Israel In Depth - Rocky Peak

April 26 - May 7, 2015

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Responding to Truth

Where do I even begin? Today was a very full, but very amazing day! We started the morning with worship on the shore of Galilee and it was here that the theme of the day was set. We sang the song No Longer Slaves. Mike shared that this song is centered around scripture and in Isaiah 43 we are reminded that we are redeemed, we are his children.

From worship we headed towards Mount Arbel which is located in Tiberius and this may be one of my favorite hikes thus far. It was challenging but so fulfilling at the end. This hike started out like any typical hike until we came to the climb or rather the scaling of the mountain. As we climbed we used hand and foot holds to pull us up as we went, cheering one another on as some of us conquered fears of heights, overcame physical challenges, and accomplished what we had set out for.

When we reached the top we looked out over the Sea of Galilee and began to worship. I personally felt so accomplished, so filled with joy in the fact that I not only conquered the mountain but I had an overwhelming sense of the Lord. I felt his presence so thick amongst us. It was there Mike reminded us that what we had just done was very similar to how Jesus would get away with his Father. How finding those places with the Lord is what fills us, that the Lord has a vision for our lives and wants us to know that vision and to be present in every moment of His vision. He reminded us that when we desire to know the vision the Lord has for us He begins to reveal it to us. Little did we know that the start we had to our day so far was only the beginning of what we were about to experience.

Mount Arbel

Mount Arbel (Hebrew: הר ארבל‎‎, Har Arbel) is a mountain in The Lower Galilee near Tiberias in Israel, with high cliffs, views of Mount Hermon in the Golan Heights, trails to a cave-fortress, and ruins of an ancient synagogue. Mt. Arbel sits across from Mount Nitai; their cliffs were created as a result of the Jordan Rift Valley and the geological faults that produced the valleys.

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Our next stop was the city of Capernaum, the city of Jesus. Jesus did about 90 percent of his miracles and ministry in this city. We explored the ruins, sat by the shore and sat in the ruins of a synagogue. Ronen taught us about typical teaching and interpretation of verses in the Jewish culture. How their children learned to recite the Books of Moses, how they learned what the verses they read meant. The synagogue and city was incredible, to be in a place that Jesus was, where He spoke truth, where He healed, where He changed the world, where His movement began. While here we were reminded, that when Jesus' movement began so did a even bigger spiritual battle. As followers we must always be on alert, ready for the war that we are in. When attack comes we can loose sight that we are bigger, that we have been created for bigger things.

Capernaum

Jesus made Capernaum his home during the years of his ministry: “Leaving Nazareth he went and lived in Capernaum” (Matt 4:13).

Peter, Andrew, James and John were fishermen living in the village. Matthew the tax collector also dwelt here.

Capernaum is one of the three cities cursed by Jesus for its lack of faith.

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Today was a continuous reminder of who were are. That we are children of the Lord. That we have the ability and power to overcome trials we are faced with but it is up to us to battle. It is all about changing our way of thinking. When we chose to follow Jesus we now have the responsibility to respond to truth. We are broken, yes, we have sin, yes, but we have been redeemed! We have been chosen, we are no longer slaves. Jesus has known us from the beginning. Mike challenged us with the fact that Jesus does know us, but do we know us? Do we know what we were created for, what He is calling us to be, who He is calling us to be?

We ended the day at the Jordan River, with baptisms. This time was so peaceful, joyful and a beautiful picture of the Lord’s love for us. We started the day being reminded that we are his children, being challenged throughout the day to look deeper at who we are, to believe and chase after the vision that the Lord has for each of us. Standing on that shore and watching each person step into the water and come up with a smile, a new feeling of freedom that they had not experienced before was beautiful. I just pictured the Lord and how He smiles at us daily, as we pursue Him, as we step into a new space of freedom in Him.

We are all His children, we are no longer in bondage, we no longer have to live in fear of the unknown, because he knows. That is all we need to remember each day.

Kirsten Essiambre

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