From the museum we went to the Mount of Beatitudes and this was one of the most spiritual times of the entire trip. We went to a church and Gary Braswell read the Beatitudes from Matthew 5:1-17 and he got chocked up and it as very moving. We then went into the garden shaded area and had some quiet time with the lord overlooking the Sea and you could just envision how Jesus would have spoken to the multitudes of people who gathered to hear the greatest sermon ever preached. This was a special time and wish we had more time at this particular place. From there went to Tabgha where Jesus fed the multitudes the loaves and the fish—the feeding of the 5,000, the only miracle recorded in all 4 Gospels. We went to the church there and Mark read in the courtyard area from Matthew 14 and prayed and it was a moving, emotional time for him. It is neat to watch and see when those who read the Scriptures or pray get emotional; it is amazing being here. If people ask well how was it the best response I can give is you cannot know until you go. Then we traveled to Saint Peter’s Primacy, the place believed to be where Jesus appeared to Peter after Peter had denied Jesus 3 times. There was a really neat sculpture there of Jesus and Peter and Pastor Woody read from John 21 ad gave a fine devotion on Prayer; Jesus said Satan has desired to sift you like wheat “But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.” (Luke 32:22); Prophecy, see above, the Lord prophesied that Peter would return, and Purpose. Peter was commanded to feed My sheep in John 21. What a wonderful story and one we can learn from about the grace of God and the restoration of a fallen man. We then went to Capernaum, one of my favorite places. We saw the home of Peter and close by was the very synagogue in which Jesus preached and cast out the unclean spirit in the man in church that day as recorded from Mark 1:21-28. When there are 10 Jews they comprise enough to have a synagogue or meeting place and they do not need a building to do so. When a young boy becomes 13 he has his Bar mitzvah and he then is considered a man and can be counted as one of the 10. The reason there is 10 is the story of Abram praying htat God would not destroy Sodom and Gomorrah f 10 righteous men could be found. A Roman centurion who commanded 100 troops, a Gentile, built the synagogue in Capernaum and Jesus healed his servant. See Luke 7. You never know how far your gifts will go as you give to the Lord and His work. This man built a place of worship that the Lord Himself would visit and preach in! As Bethany was Jesus primary place where He stayed in Judea (in the home of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus), so Capernaum was His headquarters for His Galilean ministry. This synagogue in Capernaum however was destroyed just as Jesus predicted in Matthew 11:23-24. And Capernaum was leveled in AD 66-70 by the Romans and yet again by the devastating earthquake in AD 749, and it was never rebuilt. Someone estimated that 80% of the miracles of Jesus were performed in Capernaum. This was a neat place for me because it was in this very place and synagogue that Jesus spent time and He preached. It was an impressive building and I remember commenting on how large it was, as I did not envision the synagogues being that large. Then the last stop of the day was in Caesarea Philippi. We drove north and were able to see the Lebanon and Syrian borders. It was here that Jesus asked the disciples “But who do you say that I the Son of Man am?” And here is where Peter makes the confession, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” I read this text and gave a brief devotion. What makes this so interesting to me is the Jews referred to this area as hell because it was the most pagan place in Israel. Here the pagans worshipped the mythological god, Pan, which was a half goat and half man. Dwayne Glidewell in our group prayed after the devotion. Here the pagans also would throw their babies from the top of the cliff in a sacrifice. Jesus is still asking this question in a pluralistic ever-increasing world, who do you say that I am? I just read in the USA Today magazine, June 24, 2008, that 70% of the Americans polled believed that there are many ways to go to heaven and do not embrace an exclusive viewpoint of salvation. And 74% believed that a good person would go to heaven. Instead of being discouraged by such increased secularism and intimidated by these findings I am even more determined and committed to preaching the Bible because most of the ignorance stemming from our country can be traced to the lack of biblical preaching in our great land. Now back to the journal.

June 20, 2008 Friday

We got up around 6:30 am, packed our luggage and left Tiberius at 8:15 am for a full day of sightseeing and today we go to Jerusalem! We drove 10 minutes to the Jordan River where 5 of our people on the tour were baptized. I got the neatest picture of them getting baptized as the sunlight shone upon the 5 huddled in the water praying with Pastor Woody. I had shared with the group in a letter then reiterated my convictions with them the night before about me being uncomfortable about baptizing someone in the JR if they had already been baptized biblically. I prefer baptizing in a local church and tie baptism in with ecclesiology and also if one had already been baptized scripturally then it is unnecessary to do so again. But I certainly did not judge them if that is what they wanted to do and 5 did. This is my personal conviction. The family from Overland Park, the Underdowns, shared with me how much they appreciated this as they were in agreement with my convictions. Nonetheless it was a neat time at the JR and I was genuinely happy for those who were baptized. Some believe this is where Jesus was baptized but there seems to be more support for His baptism further south in the JR as we have no biblical record of John the Baptist going that far north. Fact is Jesus was baptized in the JR and by immersion. It was neat seeing about 40 Catholics having a worship service on the banks of the JR. God has His people everywhere.
We stopped at the city called Scythopolis in Greek and Beth Shean in Hebrew. It was very impressive to see all that the archaeologists had unearthed in this ancient city. There was an amphitheater, a place where people sat that was a 180 degrees, a theatre, a place that is 360 degrees (2 amphitheaters make one theatre), a hippodrome where they had horse racing events, and also we saw their ancient bathrooms that were most public and interesting how they all would sit in open area and go to the bathroom. The Romans also had these steam baths in the city as well. I shared a devotion from Proverbs 20:22 about not seeking revenge as David did not seek revenge on Saul but served him and even mourned for him and Jonathan when they were killed by the Philistines on Mount Gilboa. After they died in battle the Philistines took them to Beth Shean and decapitated them and strung up their bodies. But the valiant men of David went at night and took the bodies down from the wall and buried them in Jabesh Gilead. And then David wrote a song in honor of Saul and Jonathan in 2 Samuel 1. This was an interesting, well-preserved city of antiquity. An earthquake destroyed the city in the 2nd century AD and anther one, the massive earthquake of AD 749, destroyed the city, the name at that time was Scythopolis. At the top of the Tel there was a temple to the god Zeus. We climbed to the top and took pictures and it was panoramic view for sure. And was it hot! I cannot imagine how difficult it was transporting those massive stones and columns to the top of the ill though I am sure oxen were used, but the heat. This place was hot! We also noticed how the city had a main road to enter and on one of the roads was preserved the original mosaic flooring—very impressive.
Then we went to Gideon Springs where Gideon and his men defeated the Midianites as recorded in Judges 6-8; see Judges 6:14-15. I shared a devotional on the difference in the way we see ourselves and the way God sees us, and how God is attracted to weakness. Gideon was small and weak but God chose him then reduced his army from 22,000 to 300 and with those 300 men God delivered the Midianites into the hand of Gideon. This is a great story in Scripture and what a blessing to be here where it all happened. There at the Spring of Harod we took pictures and then ate lunch at the park there.
Next we drove through the Jordan Valley as we made our way to Jerusalem. We stopped at a Jewish settlement just above the old city of Jericho, the oldest city in the world dating back 8,000 years. The Jews are not allowed into Jericho as the Palestinians have it as part of the West Bank. We saw an old casino there in the city. I wish we could have gone into the city as the Bible mentions how Joshua and the children of Israel took the city, their first military campaign, and how Jesus met Zacchaeus as He traveled from Jericho to Jerusalem in Luke 19, one of my favorite stories in the Bible. And also Jesus mentions Jericho in the famous parable of the Good Samaritan. From here we could also see a site I have always wanted to see, and that was the northern tip of the Dead Sea.
We drove up to Jerusalem one of the highest cities in Israel, and the Temple was built upon the highest point in the city. Jesus would travel to Jerusalem from Galilee and stay at Bethany on the eastern slope of the Mount of Olives, the home of Mary. Martha, and Lazarus. The Mount of Olives is where Jesus ascended to heaven and will one day return. Today there are about 750,000 people in Jerusalem, 500,000 Jews and 250,000 Arabs. The first time I saw Jerusalem was unforgettable. We drove through this tunnel and the song Jerusalem was playing on the CD and it was quite moving. It is a beautiful city indeed; I believe it is the most recognizable city in the world. I read Psalm 122, a Psalm of Ascent. We saw Mount Moriah where the Abraham was willing to offer up Isaac (Genesis 22) and where David purchased the land from Araunuh, also named Ornan the Jebusite according to 2 Samuel and also the place where Solomon built the Temple. But preeminently it is the place where the Lamb of God was slain for the salvation of the world—the Lord Jesus Christ! Wow, what a place! I hope all believers can make a journey to this place. We drove to Mount Scopus and looked out over the city. In the first century this is where the Roman General Titus came and scoped or looked over Jerusalem in preparation for battle against the city and the Jews. Thus the name of the city is Scopus. We then went shopping in this store where they specialize in olive wood products and our folks bought a lot of gifts. I was so blessed and surprised by our group when Mark Williams called me over and the group presented to me this beautiful depiction of the Last Supper. It is so well crafted as Jesus is sitting with the 12 disciples as they partake of the Last Supper in the Upper Room. It is beautiful and I cannot wait to put in my office at church.While at this store I bought Ashley a necklace and some gifts for folks back home like the staff at FBCL. We checked into the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Jerusalem and ate the best meal I have had here in Israel; it was tasty. I am on the second day of antibiotics and starting to feel better as I have been coughing and not felling well. Fortunately the Williams brought some extra meds. I think Elaine has enough meds for a pharmacy, and I am grateful! Tomorrow will be wide open. I am so blessed to be here with my family, church family, and other believers in Christ. Thank You Jesus.