When you read the Bible and it says Jesus went to this place and that place, there is no indication of how long those distances were. This was one thing I learnt from the trip. The distances were quite far but they used to do it. One human pattern I have seen in Jesus and one that I love is that he appeared to enjoy his food. Truly truly this is the way and if our Jesus enjoyed his food so should we. But here’s the thing, before we enjoy and indulge in the food, Jesus walked! So if he enjoyed his food, leave him alone, he needed it because he really walked.
Nazareth. A beautiful place, with beautiful architecture, scenic views and modern for the times. There was a shopping mall with Zara and other such shops. The place where Angel Gabriel delivered the message that Mary was the favoured one and would conceive a son who would reign, and his kingdom would have no end. Praise God Hallelujah! Right now, there are all sorts of wars, conflicts (even in Holy Land) and useless governments that need to be thrown in the dustbin and what that verse is saying is they will all end! Amen!
There is always Hope even if it seems things are never ending. If we go deeper into the actual reality of human existence, the battle that has been going on before Adam was created, the battle of the kingdom of evil and the Mighty Kingdom of the Living and Sovereign God that saves and gives eternal life, which has been established forever, will end, with the Kingdom that reigns forever, winning a mighty Win, with a number that no man could number, from all tribes, peoples, tongues, standing before the Lamb in white robes with palm branches in their hands. Amen!
The tribes, peoples, tongues will not just suddenly appear at the end of time. No sir! One of the best things about the trip was seeing people of every nation visiting the place Jesus walked. There were people from every continent and every man-made race. And the best part, even though we may not have spoken each other’s language, we just seemed to move with a harmony that I am convinced was the work of the Holy Spirit. On top of that, it was clear everyone was happy and feeling really honoured to be there. The singing was one give away.
There were 2 groups I saw; one was from Asia and the other South African. The Asian group were singing in their language but the liveliness in their singing drew a crowd, and we observed them singing and praising God and only stopped because our tour guide needed us to move on. Before that was the South African group! Lord have mercy they can sing with soul that is indescribable. You had to be there.
The devil is such a liar, all my pictures and videos from that first day of the trip mysteriously disappeared. Keep an eye on my IG page miss_tpa (My little understanding) and if its Gods' will that I retrieve them (Aki Jesus please help me get my pictures) I will. My testimony is that let no one tell you the people who believe and praise God are dwindling. Far from it! They are alive and will clearly multiply because on that Day, there will be a number that no man could number.
Why this was special to me was because as a Christian, I see many people comment on us, in a negative way, sometimes rightly so. From that you can think there are only a handful of Christians despite our favourite Wikipedia and Google saying Christianity is the largest Faith group. Praise Jesus. May be they've received the wisdom of God and haven't joined the kingdom of keyboard warriors, because even that one will end! Praise Jesus! The comments I see are based on what I call the “pharisee” in us as followers of Jesus.
The judgemental behaviour, the one that bans people from church for things God does NOT even close the door on us for, because he does not close his door to his children. Some can be hateful on people who are different to them, sometimes to the point of even killing them, and then in the same breath say they are a follower and believer in Jesus and the Bible. All these anti-Jesus moves, are done in the name of "church doctrine" or a stubborn intent to be right. I like how a preacher said that Church is for sick people.
All of us who go to Church are sick. If you go to church and someone offends you, remind yourself, they're just sick and keep your relationship with Jesus. He is certainly not and never sick. I love another sermon last week that said "Don't let people who didn't die to save you, run you from the church." Lets stretch that to don't let them run you out of a relationship with Jesus. Read on and see why you deserve to give yourself a chance with Jesus.
In fact, Jesus talked about this sickness when the Pharisees saw him eating with sinners and he told them those who are sick are in need of a physician. The Great Physician came for the sinners i.e. the sick ones and this is why all of us who go to Church are sick and need to stay there. What we know about sick people is some know they are sick; some don’t know they are sick. These two groups are in church in full throttle and full mixing and mingling. Just today when I was in church, I saw 2 incidences and if I didn’t know this information, and have that perspective, I could have easily been discouraged and dismiss church. So, the trip was special to see that people have not dismissed Jesus. My prayer is that we never dismiss him.
There were so many believers around the Holy Land, and you could see their love for God. The other beautiful part about it was during the trip, it never came up that I am a Seventh Day Adventist, this one is Baptist, the other one is Orthodox, and this is how it will be in heaven, and I Love it, I really do. All these things that have separated us will be gone! Hallelujah. I have never been to a place where your denomination should in theory come up and it just didn't! It just didn’t come up and didn't even matter.
What came up and what was clear was the love for Jesus and that he has followers who have clicked, liked, subscribed and here I am sharing. The group I travelled with had people from different denominations but every morning we would do our devotion together and you would not know, we were not of the same denomination. Glory to God for working on the tourist believers to continue to walk with this beautiful man and Son of God called Jesus.
Why I say he is beautiful, is first of all I intuitively know he is. The Excellent Book says we are made in the image of God. Have you seen these beautiful daughters and sons of God? There is your clue. But here is the best part and let me lead to it in a few steps. There is a route that is believed to be the route Jesus walked to the cross. Remember, this is after being arrested (for nothing), even Pilate said he didn’t see any wrong Jesus had done.
Jesus was thrown back and forth between Pilate and Herod and would eventually take that walk to the cross. Let me tell you that walk is a long walk. Its like the story of Jesus life was to walk even up to the point of death. That walk was long. On the tour the different points are marked as 14 stations. My cover picture shows 8 and 9. I don't have pictures of the others, so that means I just have to go back again.
Granted we had done other tours before taking the walk so we may have been tired, but still, that walk was long. Factor in Jesus had been spat on, mocked, whipped, a crown of thorns had been put on his head, then he was told to walk that walk to the cross, while carrying the cross. And I've just realised something. My Jesus hadn't had his food since the last supper! How many hours was that? And what was the impact on his ability to carry that cross, that long distance, having been tortured? That walk was not a joke! Add in why he was doing it. Any time I'd think of it that way, I would shed some tears.
Why was that walk long? What used to happen those days was people were crucified outside the city so this is why yet again, Jesus had to walk. Remember he was not doing a tourist walk like I was doing, strolling, taking 50 million pictures in one place, (but not of the stations, Lord have mercy) and chatting with the group.
He was carrying the cross having been tortured before and at some point the cross was then carried by Simon of Cyrene. I learnt from a sermon that he was an African so no one should lie to us that its the missionaries who brought God to Africa, they already knew! Praise God! Back to Jesus. Eventually they crucified him, mocked him again by asking why he couldn’t save himself.
What their raggedy selves didn’t know is Jesus had to go through all of that to save us and them. That kind of Love is beautiful and the part that fascinates me is this. Jesus knew full well, after going through all that, something an innocent man should not go through and something that a pure and Holy God should not go through, that these raggedy people he died to save, would continue where they left off from, till the day he would return for the second and final time.
We wouldn’t change. We would continue with our sickness, yet by his stripes (and they were a lot) we had already been healed. Some days we would accept the healing, some days we would act like Jesus never even came. Jesus knew all this and still came and still died!
To see that walk that Jesus did, so that God’s wish to get me home to sit on his lap in my original factory settings (not this one which dies, gets sick, heck is sick) and enjoy eternal life with him, Face to Face, was special. God doesn't want this distant remote meeting we have, with my camera constantly and permanently off. IT helpdesk can't fix it, ChatGPT can't fix it, Bill Gates and his pythons can't fix it, because sin is the reason my camera can't ever come on. I can't see God because my camera is off.
Jesus is the only one who fixes sins. He allows me to have the chance of seeing my father eye to eye just like Adam and Eve did, my ancestors that I deny most of the time, a lesson I learnt from Uncle Peter. Jesus has fixed the issue with my camera and seeing the walk to do that is an experience that I will never forget. It is an experience that has increased my appreciation for what Jesus did and for him.
It has improved my awareness of just what he did for me. I didn't realise on top of the torture, he walked a long way to the cross, just for me and just for you. I understand the price he paid, more than I did before the trip but I don’t think I can understand fully e.g. to a capacity of 100%. HOWEVER, I receive it and I can’t wait for that day when forget that my camera is fixed! I get to see Jesus Face to Face and say “Jesus is thaaaaaaat you”. When I tell you I am eager! Father will you send Jesus already. The best part is Jesus is the one who is more eager to see me because of his beautiful Love for me and for you. All he is waiting for, is for his father to say Go.
I know Jesus has told God "sema tu ng'we (closest translation just say the word) and I've gone to pick my brothers and sisters. " One thing about Jesus is he obeys his father because that is how you show love. He also wants to give those people a chance to make that choice that they will come back home and ask God aaaaaaaall those many questions they want to ask, FACE to FACE and finally be reunited with their loved ones who believed in Jesus and are now raised from the grave. What a day of Rejoicing that will be!
There is no love that will ever do this for you. NEVER! spouse, parent, child, bff of the year can never. Their cameras are also off and some don't even have a device let alone wi-fi. You may have a love that gives you a mansion. A Hakimi love that when they're with you they're with you, but when its over its over because he hid his money in his mothers name so you can't access what you were used to. Whatever love can give or promise you down here in this raggedy earth, can it give you eternal life? Forget the ageing creams man! Can they give you eternity where all you have to do is BELIEVE to get it? A Love that gives you Joy like you’ve never known.
A love that gives you a mansion that makes these earthly mansions look like a shack in a slum. Most of all a love that loves you exactly how you are. A love that will always love you regardless of the most heinous thing you could ever do and will ever do! oowi! Meaning a Love where you are fully SAFE! oowi! A love that takes you as you are with full embrace. A love that fights for you against all your enemies, seen and unseen, living and non living. My testimony is that I am privileged to have this kind of Love. And if it is there for me its certainly there for you too.
Praise God!
Related verses
Luke 1:26
Luke 1:28
Luke 1:31,33
Rev 7:9
Mark 2:17
Luke 23:4
John 19:1-25
Genesis 1:26-28
Isaiah 53:5
Next post: 29/4/2023
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