Israel Study Tour with The Church at Rocky Peak

March 24 - April 4, 2019

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The Lord’s willingness

Welcome friends and family to Day 5 of our Israel adventure!!! Crystal and Sam here... come along for the recap of our day! It was eventful to be sure!

This is Crystal and we started our day in a place called Chorazin. Here we learned about what ancient communities looked like. A whole family would be in one room - girls would be married off but boys would build another room on to the house when they got married. Looking around Israel it’s easy to see that there are few trees- so our idea of Jesus being a carpenter may be a bit skewed. He was probably a Tekton aka stonemason.

Pastor Michael spoke to us about that it is very likely that Jesus spoke at Chorazin as he reprimands the town for not repenting (see Matthew 11:20). Michael explained when God delivers truth it demands a response and responsibility. If we move toward that truth it gets brighter but if we ignore it our hearts become hardened (remember the dimmer switch principle?). It was amazing to sit in a place that Jesus could have taught in- but we are starting to get used to the fact that his presence is all over where we are visiting.

Chorazin

The synagogue at Chorazin is a typical “Galilean” style synagogue. These synagogues are characterized by 1) a basilical shape with three hallways separated by two rows of pillars; 2) three doorways and the central one is the largest; 3) benches around the interior walls; 4) a stylobate to support the weight of the arches.

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Next we ventured to Mount Arbel- I have gotten the privilege to be here before and it is my absolute FAVORITE hike I have ever done!!! Unfortunately, the national park would not let us hike from the bottom since rain was in the forecast and there are some places that could be a bit treacherous in the rain. So we drove to the top of the big beautiful mountain and hiked about 20 mins (through mud and wildflowers) to an overlook site where we worshipped while we looked over the north end of the Sea of Galilee. It was as beautiful as it was refreshing. As we ended worship Pastor Michael stepped up to speak on Luke 6:40. Rain drops began to fall and by the time he could put his rain coat on “just Incase” we were in the middle of a full on thunder storm complete with lightening, wind, rain and hail! Yes, hail!!! God gave us a beautiful display of his might. We weathered the storm for just enough time for us all to be soaking wet. So while we missed the teaching we all were in good spirits and felt we have a great story to tell of our time on Arbel. Since I have been here before I can tell you the place is beautiful. It is located along one of the major trade routes. It is thought this may have been a place where Jesus would pull away to lonely places to pray. The top over looks Galilee from an impressive height. It is a perfect place to pray over the communities below. Next we enjoyed a lunch of falafels. Which are fried balls of seasoned chickpea paste. They are placed in a pita with something like coleslaw and garnished w tahini or a mango curry. If you haven’t tried a falafel you should venture out and have a new 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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I know this seems like this would take a whole day- and it could but we weren’t even half way done. Our next stop was at the town of Migdal aka Magdala. As soon as we arrived we were greeted with another hail storm. Everyone took it in stride running for cover from the wind and rain but since all of our sites are outside it was part of the deal. Back to Magdala- this is an important and interesting place. You might be more familiar with its most famous resident Mary Magdalene. In Israel all names have meaning. So in this case we are talking about Mary of Magdala. This is a fairly new town to be discovered being unearthed starting 2006. One of the reasons this site is so important is because they have found a 1st century synagogue here. Only 1 of seven in all of Israel !!!!

Magdala

Magdala, the birthplace of Mary Magdalene, was a prosperous fishing village at the time Jesus was active in this region. The ruins of this Roman village is now enclosed within a wall. The archaeologists uncovered the remains of the village dating from the time of Jesus, and a Byzantine monastery. A mosaic floor featuring a fisherman's boat was found at the place.

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It is thought that it is very likely that Jesus taught in that synagogue!! How crazy is that? Israel is a beautiful land that has surprises around every corner. The morning was eventful and taught us so much about the land, the people and their history. And yet we are only half way done. I am going to hand the rest of the day over to Samantha... take it away Sam!

Hello everyone! Sam here

On our next stop of our day, we arrived at a place called Tagbha, a small stretch of beach on the Northwest corner of the Sea of Galilee. Michael mentioned to us that this was one of his favorite places on the trip, not because of the scenery of the place, but because of the things the Lord has spoken to people at this spot during previous trips. Tabgha is believed to be the place of Peter’s restoration to Jesus at the end of John 21.

In John 21, the disciple Peter drops his net, puts his robes back on, jumps out of the boat, and swims out to meet Jesus (post resurrection)on the shore. I can’t help but recognize the desperation that Peter had in him at this moment. After finishing, Jesus asks Peter if he loved him three times — mirroring the amount of times that Peter denied Jesus just before he was crucified. Michael stated that with each time, the question became even more painful for Peter. But the heart of his intentions were not hurt Peter but to heal him.

Tabgha

Two miles west of Capernaum is what Josephus referred to as the “well of Capernaum.” Undoubtedly a popular fishing spot of the locals because of its famous “seven springs,” Heptapegon (today the name has been corrupted to Tabgha) is the traditional location for several episodes in Jesus’ ministry.

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What stuck out to me at Tabgha was the Lord’s willingness to heal Peter. For each denial, Jesus gave Peter a chance to affirm his love for him. Peter eventually goes on to boldly proclaim the gospel message in the same place that Jesus was arrested and eventually put to death stating, “we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard,” (Acts 4:20). Michael then challenged us by asking, “What is your true name?” (Fun fact: mine is Faith! I’d love to tell you about it when I’m back stateside.)

Capernaum

The next place we went was Capernaum — a place with an old 4th century synagogue built on top of another 1st century synagogue where Jesus most likely spoke in. At Capernaum there is also a cool spaceship looking church built on top of the excavated ruins of the house of Peter. Earlier today we had learned not only about how ancient homes were built around an expanding family, but also about the elements and structure of a Jewish synagogue. These elements all came together at Capernaum. It was here that Michael spoke about spiritual warfare. A lot of the ministry of Jesus in Capernaum involved significant power encounters that showed people the authority that Jesus spoke with that he also came to give us as his followers.

Jordan River Baptism

Eventually we came upon our last stop, the Jordan river. All day I had been anxiously awaiting this part of trip, because I knew I had wanted to get baptized again in the Jordan. The Jordan river holds its own significance in the history of Israel as a place where the Israelites crossed over on dry land. It was also the place that John the Baptist had baptized Jesus, and where the Holy Spirit came upon Jesus in the form of a dove.

After changing into my baptism clothes, we all took a windy walk out to the place we were going to be dunking people in. I talked with Brian Morehead who was going to be doing the baptisms. He asked me why I felt I wanted to get baptized again in the Jordan. I talked to him quickly about the season of loss and grief I had been working through for the past six months. As the Lord has been preparing me for the trip, the word “healing” came up multiple times for me. I felt that the Lord intended to break a stronghold of anger and stubbornness in my life over my grief and that He would be welcoming in healing and freedom through my surrender of it.

It had been raining all day so the Jordan’s waters were cold and moving fast when as we approached the banks. As I stepped into the water, the anxiety of being swept away and the surreal feeling of being in the Jordan river distracted me from the cold. Brian took a moment to speak truth over me. He affirmed that the Lord had never left through the traumatic moments of my life, and that He had given me gifts of joy and hope to offer others through my testimony. It didn’t take long for me to start crying.

Soon after, Brian told me to grab a hold of his arm and bend my knees because I was going in. I held on tight and fell back into the water and came quickly up of of the current with a renewed sense of peace. I know that the Lord is faithful and that his promises are true. I have been learning that pain does not discount the goodness of God and sometimes it even awakens us to it.

Israel is a special place, and the presence of God is so evident everywhere you go. But I’d love to remind you that his presence is with you right now, even as you read this. Not a moment goes by when His eye is not on you. You don’t need to travel across the globe to hear from Him. He is willing to speak loud and clear, right where you are. Thank you for reading this to the very end!

We love you,

Sam and Crystal ❤️


























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