Book Description

Reading ‘The Call of Jerusalem’ from three different perspectives It's been almost 20 years since I first read Prof. Tan Nget Hong's first edition of ‘The Call of Jerusalem’. At that time, I did not know Prof. Tan personally nor had I heard about him. However, after reading this book, I wanted to make a phone call to him to express my appreciation of the book. Unfortunately, the phone call did not get through at that time. Over the past decade or so, Prof. Tan and I have become close friends and partners in the ministry of Caring and Comforting God's chosen people. On 27 and 28 October 2015, both of us were workshop speakers at the "Caring for God's Chosen People" Mandarin-speaking seminar held in Kuala Lumpur. Unexpectedly, the attendees filled the main Worship Hall of Kuala Lumpur Hokkien Methodist Church. We believed that this was the first time that a public meeting on the theme of “Caring for God’s Chosen People” was held in Malaysia. It is indeed a great honor that we can contribute to promoting the ministry of “Caring for God’s Chosen People” among the Malaysian Chinese churches. To this day, we still remember vividly the feeling of excitement in our hearts throughout the seminar, and we are indeed grateful to the Lord that we could be used by Him in this ministry. I am very glad to learn that Prof Tan is publishing an updated e-version of this book, and believe sincerely that reading this book will bring many benefits to the readers! Since his first visit to the Holy Land in 2000, Prof. Tan has made many trips to the Holy Land in the past 20 years. As a free independent traveler, he has opportunity to make meaningful visits to most biblically related places in the Holy Land, and this book is the product of his observations, research and meditations during his visits to the Holy Land over the past 20 years. Although today there are already many Chinese books about the Holy Land, this book still has its own unique features and deserves to be carefully read by believers. First of all, this book can be regarded as a very comprehensive handbook for the travelers to the Holy Land, and it serves both as a reference and a travel guide for those who are visiting the Holy Land. The destinations described in this book cover almost every Christian ‘must-visit’ site in the Holy Land. The author's explanation of each biblical site is very detailed, including the historical, geographical and cultural aspects, as well as current background. In addition, the author provides many practical guidance and suggestions for the reader based on his own rich personal experiences. The tips provided can also save first-time visitors to the Holy Land from many unnecessary hassles, including the trap of being deceived by unscrupulous ‘tour-guides’. This book can also be read as a devotional. Readers not only read about the author’s narratives of the scene and background of the biblical sites, but also his pastoral teachings, exhortations and relevant prayers. For as an elder of the church, Prof. Tan always shares with readers the relevant biblical facts and teaching, God’s will and the love of Christ. At almost every biblical site, the author quotes appropriate Scripture to help the reader connect with the teaching of the Bible. Believers who visit the Holy Land with this book in hand will feel that they not only enjoy the benefit of a personal guide to explain the significance and background of the biblical sites, but also receiving sound teachings of the Bible by an Elder with spiritual understanding. The last portion of the book reveals the author’s deep concern for the salvation of God’s chosen people as he exhorts believers to share God’s desire for the redemption of the Jews. May the apostle Paul's prayer become the prayer of every believers: "Brothers and sisters, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved." (Rom 10:1). This is also the burden that I share with the author. Our life mission is to make people know Christ and fulfill the Great Commission, through our speaking or writing, and in this, the Jews should have the priority, because ‘salvation is from the Jews’, as Paul says in Romans: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” (Rom 1:16). Therefore, this book can be read from three different perspectives: 1. As a Holy Land travel guidebook for Christian travelers 2. As a devotional aid for Christian spiritual discipline 3. As an introduction to Missions to the Jews I pray that the Lord may use this book as a blessing for every reader.