Unforgettable

We are in a season of God answering prayer. This day was no exception. Last year, when mom and dad did this same day of touring the temperatures were unbearable! This morning, Pastor asked the Lord if He would send us a breeze. Later, Pastor had to repent because he did not believe it was possible, but it the Lord was faithful. A day, he was dreading because of the heat was delightful and ... haha... a breeze. Praise the Lord for His mercies endure forever!


This morning's first stop was truly insightful in so many ways. We walked through the streets of the ancient city of Korazim.This was one of the three villages Jesus visited often during His time in Galilee.

We approached the synagogue. Ascending steep steps, we walked in a saw Meir sitting on a very high chair with is feet dangling.

"This is the Moses seat," he explained. Even in synagogues today there is a seat where the rabbi sits, teaches and shares. But he also uses this spot to keep a close eye on the congregation. If people are getting too noisy in worship, he simply claps hishands and all falls silence.


He told us that this village was definitely here in the time of Jesus. How do they know? The way the original walls have been built appears over and over in the architecture of that day. The "grout" lines of the larger stones are filled with many smaller ones. So, this city was undoubtedly one Jesus visited.

We gathered around as Pastor shared:

Matthew 11:20-24

"Then He began to rebuke the cities in which most of His mighty works had been done, because they did not repent:
“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.

But I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you. And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades; for if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I say to you that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for you.”

He gives the power to be the sons of God. We have been blessed with difficulties and the wilderness, but there has been a constant speaking of the Holy Spirit over our lives. That is because of His presence. His presence comes because we are in theright alignment.

He is looking at what is being done with what He is sending. It is easy to minimize what is being poured in our direction.

At home, a lake like this would be covered in recreational activities and hotels.

The cities that He said woe to.... Ended. Why aren't they being rebuilt? It is prime resort land. The reality is He said these cities would be no more. We often take grace for granted. Wake up and recognize who you are and who you are with.
Are you allowing Him to change your path?

Don't take His work in you life for granted. They had five thousand fed on this hillside. Can you imagine a little village like this where everyone was healed? But it didn't change the way they lived. Is the reality of His presence enough to change yourposition?

It always struck me when Rev. Helm would sit before a room of thousands of people and say, "if only I had ten people really with me..." A loneliness would come across His face, "if there were only three really listening."
I would look around that room at all of the wonderful people and say wow I must really be at the back of that line! Lord, help me to get it! It was hard for us, the crowd to hear. We couldn't fathom that so few really heard, but it was evident that after this precious man of God passed away. The people walking with him dispersed out of convenience and hurt, forgetting who they were called to be.

We are blessed and we are being blessed! Don't let this blessing be taken for granted but we must turn our hearts in His direction!

Heather prays:

Thank you for this time we've had with You. I feel like we've been in a waiting... All of these words... Don't let us just take a word in one place and leave it there. This is something so deep... Help us to get it. Help us not treat this as sight-seeing. Helpus treasure this word. We ask that you would Resist the enemy on our behalf, give us strength.

Pastor
Get past... Waiting to be called on... If you liked doing it, it would't be a leading. Who cares if it wasn't right?
James Miles

This word hit me hard. Knowing I have been taking things too much for granted.

I blew it off a warning to appreciate a blessing I had been given. And now it is gone. I want to take every moment and thank God for all He has done for me and the familyHe has placed me in.

Mrs Barbara:
Woe to you... If the things done in you are forgotten or unappreciated! What was done here? If even Christ recognized these things as wonderful things, how wonderful were they really! Heathers prayer, James.... What wonderful things does have planned for us? He has been in the small things.
A reminder: there is a lesson to be learned

Pastor

Jesus walked here. He tabernacled here. But because the response was not right, there is no one living here any longer. Guard your heart with ALL diligence... Few seek with all their heart.

We meander. The prophet is supposed to do all of the remembering and appreciating. No we all are..
This has been one of the most delightful trips ever. Our hearts have been together, yet I do not want us to walk by these blessings without being thankful!
Heidi

There is such a deep working God has done in me. He's been good to us! This doesn't happen everywhere. Don't take it for granted. There is no where else in this world I would rather be.

Lord where am I with you? Are you just going through your day? You are in a place where He walked and encouraged. He walked through those doors.

I am so thankful any time He works with me. God I want you to keep working in me! He is doing that with all of us today! May He do this today as we walk.

We need to praise Him. I want everything He has for me, not just one thing! He is great today! Many times, I asked God to just take me. This life is to hard! One of those times was in January. BUT! He has brought me through!

I'm glad you are here. We are here. There is no other day like today. To be together in unity,... How pleasant! May He lift all weariness. Each of us could spend hours sharing what He's done. He has delivered me of heartache... Loneliness.

God wants to do something special today. Birth, root.. Water something! May we not just look at rocks, it is so much more than that! May we wrap our arms around each other and take in the beauty of the day to be apart of what He's doing. May we obey today.


We spent the next couple of minutes simply praising Him for all He has done, is doing and is yet to do!

Pastor

The Lord just revealed something to me in this time of praise:

He gives mankind what they want.

What do you want? These folks wanted a normal life. They got it but lost their significance and there place in this world. If you want to be led, He will lead you.

This is a little bit of a warning. We need to m!e sure that we don't walk the way of Korazim.

Michelle shared.
We have felt very loved by this group of people. Stephen and I appreciate it. I just wanted to hand you this report card with an "A+" on it!

We walked over to another part of the village. Meir pointed out one of the homes of the village. The homes here were called insulas. A family would have a common courtyard and their rooms would be built off to the sides.

Pastor shared that when the fathers of a young man and woman decided upon the marriage details. The bride and groom would be brought together. The young man would take a sip from his cup and offer it to the bride, Saying this is my life, I offer to you. She would consider him and the offer and if she accepted she would take and drink. This is the same ceremony Christinserted in the Passover feast.

The next thing to happen after the engagement process was that the young man and his father would come back to their village and begin to build on the new addition to the family house for the newlyweds. The groom did not decide when the room was finished. It must be completed to the fathers satisfaction. So the bride nor the bridegroom knew when the father would say it was finally time to go. That is why the virgins kept their lamps ready. They didn't know what hour the bridegroom would come for his bride, but there would be much celebrating!

Jesus said, "Behold I go to prepare a place for you."
Rick told me in passing not to forget it was father's day. What a day to think about the Father, remembering that it is to His satisfaction we are waiting upon!

Kathy shared: It's so intimate... I was thinking Beverly hills in our mansions of heaven. So lonely... But here I can step out of my room into the living room to be with my family and God the Father himself.

I had a most unusual experience walking down one of the streets of Korazin. Meir had encouraged us to imagine what a day would have been like here. Children playing in the streets. Laughing, talking, walking, etc. I had warn a scarf today to protect me from the sun. As I was walking, my head covering slipped a little. I reached up to place it back over my head and I had one
of those eerie time-transporting moments. Where I knew that same action had been performed by a young lady walking the very street I was walking. The Lord gave me this little gift of connecting. (Maybe this is apart of the gift of expression, He shared with me yesterday.)

We drove in to our next destination, Safed. It is the most beautiful artist colony placed on top of a mountain. It offers unparalleled views of the Sea of galilee and surrounding areas.

We had a great time wandering through the small streets. Pastor headed straight for his favorite spot and we all agreed that it was the most beautiful cafe we had ever seen! A covered porch draped in grape vines overlooked the vista. The breeze was cool
and delightful. The only sound we heard was the clicking and clacking of the weaving loom. Right next door was the shop where the most luxurious tallits are woven by hand. They are extraordinary (and mega expensive)!

Our drive to lunch was most interesting. It was like Comedy Hour on the Galilee. We were passing the jokes back and forth. Meirtold his favorite. Pastor said, "Meir! You only have two jokes!"

"This is not true!" he responded, "I have three!" we all were holding our sides in laughter!

Lunch was wonderful! Thank you Roby! Many enjoyed eating and playing with their food, gotta love St. Peter's fish!



Because of the heat of the day, we simply pulled over to the side of the road (staying on the air conditioned bus) and viewed theplace as Meir called it the "miracle of the swine"

Mark 5

1 Then they came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gadarenes. 2 And when He had come out of the boat, immediately there met Him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, 3 who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no one could bind him, not even with chains, 4 because he had often been bound with shackles and chains. And the chains had been pulled apart by him, and the shackles broken in pieces; neither could anyone tame him. 5 And always, night and day, he was inthe mountains and in the tombs, crying out and cutting himself with stones.
6 When he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and worshiped Him. 7 And he cried out with a loud voice and said, “What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I implore You by God that You do not torment me.”
8 For He said to him, “Come out of the man, unclean spirit!” 9 Then He asked him, “What is your name?”
And he answered, saying, “My name is Legion; for we are many.” 10 Also he begged Him earnestly that He would not send them out of the country.
11 Now a large herd of swine was feeding there near the mountains. 12 So all the demons begged Him, saying, “Send us to the swine, that we may enter them.” 13 And at once Jesus[c] gave them permission. Then the unclean spirits went out and entered the swine (there were about two thousand); and the herd ran violently down the steep place into the sea, and drowned in the sea.
14 So those who fed the swine fled, and they told it in the city and in the country. And they went out to see what it was that had happened. 15 Then they came to Jesus, and saw the one who had been demon-possessed and had the legion, sitting and clothed and in his right mind. And they were afraid. 16 And those who saw it told them how it happened to him who had been demon-possessed, and about the swine. 17 Then they began to plead with Him to depart from their region.
18 And when He got into the boat, he who had been demon-possessed begged Him that he might be with Him. 19 However, Jesus did not permit him, but said to him, “Go home to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He has had compassion on you.” 20 And he departed and began to proclaim in Decapolis all that Jesus had done for him; and all marveled.

This is the country of the Gadarenes. The demons asked for the pigs and Jesus gave them permission. And of course Swineflew... And committed soo-ee cide

Many from the area came to see what happened. How much does a pig cost? 250 dollars? That would be 500,000 dollars. That was someone's livelihood.

The other day in the Garden of Gethsemane we were speaking that when true revival comes 90 percent of the people, the church would try to kill it.

The people wanted Jesus to leave. The ex-possessed wanted to go with Him, but Jesus did not permit him.

He was found in his right mind and with clothes on. Where did the clothes come from? The disciples had to have brought it with them.

Here was the worst sinner you can imagine. No one lower than this man and yet
he was found sitting at the feet of Jesus... Jesus brought him clothes. The prodigal son... There was provision for him. Make sure you have provisions for the ones the Lord is bringing in. Make room in your hearts!
The hearts of the church are warmed for the lost. Understand we are in a season of prayers are being released!

Take a lesson from this story of redemption. We need to have something ready for redemption. Clothes, etc. We are in a different season. Let your request be known to God. You don't work up a burden for the lost, but you can ask for a hunger to see someone saved.


It is natural to want to share this kingdom, make room. I'd like to have a place in my heart for my friends I haven't met yet

True revival may not look the way you think. We must defeat the elder brother spirit. When God begins to move it tears things up!
That's why you have to deal with offense and know where you stand.

Losing half a million dollars over this cliff doesn't look like revival. Few laymen are ready for the upheaval revival creates. Don't be surprised at what the devil throws up to get us off. Sowing spiritually, you don't receive a great response. I don't know howbad a sinner you are or know.... There is a provision for you!

After dinner, we gathered outside by the sea. I just began to sing a couple of songs. Several young girls came and sat with us for a few moments just to listen, they were very sweet.

I sang, "I will lift my eyes" heather shared that she heard something different in the song than she had ever heard before. "I will ,fit my eyes to the make of the mountains I can't climb" She said, I always thought that was talking about the creator of the mountains, but no. It goes right along with the messages of this week. That He creates mountains I cannot climb simply for my sake, so I will trust in Him. I was never meant to stand on the top, but I was meant to go as far as he needed me to, to learn my lesson.

Without thinking through all of the words, I started sing the next song and we all laughed when I got to the chorus:

Sometimes that mountain you've been climbing
Is just a grain of sand
And what you've been out there searching for forever
Is in your hands

And when you figure out
Love is all that matters after all
It sure makes everything else
Seem so small