“I have come from South Carolina to tell you I love the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. My love for the God of Israel has given me a love for the people of Israel.” That was Michael Post’s introduction to several Israelis during an evangelistic trip in August.

“This opened up the door to some wonderful conversations about how the God of Israel wanted to have a personal relationship with them,” said Post, “and how that was possible through the perfect lamb that God has sent from heaven.”

Post, the pastor of Lucas Avenue Baptist Church in Laurens, and fellow church member Robert Butters joined 26 Christians from 10 other nations to share the good news of Jesus Christ among Jews living in Israel.

Because of the warfare between Hamas and Israel, Post and Butters spent most of their time having conversations with military personnel. “We found ourselves close to the Gaza border on one occasion,” said Post. “As we were talking to soldiers, tanks — only about the length of a football field away — were shelling terrorist positions in Gaza.”

The duo went on the mission trip through Trumpet of Salvation ministries, an organization led by Jacob Damkani and dedicated to reaching Jews with the gospel of Jesus Christ. “I was surprised by the freedom of religion allowed in Israel,” said Post. “I didn’t have any problems sharing the gospel, and I attribute that to having received some excellent training by the Trumpet ministry staff on how to share the gospel in a Jewish context.”

“Trumpet of Salvation has a large mission house in Jaffa, and they also own a hotel in the heart of Tel Aviv, the Hotel Gilgal. It is the only hotel owned and operated by Messianic Jews. The purpose of the hotel is to provide an entry point from which believers can go out and do mission work in the land of promise.” The organization hosts four to five campaigns each summer, according to Post.

Butters, who became a Christian five years ago, said, “I would like to encourage anyone who has a new heart to fulfill the Great Commission and take the gospel back to the Jews.” He recalled the group singing Jewish praise songs one day when a group of soldiers asked if they could sing a Jewish hymn to them. As they were singing and dancing, he said, a “young orthodox Jew came over and told us we had no business being there and had to leave. All the soldiers started singing again, and the young man left. I later found out that the commander of the division told him he didn’t belong here and to leave. Many of the soldiers were secular, but they could tell we loved and supported them.”

Post said, “The country, as a mission field, is wide open. Many Christians assume that it is illegal to do evangelism in Israel, but that is not true. Many Jews and Arabs are very open to having a conversation of a spiritual nature. I found the younger generation to be particularly curious about spiritual issues.”

While no known professions of faith were made, Post and Butters believe the seeds of the gospel were planted in the lives of several people. “The conflict with Hamas and other Islamic militant groups within the Gaza Strip created a golden opportunity for us to share our faith,” Post emphasized. “The Israelis were very interested in what we had to say, knowing that we had come during a time of war.”

The pair went with the support and prayers of their church. Post said, “Nobody in our church, as far as I know, thought of Israel as being a mission field. Since we give 10 percent of our total church budget to the Cooperative Program, I did not ask for money from the budget, but the people gave freely (for our trip).”

Zechariah 13:9 has become a special verse for Post and Butters: “They will call on My name, and I will answer them. I will say, ‘They are My people,’ and they will say, ‘The Lord is my God.’ ”

Post says he and his wife are now laying the groundwork to lead a group to Israel in 2015, not just to sightsee, but to do evangelistic work.