Israel

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It is a wonderful place visit. I am sure that it is a wonderful place to live. I know what some people are thinking reading those last two sentences: “Are you kidding me? Are you not aware of the bombings going on from Hamas just on the other side of the border? Are you not aware that her neighbors want to destroy Israel?” Well of course I am aware, but when I visited Israel in 2010 I felt safer there than I do where I live. Let me explain why.

First, every citizen of Israel is required to serve in the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) between the ages of 18-21 years of age. This means that every person at that age is required to carry their guns with them between those ages whether they are on or off duty. Now that may seem crazy, but the truth of the matter is that no one will mess with anyone because there are those IDF soldiers that are ready to act to protect the nation. I remember sitting in a restaurant when some of these young men and women came in to eat. They were obviously off duty as they were in civilian clothes, but all of them were carrying their weapons. It was as if a group of police officers had just walked into the joint; I felt perfectly safe.

Second, the tour that I was taking was not taking us to different places that put us in danger. Everywhere we traveled in the nation was clearly a place that was safe to visit. Even when we went to the border of Israel and Jordan (in the southern region of Israel, at the Jordan River in the Jordan River Valley), it was safe. While the Jordanians across the Jordan River were smoking cigarettes and chatting with each other, although they had the AK47s, the IDF was present with us and they never took their eyes off of the Jordanians. They were not looking for a fight by any means, but they were prepared to take care of us at a moment’s notice. No offense to the Jordanians, they just did not look as prepared as the IDF. For this reason, I felt safe.

Third, the guide that we had been extremely good. He knew what he was speaking about when it came to his own country. He served in the IDF as a young man during the Six Day War (1967). He took us to different places that were off the beaten path. Although we visited some tourist places, he took us to see things that most people do not see. Again, the places we traveled to were safe and away from any harm as far as Hamas or other folks that are looking to harm Israel.

Finally, we visited some wonderful cities. For instance, we traveled to Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Tiberius, Sophia, Jericho, Sea of Galilee, Nazareth, and Capernaum. We saw Bethsaida, Bethany, and went to Herodia. Each place was beautiful. Each place was incredible to see. Everything that I have believed from the Bible came to life when I visited in 2010.

So why am I speaking of Israel like this? Well, I get to visit the nation once again in 2019. I believe it will be a really special trip as my wife gets to go with me this time. I will be planning to go again in 2020 if at all possible taking others with me. I cannot wait to see her expressions as she sees everything that she has believed from the Bible. Like me, I would expect that she will absolutely fall in love with the nation and her people.

The next time I post something about Israel, I will be able to use my own photographs instead of finding some online. It will be exciting to see God’s people and His property again.

Words We Use

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Over the past several years, I have been surprised at how many Christians use words so frivolously. We use terms such as “pouring into others” or “speaking into people’s lives.” What do those phrases even mean? Today I read an email from a group of which I used to be a part where this guy was speaking about how he “marinates in worship” as if he is getting ready to be placed in an oven or on a grill. What does that even mean? Since when have we moved away from Biblical language to this way of speaking?

I think it goes back over the course of at least the last 65-75 years. This is when the Pentecostal movement really was ratcheting up in the United States and if there are a group of Christians that say things “plant a seed and you’ll prosper” it’s the Pentecostals. Now I mean no offense by any means. We Baptists have our sayings as well: some we have adopted from other denominations and some we have made up. For instance, “I shall not be moved” is generally used as a joke but these words have power and it is seen in the pews when people are unwilling to be moved even by the Lord Himself! At any rate, there is something inherently wrong with the lack of Biblical language in our churches today.

I heard a professor from a prominent Southern Baptist seminary preach a wonderful message. Unfortunately I do not even remember what he was preaching because of something that he said. He said toward the end of sermon that “we need to speak into the lives of each other.” I approached him after that chapel service and asked him what he meant by that. His answer: “Uh…I’m not really sure what that means. I’ve just heard it around the campus lately.” I retorted, “Did you mean that we need to encourage each other?” The professor, “Why, yes, that is what I meant.” I then asked him this question: “Then why not just use the Biblical language and say that we should ‘encourage’ each other?”

Now I know some will disagree with what I am saying but language in the church has changed so dramatically that we do not see our waywardness as we ought. For instance, what used to be called drunkenness is now called “alcoholism” and is considered a “disease.” It is drunkenness. What used to be called “adultery” is called “an extramarital affair.” It is adultery. What used to be called murder is now called “abortion, infanticide, euthanasia.” It is murder. What used to be called fornication is now called “premarital sex.” It is fornication. What used to be called encouragement is now called “speaking into other people’s lives.” It is encouragement. Do you see the point?

What I am getting at is that we really need to rethink how we communicate in the church and in the world. We no longer have a sense that the church is something different from the world. We see it as a business rather than a ministry. We see it at a social club rather than the Bride of Christ. We see it as spectators rather than participating followers of Jesus Christ. This is why there are problems in churches today. Words have meaning and we have lost the meaning for the sake of whatever is new and whatever we desire for it to be instead of what it is supposed to be.

Words have power. God’s Word is obviously more powerful than anything. It is by His Word that lives are changed and transformed. It is by His Word that people are saved. It is by what He has written in His book long ago that we know how to live life and how to love Him and others. Consider just how powerful God’s Word is:

For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12, NASB)

Do you see it? God’s Word is alive and active! It’s living! It’s sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the inner being of man. It’s cutting! It’s able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart of man. It’s exposing! So because this is the case, why change our language? Why not keep speaking by using the words that have power? Use words that encourage, that have grace, that have mercy, that teach, that grow us in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18)?

Words have power–especially when it is God’s Word. I don’t have “pour into others” or “speak into other people’s lives” or “marinate in worship.” I need to “keep my eyes on the things that are above and not these things below” (Colossians 3:1-4). I need to “set my heart on things above” and not on things below. I need to believe–have faith–in the One who transforms my mind so that I am not conformed to this world (Romans 12:1-2).

Words have power–especially when it is God’s Word!

Kenya: Africa’s Beauty

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Source:https://blog.iese.edu/iese-and-africa/files/2016/02/kenya-sunset-1024×640.jpg

It was once a dream of mine to go to Africa. I was unsure as to what State I wanted to visit, but Kenya and Tanzania were on the list along with Uganda. I was finally able to go to Tanzania with some friends of mine on a mission trip. We were ministering to the Masai Tribe in Loliondo in the northern portion of Tanzania. The people were amazing. But the area that we were in was also called “the valley of darkness.” And when we entered into Loliondo, you could almost feel the darkness.

The people in the town were not very friendly to the “muzungus” (referring to people of European descent commonly used among Bantu Peoples in Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda, the Congo, Comoros, Mayotte, and Zambia), at least when we first entered into the town. They stared at us as if they had never seen light-colored skin before. There were Tanzanians of different tribes and of course the Masai were there. We would try to meet people and some would speak with us while others were staring at us as if they were afraid of us.

One of the days that we were there, a man came toward me and began to speak to me in English of all things. He was wondering what I was doing in Loliondo. I began to share the Evangecube with him which tells the story of Jesus Christ and how He came to seek and to save those who are lost. When I came to the picture of Jesus Christ on the Cross (which is offensive to see someone who actually died this way), it was as if the man was literally picked up and thrown to the ground. He began to wail and told me that he cannot look on such a picture. Now he was speaking Swahili. He covered his eyes and I covered the picture. I asked him why he could not look upon the picture. He said in perfect English, “Because I am Muslim.”

I uncovered the picture with my hand and said that he had to be set free from his sin. Again, he was cast down on the ground so I went on to the next picture that shows how Jesus Christ was buried and the next how He was raised from the dead. When asked if he would like to place his faith in Jesus Christ, he said that he could not. We walked away from each other but it was just a few days before I saw him again.

I was speaking with a Muslim store owner. My pastor friend had shared the Good News with the man and then my translator shared with him. He wanted to hear from the muzungu, so it was my turn to share the Good News of Jesus Christ with him. After hearing the News, he said that he wanted to convert from Islam to Christianity. His wife was standing in the window under a veil and I noticed she was crying. I said to the man, “I think your wife wants to trust Jesus Christ as well.” He turned and gave her permission to trust Christ. I then said to him, “Let her unveil herself as the Lord sees her beauty as she is.” He allowed it and they both with some other friends prayed to receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of their lives.

But it was the old man who I had spoken to a few days before. He was there on the porch of that storefront. He was mocking the pastor, the translator, and me the whole time. In reality, he was mocking Jesus Christ. At one point, I looked at him and yelled, “In the name of Jesus Christ! Get away from here!” The other men trusted Jesus Christ after I said that because the old man literally ran up the side of the mountain where we were! They said to my translator, “We have never seen him do anything like that! He is just an old drunk and cheats people! We want to know this Power of salvation!”

There are a couple of lessons that I learned from this trip. First, when you share the Good News of Jesus Christ, there will be those who accept it and those who will reject it. It matters not where you go, whether it is around the corner of your home or around the world, people will always make a decision to accept or reject. Second, when someone rejects the Good News that Jesus Christ died according to the Scriptures, was buried, and was raised again according to the Scriptures (1 Corinthians 15:3, 4), they are not rejecting you. In fact, they are rejecting Jesus Christ Himself. We are simply the messengers, He is Lord and Savior. Third, even the devil knows different languages. The man who spoke English to me had never been heard speaking my language, only Swahili. The pastor of the town told me that it frightened her because she had never seen anything like this before. I told her, “Even the devil can speak in tongues!” She understood that. Finally, the name of Jesus Christ not only drives the devil away, He saves the people who accept Him! The old man fled not because of me, but because of Jesus Christ. The people trusted Jesus Christ not because of me, but because of who He is.

The name of Jesus Christ is a strong and mighty name.