he explains.
Acknowledging the son of God in Palestine
“Matthew 10:32 says ‘If anyone acknowledges me publicly here on Earth, I will openly acknowledge that person before my father in heaven.’ That is what I want to do today — acknowledge the son of God with you here, in Palestine,” Fischer shares with the mosque’s congregation. His goal for the sermon and his prayer for the Palestinian people is for them to get saved and know the love of Jesus.
Fischer came to Palestine because he feels a deep connection to the people who live there. Like them, he is the underdog where he comes from and feels deeply misunderstood. “I tell you this because I want you to know that Jesus uses people like you and me for his glory. The outcasts. The strangers. The loners,” he continues.
Sharing his testimony
“Since it’s the first time we have met, it’s always best as a Christian to tell one’s testimony, which is the story of how I came to know Christ,” Fischer shares. He speaks of the beautiful land where he lives, a suburb of Seattle called Bellevue, Washington. He describes the beauty of the land and the blessings of God over his marriage to his wife, Jamael, and their three beautiful children. “Before I met my wife, my soul was in the lost and found,” he says.
Fischer likens his journey as an evangelist to that of Paul, an apostle and follower of Jesus Christ who preached over 2,000 years ago in the same hills Fischer stands on to share the gospel in Palestine.
“Paul worked to support himself. Since I don’t want to be a burden to those that hear the word, I work as well to support God’s ministry, his church, and my family,” he explains. “I work as an internet entrepreneur in Seattle, and I try to preach the gospel of Jesus to the lost in Seattle. I say try because while I might invite 25 people a week, only one might show up. After two years, we only have ten members.”
But Fischer isn’t there to look down on the people he speaks to or come from a place above them. He shares that it’s an honor to speak to them as the blackest of sheep: someone despised and overlooked even in his own church.
What Christianity really is
Christians believe in three entities that help them: the father who is God, Jesus who sits at his right side, and the Holy Spirit. “The Holy Spirit is a gift that Jesus gave to all who believe in him when he left Jerusalem,” Fischer explains. “It’s a gift. An incense. A voice in the darkness. The Holy Spirit is a real person. I tell you here and now that Christianity is not a religion but instead a relationship with Jesus Christ.”
Fischer believes that many people are confused about what a Christian really is – even many who claim to be Christians. “The best way to describe being a true Christian is to first bring to your attention the battle that is raging right now in the spirit world,” he says. “It is a battle for your very souls, brothers and sisters, and it started with Satan uttering the words ‘did God really say you must not eat from any tree in the garden?’”
Since that day, Fischer believes that Satan has been working behind the scenes to cause division amongst people and turn them against each other. He preaches that Christians are fighting even today against unseen demons, including Satan, who fell from Earth and act as mighty, evil spirits.
The state of the world today
According to Fischer, a long time ago Satan broke up the early followers of Jesus (many of them from Palestine) into many different beliefs and sects in an effort to keep the lost from hearing the true word of God.
“Christians called the spell the denominational curse. People are confused now because one brother believes this and one brother believes that. Satan knows that divided people are weak people. He doesn’t want brother to love brother because he knows they will worship the one and true God,” Fischer explains. The
state of the world today, he believes, is thanks to Satan and this denominational curse.
“There is a darkness that has crept over the United States and the world. It has seeped into our universities, our schools and our governments. It teaches our children confusing messages and tries to lead them into sinful lifestyles. The darkness fools the young with a false message,” he continues. To Fischer, this is the intention of the evil one: to keep you from the truth. Satan knows that you can’t find the word of God if you’re wading knee-deep for years, decades, and even a lifetime through false doctrines.
Finding new life in Christ
When you take Jesus as your savior, Fischer says, a new life begins. He quotes Corinthians Chapter 5: “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old is gone, the new has come.”
He has found new life in Christ and promises that you can, too. His life before and after becoming a Christian is like night and day. “When you’re saved, and I mean really saved, you get that download that changes the way you feel about the world. You realize that you’re just a visitor here, this is not your home base and you need to step out in your gifting and begin using it,” he explains.
As for how one becomes a follower of Jesus Christ, that happens the moment you accept him as your savior. “When you’re saved, truly saved, Jesus sends the Holy Spirit to you and the Holy Spirit teaches you, guides you, and ministers to you,” Fischer preaches. He promises that when you accept Jesus as your personal savior, you become a new being and things just seem different.
“You begin to understand that there is a fire burning inside of you. The more faith you pour into Jesus Christ, the more love and wisdom he pours into you. You discover a joy and a peace you never thought possible. Broken homes are mended, troubled teens return home. A love returns for your wife. You could begin this relationship right now, with Jesus Christ, right where you’re at. As time gently passes by and you swim deeper into Jesus, you begin to shine a love that is so bright it brings comfort to all it sees,” he promises.
The return of Christ
Christians believe in something known as the end times: the return of Jesus Christ to Earth. “We don’t have much time left. We all know this to be true. Even you here in Hebron. It’s almost time for Jesus to return to the world. It’s almost time,” Fischer tells the people of Palestine. “Each generation has access to the reign of Jesus but few learn how to grow from his life giving love. The things that Jesus prophesied about are all beginning to fall into place. Great changes are taking place at an alarming rate. These changes are sometimes violent and sometimes so subliminally clever that you blink and you might not notice what Satan did.”
He knows that people are so lost, so lonely, and searching for meaning in life. He shares that meaning can be found in Jesus Christ, and is available to all people everywhere.
“Even though my sins are as many as the stars in the sky, the Lord has blessed me so much. I thank him daily for the blessings he has poured out on me. People that know me from when I was a young man don’t recognize me today. A changed life speaks loudly and clearly and is often the most effective way to influence a nation. And that’s what I want to do, is influence Palestine, the middle east, Seattle and the world.
The truth is brothers and sisters that I stand here tonight a changed man thanks to Jesus Christ of Nazareth who deserves all of the glory,” Fischer concludes. Jesus changed his life and, he believes, Jesus can change yours, too. Phil Fischer can be heard every Thursday and Saturday nights at Jesus Lives in Bellevue.
