Piper on How God Used MLK to Change Us

I remember the first time I heard Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech.   I was in my first year at seminary in Fort Worth and went to the library and checked out the tape and listened to it for a class I was taking. Keep in mind this was way before the internet when audios like this were a click away.   The speech was not readily available- you had to look for it and find a tape recording of it.  Fortunately, I had access to an extensive seminary library that had a large media section.  I had not heard the speech before in it's entirety.  They would not allow me to take it out of the library so I sat down at one of the school tape players with headphones and clicked play.

 I was mesmerized.

I listened to it over and over again.  It was one of those experiences that convinced me of how God can use the gift of communication to change the course of societies.  MLK was a man for his time and he was used mightily.  Regardless of what you might think of his politics or theology, God used him to change our nation forever.

I enjoyed reading John Piper's thoughts on King today:

The racial world I grew up in and the one we live in today are amazingly different. Racism remains in many forms in America and around the world. But in the days of my youth the segregation was almost absolute and the defense of it was overt and ugly, without shame.

• In 1954, seventeen states required segregated public schools;                
• In 1956, 85% of all white southerners rejected the statement, “White students and Negro students should go to the same schools”;                
• 73% said that there should be “separate sections for Negros on streetcars and buses”;               
• 62% did not want a Negro “with the same income and education” as them to move into their neighborhood;                
• In 1963, 82% of all white southerners opposed a federal law that would give “all persons, Negros well as white, the right to be served in public places such as hotels, restaurants, and similar establishments”; 
• And in 1952 (when I was six years old), only 20% of southern blacks of voting age were registered to vote. 

The upshot of those statistics was an unjust, unsafe, condescending, unwelcoming, demeaning, and humiliating world for blacks. Have you ever paused to ask yourself what separate water fountains and separate restrooms could possibly mean except: You are unclean — like lepers. It was an appalling world. 

Between that racially appalling world and this racially imperfect one strode Martin Luther King. We don’t know if the world would have changed without him, but we do know he was a rod in the hand of God. Leave aside his theology and his moral flaws. He was used in the mighty hand of Providence to change the world so that the most appalling, blatant, degrading, public expressions of racism have gone away. 

For that, this MLK day is worthy of our thankful reckoning. 

Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his life to change the world. And toward the end he was increasingly aware that “the Movement” would cost him his life. The night before he was assassinated by James Earl Ray outside room 306 of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis on April 4, 1968, he preached at the Bishop Charles Mason Temple. He had come to Memphis to support the black sanitation workers. 

His message came to be called “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop.” He began it by surveying world history in response to God's question: “When would you have liked to be alive?” King answered, “If you allow me to live just a few years in the second half of the twentieth century, I will be happy.” Why? Because “I see God working in this period of the twentieth century in a way that men in some strange way are responding. Something is happening in our world.” 

What was happening? “We are determined to be men. We are determined to be people.” We are standing up. “A man can't ride your back unless it is bent.” For a brief window of time — just long enough — MLK was able to use his voice to restrain violence and overcome hate: “We are masters in our nonviolent movement in disarming police forces. 

They don't know what to do.” He kindled a kind of fire that no dogs could quench and no fire hoses could put out.

It was “a dangerous kind of unselfishness.” Like the Good Samaritan. “The Levite asked, ‘If I stop to help this man, what will happen to me?’ But the Good Samaritan reversed the question: ‘If I do not stop to help this man, what will happen to him?’ That's the question before you tonight.” 

A dangerous unselfishness. 

So dangerous it would cost MLK his life. And he saw it coming. That morning there was a bomb threat on his plane from Atlanta to Memphis. He felt it coming. So he closed his sermon prophetically:

We’ve got some difficult days ahead. But it really doesn’t matter with me now, because I’ve been to the mountaintop. And I don’t mind. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life — longevity has its place. But I'm not concerned about that now. I just want to do God’s will. And He’s allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I’ve looked over, and I’ve seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the Promised Land. And so I’m happy tonight; I’m not worried about anything; I’m not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.

Ten hours later he was dead. My world was changed forever. And I am thankful.

Radical Growth

This coming Sunday my new book "Radical Growth" will be available at CRBC.

As a pastor I’ve struggled to find a concise and effective way of explaining the process of spiritual growth.  How does one know when he or she is spiritually mature?  What does maturity look like?  How does a person graduate into the fullness in Christ the Bible describes?  The problem, I’ve come to realize, is that spiritual growth is not a stagnant process at all.  There is no well-defined beginning, middle and ending to the procedure of Christian maturity.   It is a process that happens more organically than organizationally.  It doesn’t occur as the result of a well-organized structured program.   It is more metamorphosis than methodology.  

I have found that spiritual growth occurs in much the same way a child grows into adulthood.  There are signs along the way that growth is happening, but the process itself is dynamic and gradual.  There are spurts of growth that occur as the result of circumstances or seasons that can’t be defined or neatly understood and in the same way there are regressions and setbacks that make one wonder if growth will ever occur at all.

            

The most common language the Bible uses to describe the Christian life is biological language.  I believe there is a significant reason for this.  I believe the Bible is teaching us that just as our physical growth is dynamic and organic, our spiritual growth has the same characteristic.  That is the purpose of this book.  It applies biblical language to describe this maturing process and discusses the basic beliefs, disciplines and virtues of the Christian life that are essential to that process.

It describes the five specific terms and biblical metaphors scripture uses in this kind of growth process.  The terms are “seed”, “soil”, “root”, “vine” and “fruit”.  These biological metaphors describe the life cycle that occurs naturally in physical nature and how they apply to our spiritual growth, and therefore are helpful in understanding how we are to grow in Christ. 

            
The process is what I call “radical growth” because the term "radical" means "rooted".  I believe this is the most effective way to describe this dynamic growth process. It is the kind of growth that occurs as a result of the believers rootedness in the doctrines, disciplines and virtues of the faith.  But it describes not so much a discipleship method as it does the biblical principles related to our natural spiritual growth.   My purpose in this book is not to give simply the literal applications to the meanings of these words, but to draw our attention to the larger categories they each describe.   This book can be used as a path to personal discipleship or as one on one or group Bible Study.  Each chapter utilizes specific scripture references and each section of the book comes with a list of discussion questions.  

The book will be available online and at amazon.com soon but if you would like an advance copy email me at info@councilroad.org and I will be glad to send you a copy.

An Anchor To My Soul

Our final day in Israel was spent in the garden tomb.  This is the non traditional site that many evangelicals believe could have been the actual place of Jesus' burial.  Those who have bought into this idea point to a mountain face that is not far from here that looks very much like a human skull, which would explain why it was called "golgotha"- the place of the skull.

And indeed it does look like a skull.  You can stand at the edge of the garden site and stare at the  rock face and see clearly what looks like two eye sockets, a nose and mouth.  Maybe this was not the original place of the skull, but it certainly looks like it now.

That mountain today overlooks a very busy transit bus station and ironically is an ancient Muslim burial ground where many of the "heroes" from the siege of Jerusalem by Salidin in 1187 are buried.  A huge stone fence was recently erected around the site that now stands above the skull with a newly in-scripted sign that reads "There is only one God and Muhammad is his prophet" in Arabic.

There is little doubt in my mind that this sign has been deliberately placed there as a way to send a message to the tens of thousands of Christian believers who flock to the Garden Tomb every year.  They have put their fence at the very place where many Christians believe Jesus might have been crucified.

Our guide explains to us that this place was uncovered in the 19th century by the British explorer General Charles Gordon, who first reported seeing a rock face that was shaped like a skull.  After digging around the area subsequent excavations uncovered a beautifully intact first century tomb that was surrounded by many indicators pointing to a first century garden.  For instance, there is a large wine press and wine storage that indicates that this was once a garden for a very wealthy family.  All of that evidence squares nicely with the biblical account found in John 19:41:

"Now near the place of the skull was a garden and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid."

The entire garden is beautifully manicured by British evangelicals who have constructed several areas for groups to come here and worship and meditate and enjoy the grounds.  Unfortunately on the day we were here the weather did not cooperate.  In fact, at one point we were hit with heavy rain and even small hail.  But the weather cleared up enough for us to spend time at the tomb and see the grounds.

I really want this to be the place they say it is.  My head tells me the actual spot is probably at the traditional site at the goddy Church of the Sepulcher, but my heart tells me it could be here.   My heart wants it to be here.  It is peaceful where the traditional church is chaotic.  Seven different denominations regularly fight over various parts of the Church of the Sepulcher.  The fiasco is so out of control that years ago the Israeli government stepped in and gave the keys to the building to a Muslim family to take the responsibility of opening the place up.

But this place is quiet.  It is worshipful and serene.

We spent about thirty minutes in a small chapel for a time of worship and participating together in the Lord's Supper.  We shared together what aspects of the trip really touched us.  It was interesting to hear how various sites along the way had impacted people differently.  It reminded me that we are all very different but one body.  We were all one group experiencing this trip at the same time and the same places and yet each individual had their own very personal and significant experience with the Lord.  Our group was very diverse and from many different walks of life and ages and personalities, and yet we really had formed a community together and very much enjoyed a special kind of unity.

It reminded me of the insignia that has been found on the outside of the garden tomb that dates back to the fourth or fifth century A.D.  It is believed that some early believers must have met here and perhaps even had some kind of church or chapel near the tomb.  The insignia was carved into the rock face of the tomb- a cross made into the shape of an anchor.   Those early believers used this symbol as a kind of confession.  They had come to see that the crucifixion event as being like an anchor.  It is I think a direct correlation of Hebrews 6:19:

We have this hope as an anchor for our soul, firm and secure... our forerunner Jesus has entered on our behalf..."

This cross, this empty tomb, this truth we bear witness to by coming here and seeing it for ourself, has become for us an anchor of hope.  Of all the symbols I have seen graven into stone here in Israel, this is my favorite.

In our group we have many who have suffered terrible loss.  Some who had recently lost loved ones.  A couple of recent widows; two young adults still reeling from the loss of their father; a cancer survivor; a family whose grandparents recently died and left them the money to go on this trip; an elderly couple who recently buried their son.

Our group of fellow travelers had traveled a very difficult and sometimes cruel path before embarking on this journey.   And all of us had experienced together more than just the ground upon which the prophets, Jesus and the disciples had walked, but the grounds upon which our faith has been anchored.  He has done more than walk and die here, He has entered in on our behalf.  He has taken our suffering onto Himself.

And that is the reality that anchors our soul.

Prayer from the garden tomb:  Lord God you have taken us on a remarkable journey these past 10 days together.  We have seen wonderful and beautiful places that are that way to us because this is the land that you chose to enter in so that we could find a way.  We have come here to retrace your steps and yet we have found something more.  We have seen that these places are not the thing itself, but are particularly significant to us because they remind us of that thing.  They point us to what is most important to us.  And that is that you came to this earth and walked on this ground and lived among men and died a sinners death on a bloody cross and with that most significant event in human history you entered in where none of us could.  And because you were willing to walk the walk we should have walked and die the death we should have died and take the curse we should have taken, we are given the right to be called the righteousness of God.  It is that reality that has become for us an anchor to our soul, the grounds for our faith.  Amen.

Jesus Is The New And Better Temple

Today was a full day of touring Jerusalem. We started at the archeological site exposing the steps leading up to the Hulda Gate that was the main entrance into the temple area on the southern side. The site is literally covered in ritual baths. The significance of this is that the sheer numbers of baths leading up to the temple reveals that the temple could have handled tens of thousands of people at once, all who would have needed ceremonial cleansing. For many years cynics of the historical account of the advent of the church in Acts 2 made the argument that an arid Middle Eastern city like Jerusalem could not possibly have enough water in one place to handle 5,000 people being baptized at once. But with the discovery of this site biblical scholars realized that the irrigation system put in place during the hasmonean period would have provided water to all the baths thus allowing for more than double that number to be baptized in one day. It was quite staggering to stand there in that place and think that it was the very spot where the church had it's beginning.

In spite of the steady rain we walked through old Jerusalem and retraced the steps of Jesus. One of our first stops was Bethesda pool where Jesus healed the paralytic. There is a Byzantine era church near the site called "St. Annes Church" that has such thick inner walls and high arched ceilings that the sound resonates up into the top of the majestic space above and echos back down to you in long delay. We sat in this church and sang praises and listened as the centuries old buiding sang back to us. I doubt Amazing Grace will ever sound the same to us again.

We went to more places today than I can account for in a short blog, but I want to recount for you a few places we visited that were most meaningful. The first was the Temple Mount on top of Mount Moriah. Here in the spot where it is believed Abraham sacrificed Isaac sits the famous Islamic Dome of the Rock. This is a spectacular building that is sacred to the entire Muslim world. The dome of the building is adorned in pure gold and the side in beautiful blue and white mosaics. It is one of the most recognizable buildings in all the world and is the first thing that draws your eye when you come into Jerusalem.

Walking around this area that once held the Jewish Temple and holy of holies is somewhat surreal. Here is the most contested and spiritually charged piece of real estate in all the world. Here is the one place on the planet that is exceptioanlly important to the worlds three great religions. It was not far from here that Jesus cleared the temple courtyard and chastised the sellers in the temple for defiling His father's place of worship. This was the place so meaningful and important that the religions of literally billions of people around the world compete for it's significance. Civilizations have gone to war over this space. As I walked aorund the Dome and meditated on scripture I silently gave God praise that the work of the temple has now been fulfilled in Christ. Jesus is the new and better temple. "He who knew no sin has become sin for us so that we might become the righteousness of God"; the temple is no longer needed. All of the generations of sacrifices and rituals performed on this spot are no longer needed. The curtain has been rent in two and we are invited in. This piece of real estate may have great cultural significance but in Christ the work here is done. That reality made my visit here that much more meaningful.

Another place we visited today that was particularly signficant was Antonios Colonade where Jesus was brought to trial before Pilate. The original stones are preserved in this archeological site to the degree that one can imagine the scene perfectly as Jesus was questioned by the Roman governor. This is a very nice private area to sit and read scripture and pray. Our group had meaningful worship here as we read the text and prayed together. From here we traveled down the via dolorosa and traced the steps of Christ path to the cross and then on into the ancient church that is built over the traditional site of his crucifixion and burial, the famous Church of the Holy Seplucre. This is a church of many conflicting emotions. On the one hand, one is inspired by the incredible diversity of people from all over the world who flock to this place. Hundreds of pilgrims crowded in to touch the place where it is believed Jesus' body was laid. On the other hand one is left with a kind of empty feeling at the exuberance of the religious artifacts and symbols that are amassed in this place. There is probably a higher concentration of incensed lamps, icons and adorned crosses in this one building than any other place on earth. It is the vortex of religious symbolism.

The best way I know how to describe the emotion most believers I know have when they visit this church is it's like expecting a steak dinner for a meal and instead being served a cup of rich chocolate soup. You wanted substance and instead you got syrup. Christianity is not about religion, it is about a relationship. And the death burial and resurrection of Jesus is the most deeply personal and meaningful event any of us can imagine. To see it reduced to religious show is disheartening to say the least.

But on the other hand one is grateful that the sight has been preserved. It is wonderful to think of the history of Christians commemorating this very spot down through the ages. So my feelings about this church run amok. I am simultaneously disgusted and inspired, grateful and frustrated all at once. It is for me the church of flumoxed emotions more than the church of the Holy Seplucre.

Our group endured the rain and yet was able to see most of the significant sites in all four quarters of Old City by 1:30 P.M. After a late lunch we spent the rest of the afternoon touring the Holocaust Museum. There are really no words to describe the experience of recounting in gruesome and horrifying detail the events that took place in that terrible dark blot in European history. Anyone who doubts the theology of total depravity need only to spend a couple of hours in this museam to be convinced of the horrors that reside in the sinful condition of the human heart. I walked away from that experience with the same emotions I felt on top of the Temple Mount- thankful that Jesus had paid the price.

Prayer from the Old City: Lord God as we think about this space on top of Mount Moriah we are reminded of the hundreds of years sacrifices were made at the temple and how you have become our ultimate sacrifice. You are the Lamb of God, the Yom Kippor who has taken away the sins of the world. We have retraced your steps but there is no way we can truly know your agony on the cross. As we see the religious intensity of these places we are reminded that you came not to start a religion but to make a way for us. You are the new and better temple, the fulfillment of the law, the one who takes all of the world's holocausts onto Himself. Amen.

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Up To Jerusalem

We spent today touring around the Dead Sea. Some of the most significant sites here on the Israel side of the Dead Sea are Masada, the Qomron community and the Dead Sea Scrolls caves, all of which were on our itinerary.

Our day began on the Jordan side with many in our group taking a quick dip in the Dead Sea. The choppy water and waves made it a much more exhilarating experience than normal. The Dead Sea is so thick with minerals it is virtually impossible to sink into it. You could lay on your back and read the paper all the way across the width of it if you wanted. But if the water ends up in your eyes, you probably could't read anything for a week. It was a lot of fun but I think most of us were glad to get out and on with our day.

Traveling across the border and over into Israel we came first to Masada, the site of the Israelites last stand against the Roman army in 70 A.D. This is where a radical band of Sicari Jewish militants held out against the Roman general Titus until he finally was able to build a ramp to the top only to find that all the inhabitants had committed suicide rather than to succumb to whatever the Romans might have had for them. To this day Israeli paratroopers hike to the top of Masada as a part of their swearing in ceremony and pledge, "Masada will never happen again!"

We went from the top of Masada down through the valley over to Qomron where the Dead Sea scrolls were found. We had a wonderful lunch and tour of the ruins of the ancient Essene community that had hidden the scrolls in desert caves around this site back in the time of Jesus.

From the Dead Sea we traveled up to Jerusalem. And by "up" I don't mean directionally, I mean it in the sense the Bible means it- up in trajectory. We climbed the Judaean hills along the Jericho road and then watched excitedly out our bus window as the city of David opened up in front of us. There is no way to describe the emotion most people feel as they enter Jerusalem for the first time. It is the most unique and important city in all the world. It is the holiest city for Christians and Jews and the third most important city for Muslims. It is the city that Jesus wept over in Luke 21 and Matthew 23. It is a city that has held so much power down through the centuries that entire empires have risen and fallen in an attempt to hold on to it. It is the city of Moriah, of Gilboah, of Zion and Golgotha. It is the city that was the center of most of Jesus' teaching and the place of his crucifixion. It is the place where Abraham sacrificed Isaac, where David paid the full price to Araunah the Jebusite to build the temple. No matter where one looks in Jerusalem every inch of it is filled with history. I told our group, "In the Galilee and in Jordan you experienced the wow factor; in Jerusalem it will start to get very personal."

We woke up the next morning with the city of Jerusalem engulfed in a rare storm system with 25 mile an hour winds and heavy rain. We were not willing to let anything deter us however from seeing all the sites we traveled so far to see. So like onward Christian soldiers we went to the top of the Mount of Olives and made our way down to Dominus Flavius- the church commemorating the place where Jesus wept over Jerusalem. From here we prayed for our own city, knowing that Jesus loves the city and His gospel is to go out into every dark corner. We walked from there in the pouring rain (and even a miniature fast flood down the Triumphal Entry path) into the Garden of Gethsemene. We had a special time of scripture reading, prayer and some singing in the very beautiful Church of All Nations that sits along the garden path.

It was only appropriate that we go from there to the Upper Room where Jesus celebrated the passover with his disciples and then over to the House of Caiaphas, the High Priest who held Jesus under arrest before handing him off to Pilate and execution. We had a moving time of worship inside the dungeon cell and sang together the old spiritual, "Were You There When They Crucified My Lord?"

From there we ate a quick lunch and then traveled to Bethlehem and to the Church of the Nativity, the oldest continuous church in the world. This is a church that dates back to the early centuries and is one of the most popular churches in the world. On the day of our visit the Orthodox church was celebrating Christmas day so the entire building was packed with pilgrims from around the world. It was an awesome experience to be there with Christians from Eastern Europe, Asia, and the Palestinian Territory. We went down into the dave where Jesus was born and sang together Silent Night. As we sang the entire crowd around us grew silent, some even joined in with us as they recognized the tune. It was an amazing picture of the vast reach of the church around the world.

Prayer from Jerusalem and Bethlehem: Lord God, our hearts are moved by what we have seen and experienced today. We have no words to describe the emotion we feel as we look out over the city of David, the city you wept over. How our hearts are moved by being in Jerusalem. How moving it has been to be in the place of your birth. Though we know these are only places and are nothing compared to actual faith, to be here has moved and enhanced our faith. We pray for the people of Bethlehem. We pray for the peace of Jerusalem even as we pray for our own city and for the strengthening of your gospel around the world.

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The Rock Struck

After a short time in Nebo our group traveled down to the shores of the Dead Sea and checked in to our hotel. Like many hotels in this area this one specializes in "therapeutics". People flock to this part of Jordan from all over the world to find healing from the medicinal qualities found in the minerals and sea salts from this very unique body of water.

The Dead Sea is unique for multiple reasons. To begin with, it is literally the lowest point on earth at approximately 1300 feet below sea level. Additionally,because the Dead Sea has water flowing into it from the Jordan and other tributaries from around the desert mountains and no outlet flows out of it, the minerals and salts that are deposited here stay here. After just a few hours of being around the sea you can taste the salt on your lips and tongue and feel it layered on your skin and clothes. One quick dip in the water will result in a smooth film on your skin that makes you feel as if you've bathed in body lotion. It's not hard to imagine Lot's wife turning into a salt pile not far from here as you get the feeling you might turn into a pillar of salt if you stay too long.

The result of this unique environment is a multi-billion dollar industry as minerals like potash, magnesium, bromine, basalt and many different varieties of skin lotions and medicines are harvested from here. So much is being taken from the Dead Sea, however, that the water is declining several feet each year. To remedy this the Jordanian and Israeli governments are embarking on a joint venture to pipe water from the Red Sea into the Dead so as to raise the level back up. One has to wonder what that might do to the unique qualities of the minerals here however.

The next morning January 5 our group departed early and traveled along the desert highway up into the mountains past the famous crusader castle of Karak toward Petra. Jordan is traversed by three famous and ancient roads that have important biblical significance; the spice road, the via mara and the kings highway. Karak is one of two important crusader castles along the kings highway established in the 13th century by the Latin Kingdom based out of Jerusalem.

The other castle is Showback, near where our church has sponsored a dig of an ancient Edomite village. For those of you who are interested in crusader history, Karak castle was the base of operations for the natorious prince Reginald whose wreckless and senseless murders of Muslim caravans traveling near his castle raised the ire of the Kurdish Sultan Salidin who united the Muslim tribes from Edessa to Mosul to Cairo to cast out the Jerusalem kingdom. The movie "Kingdom of God" was based on the events that took place as a result.

We continued along the desert road onto the kings highway and on to the spectacular ruins of Petra made famous by the original "Indaina Jones" movie. Ancient Petra was the seat of the Nabatean kingdom that existed in Roman times. Our guide explains that the first Arab Christians who came into the church at Pentecost were Nabatean. There are remnants of those first Christians all over the Middle East especially in Iraq, Syria, Turkey and Jordan, all of whom still speak the Aramaic language of Jesus and the disciples that is today known as "Assyrian".

Somewhere in the mountains surrounding Petra it is believed that Moses struck the rock in the wilderness to quench the thirst of the Israelites. As I look at the beautiful blood red rocks here I am reminded of that passage in which God told Moses to strike the rock where His presence dwelt, a direct foreshadowing of the event several hundred years later when Jesus would be lifted up on another rock and take the blow for our sin. He is the one who shed His blood for us and from whom the water of life flows. He is the rock struck.

Our group enjoyed walking through the spectacular beauty and spender of Petra, one of the modern wonders of the world. This is where the Nabateans chiseled breathtakingly beautiful sculptures in the massive sandstone cliffs and later the Romans came and constructed magnificent temples and theaters as well. Petra definitely has the wow factor. The whole time you are in this place you look up all around you and say "wow". There is nothing quite like it in all the world.

One of the really great sites in Petra is the remains of a byzantine era church. After Chrisitanity took over the Roman empire, Petra became a Christian city with beautfiful churches. The mosaics here resemble those found in Madaba. We spent a little over three hours here and concluded our trip with a camel ride out as a way to get the genuine bedhoin experience.

Prayer from Petra: Lord God we are in awe at the beauty of your creation as we look around and see the various colors in these sand stone rocks. But we are more in awe at the wonder of your love that sent you to the cross. You are the Rock Struck, the One who has quinched our thirst and who we come to when we are thristy. Fountains of living water come from your presence. This is a thirsty and dry land that reminds us of how we need you. We pray for the bedhoin people who live all around the Middle East. May the gospel come back into this land and flow out of here to every dry place.

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Crossing the Jordan

We began our fourth day in Israel by traveling to the ancient city of Bet-Shean. Here is one of the most incredible examples of Greco-Roman excavation anywhere in the world. The amazing thing about the ruins here is that there have been cities on this site dating back into pre-historic times. As an example, there is a large tel at the edge of the city upon which ancient Egyptians built a temple. So beneath that site, dating back to 1800 B.C., there are approximately 20 different civilizations stacked on top of one another. There was a lot of history here long before the ancient Egyptians.

As in other ancient cities, the site itself has strategic military and economic significance as it is situated along mountain passes and valleys that connect three continents. The Egyptians, Assyrians, Persians, Israelites, Greeks and Romans all considered this a major vantage point. It was here that the Philistines won a decisive battle against King Saul and hung he and his sons bodies on the city gates.

Another thing that makes this an amazing visit is that so much work has been done here in uncovering the ruins. Almost the entire Roman city has been excavated so that visitors can walk through Roman streets with the columns standing on either side. The bath houses have been reconstructed so that you can see how the steam was released through floor and flowed into spas and pools and steam rooms. Although this city is not mentioned in the New Testament, surely Jesus and the disciples knew of it and may have even visited here as it was a principle Roman city. After the Jewish revolt in 66 A.D. the Roman citizens in this city murdered all of their Jewish neighbors. So much of what is remembered about Bet-Shean has to do with war and bloodshed.

From here we crossed the river over into Jordan. After a brief stop through passport control we changed guides and buses and made our way up to Mount Nebo. This was the place where Moses looked out over the promised land but could go no further. The view from the top of this mountain, also known in the Bible as Pisgah, is spectacular. On a clear night you can see the lights of Jericho, Jerusalem and even Bethlehem from here. The early Christian community was prominent in this area and the modern city of Madaba at the base of Nebo still has a high concentration of Arab believers. Many Western Christians don't realize that there is a large population of Christian Arabs in the Middle East. Sadly, the Christian population here is being pushed out. Our guide is from a prominent Arab Christian family that has lived in this area for generations. "Christianity started here in Jordan with the baptism of Jesus and now we are being sent away just like the early Christians who were sent to the lions" he tells me. Christianity has been in this land since the time of Christ. It only stands to reason that many of the descendents of the early church believers are still here. Recently the remains of a first century church were discovered in the Jordanian town of Malraq. It was a small square building with fish mosaics my guide tells me, reminding me that in the early church, the believers were still so horrified by the cross that the main symbol was the icthus, or fish. The significance of this word is that in the Greek language the letters are the first letters for Jesus Christ God's Son Savior. You find the symbol of the fish in many of the ancient ruins in this part of the world, indicating how important this confession was to early believers.

The ancient church at Nebo displays another significant symbol. On the outside of the church stands a winding snake in the shape of the cross. It signifies the words of Jesus from John 3:14, "Just as the snake was raised in the wilderness so the Son of Man must be lifted up..." Jesus was referring to the passage in Numbers 24 when Moses lifted up the bronze snake as God had instructed him so that the rebellious Israelites could be spared the venum of poisonous snakes in the wilderness. Jesus is the new and better Moses. How great that this church that was built on the site of Moses looking to the promised land would choose this as it's symbol! The church stands as a testiment all through time that unless Jesus be lifted up and we look to Him for salvation, the poison of our sin cannot be healed.

 

Prayer from Nebo:

Lord God, how grateful we are that you came to us and died on the cross and were lifted up like the bronze snake in the wilderness. You drank the cup of poison so that we could drink from the fountain of life. You were lifted up so that we would not be cast down. You are Jesus Christ God's Son Savior and that confession has been apart of your church down through the centuries and is still be lifted up to this day. We pray for your church in the Middle East and Asia and Africa and the outermost parts of the earth.

 

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The One Who Calms The Storm

Upon leaving Carmel our group ventured down the valley to Megiddo.  This is perhaps the most amazing example of an archeological "tel" one will ever see.  Situated strategically along the mountain passes that empty into the Jezreel valley, Megiddo had great military and economic significance for ancient empires that emerged along the fertile cresent.  It had military significance because the valley was an excellent site for a battleground where all the various world powers merged.  It had economic significance as it served as a gateway into the valley through the mountain pass that connected Africa, Asia and Europe.  So great was the strategic significance of this ancient city that archeologists have uncovered 25 layers of civilizations one on top of the other that has today resulted in what looks like a small mountain overlooking the valley below.  This was a major city during the time of King Solomon and looking out among the ruins of his horse stables gives you a good idea of his wealth and power.

From here we traveled across the valley and up into Nazareth.  And when I say up I mean way up.   Anyone who thinks of Jesus as being a desert dweller in his youth only has to spend a day in Nazareth, his boyhood hometown, to see that he would have been more at home in the hills of eastern Oklahma than he would have been in the more arid western part of the state. Our group had a touching worship service in the ancient synagogue which is the traditional site of where Jesus preached his first message after beginning his public ministry.   It was here that Jesus read from Isaiah 61 and proclaimed that the words of the prophet have now been fulfilled:

"The Spirit of the Lord is on me because the Lord has annointed me to proclaim the good news to the poor"

The crowd did not readily accept the message of Jesus and tried to kill him by throwing him over a cliff.  Our group traveled up to a cliff drop off to get an idea of what that might have looked like.  As I look over the cliff I think of the extent to which people go to reject Christ.  Truly the prophecy of Simeon in Luke 2 was fulfilled here,  "The child will cause the rising and falling of many in Israel"

From the beginning Jesus has caused division, controversy and struggle both relationally and interpersonally.  It's really not that shocking to think that people would respond this way to his teaching- the claims of Jesus are not minor claims.  "The one thing Christianity cannot be is moderately important" C.S. Lewis has famously said.  The fact that people wanted to kill him is the most compelling evidence we have that he did not see himself as simply a reigous teacher but as God Himself.  Jesus' claims about himself were audacious and "in your face".  Before he is the Prince of Peace he is the "one who pierces your soul". 

On Thursday morning January 3 we woke up to another beautiful morning in our hotel overlooking the Sea of Galilee.  I told our group we call it a "sea' because that's what King James called it, but it would be a large lake in Oklahoma.  As many times as I've been to Israel I never get over the beauty of this body of water nestled within Galillean hills.  The centuries have changed many kingdoms and cultures, but these hills and this body of water look the same.  God blessed us with calm waters and sunny skies as we shared a devotion in the middle of the "sea."  We spent time in worship and prayer  and read the passage in Matthew 8 where Jesus calmed the storm.  Many in our group have been through some intense storms recently and this was a time of many tears and great rejoicing that He is the One Who Calms The Storm. 

The rest of the day we enjoyed touring around the lake to biblical sites like Capernaum and Caesaria Phillipi.  We saw an excellent example of a first century synaguague near the remains of the house of Peter in Capernaum and up in Phillipi we saw the ruins of the temple to the pagan god Pan.  This was the place that Jesus asked the disciples "Who do you say that I am?"  He taught them his strongest lessons about the meaning of His deity and the purposes of His church in this place.  You don't realize until you stand here near these pagan ruins that Jesus was actually putting that religous site into a context.  The importance of having clarity of the nature of Christ is as significant today as it was back in that pagan society.  

We ended our day with baptism on the Jordan river and a trip to the site of the Mount of the Beattitudes.  In case you are wondering if the Jordan was cold for the baptism I would just make the point that the river is runoff from snowmelt flowing from Mount Hermon and this is January.  This was not a baptism for whimps.  He calms the sea and turns water into wine but doesn't promise to turn frigid Jordan water into luke warm baptismal water.  Surely it is easier to identify with his death this way!

Prayer from Capernium:

Lord God, we thank you that you are the God Who Calms The Storm.  We know that although it might seem to us that you are sleeping in the boat, that you have numbered our days and that nothing in this life passes your notice.  We know that in heaven there are no questions, only solutions.  We trust you even when we don't understand you.  Even the knowledge of your soverignty calms our storm.  We ask for your peace.  But even as we acknowledge that you are the Prince of Peace we also know that you are the one who has  caused many to rise and fall.  We not only accept the easy truth, but embrace the hard truth of who you are and the often difficult path we often follow as we walk in your ways.  Like the disicples in Philippi we confess that you and the Father are One, that you are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God. The One Who Calms The Storm.

A New Year And A Good Start In The Holy Land

For the next 10 days Teri and I are leading a tour of Israel for several members of our church and other friends.  I will try to document the trip via this blog for anyone who is interested in following our progress.

After a long flight from NYC our group landed in Israel around noon on Tuesday, January 1.  We were blessed with a beutiful day to start 2013 as we traveled along the Mediterranean Sea from Tel Aviv to Netanya.  The significance of this particular part of Israel is that the ancient city of Joppa is where the prophet Jonah ran from the Lord and eymbarked from there to escape only to find that Jehovah God could find him anywhere- even out at sea.  Jonah left from Joppa to escape the will of the Lord.  As I look out at sea here I think of the extent to which the human heart will go to run from God.  A good reminder on the first day of the new year that we are to discipline ourselves daily to walk with Him.

Our group enjoyed a fantastic meal at our hotel before much needed rest.  We woke up greatly refreshed on Wednesday and spent the morning in Caesaria, the ancent ruins of the great Roman city biult by Herod the Great.  It was here that Paul made his defense before Felix and Agrippa in Acts 24-26.  This is one of the most amazing escavations of Roman ruins found anywhere.

The theater, ampitheater and hippodrome are all overlooking the beautiful man made port that jets out into the Mediterranean.  This entire city is an incredible testimony to the splender of the Roman empire and King Herod's reputation as a great builder.  The aquaduct that still stands is over 2,000 years old and the port Herod built with underwater concrete can still be seen from the shore. What a ,n amazing empire existed here for hundreds of years around the time of Christ. 

As I look out at these beautiful ruins, my spirit is impressed that kings and kingdoms will all pass away, but the name of the Lord will stand forever.  In one of the great ironies of ancient history, the power and might of the ancient Roman empire that at one time attempted to stamp out Christianity, would eventually succumb to the beliefs of the followers of that humble carpenter from Nazereth. 

From here we made our way to the top of Mount  Carmel where Elijah confronted the prophets of Baal.  The day was beautiful and clear so that we could easily see across the Jezreel valley.  I am struck that it was from this place that God demonstrated His power to all of Israel by consuming the altar (1 Kings 18).  One can see why Elijah picked this spot to make his stand.  It almost seems as if you can see all across Israel from here.  From this vantage point one looks out over the tel Meggido all the way across to Nazareth to Tabor to Gilboah.  It was no doubt a spectacular panaramic view that added splendor to the words of the prophet as he chastised God's people for their idolotrous hearts.

This morning I reminded our group of those words,

"How long will you limp along between two opinions?" Eljah said.

What challenging words for modern people!  How often we start off with good intentions and yet quickly our hearts are drawn to those things we think will give us life.  We depend on so many other things besides the Lord God to give us significance; whether it be our jobs, our relationships, our pleasures.  In truth, we are not unlike the Israelites calling on the false prophets of Baal.  It occurs to me that through His grace and by His gospel we need our own Carmel experience from time to time. 

A prayer from Carmel for 2013:

Lord God, as we come into a new year, may our hearts be steadfast toward your ways.  May we not limp along between two opinions like the Israelite swayed by prophets of Baal.  May we see through the folly of putting other things on the alter of our hearts.  May we see that all of our idols  whether they are made of wood, metal, plastic or people will only consume us and drive us far from your work.  We give you praise for your steadfast love and mercy that shows up like a consuming fire.