We are now going to visit a place that was prominent in the History of the early church.

The Roman Gate (above) was structures with twists and turns so that a person coming in was slowed down and soldiers could defend it and a person on a horse or chariot could not ride through it very speedily.

Acts 12:19  But when Herod had searched for him (Peter)  and not found him, he examined the guards and commanded that they should be put to death. And he went down from Judea to Caesarea, and stayed there.

Acts 10:24-48  And the following day they entered Caesarea. Now Cornelius was waiting for them, and had called together his relatives and close friends. As Peter was coming in, Cornelius met him and fell down at his feet and worshiped him. But Peter lifted him up, saying, “Stand up; I myself am also a man.” And as he talked with him, he went in and found many who had come together. Then he said to them, “You know how unlawful it is for a Jewish man to keep company with or go to one of another nation. But God has shown me that I should not call any man common or unclean. Therefore I came without objection as soon as I was sent for. I ask, then, for what reason have you sent for me?” So Cornelius said, “Four days ago I was fasting until this hour; and at the ninth hour I prayed in my house, and behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing, and said, ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard, and your alms are remembered in the sight of God. Send therefore to Joppa and call Simon here, whose surname is Peter. He is lodging in the house of Simon, a tanner, by the sea. When he comes, he will speak to you.’ “So I sent to you immediately, and you have done well to come. Now therefore, we are all present before God, to hear all the things commanded you by God.”

Preaching to Cornelius’ Household

Then Peter opened his mouth and said: “In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality. But in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him. The word which God sent to the children of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ–He is Lord of all– that word you know, which was proclaimed throughout all Judea, and began from Galilee after the baptism which John preached: how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. And we are witnesses of all things which He did both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem, whom they killed by hanging on a tree. Him God raised up on the third day, and showed Him openly, not to all the people, but to witnesses chosen before by God, even to us who ate and drank with Him after He arose from the dead. And He commanded us to preach to the people, and to testify that it is He who was ordained by God to be Judge of the living and the dead. To Him all the prophets witness that, through His name, whoever believes in Him will receive remission of sins.”

The Holy Spirit Falls on the Gentiles

While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word. And those of the circumcision who believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God. Then Peter answered, “Can anyone forbid water, that these should not be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then they asked him to stay a few days.

Jim has not put pictures of Peter’s house on this computer yet, but I do have pictures of Herod’s palace and grounds. When I think of the trials that went on in this place it is sobering.

Above are some of the palace buildings, store rooms, and stables for the horses.

The palace was idyllic, and had a port, a swimming area and was grand in scale.

As you can see fishermen still fish at the harbor Sebastos. Someone snapped my picture here.

Our tour guide was giving us a map of the area so that we could see some of the layout of the palace.

Acts 23:23-33 And he called for two centurions, saying, “Prepare two hundred soldiers, seventy horsemen, and two hundred spearmen to go to Caesarea at the third hour of the night; and provide mounts to set Paul on, and bring him safely to Felix the governor.” He wrote a letter in the following manner: Claudius Lysias, to the most excellent governor Felix: Greetings. This man was seized by the Jews and was about to be killed by them. Coming with the troops I rescued him, having learned that he was a Roman. And when I wanted to know the reason they accused him, I brought him before their council. I found out that he was accused concerning questions of their law, but had nothing charged against him deserving of death or chains. And when it was told me that the Jews lay in wait for the man, I sent him immediately to you, and also commanded his accusers to state before you the charges against him. Farewell. Then the soldiers, as they were commanded, took Paul and brought him by night to Antipatris. The next day they left the horsemen to go on with him, and returned to the barracks. When they came to Caesarea and had delivered the letter to the governor, they also presented Paul to him. And when the governor had read it, he asked what province he was from. And when he understood that he was from Cilicia, he said, “I will hear you when your accusers also have come.” And he commanded him to be kept in Herod’s Praetorium.

What is very interesting is that there is also a stone with a carving of the words “Pontius Pilate

What really impacted me was the amphitheater, still in use today for concerts, but also part of Herod’s palace, along with a hippodrome for sporting events.

The seats are still used today, in fact some of our group sang for us. Their singing was also enjoyed by a few other tourist groups. Thought you would enjoy listening to a snippet.

To think that the disciples walked in this area, was sobering, yet it is through their courage and outspokenness that we have seen the spread of Christianity.

Hoping your day is blessed. Remember that if you are a visitor that is not a Xanga member, you may still comment on this site, and I look forward to hearing from you!!!

Heather

Jim has processed a few more pictures, hope you enjoy.

The streets in Israel gave us many moments for prayer, drivers drove CRAZY and our bus made turns that were hair raising, but Johnny, our driver managed to get us safely from spot to spot..

The above is the view from Mt. Precipice

One of the profound places we visited was Mt. Precipice mentioned in Luke 4:16-29, So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read. And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written: “The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD.” Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him. And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”
So all bore witness to Him, and marveled at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth. And they said, “Is this not Joseph’s son?” He said to them, “You will surely say this proverb to Me, ‘Physician, heal yourself! Whatever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in Your country.’ “ Then He said, “Assuredly, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own country. But I tell you truly, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a great famine throughout all the land; but to none of them was Elijah sent except to Zarephath, in the region of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian.” So all those in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, and rose up and thrust Him out of the city; and they led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, that they might throw Him down over the cliff. Then passing through the midst of them, He went His way.

Pastor Don pointed out that the scriptures that were read in the temple were read at a set time, so when Jesus stood to read these scriptures, He knew what they contained, and it was a set time for Him to read these. Isaiah spoke these words 700 years before the time Jesus read the words in the Temple, and the Levites listening would have known that this passage was specific to the promised Messiah. But because they knew Jesus’s earthly background, they could not get past him being a carpenter’s son (or so they thought), and Mary’s pregnancy. This is the hill over the valley Jezreel, and when they heard Jesus’ words, they wanted to cast Him off the cliff. They could not believe that anything good could come out of Nazareth.

Jesus was the light of the Gentiles, and he had the respect of the people. He came from a region that was multicultural, speaking Aramaic and Hebrew, and his speech was easily identified. Sort of like those in the north can identify the speech of a southerner.

What happened is that the Levites and Scribes and Pharisees excluded Jesus because He did not have a pedigree of their liking – He did not fit the picture of what they thought the Messiah would be, so they rejected Him. That is a warning for the church today, regarding pedigrees and expectations of what qualifies a person for leadership. So often we do not step forward because we think our pasts disqualify us for leadership, but we are new creations In Christ. Jesus was disqualified by the people in the temple when He proclaimed that the prophesy was fulfilled this day. They did not think He had good enough parents, no way was He the Messiah they thought. So they wanted to kill Him, to get rid of what they thought was an unworthy person to be the Messiah, but a miracle occurred. They had intent to kill, and Jesus just walked through the crowd, he didn’t speak, threaten or do anything, He just walked through the crowd and around the people. This is what happened in Jerusalem when they decided to kill Him at the wrong time. It is important to realize that the devil cannot snatch you out of life until your appointed time, until you have served where God wants you to serve and have done what God wanted you to do. God gave us the 91st Psalm to remind us of His protection.

Pastor Don then pointed out that we count, that we matter to God, that we are important to God, We matter to God just like Jesus mattered to God.

Then Pastor Don pointed out that the VICTORY OF THE SAINT IS KNOWING THAT IT IS NOT YOU, BUT GOD. Don’t listen when the devil tries to tell you that we have met our Waterloo, God has our backs.

Our victory does not depend on us, it depends on whose we are.

Pastor Don had us sit for a bit and meditate on God’s plan for our lives and what we need to do to begin to achieve this plan, walking through the obstacles.

If you look at the above picture of Mt. Precipice I noticed how the fields looked like a giant patchwork quilt – and each piece was necessary to the whole. We are all part of the whole plan of God, and each of us has our ministry. It drew me to Haggai 2 where it is mentioned that we are not to compare temples – we each have our own particular ministry, our own plan. I was praying that God would let me continue to do His work, unimpeded by my fleshly desires. I prayed that pride would not cause me to stumble. I feel that I spent 40 years hating God and avoiding God, and I want to make the most of the time left. There are still too many times when I let my personal desires and needs and wants interfere when I should be more open and receptive to what others need.

Here is a picture I took of many of the group (not all) on Mt. Precipice.

Hoping your night is blessed.

Heather

I spent many hours today going over about half of the 4000 or so photos I took in Israel, putting the ones I want to sort out into a folder as per my husband’s instructions. We are having a photo party at church on June 2 and sharing photos about the trip, and I am trying to have those ready for that time. As I weed through the photos I will be sharing more with you, but thought to get back into routine and share Friday’s Bible study.

A little bit of the study was sharing about our trip to Israel, and how impactful it was for each of us. God showed up in a huge way in everyone’s lives. When I opened my Bible to the passage Pastor Don was going to teach on Friday I came across a flower I had pressed between the pages of my Bible from the place that Jesus taught the Beatitudes.

Matthew 8:1-3 When He had come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed Him. And behold, a leper came and worshipped Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” Immediately his leprosy was cleansed.

There is a great struggle in the church today, people continually asking if God is willing. People wanting to know, no matter how dirty you are, will God cleanse you? YES HE WILL!

In Jesus’ time, if a person had a skin disease they could not go into the temple area. They lived in places of filth and dirt.  A person was considered unclean if they had not washed in running water after sexual intercourse, if they had touched someone who was a gentile, if they had touched something unclean and had not washed, and leprosy which was a disease that spread caused the person to be separated from all people. They had to walk around calling out unclean, unclean, even if the symptoms were not apparent on the outside.

When a person had a skin disease they had to go to the temple and have the priests look at it, the priests would then tell the person what to do according to the laws in Leviticus, if it was not leprosy, the priest would then pronounce them clean, if not there were certain prescribed actions that a person had to take, but once leprosy was declared the person was sent to isolated areas and not allowed in the midst of the people. (Heather’s note, only Naaman was cured of leprosy in the Old Testament after Levitical law was set up – made me wonder why such details about what to do with the healing of leprosy – until I realized that God set that up so that when Jesus came and healed this “incurable” disease, the routines for restoration were in the law.)

Also, remember the woman with the issue of blood, she too was not supposed to go near people because of the blood.

These rules seem harsh, but in reality God set them up to help the people not to succumb to various plagues that harmed other tribes. They did not realize that what God taught them was what we call quarantine today.

In those days a leper had to ring a bell and say, “Unclean, unclean.”

In the verses in Matthew, the leper’s words indicate that he knows that Jesus can heal him, he has the faith to believe that Jesus can heal leprosy, but there was still one question in the leper’s mind, IS JESUS WILLING TO HEAL HIM?

If we have faith for a situation, what is our limitation? The limitation is God’s willingness to do it.

With us today, it is not the problem of God’s willingness to do it, but it is our faith that He will do it.

When the leper came to Jesus he was asking, “Are you willing to violate Messianic Law and touch me?” Messianic Law would have made Jesus unclean for touching the leper. Is Jesus willing to touch the leper and go against the law of Moses? YES, He did.

Yet there seems to be a problem, because if Jesus touched the leper, the law would have made him ceremonially unclean. For the law says to touch no one who is unclean. And if you are unclean, to touch no one who is clean. So we sought to find out in our Bible study how Jesus could do that, and not be violating the law of Moses.

Malachi 4:2-3 “But to you who fear My name the Sun of Righteousness shall arise with healing in His wings; and you shall go out and grow fat like stall-fed calves. You shall trample the wicked, for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet. On the day I do this,” Says the Lord of Hosts.

This prophesy came 400 years before Jesus was born. The Jews understood that the wings was the wings of the prayer shawl. If you put a prayer shawl over your head and extend your arms, the fabric looks like wings. It is also called a tent, or a prayer closet. If a holy man prayed using a prayer shawl, the ends of the shawl would have supernatural power to heal. That was why the woman with the issue of blood wanted to touch the hem of His garment – it was the knots of the prayer shawl. She had faith that if she touched the hem of His garment she would be healed, and Jesus felt the release of the power.

The problem with the church today is that we keep wondering if He is Willing. Is God willing to heal?

A horse is willing to trot.
A preacher is willing to preach.
A bird is willing to fly.
God is willing to heal.

Do you believe the second half of this lepers’s prayer? “You can make me clean.”

The answer is: HE IS ALWAYS WILLING.
The question is: ARE YOU WILLING TO RECEIVE HIS HEALING?

We come to God wondering if we are OK, if we have sinned to much, and therefore God is not willing to answer our prayers.

In verse 3 Jesus says, “I AM WILLING, be cleansed.

Jesus had to be without sin. If He was not without sin, He couldn’t have saved us when He died on the cross. If Jesus touches us, does He then become ceremonially unclean?

Matthew 8: 4 And Jesus said to him, “See that you tell no one; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded as a testimony to them.”

Because Jesus was sanctified, had kept Himself pure, had not broken the law, He remained clean.

The key is: which is greater? Cleanliness or uncleanliness, good or evil, light or dark.

Darkness never overcomes the light, a tiny match can banish the darkness in a huge room.

At the time Jesus healed the leper He was fully human, if we believe that the healing was due to Him being God we are in trouble, for at that time He was Son of Man. But the power within Him is greater than the power of darkness.

Most Christians who get hit back with demons, or spiritual troubles after a spiritual work is that they have worked without the proper authority, they have not confessed their sins, kept themselves sanctified, and thus there are doors open where the spirits or satan can come and attack. (Heather’s note, remember satan’s fiery darts are aimed at the weak points in our spiritual armor).

When Jesus healed the leper He was so sanctified that nothing could come back upon Him. When we have the faith to know this, when we are under the covering of the righteousness of Jesus, we can walk in the darkest, deadliest streets and know that we are covered.

He who is with us is greater than he who is against us.

There can be an instantaneous transfer of power and light and righteousness when we obey Him, but the problem is that we love the darkness instead. When Jesus healed the leper there was not a transference of uncleanness. God is ALWAYS WILLING to heal, to cleanse, and to deliver. If God is ALWAYS willing to do it, then it becomes a question of do we have the faith to go along with God’s willingness?

Prosperity (healing, deliverance, finances, etc) is already available to the church, but what is missing is OBEDIENCE.

We need to ask ourselves the following questions.

1. Do we believe and know God’s will concerning that?
2. Are we going to permit God’s will to happen?
3. Are we going to line up with God’s Word?
4. Are we going to give God supremacy in our lives?

In matters of health the question should never be asked about if God is willing. It is NEVER God’s will for you to suffer, get sick, and die. He wants us to complete His work on the earth.

Pastor Don said that what brings us down is SPIRITUAL ASSUMPTIONS that are in error for they open up gates, doors and windows and let negative things enter. When we listen to wrong spiritual assumptions we can bring things to a negative condition. (Heather’s note, a erroneous spiritual assumption might be that you have sinned to much for God to care about you.)

Then Pastor Don pointed out that we should not be asking too many “why” questions. You can’t see around the corner. We can’t see how an event here in our lives will impact situations in the future. We may not see the eventual outcome until we get around the corner. Sometimes a tough situation in our present has a splendid outcome in the future.

To prove this, we read Genesis 45:1-10 Then Joseph could not restrain himself before all those who stood by him, and he cried out, “Make everyone go out from me!” So no one stood with him while Joseph made himself known to his brothers. And he wept aloud, and the Egyptians and the house of Pharaoh heard it. Then Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph; does my father still live?” But his brothers could not answer him, for they were dismayed in his presence. And Joseph said to his brothers, “Please come near to me.” So they came near. Then he said: “I am Joseph your brother, whom you sold into Egypt. ”But now, do not therefore be grieved or angry with yourselves because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life. “For these two years the famine has been in the land, and there are still five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvesting. “And God sent me before you to preserve a posterity for you in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. (8) “So now it was not you who sent me here, but God; and He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt. (9) “Hurry and go up to my father, and say to him, ‘Thus says your son Joseph: “God has made me lord of all Egypt; come down to me, do not tarry. “You shall dwell in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near to me, you and your children, your children’s children, your flocks and your herds, and all that you have.

We focused on verse 8, that all the things Joseph suffered did not seem, to Joseph’s senses, to be from God – being put in prison, being sold for slavery by his brothers, etc. Yet God used those to put Joseph into a position to save the lives of his family. Joseph could not see around the corner. It took Joseph years to see God’s plan in this.

Genesis 50:15-21 When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “Perhaps Joseph will hate us, and may actually repay us for all the evil which we did to him.” So they sent messengers to Joseph, saying, “Before your father died he commanded, saying, ”Thus you shall say to Joseph: “I beg you, please forgive the trespass of your brothers and their sin; for they did evil to you.” ‘ Now, please, forgive the trespass of the servants of the God of your father.” And Joseph wept when they spoke to him. Then his brothers also went and fell down before his face, and they said, “Behold, we are your servants.”  Joseph said to them, “Do not be afraid, for am I in the place of God? “But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive. “Now therefore, do not be afraid; I will provide for you and your little ones.” And he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.

Joseph had the power and authority from Pharaoh to put his brothers to death if he chose, but instead, He obeyed God’s plan and saved his family.

Pastor Don then talked about a period where he had gone into the deepest depression. He said that he grew up in the Bronx and went to college in Ohio. His father wanted him to see what the rest of America was like and knew that the heart of the midwest would give him that knowledge. He went with his suits and shirts looking good and at that time did not own a pair of jeans. He felt so out of place, lonely and depressed. His father said to him, “If you are depressed there is something wrong with you. You should always be able to find some joy wherever you are. Get yourself involved. If you are that miserable, it is YOU who needs to change.” So Pastor Don changed himself and got beyond this depression.

When we line up with God’s Word, our outcomes will be like Joseph’s. He dwelt in Egypt and was buried there, and they carried his bones back to Israel.

This blesses me, because I often catch myself trying to look around corners, and not just trusting in God’s sovereignty and love for me to see me through the tough situations. When I first got saved, I also struggled about God’s willingness to act in my life, given my past. I am learning how wrong some of my assumptions about God are.

Have a blessed Sunday. I will get more pictures up, but that depends on my husband.

Heather

 Well we made it back safely, Praise God. I gave Jim the rest of the memory sticks from the camera and he has already sent out a few pictures from Israel to family and friends. Here are a few that caught his eye. I want you to know except for the dome of the rock (where my Bible was confiscated and held at the entrance by the Muslims) and Petra (where we walked on very rough terrain) I have carried my Bible around Jerusalem, it is as traveled as I was. It is going to take a lot of time to process the trip to Israel, but I have been abundantly blessed by God, it truly was a pilgrimage.

I am eager to get to your sites, have already slept 7 hours and need more sleep to get my body back on target.

Here are a few pictures:

These are Israeli soldiers getting ready to be sworn in for their three year tour of duty. Boys have to serve three years, girls two. It actually felt safe to have them around as we walked through Israel. There was a big celebration going on at this site where the soldiers were waiting to e sworn in. We were near the temple walls (you can see them to the right of the truck), it was a world peace day. They had children singing and dancing and tons of people had gathered to celebrate.

Our second day was spent around the Sea of Galilee, and we rode out on a boat that looked like this one, singing hymns, dancing and seeing what the Sea of Galilee would have looked like in Jesus’ time. Pastor Don pointed out that it looks so much like our area’s reservoir. In fact on our drive home to the church from the airport, we took a glance at our reservoir and it does look so much like what we saw from this boat.

There were 12 of us who chose to be baptized on this trip, I am here with Pastor Don and Mrs. Moore just a few seconds before being baptized, I was sharing what I needed to with Pastor Don. I came out of the water so changed, sobbing with joy. God had given me the text of Haggai 2 the night before, I had been praying hard that this baptism would cleanse me from any strongholds that prevented me from doing His will completely. And what was contained in Haggai 2 seemed to follow me all through Jerusalem, and still impacts me. I was rather out of it after the baptism, the Holy Spirit was really cleansing me.

Pastor Don said that this site had changed so much since he was last here. This is the Garden of the Beatitudes, and Pastor Don said that he had previously been able to walk down the hillside and sit on the grass. The church has made nice paths, but the paths prevented us from wandering at will, we had gathered in this corner to hear a Bible study from Pastor Don. He pointed out that the last time he was here, he noticed that the acoustics were so good here that when Jesus spoke to the multitude, they would have heard Him very well – Jesus picked the spots He used so that all could hear.

This is my friend Julie, she was getting ready to speak at the Garden Tomb, We took communion here and by far, our time spent here was the most important time for us as a group – for the tomb really is empty! We were so blessed here and God showed up in a powerful way during our communion service. It seems that for us, as a group, the places that were most profound were the more natural sites, not built over by tons of edifices.

This is one of the stones found near the site of the Garden Tomb, it would have been rolled in front of a tomb entrance, in a channel that was carved out for it. I had my picture taken in front of it because I wanted you to see how big and heavy it was.

By the way you now see the Bible I use when I share my studies and next to the Bible is a small notebook held by my fingertips, I almost filled it up with notes from Israel that I will share over time.

These are just a few of the pictures, but I wanted to share what I could right away with you. I thought about you daily while I was in Israel, wanting you to see all possible. After some rest I will slowly start visiting you to see what has been going on in the ten days that I have been gone.

Have a blessed night.

Heather

Oh my goodness, what a blessing this trip has been!!!!! I cannot believe all that God is showing me and doing while in Israel. I haven’t had a chance to speak with you for the past few days, there is only one computer in this hotel and it is hard to get on it.

I don’t even know where to begin, perhaps with today which ended at my most favorite spot in the Bible – the Empty Tomb – yep it really is empty, I have pictures to prove it! - Praise God.

Then we got back to the hotel and worshipped with some missionaries who moved to Israel from a place near our home town. They got an unction to move to Israel and have been here ten years reaching people for Jesus, but not converting, just enlarging the Jewish roots to include Messiah.  The ministry is part of Tikkun Ministries, P.O. box 2997, Gaithersburg, MD 20886. They gave such a powerful message.

I promise to share in depth when I get back to the states, but some of the other places we visited was the cave of the shepherds, a stone cave where those who were out tending their sheep heard the news about the birth of Jesus and came to worship. The man leading us spoke about some of the characteristics of sheep relating them to the 23rd Psalm.

At one point we went to look at the Eastern Gate and the dome of the rock – in order to get there we had to check all our religious items at the gate, they were disgusted that I was carrying my Bible – I felt so vulnerable and the Holy Spirit showed us that at some time we may be faced with similar situations if we do not watch out for that. I also learned that at the top of the dome, where people cannot see it is written the words, “God has no son.” I was ever so happy to leave that place for more spiritual places.

I want to share that I put a prayer for you all in the Wailing Wall – both in the underground tunnel in a spot that is near where the Holy of Holies was, and I had someone put a prayer in the wall itself. I am not a stellar runner, so we prayed for the prayer requests in the bus and those who were younger than us ran to put them in the wall.

I was taken to a place that makes prayer shawls and purchased one, which got blessed tonight in our service inside the hotel. This conference room at the hotel has some anointing in it after two nights of praise and  worship. We also heard what all the missionaries are doing here. They keep the Jewish feasts and many of those who are secular Jews come to their church for they learn more about their traditions and faith, and they get a good dose of the Holy Spirit. We were so profoundly touched by the Holy Spirit this trip. People were crying, laughing, and being touched deeply by God.

Tomorrow we go into Jordan and view Israel as Moses would have seen it and go to the rock city of Petra the next day. I am so excited about this.

I keep praying for the peace of Jerusalem, knowing full well that God will bring it about at the time He desires, but I am so surprised about the division between the various cultures, and even the churches who have placed their edifices over the places Jesus walked. I have found that I find more spiritual fulfillment in the sites that are more natural, and the best by far is the empty tomb.

Well it is late, and I need to get up at 5:30 this morning to start the long bus ride. Bus rides are fun though, for we sing, laugh, and have grown closer together as a family.

I praise God for His giving me this wonderful blessing of a trip of a lifetime.

Have a blessed night!!

Heather

Well, I was baptized in the Jordan on May 18th around 3:30 in the afternoon. What a blessing, what a blessing! Before that baptism I prayed about what I needed God to cleanse me from and also asked Him to make me aware if there was anything else I needed to ask. He gave me Haggai Chapter 2 and it was a listing of all my goals for Israel and then some! And every now and then I am seeing more from Haggai in what is talked about and sung about.

We drove DOWN into the mountains of Jerusalem last night. Can I tell you that it is such an incredible place, the mountains, the streams, the deserts, the oasis parts, the city, and all so beautiful. I really think God saved this place for His chosen people.

We took a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee, praising God in song, dancing and learning much about Jesus. Pastor Don pointed out that trust and obedience to God was the real miracle. Many joked about walking on the water, but it is trusting that God will give you the desires of your heart (meaning put them into your heart and also give you what is put there). Also there was an old style sailing boat that was discovered that seems to date back to the time of Jesus – they call it the Jesus boat and I got to get my picture taken with the person who was the main archeologist for that boat.

We also went by the shore of the Sea of Galilee where they think Jesus appeared to the disciples after His resurrection.

I got covered in mud and floated in the Dead Sea, which is shrinking in size and worrying all those who are concerned about ecology.

We also went to Masada, and walked around that place so filled with history. Then went to En Gedi, and stood under a waterfall.

For me today my favorite place was Jericho. First we had to cross two borders – Israel and Jordan’s, and then Pastor Don convinced the gatekeeper to let us in even though it was closing time. What is so interesting is that the song about the walls coming tumbling down isn’t quite accurate. We looked and saw that the walls actually sank into the ground. Pastor Don thinks that there was blood and sacrifice that went into making those walls, God wanted to honor those who died for that, so He just buried the walls, sank them into the ground. But for me it is the place where Rahab was and Rahab and the scarlet thread really touches my heart, for God used the scarlet to redeem Rahab. In those days prostitutes painted their windows red – and the scarlet thread that runs through the Bible pointing an leading to Jesus starts in Genesis and is used to save Rahab who later becomes part of the genealogy of Jesus. Also the scarlet worm Tolaith is what was used to make red dye, and that worm crawls up onto a leaf to reproduce, covers the eggs with it’s body, three days after it dies it dries up and becomes a white ash, (Though your sins be as scarlet, they will become white as snow), and Psalm 22 when it is said that He is a worm it is (tolaith).

We saw the caves were the Dead Sea Scrolls were found, and later will go to a museum to take a look at them.

God is blessing me so much with this trip. there is so much to share but it is late here and I have to get some sleep. We are packing in so many things into one day we practically move from early morning until about 8 at night. It is truly a pilgrimage.

Not tomorrow, but the next day we will be at the Wailing Wall. I will pray for you there. What makes this trip all the more special is that Pastor Don teaches us so much. Tomorrow I get to talk about the fields of Boaz and the kinsman redeemer. I have to prepare that tonight for tomorrow.

Please have a blessed night, and I can’t get to your sites here, but will certainly pay you a visit when I come back. Pray that God gives me much to share with you. I am still crying when I think that I am walking where Jesus walked, and seeing the sights He saw. When they talk about Jesus’ ministry and the fact that he walked to each place He ministered to I have to tell you that He was PHYSICALLY FIT!

Have a blessed night,

Heather

Oh, words cannot describe how awesome Israel is. I wish we could linger more in spots, but God is doing remarkable work in people’s lives.  I have been taking notes, and will share these notes and hopefully some pictures when I get back but I had to share with you part of a teaching today. By the way, gas is $9 per gallon here.

We went to a spot outside of  Nazareth that overlooked the Jezreel valley and Pastor Don reminded us of Jesus reading Isaiah in the temple, how the people tried to throw Jesus off the cliff and He walked through the crowd. Pastor Don pointed out that the scriptures read in the temple follow a set time for the reading, so it was not random that Jesus read those particular scriptures (see Luke 4) at that time. And the people had waited 700 years for this prophesy to be fulfilled, but Jesus did not look like what they imagined the person fulfilling the prophesy would look like. They looked down on Nazarenes (sort of like the southerners speaking a different dialect) they did not think anything good could come out of Nazareth.  It was a miracle that He did not get cast down that hill. I will share more of this in detail, but Pastor Don pointed out that the VICTORY OF THE SAINT is knowing that it is not the Saint doing, but God working through Him. Don’t let the devil beat us down by telling us that we have met our Waterloo, know that God has our backs, and that nothing will happen to us until it is God’s timing. Jesus knew that God had work for Him to do.

I will share more of this talk later, but God spoke to me in a big way here, in fact we had church on that mountain top and did not make it to the site of the annunciation.

Please think of me and pray tomorrow for we will be going out on the Sea of Galilee, and baptism in the Jordan. Please pray that God’s perfect will is done for me, that strongholds are removed, that I am no longer resistant to what God has in store for me.

Oh, we also went to Caeserea today, what a piece of history and a reminder that obedience to God is so important, and what Paul went through. I want to cry with joy as we trace the paths that Jesus and the disciples walked. We even got to walk through the underground tunnel near Megiddo, where water was brought into the city.

Tonight we sang in the hotel lobby of the kibbutz we are staying at, and what a blessing that was. The people in Israel are so friendly, helpful and  fun to meet. I tadah them (we learned that that means thank you, not sure how it is spelled).  Tomorrow we will stay in Jerusalem. Maagan is the name of this Kibbutz and it is right on the Sea of Galilee. The meaning of Maagan is “where the boats dock.” From my porch I can see the sea of Galilee. How awesome is that. It was the first kibbutz in Israel, so those who were here had to work long and hard, and many were concentration camp survivors at that time. Now it is different, but still blessed.

Praying you are all blessed, I will try to write more later, and am praying for my Xangians. When we get to the Wailing Wall I will put my Xanga Friends in a prayer there. Anyway I have to go now, and will try to write more later. We do so much in a day that I need to sleep. Have a blessed night, we are seven hours ahead of New York.

Heather

What a blessing for Friday’s Bible Study, a visit from Pastor Wendell from Good Ground Family Church in Cohoes, New York (near Albany). He has had something pressing on his mind that he wanted to share with us. I have typed it in its entirety rather than splitting it because it is such a powerful message that needs to be read at one sitting.

James 1:1-8 (King James version) James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting. My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.

Pastor Wendell talked about wavering – when one is wavering they are tossed between two different things, not really standing on solid ground, but going back and forth – being double minded.

Then he read the next few passages from the Amplified Version.

James 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect (free, large, full) gift is from above; it comes down from the Father of all [that gives] light, in [the shining of] Whom there can be no variation [rising or setting] or shadow cast by His turning [as in an eclipse].

Light, pure light, we don’t have to figure it out, just walk in the light.

James 1:18 Amplified And it was of His own [free] will that He gave us birth [as sons] by [His] Word of Truth, so that we should be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures [a sample of what He created to be consecrated to Himself]. We are a sample of Himself, consecrated to Him (God).

James 1:19 Amplified Understand [this], my beloved brethren. Let every man be quick to hear [a ready listener], slow to speak, slow to take offense and to get angry.  Every man, and Pastor Wendell pointed out that we might need to hear this about anger, not to get angry, to be slow to take offense.

James 1:20-22 Amplified For man’s anger does not promote the righteousness God [wishes and requires]. So get rid of all uncleanness and the rampant outgrowth of wickedness, and in a humble (gentle, modest) spirit receive and welcome the Word which implanted and rooted [in your hearts] contains the power to save your souls. But be doers of the Word [obey the message], and not merely listeners to it, betraying yourselves [into deception by reasoning contrary to the Truth].

In this day and age it is so easy to deceive ourselves through our intellects, and to apply our reasoning to justify any position, even when it is contrary to the truth. In this world today the clear word of truth is diluted by people’s personal opinions about what FEELS right or what SHOULD be right, and these feelings are not based on the truth, but on our fleshly desires.

The Word of God is our focal point, and it is the foundation from which we should live. We should not betray ourselves by not doing God’s will. It is very easy to slip into darkness and deception.

Then Pastor Wendell talked about that period of twilight – where the sun is about to set and darkness to come – twilight is not quite daylight, but not totally dark, but our vision is obscured and we do not see clearly.

Today our country is in twilight, a time in our country when night is falling, when right becomes wrong and wrong becomes right, and the lines are blurred.

As an example, Pastor Wendell shared some proclamations from the President, then Pataki who used to be governor of New York, and Spitzer who is the current governor.

Here is the President’s proclamation: I bolded every reference to God.

National Day of Prayer, 2007
A Proclamation by the President of the United States of America

A prayerful spirit has always been an important part of our national character, and it is a force that has guided the American people, given us strength, and sustained us in moments of joy and in times of challenge. On this National Day of Prayer, we acknowledge God’s grace and ask for His continued guidance in the life of our Nation.

Americans of many faiths and traditions share a common belief that God hears the prayers of His children and shows grace to those who seek Him. Following the tragedy at Virginia Tech, in towns all across America, in houses of worship from every faith, Americans have joined together to pray for the lives that were lost and for their families, friends, and loved ones. We hold the victims in our hearts and pray for those who suffer and grieve. There is a power in these prayers, and we can find comfort in the grace and guidance of a loving God.

At this important time in our history, we also pray for the brave members of our Armed Forces and their families. We pray for their safety, for the recovery of the wounded, and for the peace we all seek.

The Congress, by Public Law 100 307, as amended, has called on our Nation to reaffirm the role of prayer in our society and to respect the freedom of religion by recognizing each year a “National Day of Prayer.”

NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim May 3, 2007, as a National Day of Prayer. I ask the citizens of our Nation to give thanks, each according to his or her own faith, for the freedoms and blessings we have received and for God’s continued guidance, comfort, and protection. I invite all Americans to join in observing this day with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twentieth day of April, in the year of our Lord two thousand seven, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-first.

GEORGE W. BUSH

I could not find a way to copy the following proclamations, so I gave you the links. George Pataki’s proclamation does mention God.

Notice that Eliott Spitzer’s proclamation does not mention God once! In fact he tried very hard not to do a proclamation for the national day of prayer, at one point New York was the only state not issuing a proclamation, so having to write one, he managed not to include one reference to God.

Pastor Wendell was checking this out after he heard about it because, for Pastor Wendell it is an indication of the downward spiral of our country, of our going into twilight times.

Then Pastor Wendell pointed out that the House of Representatives passed HR1592 which is a law regarding homosexuality, making it a hate crime to speak anything against homosexuals. They have placed this group of people in a class of people requiring special protection. This will make it very difficult for preachers, teachers, to speak anything that is contrary to agreement with the homosexual lifestyle, even though there are specific teachings in the Bible against this lifestyle.

Republicans tried to add a sentence requiring the law to respect religious rights of people, but the democrats voted that clause down. and now it is going to be sent to Senate. President Bush has promised to veto this law if it makes it through the Senate.

What the Law will do is give one group special privileges and block the freedom of speech and religion of a majority of the people in our country.

Pastor Wendell pointed out that He was MALE and HETEROSEXUAL – that is his life choice – because he has chosen this path, in agreement with he Word of God, does not make him a homophobe, nor does it mean that he is going to perpetuate hate crimes on people of other lifestyles.

As a person, Pastor Wendell should have the right to have his own opinion, even if it does not agree with another person’s opinion of correct lifestyle. Again having a differing opinion does not make a person a homophobe or perpetuating hate crimes.

Christians who follow the Word of God are considered bigots, but really they are making a choice to follow the Word of God – because they do not agree with particular lifestyle does not make them a homophobe or perpetuating hate crimes.

This law will affect the freedom of speech and religion that our Constitution guarantees, and will make one group of people a special class.

Someone mentioned that today tolerance has had its’ meaning changed from allowing each person to have their own beliefs and practices, to forcing agreement for a belief or practice even if it goes against another’s belief and practice. For Christians, we are considered intolerant when we practice what the Bible says and do not agree on certain lifestyles.

What people do not realize is that, while a Christian does not agree with a certain lifestyle, they are still to treat the people with love, even though they do not accept the choices they have made.

We are being pushed into a corner and forbidden to disagree, and if we do disagree with a life choice, if we present our opinion, we are called racists or bigots. When in reality, we should also have the right to assert that this is not how I choose to live my life. We also have the right to have an opinion contrary to another’s lifestyle. It is not about LOVE, it is about choice.

God wants everybody in the kingdom of God. The main message of the Bible is 1. GOD LOVES PEOPLE and 2 WHAT YOU DO WITH THE FACT OF THE FIRST MESSAGE IS UP TO YOU.

John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He sent His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

It is the person’s choice to believe in Jesus or not.

We then spoke a bit about Cain and Abel, how Cain presented a wrong sacrifice and God told Cain that he needed to change His sacrifice. He had seen that Cain was upset that Abel’s sacrifice was approved. God told Cain to change and all would be well. Instead, Cain chose to kill Abel, then in fear asked God to protect him. God put a mark on Cain’s forehead to protect his life, even though he had killed Abel. Even a fallen man has God’s protection.

IT ISN’T ABOUT LOVE, IT IS ABOUT RIGHTEOUSNESS.

It comes down to people not wanting to obey God, and wanting all others to agree with their choice to disobey, calling what is wrong, “right.”

The truth is we cannot afford a twilight in our relationship with God.

John 11:9-10 Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of the world. But if one walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.”

It takes just a little bit of light to banish the darkness, but often those who prefer the darkness shun the light.

WALK IN DAY, LIVE IN LIGHT.

Genesis 1:1-5 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. Then God said, “Let there be light.”; and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the first day.

There are three ways to look at this passage. 1. Theologically – In the beginning, GOD. 2. Chronologically – God created TIME – In the BEGINNING and 3. Spiritually if there is darkness and confusion in our lives we need God to bring the light.

The Lord’s Prayer follows this too, Our Father (in the beginning God), who art in heaven (location)…

The firSt thing God does is that God looks out and establishes an element of who He is in the darkness. He ESTABLISHED LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS.

Out of Chaos, God instills order. And there was an order in creation, first the light, then the firmament, then the lesser lights.

What has happened here on earth is that instead of worshipping God, the greater Light, we have taken to worshipping the lesser lights – sun gods, moon gods, idols, lifestyle, etc.

GOD SPOKE – LET THERE BE LIGHT,

James 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.

Jesus is the Father of Lights, for Jesus spoke into creation.

God made us at the end of the sixth day, he formed us (not spoke us into existence) from clay and water, and then breathed (INSPIRATION) life into us, and we breathe back out what God has breathed in us (RE-SPIRATION). The Word comes into our lives (inspiration) it changes us (respiration).

John 12:28-32 “Father, glorify Your name.” Then a voice came from heaven, saying, “I have both glorified it and will glorify it again.” Therefore the people who stood by and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, “An angel has spoken to Him.” Jesus answered and said, “This voice did not come because of Me, but for your sake. Now is the judgment of this world, now the ruler of this world will be cast out. And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.”

We are to walk in the light, walking while we have the light.

John 12:35-36 Then Jesus said to them, “A little while longer the light is with you. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you; he who walks in darkness does not know where he is going. While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light.”

John 3:16-19 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned, but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

Men loved the darkness, and the light of truth exposes the things of darkness. In this day and age we are in, man’s deeds are evil. And when the light comes in, it is kind of like cockroaches scrambling to hide once the light is turned on.

John 3:20 Amplified. For every wrongdoer hates (loathes, detests) the Light, and will not come out into the Light but shrinks from it, lest his works (his deeds, his activities, his conduct) be exposed and reproved.

Notice that “Light” has a Capital “L”. That Light is Jesus. We need to respond to the Light and come into the Light.

John 3: 21 But he who practices truth [who does what is right] comes out into the Light; so that his works may be plainly shown to be what they are–wrought with God [divinely prompted, done with God's help, in dependence upon Him].

In the Light, when we realize that we can only do what we need to do with God’s help, God gets the glory and we reflect our dependance on God. We are not perfect, but God helps us to get closer to perfection.

John 1:1-4  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

BE LIGHT LOVERS AND THEN WE ARE LIFE LOVERS, based on the Word of God, the elements of God, the characteristics of God.

John 1:5 Amplified And the Light shines on in the darkness, for the darkness has never overpowered it [put it out or absorbed it or appropriated it, and is unreceptive to it].

We have gotten things twisted around and we let darkness dictate to light, when in reality we need to be light that dictates to the darkness.

Lucy Swindoll once told a story called Flashlights for Jesus. In this she described a situation where people were in an elevator which lost power. The people were in a panic in the dark. One person had a tiny flashlight and once the light was on, the people relaxed, joked, and patiently waited for the power to be restored. A little bit of light was comforting. Lucy then said that we had to be flashlights for Jesus, bringing light into a dark and chaotic world. Ephesians 5:8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light.

It doesn’t take a lot of light to be effective, just a little light banishes the darkness.

John 1:6-8 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.

Remember when you see capital “L” in light it means Jesus.

1 John 1:9 Amplified  There it was–the true Light [was then] coming into the world [the genuine, perfect, steadfast Light] that illumines every person.

What a beautiful description of Jesus, true Light, genuine, perfect, steadfast – a light that illuminates every person.

John 1:10-12 Amplified  He came into the world, and though the world was made through Him, the world did not recognize Him [did not know Him]. He came to that which belonged to Him [to His own--His domain, creation, things, world], and they who were His own did not receive Him and did not welcome Him. But to as many as did receive and welcome Him, He gave the authority (power, privilege, right) to become the children of God, that is, to those who believe in (adhere to, trust in, and rely on) His name–

As we receive Jesus into our lives, He gives us authority, power, privilege, and the right to become children of God, and to shed His light into the darkness of the world.

John 1-13-14 Amplified Who owe their birth neither to bloods nor to the will of the flesh [that of physical impulse] nor to the will of man [that of a natural father], but to God. [They are born of God!] And the Word (Christ) became flesh (human, incarnate) and tabernacled (fixed His tent of flesh, lived awhile) among us; and we [actually] saw His glory (His honor, His majesty), such glory as an only begotten son receives from his father, full of grace (favor, loving-kindness) and truth.

Pastor Wendell pointed out how awesome this verse was in the Amplified Bible because it talks about Christ as fully human (tent of flesh), living among us tabernacled with us.

John 1:15-18 Amplified John testified about Him and cried out, This was He of Whom I said, He Who comes after me has priority over me, for He was before me. [He takes rank above me, for He existed before I did. He has advanced before me, because He is my Chief.] For out of His fullness (abundance) we have all received [all had a share and we were all supplied with] one grace after another and spiritual blessing upon spiritual blessing and even favor upon favor and gift [heaped] upon gift. For while the Law was given through Moses, grace (unearned, undeserved favor and spiritual blessing) and truth came through Jesus Christ. No man has ever seen God at any time; the only unique Son, or the only begotten God, Who is in the bosom [in the intimate presence] of the Father, He has declared Him [He has revealed Him and brought Him out where He can be seen; He has interpreted Him and He has made Him known].

It is only through Jesus that we “see” the Father. Jesus came to make the Father (God) known to us, to reveal God.

Isaiah 6:1 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple.

Pastor Wendell said that this train was like the train on a wedding dress. He pointed out that in the days of Isaiah, when a king conquered another kingdom, the king would take pieces of the defeated kings’ trains and sew them onto their train – so that the length of the train showed the number of victories that the king had achieved.  God has had so many victories that His train fills the temple.

We closed with a reading of the following Bible passages in this order to show our journey, our time, our message and the benediction. Read together the passages are powerful!

OUR JOURNEY:

2 Corinthians 4:1-7 Therefore, since we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we do not lose heart. But we have renounced the hidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness nor handling the word of God deceitfully, but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God. But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them. For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your bondservants for Jesus’ sake. For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.

Ephesians 5:8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light.

Colossians 1:12 …giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light.

1 Thessalonians 5:5-6 You  are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of the darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober.

OUR TIME:

Romans 13:11-14 And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.

OUR MESSAGE:

Acts 26:16-18 But rise and stand on your feet, for I (Jesus) have appeared to you for this purpose, to make you a minister and a witness both of the things which you have seen and of the things which I will yet reveal to you. I will deliver you from the Jewish people, as well as from the Gentiles, to whom I now send you to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.

1 John 1:5-10 This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.

THE BENEDICTION:

Matthew 5:14-16 You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation. His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;

Revelation 22:5 There shall be no night there: (In the New Jerusalem) They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever.

PRAISE GOD!!!

Have a blessed day!

Xanga now has the option of commenting even if you do not have a Xanga account. I would love to hear from you.

Heather

Tomorrow is Bible Study and I will try to post it over this weekend, but I am in a flurry of activity. I have been saving a massive surprise for you – on Monday evening I will be on a plane with Pastor Don and several others from our church – we are going to ISRAEL!!!!! Can you imagine what a pilgrimage that will be? I am so excited, and praying that God shares what He wants me to know while I am there. I plan to be baptized in the Jordan, and we are also going to make a side trip to Petra. I will take lots of notes to share. Please pray travelling mercies for me, and let me be transparent and open for whatever God has in store for me.

I am hoping I will have access to computers in the hotels, if I do, I will type notes to you, but if you don’t hear from me for a few days you will know why.

Have a blessed week!

Heather

The Colonel (cotaroba) has interviewed me with the following questions, so here goes! If you would like to be interviewed, just read the information that follows.

1. Did speaking in tongues pass away with the apostles or is this something believers today could experience?

Tongues is a spiritual gift and it did not pass away with the apostles. Why would Jesus give a gift that is so necessary for edification and then take it away a few years after His death? We need this gift even more today than before because of the state of the world. I speak in tongues, and know that I know that I know it is a gift from God. There are so many things regarding tongues that people need to know. First of all there are more than one kind of tongues, there are tongues for prophesy and there are also the personal, private prayer language of tongues for personal edification. Yes, there are rules for speaking in tongues, at times it is appropriate, at other times it is more beneficial to speak quietly in tongues under one’s breath.

Here are some excerpts from Pastor Don’s Discipleship manual that might help with tongues. (pp 183-187)

“God is Spirit and does the supernatural: therefore we must also learn the spirit things by getting out of the natural.”

“We must understand that in Acts, Chapter 2, when the people are speaking, it is then that the Spirit gives utterance. Unfortunately many people have the wrong idea. They somehow think that the Holy Spirit will overpower them and force them to speak by speaking through them. Yet in Acts 2:4 we see that the Word says, “And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.” so we see that the Holy Spirit assists with the words and adds spiritual communications, but that the person is doing the speaking. Most people read that passage as, “the Spirit takes the people over and He (the Holy Spirit) is speaking.” Once people see that they speak and the Holy Spirit comes alongside and helps them,  then only yielded-ness is needed.

Now, once all questions have been answered and biases addressed, they will know:
*I do the speaking and the Holy Spirit will help me once I begin.
*I build up my spirit supernaturally by speaking in Tongues.
*It seems silly and makes no sense, but speaking to a God I can’t see makes no sense either–but both Tongues and speaking to an invisible God are in the Bible.
*I will supernaturally get a blessing and open up the door to the deeper things of God.
*I will have a greater sense of God within myself.

Now, if that’s not enough reasons, then Paul the apostle, and all the other apostles did it (spoke in Tongues) and what power they had! So I must need it is well.

“Remember, a prayer language is for all – for everyone, while a gift of Tongues with interpretation is a type of prophesy and is a spiritual gift, like discerning of spirits, Words of Wisdom, Words of Knowledge and working of miracles. It is only for some, at special times. (See 1 Cor. 12:5-11)

Here are some verses to explore.

Acts 1:4-8, note verses 13-15, 120 or more men and women present (not just the twelve.)
Acts 2:1-21 and 38, 39 which shows the gift of the Holy Spirit, is for those afar off, namely us.
Acts 6:3, seek men full of the Holy Spirit – a condition to be desired and maintained, yielding great power for laymen.
Acts 7:48-51 We are not to resist the Holy Spirit even if our fathers may have.
Acts 8:15-19 Simon had to see a physical manifestation in order to know that people received the Holy Spirit. Simon had to hear and see something very different from the ordinary mode of praise. Tongues and other manifestations occurred at the laying on of hands and prayer to receive the Holy Spirit.
Acts 9:17-18 Saul, who becomes Paul, received the infilling of the Holy Spirit and then arose to be water baptized. (Note, he ‘arose’ in order to get water baptized.) How do we know Paul spoke in Tongues? 1 Cor. 14:18 tells us, “I thank God I speak with tongues more than all of you.”
Acts 10:44-48 Cornelius, his relatives and friends (note–they are not apostles, nor are they Jews) pray, and the Holy Spirit shows up; they also spoke with Tongues in the presence of other Jewish brethren that also spoke with Tongues since the Day of Pentecost. This event is about 10 years after Pentecost and is for all believers.
Acts 11:15-18 The Baptism of the Holy Spirit, infilling and evidence with Tongues is for all who believe on the Lord Jesus, “Who was I that I could withstand God” said Peter. Peter felt that to say who could and who couldn’t speak in Tongues as evidence of receiving the Holy Spirit was to play God. God has granted this to all along with repentance of sin to receive eternal life.
Acts 19:3-6 belief and water baptism opens the door to receiving the Holy Spirit. In this passage, these “disciples” were water baptized, yet Paul says they are entitled to more under the New Covenant. Of, if only the whole church would open its eyes and hearts and be yielded, as these disciples were, to receive and not debate. Here they receive through the laying on of hands.
1 Corinthians 2:10-14 spiritual things make no sense to man’s mind.
1 Corinthians 12:4-11 there are gifts, ministries, activities and manifestations of all three as the Holy Spirit wills for our profit, individually and collectively
1 Corinthians 14:2-4 Tongues in prayer and praise is for the individual not the group. We are speaking mysteries to God. Supernaturally, we get edified (built up spiritually).
1 Corinthians 14:14 my spirit prays, intellect does not benefit. Verse 15 I do it anyway, I even sing in Tongues Verse 18 Paul talked and sang in Tongues all the time Verse 39 desire to edify (build up) everyone but don’t stop anyone (yourself included) from using tongues properly.
Jude 1:19-20 “These are sensual persons, who cause divisions, not having the Spirit. But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit.”

So the questions left are are you ready to receive? Will you open your mouth and begin to speak as the Holy Spirit will come upon you and give you more to say to Him? What’s the point of contact? A command, anointing with oil or water laying on of hands?

That being said, Tongues can be spoken in error. Tongues are spoken first, than an interpretation is given. Believers, to impress other saints and sinners, often use Tongues for display, forgetting that the gift is given by the Spirit for the churches’ benefit and needs to be interpreted except when used as a prayer language. A loud chorus of Tongue prayers or praying in Tongues aloud in church can confuse and frighten nonbelievers and saints unlearned in this area (1 Cor 14:23)

“A prayer language is for all saints and is an evidence of the infilling of the Holy Spirit. Signs, wonders, power, and a holy walk are also evidences of the infilling of the Holy Spirit. We should pray in Tongues quietly edifying ourselves in the assembly, at work, in the car or anywhere that loud Tongues would cause confusion. In the absence of unbelievers or unlearned people, prayer in Tongues may be loud or quite as we feel led.

Love is the goal.

2. What do you think about heaven?

As the song goes, I can only imagine. I am looking forward to heaven, and know that Jesus went to prepare a place for me. Pastor Don often says to contemplate what we might like in Heaven. I think for me I am looking forward to the home movies of events mentioned in the Bible. There are so many details I want to know about that aren’t covered in the few words of Scripture that we have. I look forward to sitting at Jesus’ feet and listening to Him teach, and because we have no concept of what Heaven is, I am certain the words used to describe Heaven are to feed our limited imaginations, that Heaven is far grander than I can imagine and I expect to be very busy and very blessed and very joyous in Heaven.

3. What three things should Christians never do?

1. Christians should never not act in love (we do far too often not act in love, but Jesus said that we would be known by our love). 2. Think that anything we do or don’t do can make God love us any more or any less. God loves us, He loved us while we were still sinners, and He loves us now and will continue to love us. No works on our part will change how He thinks about us. 3. Turn the freedom Jesus sacrificed Himself to provide for us into legalism, into rules and laws that quench the spirit, to cause us to judge others or lay undo burdens on those who have come to Christ.

4. Jesus went to the cross for the joy set before Him, what was that joy and do you share it?

I think that Jesus knew that our relationship with God was the Joy that He went to the cross for – so He sacrificed Himself to bring us back into right relationship with God, and yes, because of what Jesus did I do share that. And I try to share that love of God with others as well.

5. How do you define abundant life?

Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.

I think that the more we follow Jesus in our lives, and the more we have of the fruit of the Spirit in our lives, the more we will consider ourselves to have an abundant life. It is not just finances, but it is a fullness that can only come through God.

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Now it’s your turn to play if you wish!

Leave me a comment saying, “Interview me.” I will respond by asking you five questions. I get to pick the questions, and I will message or comment you with them and these directions. Just update your blog with the answers to the questions and include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.

Heather