.Romans 1:8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world.
One of the greatest memories I have from our recent trip to Israel was the time spent in reading the word, worship and prayer with fellow believers. The number of people in Israel who are followers of Christ are few, which means relationships between believers is precious and appreciated.
In our condo in Jerusalem we read scripture, sang and prayed before visiting the Mount of Olives. In the days that followed we also read the scriptures at places like Beth-Shemesh where the Philistines returned the Ark of the Covenant to the Jews (1 Samuel 6), and the Valley of Elah where David killed Goliath (1 Samuel 17). Sharing these times of worship and prayer with Gina’s cousins Jeanie, Scott, and Laura were precious. Scott and Laura lived in Israel for nine years, pastoring and planting churches. We had the privilege of participating in a Bible study and prayer meeting in one of those churches, in the city of Qiryat Shemona, located near the Lebanese border. To the best of our knowledge it is the only Christian congregation north of the Sea of Galilee. You can imagine our relief when they opted to speak in English rather than Hebrew during our meeting.
The pastor’s name is Israel, the gentleman in the white shirt standing to my right in the photo, and his wife Marci is the lady in the green dress on the far left of the photo. Israel’s father was a rabbi. When Israel came to Christ he was the first Christian in his village. Standing to his right is Daniel from the village of Metula located on the Lebanese border. He and his wife are the only believers in their community. Daniel has a gentle spirit and a genuine love for God and the Bible. The gentleman in the cowboy hat is Zach, from Pastor Robert Morris’ church in Texas. Zach moved to Israel years ago, and attended the church Scott and Laura planted in Tel Aviv. He is a gifted carpenter who used his skills to paint and remodel the church building. Others were from South Africa and Lithuania.
I can’t tell you the theology of those I worshipped with that night, other than they all believed in Jesus Christ the Son of God who died on the cross for our sins; they believed in the authority of God’s Word and they believed in the power of prayer.
Pastor Israel led an hour-long discussion on the scriptures, and afterward we spent an hour in prayer. Brothers and sisters whom we met only an hour before prayed aloud for Gina’s brother Ron who is in Craig Hospital paralyzed from a motorcycle accident. They prayed for Gina and me and our congregation, and they prayed for their friends and relatives who are not saved. We were deeply moved, knowing “the fervent prayer of a righteous man accomplishes much” (James 5:16). As we prayed, the sweet aroma of the presence of the Holy Spirit filled that place. Oh, how it filled that place and our hearts.
I am praying for the presence of the Holy Spirit to fill your hearts and homes and you spend time with Him in your prayer closet.
Let’s sing: O come to the altar, the Father’s arms are open wide…
