The "Why"

Many have asked why we go to Israel. Jesus’s final words to the apostles before His ascension reveal, “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)

The gospel works first in Jerusalem.

So many people go, wanting to just prove themselves and their theologies right. The truth of the matter is that if the gospel we are living and sharing doesn’t work in Jerusalem, it will not work elsewhere.

We are taking this parting command from Jesus quite literally. If the gospel we live out works in Jerusalem, then it will work outside her ancient walls.

What have we learned from her in these many years of traveling? We have learned to honor. That means finding our common ground and making room for our difference. Honor has opened doors and broken down barriers in Jerusalem for the Jew, the Christian and the Muslim like nothing else has.

This past Sunday Pastor Thomas shared with us God’s beautiful plan for drawing our hearts back to Israel and to one another.

Genesis 11:1-9

There was one language and man believed that they were as great as God. (This is the reason man fell to begin with). God looked down upon them. They wanted to establish themselves and say that they were just as or more important than Him. The men came together and built a tower on the plain of Shinar, the Tower of Babel. It was because they were trying to make a name for themselves, so they would not be scattered. The Lord saw what they were doing and knew that they would become corrupt because nothing would be withheld from them. So he confused their languages and they could no longer communicate.

He sent them out all over the world because they could no longer work together. He knew they must be reformed from the inside out. He designed this plan that would take centuries to perfect. He needed a people that would remember Him, recognize Him, carry His Word and hold sacred His revelation. He chose the people of Israel. They weren’t any better than any of the others. They were simply chosen. It began through Abraham’s covenant with God to leave all and follow Him. He gave this responsibility to the people of Israel.

Throughout the Old Testament this is where God examined them. “My people have forgotten me days without number…” This was His litmus test for who had His heart and who had their own. The people of the Tower of Babel had their own selfish ambitions. Israel forgot Him and only thought of saving themselves.

But!!!

“For God so loved the world,” that He sent Jesus! This Word the people of God had been fostering now became flesh and dwelt among us. Praise God!

Now fast forward through His life and ministry. He preached the good news, He healed the sick, lame and dying and He forgave sin. He was resting one day when Phillip and Andrew came to him, saying that there were two men to see Him. Not just any two men, but Greeks, Gentiles! 

God had set Israel apart from the other nations, He gave specific instructions to help them keeps themselves pure, but also to keep the Word holy. Jews were not to have personal conversations with Greeks. So here for the first time, one of the peoples that had been scattered abroad was being drawn back to God through the gospel being lived out through Jesus. What was Jesus’ response to His Jewish brothers about this phenomenon?

“The hour has now come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Most assuredly, I say to you, that unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain. He who loves His life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor.” John 12:20

Jesus recognized this moment, as the moment God had been planning for all along. He knew that God had wanted to build His revelation so that when Jesus came He would be a gateway for all men to enter in to God and unite under His commandments rather then their selfish ambitions. God’s greatest enemy is self-centeredness.

Jesus knew He must leave for He could only touch a few and as along as He stayed the Holy Spirit could not come and He, the Holy Spirit could affect all men. But the seed that dies, so that life may spring up was Jesus, Himself. He went to the cross so that we, not of the original bloodline, could have access to His Word and revelation.

In the beginning, God separated man all out. In this moment, Jesus recognized the moment when the unity and the drawing of the hearts of men meant it was time for Him to fulfill His reason for coming. His time was near. He went to the cross not just for the chosen people, but also for us all.

His last words to the people before His ascension were to share the Gospel, first, in Jerusalem to God’s people and then to the rest of the world.

When the Holy Spirit came upon those first believers, they began to speak in many languages and they went out and began sharing the story of God’s plan to many nations all gathered in Jerusalem.

The confusion of the Tower of Babel was they could no longer understand one another. The confusion that came across the crowds of Pentecost was that they could understand, in their own language, God’s design. It brought the people together. The church was born that day. The people were brought in unity again.

Pastor shared with us that we are in this season of God drawing our hearts to Israel.  He has led our small group to go to Israel over and over again not just to see the sites, but to begin a relationship and a love for the people of Israel. We are being called back together. If we are being drawn to Holy Ghost revival (that I believe is at hand), then we are coming into theses hours and moments where we are going to see this unity and this understanding that we are meant to be one under Him.

The reason we are going to Israel is that we are joining in unity.

At the Tower of Babel, men came into unity for the power of man, but at Pentecost men came into unity for the power of God. God reversed the curse because now man can come into unity under God. They can walk in His design as it was intended from the beginning.

I believe that this trip is about bearing witness to Him not in telling people where they are wrong, but loving them and honoring them so the seed may be planted of hope that one day when the Savior crosses their pathway their hearts will already be warmed to Him.

We fly out today. Please pray for traveling mercies for all pilgrims.