MOVING FORWARD - pastor mike landry

Can you imagine what it would have been like to accompany Jesus for a few weeks while He was here 2000 years ago? That’s what today’s adventure in the Holy Land was like. We stayed close to the Sea of Galillee the whole day and visited places that we’ve read about so many times in the New Testament. It rained off and on and was a bit chilly but we couldn’t help but see the fingerprints of God everywhere.

There were so many “holy moments” with God. I kept running into people in our group who had been captured and captivated by the Spirit of God. Some were overwhelmed with joy. Some were broken with tears. Some were loudly quiet. It has been a day when our eyes have been open and we’ve been extremely sensitive to the fingerprints of God. Below are a few highlights.

The Mount of the Beattitudes – We began our journey at the location where Jesus preached His Sermon on the Mount (Matt 5-7). It was easy to picture thousands of people gathering around to listen to the Teacher. We were all challenged to become more attentive listeners to God’s Spirit as He teaches us from His Word. Here’s a question for you…”When you read the Scripture, is it simply an academic exercise or like reading a love letter from God?”

Tabgha – This place was my personal favorite. It is the location of two major episodes in the New Testament – the miraculous feeding of the 5000 (John 6) and the breakfast meeting with Jesus and His disciples after his resurrection (John 21). Everyone loved walking down by the waterside and meditating on what Jesus would say to them if they were having breakfast with Jesus. What an intimate moment it must have been for the disciples to have breakfast prepared for them after having just seen the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. This was a picture of friendship, intimacy, and camaraderie. Here’s another question we were asking ourselves, “Is our relationship with Jesus Christ characterized by intimacy or a conforming religiosity?”

Capernaum – This became Jesus’ base of ministry after leaving Nazareth. We walked on the foundation stones of the synagogue that Jesus often spoke in. We walked through the excavated ruins of Capernaum and stood beside the home of Simon Peter’s mother-in-law. You’ll remember that Jesus healed Peter’s mother-in-law when He visited that home. You’ll also remember that the paralytic was lowered down through the roof of this same home. The place was a picture of the miraculous power of God. You might also want the ask the question we were faced with, “Do you really believe that God can miraculously intervene in your life’s circumstances?”

Kursi – This is also referred to as the region of the Gerasenes. It was here that Jesus cast out a demon called “Legion” into a large herd of pigs. (Luke 8:26ff) Pastor Bill Hild told us that he had been part of this archeological dig a few years ago and gave us a quick lesson on how archaeologists interpret what they find in a pile of dirt. He also informed us that this kind of work is painstaking and takes a lot of tedious effort – like moving spoonfuls of dirt at a time. Question – “Are you willing to patiently pay the kind of price required to become the spouse you need to become, the student you need to become, the friend you need to become, or the follower of Christ you claim to be?

Bet Sham – This large city has been excavated and is so impressive. This also happens to be the location where King Saul and his son Jonathan’s body were hung after being killed during a battle with the Philistines. It was an ominous sight and wake up call concerning the reality of the life and death of our spiritual heroes of the faith. Sometimes it’s easy to think the stories in the Scripture are simply stories and not real events. Here’s a question for you – “Is your Christian life a façade or real?”

As you can see, God is working us over on this trip. It’s overwhelming but so refreshing. It’s so good to see lives being changed. We’re also having a lot of fun and eating very well. And quite frankly, it’s quite an experience to be able to sit out on a hotel balcony and watch the sunrise over the Sea of Galilee each morning. It’s an image I’ll never forget.

PRAYER UPDATE - Your prayers continue to be answered. Everyone is healthy and we have finally acclimated to the time change. The young man who is asking God to radically change him while here is changing before our very eyes. God is so good. Keep on praying. Tomorrow we head for Nazareth, Cana, Caesarea, and Jerusalem. Wish you could be with us.