Friday, February 7, 2014

Connections - A Deep Love for Scripture

It's a well known fact that Jim is a very gifted and talented preacher, BUT he gives all the glory and the praise to God for his gifting of conveying truth in a very accessible manner. This week he has not proven any different and has delivered the truths of Scripture to us in astounding ways! Coupled with God's handiwork in the landscapes around us, God's plans through Jim's teachings have had a profound effect on each of our lives; causing all of us to take a step back and deeply reflect on many areas of our lives. Scripture has come alive and, in a way, feels brand new to many of us. The precision, the detail, and the jaw-dropping way that God puts the pieces of Scripture into one cohesive and powerful book is magnificent. On more than one occasion we've all sat stunned in the presence of the Lord after Jim delivered connections and cross references in Scripture that could only come from the Holy Spirit. The teachings and stories that we have all grown up with have been reshaped and more accurately depicted through the seeing of many Biblical sites as well as in the  rich proof of the text.

This entire week has shown us that God wastes not a single word in His Scriptures. He spares no detail and if He does, even that is intentional!

Today we were reminded of all of these things through the teachings at the Dead Sea - where God links passages in Joshua with that of prophesy in Zechariah and Revelation made known in the death and life of Jesus Christ.

We connected David's story of submission to Saul at En Gedi in 1 Samuel with Old Testament practices of submission before the Lord, and with specific instruction from 1 Peter 2 regarding the task of submission to difficult leaders applicable for us today.

And then there was Jericho. Jim connected the dots in scripture spanning from Joshua to Deuteronomy and Judges, from 2 Samuel to 1 and 2 Kings and Luke, and the parallelism that happens between Joshua and Rahab, Elijah and Elisha, and Jesus. It's incredible to see how intricately connected and woven together all of these books and people of the Bible really are!

We finished up with the most beautiful of views that overlooked the Old Jericho Road which connected the book of Luke with the book of James.

You COULD NOT make any of this up. God is faithful to Jim to reveal and convey the words that WE all need to hear and He does so with such creative connections, placing together every book, every verse, and every word. And this does not have to be just for Jim! The Spirit is able and willing to open every eye to Scripture in this way, we just need to be faithful to ask and obey as He leads. This is the most beautiful part of it all. Scripture can come alive to each and every one of us!

Besides those incredible teachings and connections, our group took a little time to tour around Masada and to go eat lunch and shop at Qumran.

Our fourth day of touring was truly a blessed one. We are thankful and excited for what God is going to teach us in the days to come!! 

Here are some pictures recapping this fantastic day!


At the base of the cliff of Masada 


This is the mountain we climbed....first thing in the morning. We were pretttty proud of ourselves. 


Still climbing....


Kim and Emily looking out across the desert atop Masada! 


Down in a water (dried up) cistern 


Such a view spanning across the desert to the Dead Sea 


Listening to our guide Boaz describe the synagogue we were sitting in 


In a steam room at Herod's palace high up on Masada 


Ann walking along a path at En Gedi 


Our group on the rocks at En Gedi waiting for our lesson 


At En Gedi, David was hiding from Saul in one of these caves in the mountain (not necessarily THESE caves, but you know) 


A sycamore tree in Jericho. Name that Bible story!!! 


In the West Bank at Jericho! 


Gathered, listening to our guide talk about the archeological finds at Jericho


Gondolas above Jericho 


Pottery and artifacts embedded in the stone layers at Jericho 


This is the old Jericho road where the parable of the Good Samaritan would have happened! What a trek and it could be a very scary journey as well! 

Again another amazing view made from God's creative hands!


What a full, tiring, and beautiful day! 






















 















2 comments:

  1. Liz, your blog is awesome and the pictures are fantastic! Thank you for taking us along on the adventure. Praying the Lord continues to show up in amazing ways!

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  2. Thanks for the memories and update on your trip. I am praying for you daily that God would speak to the depths of your hearts. It came to me in my prayers that God will use this experience to enrich the body of Christ. Blessings,

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