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I Visited The Western Wall Twice

Disclaimer: This is my original work with details sourced from my personal experiences and observations during the Israel pilgrimage tour I joined and what happened during my free time. Anyone who wants to use this article, in part or in whole, needs to secure first my permission and agree to cite me as the source and author. Let it be known that any unauthorized use of this article will constrain the author to pursue the remedies under R.A. No. 8293, the Revised Penal Code, and/or all applicable legal actions under the laws of the Philippines.

Welcome back, readers and fellow followers of the Lord! This is the 11th chapter of my ongoing series of articles about the holy nation of Israel with recollections about the experiences and discoveries I had during the pilgrimage tour I joined with my local church (hosted by strategic partner Behold Israel) in 2023. To see my previous Israel tour articles, click here, here, here, here, here,  here, here, here, here and here. No matter what happens in this unpredictable and chaotic world we live in, I will always stand with Israel and my faith in the Lord remains uncompromising!

In this latest edition of my Israel 2023 series, I share with you what I experienced when I visited Western Wall in the Old City of Jerusalem not once but twice. Also referred to as the Wailing Wall, the Western Wall is a very holy site and is one of the most definitive places to be in with regards to worshiping the Lord.

For starters, I share with you the very video I recorded about my first time ever to arrive at the Western Wall Plaza (note: I was with my pilgrimage tour group companions, our pastors and our hard-working local tour guide) as well as my first-ever approach (starts at 2:01 in the video) to the Western Wall itself. It’s a video of more than three minutes and it’s available for public viewing via YouTube. Watch the video below and pay attention to the details closely.

https://youtu.be/H9EF50bcv_A

As you can see in the above video, I stopped recording before entering the perimeter to get closer to the Western Wall. What happened after was my personal discovery and my personal sensing of the Lord’s presence.

About The Western Wall

To put things in perspective, the Western Wall is a retaining wall which was part of the Temple Mount expansion that King Herod (Herod the Great) did in around 19 BC. It is one of the four supporting walls of the Temple Mount which remained intact after the destruction of the Second Jewish Temple many decades later. Above it is the Temple Mount already.

Historically, the First Jewish Temple was built on the top of Mount Moriah during the time of King Solomon. The temple was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 BCE. In 19 BC, King Herod started rebuilding a new temple and this includes enlarging the Temple Mount platform a lot which made it 1,575 feet long and 985 feet wide. Herod had ten thousand men working and trained a thousand priests to work on the most sacred parts of the Second Jewish Temple.

The construction was done after several years but the decoration was completed in 64 AD. Six years after the Second Jewish Temple was fully completed, the Romans destroyed it but the western side of the Temple Mount survived. This happened in 70 AD, long after Lord Jesus conquered death and ascended to Heaven.

The Western Wall faces westward and it is the closest in proximity to the site of the Holy of Holies, the most sacred location in the Temple for the Jewish people. Be aware that Mount Moriah is the same exact mountain where Abraham almost sacrificed his son Isaac before God sent the angel to intervene and provided the ram as the sacrifice.   

For centuries, the Western Wall became a great source of influence and inspiration. It became the focus of yearning and prayer for the Jewish people for countless generations. The open-air section of the Western Wall serves as a place of worshipping the Lord and it is officially a synagogue. Apart from worship, the Western Wall keeps the memory of the Jewish Temples alive and it has also been used by the State of Israel for formal ceremonies. For centuries, pilgrims from around world came to the wall to pray and leave written noted in its ancient stones.

Physically, the Western Wall is 488 meters long and the height of the exposed section reaches a height of 40 meters above the bedrock of the eastern hill of Jerusalem (Mount Moriah). The open-air section of the wall (visible to the Prayer Plaza) is comprised of 46 layers of stone and the very large stones (that many are able to touch) were put in place during the time of King Herod (Second Jewish Temple period).

My First Visit – February 13, 2023

After recording the video, I placed my smartphone into my pocket, entered the worship area and gradually made my way to the wall.

With my Holy Bible in my left hand, I touched the Western Wall with my right hand and started spending quality time with the Lord God, praying to Him. With all my heart, I expressed my thanks and dedication to Lord Jesus there at the wall. I also prayed in support of Israel and the peace of Jerusalem.

Each moment I had there, I truly felt God’s presence and I did not confuse it with the wall’s visual magnificence. As I prayed, I felt the unction from the Lord to open my eyes and look straight up at the blue sky above knowing that He is spiritual, and He is in Heaven. The Lord is not inside the stones of the wall but in His Kingdom. That said, I did not worship the stones (reminder: idolatry is foolish and unholy) as I directed my worship directly to the Lord knowing He is in Heaven.

Because we only had fifteen minutes to spend as our tour group had a schedule to follow, I wisely spent time to praising and honoring the Lord. Let me remind you all that Lord Jesus will someday return and He will fulfill His promise. He will return in Israel and Jerusalem will be His destination.

After praying to Him, I spent the remaining minutes looking around and observing. I was surrounded by Ultra-Orthodox Jews, National Religious Jews, rabbis, tourists and Christians. I witnessed the religious rituals and practices of the Jewish people and I know deep inside that the ties between Jews and Christians are biblical.

The whole area is indeed sacred and that means visitors should be respectful and should practice decency near the Western Wall. People praying to God are to be respected and when there are many others praying while touching the wall, you will really have to wait for your turn. Be mindful that the Lord is always watching you as there is simply no reason to cause disrespect, playing around and causing trouble at the Western Wall.

When my fifteen minutes ran out, I went to the exit to rejoin my tour group.

My Second Visit – February 15, 2023

Two days later, it was our tour group’s one and only rest day. After having a really early breakfast at our hotel, I marched to the Old City of Jerusalem and visited the Temple Mount for the first time ever. After spending time up there, I took the exit and made my way down to return to the Western Wall.

Once again I took time touching the wall and praying to the Lord and expressing my thanks to Him with a lot of heart. After several minutes, I took a seat to pray to Him while resting my legs. Then I noticed a North American man (who looked so much like Hillsong Church’s Phil Dooley) with the Holy Bible at one end of the fence (separating the men and the women) by the wall facing at the other direction (his back on the wall). He preached the Word of God and asked the Lord to save everyone. What he said reminded me that God has a plan for everyone, including the Jews (His chosen people) and there is still time for the lost and unsaved to realize Jesus as the Lord and the Savior of all.

After I was done praying by the wall, I decided to visit Wilson’s Arch as I was so curious why a lot of people had been entering and exiting it. It turned out to be Western Wall tunnel (with an arch area) and inside was a synagogue where there lots of Jews read the Old Testament, the Torah and pray. At the entrance/exit, a Jewish rabbi invited me in and assured me that foreigners and non-Jews were welcome. So I went in and he showed some parts of the indoor synagogue.

As it was a place of worship by the Jews, I was cautious moving inside and spending time observing. Carefully I only took a few photos for this feature article and it was astonishing to see more of the Western Wall indoors. Not only that, it was impressive to see the arches – including those huge stones above our heads – and it turns out they were constructed during Herod’s time and without any cement at all. There were also lots of shelves of books on both sides.

The indoor synagogue is one of the holiest synagogues in Israel due to its proximity to where the original Jewish Temple was wherein the Holy of Holies resided. Since it was my plan to revisit the Upper Room and visit both King David’s Tomb and Oskar Schindler’s grave, I eventually left the Western Wall tunnel. Before tracing my way back to the Jewish Quarter (where we visited two days prior), I took one last look back at the Western Wall. I intend to revisit it and spend quality time with the Lord there again in the future.  

Biblical Significance

While it is a fact that the Western Wall was not explicitly mentioned in the Holy Bible, it has always been part of the Temple Mount since Herod’s time. To put things in perspective, we need to go back to the time when King Solomon dedicated the First Temple asking God to hear the prayers made toward it. Learn from the holy scriptures below.

that Your eyes may be open toward this temple night and day, toward the place of which You said, ‘My name shall be there,’ that You may hear the prayer which Your servant makes toward this place. And may You hear the supplication of Your servant and of Your people Israel, when they pray toward this place. Hear in heaven Your dwelling place; and when You hear, forgive.

1 Kings 8:29-30 (NKJV)

“Moreover, concerning a foreigner, who is not of Your people Israel, but has come from a far country for Your name’s sake (for they will hear of Your great name and Your strong hand and Your outstretched arm), when he comes and prays toward this temple, hear in heaven Your dwelling place, and do according to all for which the foreigner calls to You, that all peoples of the earth may know Your name and fear You, as do Your people Israel, and that they may know that this temple which I have built is called by Your name.

1 Kings 8:41-43 (NKJV)

The First Jewish Temple eventually got destroyed by the Babylonians. Centuries later, Herod executed the massive rebuilding of the Temple (Second Jewish Temple) in Jerusalem as well as the expansion of the Temple Mount itself. What was achieved drew reactions from many people who saw it and there were references of such reactions in the New Testament. For insight, read the scriptures below.

Then as He went out of the temple, one of His disciples said to Him, “Teacher, see what manner of stones and what buildings are here!”

Mark 13:1 (NKJV)

Then the Jews replied, It took forty-six years to build this temple (sanctuary), and will You raise it up in three days?

John 2:20 (AMPC)

To be clear, the forty-six years mentioned in John 2:20 refers to the massive renovation and the expansion of the Second Jewish Temple.

Long before the Second Temple got destroyed, Lord Jesus prophesied its destruction. By the time Lord Jesus made the prophesy, He was already rejected by the religious Jews. Those people refused to accept Him as their Messiah and they had disobeyed God as a result. Lord Jesus wept for Jerusalem knowing that suffering and destruction would come and it happened in 70 AD. Learn from the scriptures below.

Now as He drew near, He saw the city and wept over it, saying,

“If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. For days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you and close you in on every side, and level you, and your children within you, to the ground; and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know the time of your visitation.”

Luke 19:41-44 (NKJV)

Then Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and His disciples came up to show Him the buildings of the temple. And Jesus said to them,

“Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down.”

Matthew 24:1-2 (NKJV)

As it is very clear that God always has a plan for the faithful and His chosen people, it was prophesied that He would bring the Jews (scattered around the world) back to Israel in the last days. This prophecy was fulfilled in May 1948 when the modern State of Israel was formally established and a lot of Jews returned or settled in since then. Lord Jesus will return to us some time in the future and there is time for the Jews to accept Him as their Messiah, to repent and submit to Him. The other lost and unsaved people of the world still have opportunities to realize Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Very clearly, Lord Jesus is the hope of ALL nations! Learn from the scriptures below.

If any of you are driven out to the farthest parts under heaven, from there the Lord your God will gather you, and from there He will bring you. Then the Lord your God will bring you to the land which your fathers possessed, and you shall possess it. He will prosper you and multiply you more than your fathers.

Deuteronomy 30:4-5 (NKJV)

Jesus answered him,

“I assure you and most solemnly say to you, unless a person is born again [reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, sanctified], he cannot [ever] see and experience the kingdom of God.”

John 3:3 (AMP)

Beloved ones, let me repeat emphatically that the gospel entrusted to me was not given to me by any man. No one taught me this revelation, for it was given to me directly by the unveiling of Jesus Christ.

By now you have heard stories of how severely I harassed and persecuted Christians and how systematically I endeavored to destroy God’s church, all because of my radical devotion to the Jewish religion. My zeal and passion for the doctrines of Judaism distinguished me among my people, for I was far more advanced in my religious instruction than others my age.

But then God called me by his grace, and chose me from my birth to be his. He was pleased to unveil his Son in me so that I would proclaim him to the peoples of the world. After I had this encounter, I kept it a secret for some time, sharing it with no one. And I had no desire to run to Jerusalem and try to impress those who had become apostles before me. Instead, I withdrew into the Arabian Desert. Then I returned to Damascus, where I had first encountered Jesus.

Galatians 1:11-17 (TPT)

For He is [Himself] our peace (our bond of unity and harmony). He has made us both [Jew and Gentile] one [body], and has broken down (destroyed, abolished) the hostile dividing wall between us,

By abolishing in His [own crucified] flesh the enmity [caused by] the Law with its decrees and ordinances [which He annulled]; that He from the two might create in Himself one new man [one new quality of humanity out of the two], so making peace.

And [He designed] to reconcile to God both [Jew and Gentile, united] in a single body by means of His cross, thereby killing the mutual enmity and bringing the feud to an end.

And He came and preached the glad tidings of peace to you who were afar off and [peace] to those who were near.

For it is through Him that we both [whether far off or near] now have an introduction (access) by one [Holy] Spirit to the Father [so that we are able to approach Him].

Therefore you are no longer outsiders (exiles, migrants, and aliens, excluded from the rights of citizens), but you now share citizenship with the saints (God’s own people, consecrated and set apart for Himself); and you belong to God’s [own] household.

You are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets with Christ Jesus Himself the chief Cornerstone.

In Him the whole structure is joined (bound, welded) together harmoniously, and it continues to rise (grow, increase) into a holy temple in the Lord [a sanctuary dedicated, consecrated, and sacred to the presence of the Lord].

In Him [and in fellowship with one another] you yourselves also are being built up [into this structure] with the rest, to form a fixed abode (dwelling place) of God in (by, through) the Spirit.

Ephesians 2:14-22 (AMPC)

Conclusion

My two visits to the Western Wall were very significant to me personally. As seen above, each visit has been different, new discoveries happened and I spent quality time with Lord. The place is holy and it is a must-visit for anyone going to Israel. If I ever visit Israel again, I would return to the Western Wall to praise, thank and honor the Lord. If you are a person of faith who is about to visit Israel for the first time, I urge you to visit the Western Wall in Jerusalem. Learn from my experiences. I also encourage you all to stand united in support of Israel, learn to love and bless the Jewish people, help the lost and unsaved come to Lord Jesus and always pray for the peace of Jerusalem.

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem! May they prosper who love you [the Holy City]!

May peace be within your walls and prosperity within your palaces!

For my brethren and companions’ sake, I will now say, Peace be within you!

For the sake of the house of the Lord our God, I will seek, inquire for, and require your good.

Psalm 122:6-9 (AMPC)

Israel is the holiest place to visit in the whole world! Visit Israel with the Holy Bible! Pray to the Lord wholeheartedly and reveal to Him your heart’s desire to visit Israel to deepen your faith in Him. Always be the fearless and aggressive church of Lord Jesus! Follow the light of Lord Jesus, keep on praying to support Israel, learn to love and bless the Jewish people and pray for the peace of Jerusalem.

Watch out for more Israel 2023 travel articles here. There is more to come! Thank you for reading.

+++++

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I Visited The Western Wall Twice

Disclaimer: This is my original work with details sourced from my personal experiences and observations during the Israel pilgrimage tour I joined and what happened during my free time. Anyone who wants to use this article, in part or in whole, needs to secure first my permission and agree to cite me as the source and author. Let it be known that any unauthorized use of this article will constrain the author to pursue the remedies under R.A. No. 8293, the Revised Penal Code, and/or all applicable legal actions under the laws of the Philippines.

Welcome back, readers and fellow followers of the Lord! This is the 11th chapter of my ongoing series of articles about the holy nation of Israel with recollections about the experiences and discoveries I had during the pilgrimage tour I joined with my local church (hosted by strategic partner Behold Israel) in 2023. To see my previous Israel tour articles, click here, here, here, here, here,  here, here, here, here and here. No matter what happens in this unpredictable and chaotic world we live in, I will always stand with Israel and my faith in the Lord remains uncompromising!

In this latest edition of my Israel 2023 series, I share with you what I experienced when I visited Western Wall in the Old City of Jerusalem not once but twice. Also referred to as the Wailing Wall, the Western Wall is a very holy site and is one of the most definitive places to be in with regards to worshiping the Lord.

For starters, I share with you the very video I recorded about my first time ever to arrive at the Western Wall Plaza (note: I was with my pilgrimage tour group companions, our pastors and our hard-working local tour guide) as well as my first-ever approach (starts at 2:01 in the video) to the Western Wall itself. It’s a video of more than three minutes and it’s available for public viewing via YouTube. Watch the video below and pay attention to the details closely.

https://youtu.be/H9EF50bcv_A

As you can see in the above video, I stopped recording before entering the perimeter to get closer to the Western Wall. What happened after was my personal discovery and my personal sensing of the Lord’s presence.

About The Western Wall

To put things in perspective, the Western Wall is a retaining wall which was part of the Temple Mount expansion that King Herod (Herod the Great) did in around 19 BC. It is one of the four supporting walls of the Temple Mount which remained intact after the destruction of the Second Jewish Temple many decades later. Above it is the Temple Mount already.

Historically, the First Jewish Temple was built on the top of Mount Moriah during the time of King Solomon. The temple was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 BCE. In 19 BC, King Herod started rebuilding a new temple and this includes enlarging the Temple Mount platform a lot which made it 1,575 feet long and 985 feet wide. Herod had ten thousand men working and trained a thousand priests to work on the most sacred parts of the Second Jewish Temple.

The construction was done after several years but the decoration was completed in 64 AD. Six years after the Second Jewish Temple was fully completed, the Romans destroyed it but the western side of the Temple Mount survived. This happened in 70 AD, long after Lord Jesus conquered death and ascended to Heaven.

The Western Wall faces westward and it is the closest in proximity to the site of the Holy of Holies, the most sacred location in the Temple for the Jewish people. Be aware that Mount Moriah is the same exact mountain where Abraham almost sacrificed his son Isaac before God sent the angel to intervene and provided the ram as the sacrifice.   

For centuries, the Western Wall became a great source of influence and inspiration. It became the focus of yearning and prayer for the Jewish people for countless generations. The open-air section of the Western Wall serves as a place of worshipping the Lord and it is officially a synagogue. Apart from worship, the Western Wall keeps the memory of the Jewish Temples alive and it has also been used by the State of Israel for formal ceremonies. For centuries, pilgrims from around world came to the wall to pray and leave written noted in its ancient stones.

Physically, the Western Wall is 488 meters long and the height of the exposed section reaches a height of 40 meters above the bedrock of the eastern hill of Jerusalem (Mount Moriah). The open-air section of the wall (visible to the Prayer Plaza) is comprised of 46 layers of stone and the very large stones (that many are able to touch) were put in place during the time of King Herod (Second Jewish Temple period).

My First Visit – February 13, 2023

After recording the video, I placed my smartphone into my pocket, entered the worship area and gradually made my way to the wall.

With my Holy Bible in my left hand, I touched the Western Wall with my right hand and started spending quality time with the Lord God, praying to Him. With all my heart, I expressed my thanks and dedication to Lord Jesus there at the wall. I also prayed in support of Israel and the peace of Jerusalem.

Each moment I had there, I truly felt God’s presence and I did not confuse it with the wall’s visual magnificence. As I prayed, I felt the unction from the Lord to open my eyes and look straight up at the blue sky above knowing that He is spiritual, and He is in Heaven. The Lord is not inside the stones of the wall but in His Kingdom. That said, I did not worship the stones (reminder: idolatry is foolish and unholy) as I directed my worship directly to the Lord knowing He is in Heaven.

Because we only had fifteen minutes to spend as our tour group had a schedule to follow, I wisely spent time to praising and honoring the Lord. Let me remind you all that Lord Jesus will someday return and He will fulfill His promise. He will return in Israel and Jerusalem will be His destination.

After praying to Him, I spent the remaining minutes looking around and observing. I was surrounded by Ultra-Orthodox Jews, National Religious Jews, rabbis, tourists and Christians. I witnessed the religious rituals and practices of the Jewish people and I know deep inside that the ties between Jews and Christians are biblical.

The whole area is indeed sacred and that means visitors should be respectful and should practice decency near the Western Wall. People praying to God are to be respected and when there are many others praying while touching the wall, you will really have to wait for your turn. Be mindful that the Lord is always watching you as there is simply no reason to cause disrespect, playing around and causing trouble at the Western Wall.

When my fifteen minutes ran out, I went to the exit to rejoin my tour group.

My Second Visit – February 15, 2023

Two days later, it was our tour group’s one and only rest day. After having a really early breakfast at our hotel, I marched to the Old City of Jerusalem and visited the Temple Mount for the first time ever. After spending time up there, I took the exit and made my way down to return to the Western Wall.

Once again I took time touching the wall and praying to the Lord and expressing my thanks to Him with a lot of heart. After several minutes, I took a seat to pray to Him while resting my legs. Then I noticed a North American man (who looked so much like Hillsong Church’s Phil Dooley) with the Holy Bible at one end of the fence (separating the men and the women) by the wall facing at the other direction (his back on the wall). He preached the Word of God and asked the Lord to save everyone. What he said reminded me that God has a plan for everyone, including the Jews (His chosen people) and there is still time for the lost and unsaved to realize Jesus as the Lord and the Savior of all.

After I was done praying by the wall, I decided to visit Wilson’s Arch as I was so curious why a lot of people had been entering and exiting it. It turned out to be Western Wall tunnel (with an arch area) and inside was a synagogue where there lots of Jews read the Old Testament, the Torah and pray. At the entrance/exit, a Jewish rabbi invited me in and assured me that foreigners and non-Jews were welcome. So I went in and he showed some parts of the indoor synagogue.

As it was a place of worship by the Jews, I was cautious moving inside and spending time observing. Carefully I only took a few photos for this feature article and it was astonishing to see more of the Western Wall indoors. Not only that, it was impressive to see the arches – including those huge stones above our heads – and it turns out they were constructed during Herod’s time and without any cement at all. There were also lots of shelves of books on both sides.

The indoor synagogue is one of the holiest synagogues in Israel due to its proximity to where the original Jewish Temple was wherein the Holy of Holies resided. Since it was my plan to revisit the Upper Room and visit both King David’s Tomb and Oskar Schindler’s grave, I eventually left the Western Wall tunnel. Before tracing my way back to the Jewish Quarter (where we visited two days prior), I took one last look back at the Western Wall. I intend to revisit it and spend quality time with the Lord there again in the future.  

Biblical Significance

While it is a fact that the Western Wall was not explicitly mentioned in the Holy Bible, it has always been part of the Temple Mount since Herod’s time. To put things in perspective, we need to go back to the time when King Solomon dedicated the First Temple asking God to hear the prayers made toward it. Learn from the holy scriptures below.

that Your eyes may be open toward this temple night and day, toward the place of which You said, ‘My name shall be there,’ that You may hear the prayer which Your servant makes toward this place. And may You hear the supplication of Your servant and of Your people Israel, when they pray toward this place. Hear in heaven Your dwelling place; and when You hear, forgive.

1 Kings 8:29-30 (NKJV)

“Moreover, concerning a foreigner, who is not of Your people Israel, but has come from a far country for Your name’s sake (for they will hear of Your great name and Your strong hand and Your outstretched arm), when he comes and prays toward this temple, hear in heaven Your dwelling place, and do according to all for which the foreigner calls to You, that all peoples of the earth may know Your name and fear You, as do Your people Israel, and that they may know that this temple which I have built is called by Your name.

1 Kings 8:41-43 (NKJV)

The First Jewish Temple eventually got destroyed by the Babylonians. Centuries later, Herod executed the massive rebuilding of the Temple (Second Jewish Temple) in Jerusalem as well as the expansion of the Temple Mount itself. What was achieved drew reactions from many people who saw it and there were references of such reactions in the New Testament. For insight, read the scriptures below.

Then as He went out of the temple, one of His disciples said to Him, “Teacher, see what manner of stones and what buildings are here!”

Mark 13:1 (NKJV)

Then the Jews replied, It took forty-six years to build this temple (sanctuary), and will You raise it up in three days?

John 2:20 (AMPC)

To be clear, the forty-six years mentioned in John 2:20 refers to the massive renovation and the expansion of the Second Jewish Temple.

Long before the Second Temple got destroyed, Lord Jesus prophesied its destruction. By the time Lord Jesus made the prophesy, He was already rejected by the religious Jews. Those people refused to accept Him as their Messiah and they had disobeyed God as a result. Lord Jesus wept for Jerusalem knowing that suffering and destruction would come and it happened in 70 AD. Learn from the scriptures below.

Now as He drew near, He saw the city and wept over it, saying,

“If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. For days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you and close you in on every side, and level you, and your children within you, to the ground; and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know the time of your visitation.”

Luke 19:41-44 (NKJV)

Then Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and His disciples came up to show Him the buildings of the temple. And Jesus said to them,

“Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down.”

Matthew 24:1-2 (NKJV)

As it is very clear that God always has a plan for the faithful and His chosen people, it was prophesied that He would bring the Jews (scattered around the world) back to Israel in the last days. This prophecy was fulfilled in May 1948 when the modern State of Israel was formally established and a lot of Jews returned or settled in since then. Lord Jesus will return to us some time in the future and there is time for the Jews to accept Him as their Messiah, to repent and submit to Him. The other lost and unsaved people of the world still have opportunities to realize Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Very clearly, Lord Jesus is the hope of ALL nations! Learn from the scriptures below.

If any of you are driven out to the farthest parts under heaven, from there the Lord your God will gather you, and from there He will bring you. Then the Lord your God will bring you to the land which your fathers possessed, and you shall possess it. He will prosper you and multiply you more than your fathers.

Deuteronomy 30:4-5 (NKJV)

Jesus answered him,

“I assure you and most solemnly say to you, unless a person is born again [reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, sanctified], he cannot [ever] see and experience the kingdom of God.”

John 3:3 (AMP)

Beloved ones, let me repeat emphatically that the gospel entrusted to me was not given to me by any man. No one taught me this revelation, for it was given to me directly by the unveiling of Jesus Christ.

By now you have heard stories of how severely I harassed and persecuted Christians and how systematically I endeavored to destroy God’s church, all because of my radical devotion to the Jewish religion. My zeal and passion for the doctrines of Judaism distinguished me among my people, for I was far more advanced in my religious instruction than others my age.

But then God called me by his grace, and chose me from my birth to be his. He was pleased to unveil his Son in me so that I would proclaim him to the peoples of the world. After I had this encounter, I kept it a secret for some time, sharing it with no one. And I had no desire to run to Jerusalem and try to impress those who had become apostles before me. Instead, I withdrew into the Arabian Desert. Then I returned to Damascus, where I had first encountered Jesus.

Galatians 1:11-17 (TPT)

For He is [Himself] our peace (our bond of unity and harmony). He has made us both [Jew and Gentile] one [body], and has broken down (destroyed, abolished) the hostile dividing wall between us,

By abolishing in His [own crucified] flesh the enmity [caused by] the Law with its decrees and ordinances [which He annulled]; that He from the two might create in Himself one new man [one new quality of humanity out of the two], so making peace.

And [He designed] to reconcile to God both [Jew and Gentile, united] in a single body by means of His cross, thereby killing the mutual enmity and bringing the feud to an end.

And He came and preached the glad tidings of peace to you who were afar off and [peace] to those who were near.

For it is through Him that we both [whether far off or near] now have an introduction (access) by one [Holy] Spirit to the Father [so that we are able to approach Him].

Therefore you are no longer outsiders (exiles, migrants, and aliens, excluded from the rights of citizens), but you now share citizenship with the saints (God’s own people, consecrated and set apart for Himself); and you belong to God’s [own] household.

You are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets with Christ Jesus Himself the chief Cornerstone.

In Him the whole structure is joined (bound, welded) together harmoniously, and it continues to rise (grow, increase) into a holy temple in the Lord [a sanctuary dedicated, consecrated, and sacred to the presence of the Lord].

In Him [and in fellowship with one another] you yourselves also are being built up [into this structure] with the rest, to form a fixed abode (dwelling place) of God in (by, through) the Spirit.

Ephesians 2:14-22 (AMPC)

Conclusion

My two visits to the Western Wall were very significant to me personally. As seen above, each visit has been different, new discoveries happened and I spent quality time with Lord. The place is holy and it is a must-visit for anyone going to Israel. If I ever visit Israel again, I would return to the Western Wall to praise, thank and honor the Lord. If you are a person of faith who is about to visit Israel for the first time, I urge you to visit the Western Wall in Jerusalem. Learn from my experiences. I also encourage you all to stand united in support of Israel, learn to love and bless the Jewish people, help the lost and unsaved come to Lord Jesus and always pray for the peace of Jerusalem.

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem! May they prosper who love you [the Holy City]!

May peace be within your walls and prosperity within your palaces!

For my brethren and companions’ sake, I will now say, Peace be within you!

For the sake of the house of the Lord our God, I will seek, inquire for, and require your good.

Psalm 122:6-9 (AMPC)

Israel is the holiest place to visit in the whole world! Visit Israel with the Holy Bible! Pray to the Lord wholeheartedly and reveal to Him your heart’s desire to visit Israel to deepen your faith in Him. Always be the fearless and aggressive church of Lord Jesus! Follow the light of Lord Jesus, keep on praying to support Israel, learn to love and bless the Jewish people and pray for the peace of Jerusalem.

Watch out for more Israel 2023 travel articles here. There is more to come! Thank you for reading.

+++++

Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below, share this article to others and also please consider making a donation to support my publishing. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me with a private message. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me on Twitter at  @HavenorFantasy as well as on Tumblr at https://carlocarrasco.tumblr.com/ and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/authorcarlocarrasco

I Visited The Western Wall Twice

Disclaimer: This is my original work with details sourced from my personal experiences and observations during the Israel pilgrimage tour I joined and what happened during my free time. Anyone who wants to use this article, in part or in whole, needs to secure first my permission and agree to cite me as the source and author. Let it be known that any unauthorized use of this article will constrain the author to pursue the remedies under R.A. No. 8293, the Revised Penal Code, and/or all applicable legal actions under the laws of the Philippines.

Welcome back, readers and fellow followers of the Lord! This is the 11th chapter of my ongoing series of articles about the holy nation of Israel with recollections about the experiences and discoveries I had during the pilgrimage tour I joined with my local church (hosted by strategic partner Behold Israel) in 2023. To see my previous Israel tour articles, click here, here, here, here, here,  here, here, here, here and here. No matter what happens in this unpredictable and chaotic world we live in, I will always stand with Israel and my faith in the Lord remains uncompromising!

In this latest edition of my Israel 2023 series, I share with you what I experienced when I visited Western Wall in the Old City of Jerusalem not once but twice. Also referred to as the Wailing Wall, the Western Wall is a very holy site and is one of the most definitive places to be in with regards to worshiping the Lord.

For starters, I share with you the very video I recorded about my first time ever to arrive at the Western Wall Plaza (note: I was with my pilgrimage tour group companions, our pastors and our hard-working local tour guide) as well as my first-ever approach (starts at 2:01 in the video) to the Western Wall itself. It’s a video of more than three minutes and it’s available for public viewing via YouTube. Watch the video below and pay attention to the details closely.

https://youtu.be/H9EF50bcv_A

As you can see in the above video, I stopped recording before entering the perimeter to get closer to the Western Wall. What happened after was my personal discovery and my personal sensing of the Lord’s presence.

About The Western Wall

To put things in perspective, the Western Wall is a retaining wall which was part of the Temple Mount expansion that King Herod (Herod the Great) did in around 19 BC. It is one of the four supporting walls of the Temple Mount which remained intact after the destruction of the Second Jewish Temple many decades later. Above it is the Temple Mount already.

Historically, the First Jewish Temple was built on the top of Mount Moriah during the time of King Solomon. The temple was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 BCE. In 19 BC, King Herod started rebuilding a new temple and this includes enlarging the Temple Mount platform a lot which made it 1,575 feet long and 985 feet wide. Herod had ten thousand men working and trained a thousand priests to work on the most sacred parts of the Second Jewish Temple.

The construction was done after several years but the decoration was completed in 64 AD. Six years after the Second Jewish Temple was fully completed, the Romans destroyed it but the western side of the Temple Mount survived. This happened in 70 AD, long after Lord Jesus conquered death and ascended to Heaven.

The Western Wall faces westward and it is the closest in proximity to the site of the Holy of Holies, the most sacred location in the Temple for the Jewish people. Be aware that Mount Moriah is the same exact mountain where Abraham almost sacrificed his son Isaac before God sent the angel to intervene and provided the ram as the sacrifice.   

For centuries, the Western Wall became a great source of influence and inspiration. It became the focus of yearning and prayer for the Jewish people for countless generations. The open-air section of the Western Wall serves as a place of worshipping the Lord and it is officially a synagogue. Apart from worship, the Western Wall keeps the memory of the Jewish Temples alive and it has also been used by the State of Israel for formal ceremonies. For centuries, pilgrims from around world came to the wall to pray and leave written noted in its ancient stones.

Physically, the Western Wall is 488 meters long and the height of the exposed section reaches a height of 40 meters above the bedrock of the eastern hill of Jerusalem (Mount Moriah). The open-air section of the wall (visible to the Prayer Plaza) is comprised of 46 layers of stone and the very large stones (that many are able to touch) were put in place during the time of King Herod (Second Jewish Temple period).

My First Visit – February 13, 2023

After recording the video, I placed my smartphone into my pocket, entered the worship area and gradually made my way to the wall.

With my Holy Bible in my left hand, I touched the Western Wall with my right hand and started spending quality time with the Lord God, praying to Him. With all my heart, I expressed my thanks and dedication to Lord Jesus there at the wall. I also prayed in support of Israel and the peace of Jerusalem.

Each moment I had there, I truly felt God’s presence and I did not confuse it with the wall’s visual magnificence. As I prayed, I felt the unction from the Lord to open my eyes and look straight up at the blue sky above knowing that He is spiritual, and He is in Heaven. The Lord is not inside the stones of the wall but in His Kingdom. That said, I did not worship the stones (reminder: idolatry is foolish and unholy) as I directed my worship directly to the Lord knowing He is in Heaven.

Because we only had fifteen minutes to spend as our tour group had a schedule to follow, I wisely spent time to praising and honoring the Lord. Let me remind you all that Lord Jesus will someday return and He will fulfill His promise. He will return in Israel and Jerusalem will be His destination.

After praying to Him, I spent the remaining minutes looking around and observing. I was surrounded by Ultra-Orthodox Jews, National Religious Jews, rabbis, tourists and Christians. I witnessed the religious rituals and practices of the Jewish people and I know deep inside that the ties between Jews and Christians are biblical.

The whole area is indeed sacred and that means visitors should be respectful and should practice decency near the Western Wall. People praying to God are to be respected and when there are many others praying while touching the wall, you will really have to wait for your turn. Be mindful that the Lord is always watching you as there is simply no reason to cause disrespect, playing around and causing trouble at the Western Wall.

When my fifteen minutes ran out, I went to the exit to rejoin my tour group.

My Second Visit – February 15, 2023

Two days later, it was our tour group’s one and only rest day. After having a really early breakfast at our hotel, I marched to the Old City of Jerusalem and visited the Temple Mount for the first time ever. After spending time up there, I took the exit and made my way down to return to the Western Wall.

Once again I took time touching the wall and praying to the Lord and expressing my thanks to Him with a lot of heart. After several minutes, I took a seat to pray to Him while resting my legs. Then I noticed a North American man (who looked so much like Hillsong Church’s Phil Dooley) with the Holy Bible at one end of the fence (separating the men and the women) by the wall facing at the other direction (his back on the wall). He preached the Word of God and asked the Lord to save everyone. What he said reminded me that God has a plan for everyone, including the Jews (His chosen people) and there is still time for the lost and unsaved to realize Jesus as the Lord and the Savior of all.

After I was done praying by the wall, I decided to visit Wilson’s Arch as I was so curious why a lot of people had been entering and exiting it. It turned out to be Western Wall tunnel (with an arch area) and inside was a synagogue where there lots of Jews read the Old Testament, the Torah and pray. At the entrance/exit, a Jewish rabbi invited me in and assured me that foreigners and non-Jews were welcome. So I went in and he showed some parts of the indoor synagogue.

As it was a place of worship by the Jews, I was cautious moving inside and spending time observing. Carefully I only took a few photos for this feature article and it was astonishing to see more of the Western Wall indoors. Not only that, it was impressive to see the arches – including those huge stones above our heads – and it turns out they were constructed during Herod’s time and without any cement at all. There were also lots of shelves of books on both sides.

The indoor synagogue is one of the holiest synagogues in Israel due to its proximity to where the original Jewish Temple was wherein the Holy of Holies resided. Since it was my plan to revisit the Upper Room and visit both King David’s Tomb and Oskar Schindler’s grave, I eventually left the Western Wall tunnel. Before tracing my way back to the Jewish Quarter (where we visited two days prior), I took one last look back at the Western Wall. I intend to revisit it and spend quality time with the Lord there again in the future.  

Biblical Significance

While it is a fact that the Western Wall was not explicitly mentioned in the Holy Bible, it has always been part of the Temple Mount since Herod’s time. To put things in perspective, we need to go back to the time when King Solomon dedicated the First Temple asking God to hear the prayers made toward it. Learn from the holy scriptures below.

that Your eyes may be open toward this temple night and day, toward the place of which You said, ‘My name shall be there,’ that You may hear the prayer which Your servant makes toward this place. And may You hear the supplication of Your servant and of Your people Israel, when they pray toward this place. Hear in heaven Your dwelling place; and when You hear, forgive.

1 Kings 8:29-30 (NKJV)

“Moreover, concerning a foreigner, who is not of Your people Israel, but has come from a far country for Your name’s sake (for they will hear of Your great name and Your strong hand and Your outstretched arm), when he comes and prays toward this temple, hear in heaven Your dwelling place, and do according to all for which the foreigner calls to You, that all peoples of the earth may know Your name and fear You, as do Your people Israel, and that they may know that this temple which I have built is called by Your name.

1 Kings 8:41-43 (NKJV)

The First Jewish Temple eventually got destroyed by the Babylonians. Centuries later, Herod executed the massive rebuilding of the Temple (Second Jewish Temple) in Jerusalem as well as the expansion of the Temple Mount itself. What was achieved drew reactions from many people who saw it and there were references of such reactions in the New Testament. For insight, read the scriptures below.

Then as He went out of the temple, one of His disciples said to Him, “Teacher, see what manner of stones and what buildings are here!”

Mark 13:1 (NKJV)

Then the Jews replied, It took forty-six years to build this temple (sanctuary), and will You raise it up in three days?

John 2:20 (AMPC)

To be clear, the forty-six years mentioned in John 2:20 refers to the massive renovation and the expansion of the Second Jewish Temple.

Long before the Second Temple got destroyed, Lord Jesus prophesied its destruction. By the time Lord Jesus made the prophesy, He was already rejected by the religious Jews. Those people refused to accept Him as their Messiah and they had disobeyed God as a result. Lord Jesus wept for Jerusalem knowing that suffering and destruction would come and it happened in 70 AD. Learn from the scriptures below.

Now as He drew near, He saw the city and wept over it, saying,

“If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. For days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you and close you in on every side, and level you, and your children within you, to the ground; and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know the time of your visitation.”

Luke 19:41-44 (NKJV)

Then Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and His disciples came up to show Him the buildings of the temple. And Jesus said to them,

“Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down.”

Matthew 24:1-2 (NKJV)

As it is very clear that God always has a plan for the faithful and His chosen people, it was prophesied that He would bring the Jews (scattered around the world) back to Israel in the last days. This prophecy was fulfilled in May 1948 when the modern State of Israel was formally established and a lot of Jews returned or settled in since then. Lord Jesus will return to us some time in the future and there is time for the Jews to accept Him as their Messiah, to repent and submit to Him. The other lost and unsaved people of the world still have opportunities to realize Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Very clearly, Lord Jesus is the hope of ALL nations! Learn from the scriptures below.

If any of you are driven out to the farthest parts under heaven, from there the Lord your God will gather you, and from there He will bring you. Then the Lord your God will bring you to the land which your fathers possessed, and you shall possess it. He will prosper you and multiply you more than your fathers.

Deuteronomy 30:4-5 (NKJV)

Jesus answered him,

“I assure you and most solemnly say to you, unless a person is born again [reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, sanctified], he cannot [ever] see and experience the kingdom of God.”

John 3:3 (AMP)

Beloved ones, let me repeat emphatically that the gospel entrusted to me was not given to me by any man. No one taught me this revelation, for it was given to me directly by the unveiling of Jesus Christ.

By now you have heard stories of how severely I harassed and persecuted Christians and how systematically I endeavored to destroy God’s church, all because of my radical devotion to the Jewish religion. My zeal and passion for the doctrines of Judaism distinguished me among my people, for I was far more advanced in my religious instruction than others my age.

But then God called me by his grace, and chose me from my birth to be his. He was pleased to unveil his Son in me so that I would proclaim him to the peoples of the world. After I had this encounter, I kept it a secret for some time, sharing it with no one. And I had no desire to run to Jerusalem and try to impress those who had become apostles before me. Instead, I withdrew into the Arabian Desert. Then I returned to Damascus, where I had first encountered Jesus.

Galatians 1:11-17 (TPT)

For He is [Himself] our peace (our bond of unity and harmony). He has made us both [Jew and Gentile] one [body], and has broken down (destroyed, abolished) the hostile dividing wall between us,

By abolishing in His [own crucified] flesh the enmity [caused by] the Law with its decrees and ordinances [which He annulled]; that He from the two might create in Himself one new man [one new quality of humanity out of the two], so making peace.

And [He designed] to reconcile to God both [Jew and Gentile, united] in a single body by means of His cross, thereby killing the mutual enmity and bringing the feud to an end.

And He came and preached the glad tidings of peace to you who were afar off and [peace] to those who were near.

For it is through Him that we both [whether far off or near] now have an introduction (access) by one [Holy] Spirit to the Father [so that we are able to approach Him].

Therefore you are no longer outsiders (exiles, migrants, and aliens, excluded from the rights of citizens), but you now share citizenship with the saints (God’s own people, consecrated and set apart for Himself); and you belong to God’s [own] household.

You are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets with Christ Jesus Himself the chief Cornerstone.

In Him the whole structure is joined (bound, welded) together harmoniously, and it continues to rise (grow, increase) into a holy temple in the Lord [a sanctuary dedicated, consecrated, and sacred to the presence of the Lord].

In Him [and in fellowship with one another] you yourselves also are being built up [into this structure] with the rest, to form a fixed abode (dwelling place) of God in (by, through) the Spirit.

Ephesians 2:14-22 (AMPC)

Conclusion

My two visits to the Western Wall were very significant to me personally. As seen above, each visit has been different, new discoveries happened and I spent quality time with Lord. The place is holy and it is a must-visit for anyone going to Israel. If I ever visit Israel again, I would return to the Western Wall to praise, thank and honor the Lord. If you are a person of faith who is about to visit Israel for the first time, I urge you to visit the Western Wall in Jerusalem. Learn from my experiences. I also encourage you all to stand united in support of Israel, learn to love and bless the Jewish people, help the lost and unsaved come to Lord Jesus and always pray for the peace of Jerusalem.

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem! May they prosper who love you [the Holy City]!

May peace be within your walls and prosperity within your palaces!

For my brethren and companions’ sake, I will now say, Peace be within you!

For the sake of the house of the Lord our God, I will seek, inquire for, and require your good.

Psalm 122:6-9 (AMPC)

Israel is the holiest place to visit in the whole world! Visit Israel with the Holy Bible! Pray to the Lord wholeheartedly and reveal to Him your heart’s desire to visit Israel to deepen your faith in Him. Always be the fearless and aggressive church of Lord Jesus! Follow the light of Lord Jesus, keep on praying to support Israel, learn to love and bless the Jewish people and pray for the peace of Jerusalem.

Watch out for more Israel 2023 travel articles here. There is more to come! Thank you for reading.

+++++

Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below, share this article to others and also please consider making a donation to support my publishing. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me with a private message. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me on Twitter at  @HavenorFantasy as well as on Tumblr at https://carlocarrasco.tumblr.com/ and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/authorcarlocarrasco

I Visited The Western Wall Twice

Disclaimer: This is my original work with details sourced from my personal experiences and observations during the Israel pilgrimage tour I joined and what happened during my free time. Anyone who wants to use this article, in part or in whole, needs to secure first my permission and agree to cite me as the source and author. Let it be known that any unauthorized use of this article will constrain the author to pursue the remedies under R.A. No. 8293, the Revised Penal Code, and/or all applicable legal actions under the laws of the Philippines.

Welcome back, readers and fellow followers of the Lord! This is the 11th chapter of my ongoing series of articles about the holy nation of Israel with recollections about the experiences and discoveries I had during the pilgrimage tour I joined with my local church (hosted by strategic partner Behold Israel) in 2023. To see my previous Israel tour articles, click here, here, here, here, here,  here, here, here, here and here. No matter what happens in this unpredictable and chaotic world we live in, I will always stand with Israel and my faith in the Lord remains uncompromising!

In this latest edition of my Israel 2023 series, I share with you what I experienced when I visited Western Wall in the Old City of Jerusalem not once but twice. Also referred to as the Wailing Wall, the Western Wall is a very holy site and is one of the most definitive places to be in with regards to worshiping the Lord.

For starters, I share with you the very video I recorded about my first time ever to arrive at the Western Wall Plaza (note: I was with my pilgrimage tour group companions, our pastors and our hard-working local tour guide) as well as my first-ever approach (starts at 2:01 in the video) to the Western Wall itself. It’s a video of more than three minutes and it’s available for public viewing via YouTube. Watch the video below and pay attention to the details closely.

https://youtu.be/H9EF50bcv_A

As you can see in the above video, I stopped recording before entering the perimeter to get closer to the Western Wall. What happened after was my personal discovery and my personal sensing of the Lord’s presence.

About The Western Wall

To put things in perspective, the Western Wall is a retaining wall which was part of the Temple Mount expansion that King Herod (Herod the Great) did in around 19 BC. It is one of the four supporting walls of the Temple Mount which remained intact after the destruction of the Second Jewish Temple many decades later. Above it is the Temple Mount already.

Historically, the First Jewish Temple was built on the top of Mount Moriah during the time of King Solomon. The temple was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 BCE. In 19 BC, King Herod started rebuilding a new temple and this includes enlarging the Temple Mount platform a lot which made it 1,575 feet long and 985 feet wide. Herod had ten thousand men working and trained a thousand priests to work on the most sacred parts of the Second Jewish Temple.

The construction was done after several years but the decoration was completed in 64 AD. Six years after the Second Jewish Temple was fully completed, the Romans destroyed it but the western side of the Temple Mount survived. This happened in 70 AD, long after Lord Jesus conquered death and ascended to Heaven.

The Western Wall faces westward and it is the closest in proximity to the site of the Holy of Holies, the most sacred location in the Temple for the Jewish people. Be aware that Mount Moriah is the same exact mountain where Abraham almost sacrificed his son Isaac before God sent the angel to intervene and provided the ram as the sacrifice.   

For centuries, the Western Wall became a great source of influence and inspiration. It became the focus of yearning and prayer for the Jewish people for countless generations. The open-air section of the Western Wall serves as a place of worshipping the Lord and it is officially a synagogue. Apart from worship, the Western Wall keeps the memory of the Jewish Temples alive and it has also been used by the State of Israel for formal ceremonies. For centuries, pilgrims from around world came to the wall to pray and leave written noted in its ancient stones.

Physically, the Western Wall is 488 meters long and the height of the exposed section reaches a height of 40 meters above the bedrock of the eastern hill of Jerusalem (Mount Moriah). The open-air section of the wall (visible to the Prayer Plaza) is comprised of 46 layers of stone and the very large stones (that many are able to touch) were put in place during the time of King Herod (Second Jewish Temple period).

My First Visit – February 13, 2023

After recording the video, I placed my smartphone into my pocket, entered the worship area and gradually made my way to the wall.

With my Holy Bible in my left hand, I touched the Western Wall with my right hand and started spending quality time with the Lord God, praying to Him. With all my heart, I expressed my thanks and dedication to Lord Jesus there at the wall. I also prayed in support of Israel and the peace of Jerusalem.

Each moment I had there, I truly felt God’s presence and I did not confuse it with the wall’s visual magnificence. As I prayed, I felt the unction from the Lord to open my eyes and look straight up at the blue sky above knowing that He is spiritual, and He is in Heaven. The Lord is not inside the stones of the wall but in His Kingdom. That said, I did not worship the stones (reminder: idolatry is foolish and unholy) as I directed my worship directly to the Lord knowing He is in Heaven.

Because we only had fifteen minutes to spend as our tour group had a schedule to follow, I wisely spent time to praising and honoring the Lord. Let me remind you all that Lord Jesus will someday return and He will fulfill His promise. He will return in Israel and Jerusalem will be His destination.

After praying to Him, I spent the remaining minutes looking around and observing. I was surrounded by Ultra-Orthodox Jews, National Religious Jews, rabbis, tourists and Christians. I witnessed the religious rituals and practices of the Jewish people and I know deep inside that the ties between Jews and Christians are biblical.

The whole area is indeed sacred and that means visitors should be respectful and should practice decency near the Western Wall. People praying to God are to be respected and when there are many others praying while touching the wall, you will really have to wait for your turn. Be mindful that the Lord is always watching you as there is simply no reason to cause disrespect, playing around and causing trouble at the Western Wall.

When my fifteen minutes ran out, I went to the exit to rejoin my tour group.

My Second Visit – February 15, 2023

Two days later, it was our tour group’s one and only rest day. After having a really early breakfast at our hotel, I marched to the Old City of Jerusalem and visited the Temple Mount for the first time ever. After spending time up there, I took the exit and made my way down to return to the Western Wall.

Once again I took time touching the wall and praying to the Lord and expressing my thanks to Him with a lot of heart. After several minutes, I took a seat to pray to Him while resting my legs. Then I noticed a North American man (who looked so much like Hillsong Church’s Phil Dooley) with the Holy Bible at one end of the fence (separating the men and the women) by the wall facing at the other direction (his back on the wall). He preached the Word of God and asked the Lord to save everyone. What he said reminded me that God has a plan for everyone, including the Jews (His chosen people) and there is still time for the lost and unsaved to realize Jesus as the Lord and the Savior of all.

After I was done praying by the wall, I decided to visit Wilson’s Arch as I was so curious why a lot of people had been entering and exiting it. It turned out to be Western Wall tunnel (with an arch area) and inside was a synagogue where there lots of Jews read the Old Testament, the Torah and pray. At the entrance/exit, a Jewish rabbi invited me in and assured me that foreigners and non-Jews were welcome. So I went in and he showed some parts of the indoor synagogue.

As it was a place of worship by the Jews, I was cautious moving inside and spending time observing. Carefully I only took a few photos for this feature article and it was astonishing to see more of the Western Wall indoors. Not only that, it was impressive to see the arches – including those huge stones above our heads – and it turns out they were constructed during Herod’s time and without any cement at all. There were also lots of shelves of books on both sides.

The indoor synagogue is one of the holiest synagogues in Israel due to its proximity to where the original Jewish Temple was wherein the Holy of Holies resided. Since it was my plan to revisit the Upper Room and visit both King David’s Tomb and Oskar Schindler’s grave, I eventually left the Western Wall tunnel. Before tracing my way back to the Jewish Quarter (where we visited two days prior), I took one last look back at the Western Wall. I intend to revisit it and spend quality time with the Lord there again in the future.  

Biblical Significance

While it is a fact that the Western Wall was not explicitly mentioned in the Holy Bible, it has always been part of the Temple Mount since Herod’s time. To put things in perspective, we need to go back to the time when King Solomon dedicated the First Temple asking God to hear the prayers made toward it. Learn from the holy scriptures below.

that Your eyes may be open toward this temple night and day, toward the place of which You said, ‘My name shall be there,’ that You may hear the prayer which Your servant makes toward this place. And may You hear the supplication of Your servant and of Your people Israel, when they pray toward this place. Hear in heaven Your dwelling place; and when You hear, forgive.

1 Kings 8:29-30 (NKJV)

“Moreover, concerning a foreigner, who is not of Your people Israel, but has come from a far country for Your name’s sake (for they will hear of Your great name and Your strong hand and Your outstretched arm), when he comes and prays toward this temple, hear in heaven Your dwelling place, and do according to all for which the foreigner calls to You, that all peoples of the earth may know Your name and fear You, as do Your people Israel, and that they may know that this temple which I have built is called by Your name.

1 Kings 8:41-43 (NKJV)

The First Jewish Temple eventually got destroyed by the Babylonians. Centuries later, Herod executed the massive rebuilding of the Temple (Second Jewish Temple) in Jerusalem as well as the expansion of the Temple Mount itself. What was achieved drew reactions from many people who saw it and there were references of such reactions in the New Testament. For insight, read the scriptures below.

Then as He went out of the temple, one of His disciples said to Him, “Teacher, see what manner of stones and what buildings are here!”

Mark 13:1 (NKJV)

Then the Jews replied, It took forty-six years to build this temple (sanctuary), and will You raise it up in three days?

John 2:20 (AMPC)

To be clear, the forty-six years mentioned in John 2:20 refers to the massive renovation and the expansion of the Second Jewish Temple.

Long before the Second Temple got destroyed, Lord Jesus prophesied its destruction. By the time Lord Jesus made the prophesy, He was already rejected by the religious Jews. Those people refused to accept Him as their Messiah and they had disobeyed God as a result. Lord Jesus wept for Jerusalem knowing that suffering and destruction would come and it happened in 70 AD. Learn from the scriptures below.

Now as He drew near, He saw the city and wept over it, saying,

“If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. For days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you and close you in on every side, and level you, and your children within you, to the ground; and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know the time of your visitation.”

Luke 19:41-44 (NKJV)

Then Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and His disciples came up to show Him the buildings of the temple. And Jesus said to them,

“Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down.”

Matthew 24:1-2 (NKJV)

As it is very clear that God always has a plan for the faithful and His chosen people, it was prophesied that He would bring the Jews (scattered around the world) back to Israel in the last days. This prophecy was fulfilled in May 1948 when the modern State of Israel was formally established and a lot of Jews returned or settled in since then. Lord Jesus will return to us some time in the future and there is time for the Jews to accept Him as their Messiah, to repent and submit to Him. The other lost and unsaved people of the world still have opportunities to realize Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Very clearly, Lord Jesus is the hope of ALL nations! Learn from the scriptures below.

If any of you are driven out to the farthest parts under heaven, from there the Lord your God will gather you, and from there He will bring you. Then the Lord your God will bring you to the land which your fathers possessed, and you shall possess it. He will prosper you and multiply you more than your fathers.

Deuteronomy 30:4-5 (NKJV)

Jesus answered him,

“I assure you and most solemnly say to you, unless a person is born again [reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, sanctified], he cannot [ever] see and experience the kingdom of God.”

John 3:3 (AMP)

Beloved ones, let me repeat emphatically that the gospel entrusted to me was not given to me by any man. No one taught me this revelation, for it was given to me directly by the unveiling of Jesus Christ.

By now you have heard stories of how severely I harassed and persecuted Christians and how systematically I endeavored to destroy God’s church, all because of my radical devotion to the Jewish religion. My zeal and passion for the doctrines of Judaism distinguished me among my people, for I was far more advanced in my religious instruction than others my age.

But then God called me by his grace, and chose me from my birth to be his. He was pleased to unveil his Son in me so that I would proclaim him to the peoples of the world. After I had this encounter, I kept it a secret for some time, sharing it with no one. And I had no desire to run to Jerusalem and try to impress those who had become apostles before me. Instead, I withdrew into the Arabian Desert. Then I returned to Damascus, where I had first encountered Jesus.

Galatians 1:11-17 (TPT)

For He is [Himself] our peace (our bond of unity and harmony). He has made us both [Jew and Gentile] one [body], and has broken down (destroyed, abolished) the hostile dividing wall between us,

By abolishing in His [own crucified] flesh the enmity [caused by] the Law with its decrees and ordinances [which He annulled]; that He from the two might create in Himself one new man [one new quality of humanity out of the two], so making peace.

And [He designed] to reconcile to God both [Jew and Gentile, united] in a single body by means of His cross, thereby killing the mutual enmity and bringing the feud to an end.

And He came and preached the glad tidings of peace to you who were afar off and [peace] to those who were near.

For it is through Him that we both [whether far off or near] now have an introduction (access) by one [Holy] Spirit to the Father [so that we are able to approach Him].

Therefore you are no longer outsiders (exiles, migrants, and aliens, excluded from the rights of citizens), but you now share citizenship with the saints (God’s own people, consecrated and set apart for Himself); and you belong to God’s [own] household.

You are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets with Christ Jesus Himself the chief Cornerstone.

In Him the whole structure is joined (bound, welded) together harmoniously, and it continues to rise (grow, increase) into a holy temple in the Lord [a sanctuary dedicated, consecrated, and sacred to the presence of the Lord].

In Him [and in fellowship with one another] you yourselves also are being built up [into this structure] with the rest, to form a fixed abode (dwelling place) of God in (by, through) the Spirit.

Ephesians 2:14-22 (AMPC)

Conclusion

My two visits to the Western Wall were very significant to me personally. As seen above, each visit has been different, new discoveries happened and I spent quality time with Lord. The place is holy and it is a must-visit for anyone going to Israel. If I ever visit Israel again, I would return to the Western Wall to praise, thank and honor the Lord. If you are a person of faith who is about to visit Israel for the first time, I urge you to visit the Western Wall in Jerusalem. Learn from my experiences. I also encourage you all to stand united in support of Israel, learn to love and bless the Jewish people, help the lost and unsaved come to Lord Jesus and always pray for the peace of Jerusalem.

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem! May they prosper who love you [the Holy City]!

May peace be within your walls and prosperity within your palaces!

For my brethren and companions’ sake, I will now say, Peace be within you!

For the sake of the house of the Lord our God, I will seek, inquire for, and require your good.

Psalm 122:6-9 (AMPC)

Israel is the holiest place to visit in the whole world! Visit Israel with the Holy Bible! Pray to the Lord wholeheartedly and reveal to Him your heart’s desire to visit Israel to deepen your faith in Him. Always be the fearless and aggressive church of Lord Jesus! Follow the light of Lord Jesus, keep on praying to support Israel, learn to love and bless the Jewish people and pray for the peace of Jerusalem.

Watch out for more Israel 2023 travel articles here. There is more to come! Thank you for reading.

+++++

Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below, share this article to others and also please consider making a donation to support my publishing. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me with a private message. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me on Twitter at  @HavenorFantasy as well as on Tumblr at https://carlocarrasco.tumblr.com/ and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/authorcarlocarrasco

From the suns rising,
to going down of the same,
the Lord's name be praised.
(Psalm 113:3)

#psalm #psalms #bibleverse #Godisgood #christian #ChristianLiving #christianity #praiseGod

I decided late in life that I would take upon myself, and felt God’s approval, to join the Catholic Church as a part of my path as a follower of Christ.

My Journey into Catholicism: https://bit.ly/3RYRrpw

#faith #bible #christian #religion #spiritual #philosophy #life #JesusChrist #PraiseGod #catholic #transubstantiation #saints #eucharist #prayer #confession

Salvation belongs,
to the Lord; your blessing's on,
your people. Selah.
Psalms 3:8

#psalm #psalms #poetrycommunity #poetry #WritingCommunity #faith #faithoverfear #Jesus #jesuschrist #jesuslovesyou #Bible #bibleverses #prayer #prayerworks #worship #GodIsGood #Godsword #photography #grace #hope #believe #salvation #ChristianFaith #christianquotes #scripture #trustgod #praisegod #praise

Everyone Welcome in our open Ecclesia

The Christadelphians or Brothers and Sisters in Christ are a community of lovers of God, who follow the teachings of the Nazarene Master Teacher Jeshua, better known as Jesus Christ, the Messiah.

As followers of the Jewish man from Nazareth, we are aware that Jesus him being a Jew, worshipped the God of Israel, and asked to do his followers to do so too. That God of Abraham is a Singular Eternal Spirit Being, no man can see. Jesus did not come to earth to undo the Law of God or the Torah. He came to explain it and to show the Way to God. Therefore, we take the words of Jesus seriously as an indication of how to continue our life on the path laid in front of us by this rabbi, and keep to the Law of God, God and His son their teachings and wishes, instead of keeping to human doctrines.

Jesus preached love for all creatures of God, and that is why we find it necessary not only to show and share that love for the whole of creation (earth, plants, animals and human beings), but also to come up for the weaker ones and to help and defend those in need.

In case you are looking for making your life easier or want to know more about the present and the future and our position in the whole picture or Plan of God, then you are right at our address.

Even when you are not sure about the existence of God, you are welcome to join us at our meetings and Bible Classes. We also provide printed material which you are welcome to read and to question us about. Any time of the day someone shall be willing to help you with your questions or solving your problems.

At our ecclesiae we have meetings for studying and worshipping but also moments of gathering and sharing good time and food. Also, at those events you are very welcome.

In Wintertime, we also provide shelter for the night, in certain towns, for the homeless people. Waifs and strays are also welcome at our food supplies.

But our main occupation in the ecclesia is the provision to glorify God and praise Him with a merger in prayer and Bible reading in the unity of spirit.

For those gatherings, where they may take place (Leuven, Leefdaal-Bertem, Tervuren, Brussels, Nivelles-Nijvel, Mons or Newbury), we invite you to join us and to feel the spirit of our brotherhood.
In Belgium, we are financially very limited and do have no building of our own. We have to rent spaces and  also use private houses, making house-church. For that reason it is not possible to offer set days and hours for our meetings. In Newbury, it is different. There our brethren and sisters have their own hall and offer services on Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, with regular events on different days as well. Never be afraid to contact them or us to have further contact or to know about their and/our activities.

For the Carelinks (like the Antwerp Ecclesia) and Old Paths Christadelphians you shall have to contact them. We as Free Christadelphians are not bounded to any person or organisation and could be considered being part of the more progressive branch of Christadelphianism, having liberated ourselves from all boundaries of this world, only to be bounded to the sent one from God, the son of God, Jeshua, Jesus Christ.

One of us might have a strength in one area and another might be strong in another. We believe that when we can join hands to make ourselves stronger. We are convinced that when we come together in union, we all benefit and are made into the image of Christ.

We believe that all can help each other to grow in the Body of Christ, becoming more like Christ, pure and set apart. Coming together we give each other the opportunity to learn more about the Word of God, by sharing and discussing that set apart or holy Word. Together we can help each individual around us, to become part of a bigger unit, able to be compassionate, gentle, and to have a great capacity for mercy and forgiveness.

When coming to our ecclesia you should not be afraid that people would look at you as a strange intruder, because nobody would. Nobody shall go to point to the faults of yourself or others. Instead, you may find we try to use the strengths the Lord has given us to build up the body of Christ. We all have faults, and we all have gifts, and they are meant to work together. We all go for the same primary goal, to grow in the spirit according to God His Wishes, and to form a strong unit in the Body of Christ. By the influence of our fellowships you and we can have our character transformed.

At our ecclesia or church, we are people who want to share the hope in a better world. To reach that goal we know we have to start by ourselves and our own surroundings. We hope to inspire each other in our community of believers in Only One True God, but also to encourage those outside our community, to work at a relationship with Jesus, because when we seek him and not this world, he will teach us, and we will grow in all good things. A lot of this process is done through our brethren and sisters, who are here also for you!

+

Please find also to read:

1. Lovers of God, seekers and lovers of truth
2. Words in the world
3. Not all christians are followers of a Greco-Roman culture
4. Who are the Christadelphians
5. Who are Brothers in Christ and why do they call themselves Christadelphian?
6. Christadelphians or Messianic Christians or Messianic Jews
7. Brothers and sisters in Christ for you
8. History of the Christadelphians
9. John Thomas
10. Forming a Christian bond
11. About the Belgian Free Christadelphians
12. Those who call the Christadelphians a cult
13. What Christadelphians teach
14. Differences between Christadelphians and other churches in Christianity
15. Handbook to the Christadelphian Statement of Faith
16. Living as a believer in Christ
17. Disciple of Christ counting lives and friends dear to them
18. My faith
19. Becoming brothers and sisters in Christ
20. Christadelphians children of God
21. Gathering or meeting of believers
22. What and why Christadelphian Ecclesia‘
23. The Ecclesia
24. The ecclesia or Christadelphian church
25. The Ecclesia in the churchsystem
26. Intentions of an Ecclesia
27. Reasons to come together
28. Congregate, to gather, to meet
29. Character transformed by the influence of our fellowships
30. What makes a consecrated Christian
31. Small churches of the few Christadelphians
32. Ecclesia to exist, grow and communities to have people communicating with each other
33. A participation in the body of Christ
34. Looking for Christadelphian in your neighbourhood
35. C4U (Christ For You – Christadelphians For You)
36. Guide to Christadelphian Ecclesias
37. Adresses of Brothers in Christ Worldwide

Rate this:

#BecomeLikeChrist #BecomingLikeChrist #BeingAChristadelphian #BelgianChristadelphians #BodyOfChrist #BrotherInChrist #BrotherSOfChrist #BrothersAndSistersInChrist #BrothersInChrist #Brussels #Carelinks #Christadelphian #ChristadelphianCommunity #Christadelphianism #Christadelphians #Churchcommunity #Community #FollowerOfChrist #FollowerSOfGod #FollowersOfChrist #FollowingChrist #FollowingGod #FollowingGodSCommandments #FoodSupply #FreeChristadelphians #Gathering #GoalReaching #HavingSpiritOfChrist #HomelessPeople #HouseChurch #ImageOfChrist #Leefdaal #Leuven #LoversOfGod #Mons #NazareneManJeshua #Newbury #Nivelles #PathOfLife #PraiseGod #RelationshipWithJesusChrist #Sharing #SharingFaith #SharingFeedback #SharingFellowship #SharingGoodNews #SharingHope #Shelter #StudyingTheBible #Tervuren #TheWay #theWayToGod #toDefendWeakerOnes #toFollowGod #toGlorifyGod #toGrow #toGrowSpiritually #toHelpEachOther #toHelpThoseInNeed #toWorkTogether #Unity #UnityInChrist #UnityOfTheSpirit #WorkingTogether #WorshippingGod

Everyone Welcome in our open Ecclesia

The Christadelphians or Brothers and Sisters in Christ are a community of lovers of God, who follow the teachings of the Nazarene Master Teacher Jeshua, better known as Jesus Christ, the Messiah.

As followers of the Jewish man from Nazareth, we are aware that Jesus him being a Jew, worshipped the God of Israel, and asked to do his followers to do so too. That God of Abraham is a Singular Eternal Spirit Being, no man can see. Jesus did not come to earth to undo the Law of God or the Torah. He came to explain it and to show the Way to God. Therefore, we take the words of Jesus seriously as an indication of how to continue our life on the path laid in front of us by this rabbi, and keep to the Law of God, God and His son their teachings and wishes, instead of keeping to human doctrines.

Jesus preached love for all creatures of God, and that is why we find it necessary not only to show and share that love for the whole of creation (earth, plants, animals and human beings), but also to come up for the weaker ones and to help and defend those in need.

In case you are looking for making your life easier or want to know more about the present and the future and our position in the whole picture or Plan of God, then you are right at our address.

Even when you are not sure about the existence of God, you are welcome to join us at our meetings and Bible Classes. We also provide printed material which you are welcome to read and to question us about. Any time of the day someone shall be willing to help you with your questions or solving your problems.

At our ecclesiae we have meetings for studying and worshipping but also moments of gathering and sharing good time and food. Also, at those events you are very welcome.

In Wintertime, we also provide shelter for the night, in certain towns, for the homeless people. Waifs and strays are also welcome at our food supplies.

But our main occupation in the ecclesia is the provision to glorify God and praise Him with a merger in prayer and Bible reading in the unity of spirit.

For those gatherings, where they may take place (Leuven, Leefdaal-Bertem, Tervuren, Brussels, Nivelles-Nijvel, Mons or Newbury), we invite you to join us and to feel the spirit of our brotherhood.
In Belgium, we are financially very limited and do have no building of our own. We have to rent spaces and  also use private houses, making house-church. For that reason it is not possible to offer set days and hours for our meetings. In Newbury, it is different. There our brethren and sisters have their own hall and offer services on Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, with regular events on different days as well. Never be afraid to contact them or us to have further contact or to know about their and/our activities.

For the Carelinks (like the Antwerp Ecclesia) and Old Paths Christadelphians you shall have to contact them. We as Free Christadelphians are not bounded to any person or organisation and could be considered being part of the more progressive branch of Christadelphianism, having liberated ourselves from all boundaries of this world, only to be bounded to the sent one from God, the son of God, Jeshua, Jesus Christ.

One of us might have a strength in one area and another might be strong in another. We believe that when we can join hands to make ourselves stronger. We are convinced that when we come together in union, we all benefit and are made into the image of Christ.

We believe that all can help each other to grow in the Body of Christ, becoming more like Christ, pure and set apart. Coming together we give each other the opportunity to learn more about the Word of God, by sharing and discussing that set apart or holy Word. Together we can help each individual around us, to become part of a bigger unit, able to be compassionate, gentle, and to have a great capacity for mercy and forgiveness.

When coming to our ecclesia you should not be afraid that people would look at you as a strange intruder, because nobody would. Nobody shall go to point to the faults of yourself or others. Instead, you may find we try to use the strengths the Lord has given us to build up the body of Christ. We all have faults, and we all have gifts, and they are meant to work together. We all go for the same primary goal, to grow in the spirit according to God His Wishes, and to form a strong unit in the Body of Christ. By the influence of our fellowships you and we can have our character transformed.

At our ecclesia or church, we are people who want to share the hope in a better world. To reach that goal we know we have to start by ourselves and our own surroundings. We hope to inspire each other in our community of believers in Only One True God, but also to encourage those outside our community, to work at a relationship with Jesus, because when we seek him and not this world, he will teach us, and we will grow in all good things. A lot of this process is done through our brethren and sisters, who are here also for you!

+

Please find also to read:

1. Lovers of God, seekers and lovers of truth
2. Words in the world
3. Not all christians are followers of a Greco-Roman culture
4. Who are the Christadelphians
5. Who are Brothers in Christ and why do they call themselves Christadelphian?
6. Christadelphians or Messianic Christians or Messianic Jews
7. Brothers and sisters in Christ for you
8. History of the Christadelphians
9. John Thomas
10. Forming a Christian bond
11. About the Belgian Free Christadelphians
12. Those who call the Christadelphians a cult
13. What Christadelphians teach
14. Differences between Christadelphians and other churches in Christianity
15. Handbook to the Christadelphian Statement of Faith
16. Living as a believer in Christ
17. Disciple of Christ counting lives and friends dear to them
18. My faith
19. Becoming brothers and sisters in Christ
20. Christadelphians children of God
21. Gathering or meeting of believers
22. What and why Christadelphian Ecclesia‘
23. The Ecclesia
24. The ecclesia or Christadelphian church
25. The Ecclesia in the churchsystem
26. Intentions of an Ecclesia
27. Reasons to come together
28. Congregate, to gather, to meet
29. Character transformed by the influence of our fellowships
30. What makes a consecrated Christian
31. Small churches of the few Christadelphians
32. Ecclesia to exist, grow and communities to have people communicating with each other
33. A participation in the body of Christ
34. Looking for Christadelphian in your neighbourhood
35. C4U (Christ For You – Christadelphians For You)
36. Guide to Christadelphian Ecclesias
37. Adresses of Brothers in Christ Worldwide

Rate this:

#BecomeLikeChrist #BecomingLikeChrist #BeingAChristadelphian #BelgianChristadelphians #BodyOfChrist #BrotherInChrist #BrotherSOfChrist #BrothersAndSistersInChrist #BrothersInChrist #Brussels #Carelinks #Christadelphian #ChristadelphianCommunity #Christadelphianism #Christadelphians #Churchcommunity #Community #FollowerOfChrist #FollowerSOfGod #FollowersOfChrist #FollowingChrist #FollowingGod #FollowingGodSCommandments #FoodSupply #FreeChristadelphians #Gathering #GoalReaching #HavingSpiritOfChrist #HomelessPeople #HouseChurch #ImageOfChrist #Leefdaal #Leuven #LoversOfGod #Mons #NazareneManJeshua #Newbury #Nivelles #PathOfLife #PraiseGod #RelationshipWithJesusChrist #Sharing #SharingFaith #SharingFeedback #SharingFellowship #SharingGoodNews #SharingHope #Shelter #StudyingTheBible #Tervuren #TheWay #theWayToGod #toDefendWeakerOnes #toFollowGod #toGlorifyGod #toGrow #toGrowSpiritually #toHelpEachOther #toHelpThoseInNeed #toWorkTogether #Unity #UnityInChrist #UnityOfTheSpirit #WorkingTogether #WorshippingGod

Everyone Welcome in our open Ecclesia

The Christadelphians or Brothers and Sisters in Christ are a community of lovers of God, who follow the teachings of the Nazarene Master Teacher Jeshua, better known as Jesus Christ, the Messiah.

As followers of the Jewish man from Nazareth, we are aware that Jesus him being a Jew, worshipped the God of Israel, and asked to do his followers to do so too. That God of Abraham is a Singular Eternal Spirit Being, no man can see. Jesus did not come to earth to undo the Law of God or the Torah. He came to explain it and to show the Way to God. Therefore, we take the words of Jesus seriously as an indication of how to continue our life on the path laid in front of us by this rabbi, and keep to the Law of God, God and His son their teachings and wishes, instead of keeping to human doctrines.

Jesus preached love for all creatures of God, and that is why we find it necessary not only to show and share that love for the whole of creation (earth, plants, animals and human beings), but also to come up for the weaker ones and to help and defend those in need.

In case you are looking for making your life easier or want to know more about the present and the future and our position in the whole picture or Plan of God, then you are right at our address.

Even when you are not sure about the existence of God, you are welcome to join us at our meetings and Bible Classes. We also provide printed material which you are welcome to read and to question us about. Any time of the day someone shall be willing to help you with your questions or solving your problems.

At our ecclesiae we have meetings for studying and worshipping but also moments of gathering and sharing good time and food. Also, at those events you are very welcome.

In Wintertime, we also provide shelter for the night, in certain towns, for the homeless people. Waifs and strays are also welcome at our food supplies.

But our main occupation in the ecclesia is the provision to glorify God and praise Him with a merger in prayer and Bible reading in the unity of spirit.

For those gatherings, where they may take place (Leuven, Leefdaal-Bertem, Tervuren, Brussels, Nivelles-Nijvel, Mons or Newbury), we invite you to join us and to feel the spirit of our brotherhood.
In Belgium, we are financially very limited and do have no building of our own. We have to rent spaces and  also use private houses, making house-church. For that reason it is not possible to offer set days and hours for our meetings. In Newbury, it is different. There our brethren and sisters have their own hall and offer services on Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, with regular events on different days as well. Never be afraid to contact them or us to have further contact or to know about their and/our activities.

For the Carelinks (like the Antwerp Ecclesia) and Old Paths Christadelphians you shall have to contact them. We as Free Christadelphians are not bounded to any person or organisation and could be considered being part of the more progressive branch of Christadelphianism, having liberated ourselves from all boundaries of this world, only to be bounded to the sent one from God, the son of God, Jeshua, Jesus Christ.

One of us might have a strength in one area and another might be strong in another. We believe that when we can join hands to make ourselves stronger. We are convinced that when we come together in union, we all benefit and are made into the image of Christ.

We believe that all can help each other to grow in the Body of Christ, becoming more like Christ, pure and set apart. Coming together we give each other the opportunity to learn more about the Word of God, by sharing and discussing that set apart or holy Word. Together we can help each individual around us, to become part of a bigger unit, able to be compassionate, gentle, and to have a great capacity for mercy and forgiveness.

When coming to our ecclesia you should not be afraid that people would look at you as a strange intruder, because nobody would. Nobody shall go to point to the faults of yourself or others. Instead, you may find we try to use the strengths the Lord has given us to build up the body of Christ. We all have faults, and we all have gifts, and they are meant to work together. We all go for the same primary goal, to grow in the spirit according to God His Wishes, and to form a strong unit in the Body of Christ. By the influence of our fellowships you and we can have our character transformed.

At our ecclesia or church, we are people who want to share the hope in a better world. To reach that goal we know we have to start by ourselves and our own surroundings. We hope to inspire each other in our community of believers in Only One True God, but also to encourage those outside our community, to work at a relationship with Jesus, because when we seek him and not this world, he will teach us, and we will grow in all good things. A lot of this process is done through our brethren and sisters, who are here also for you!

+

Please find also to read:

1. Lovers of God, seekers and lovers of truth
2. Words in the world
3. Not all christians are followers of a Greco-Roman culture
4. Who are the Christadelphians
5. Who are Brothers in Christ and why do they call themselves Christadelphian?
6. Christadelphians or Messianic Christians or Messianic Jews
7. Brothers and sisters in Christ for you
8. History of the Christadelphians
9. John Thomas
10. Forming a Christian bond
11. About the Belgian Free Christadelphians
12. Those who call the Christadelphians a cult
13. What Christadelphians teach
14. Differences between Christadelphians and other churches in Christianity
15. Handbook to the Christadelphian Statement of Faith
16. Living as a believer in Christ
17. Disciple of Christ counting lives and friends dear to them
18. My faith
19. Becoming brothers and sisters in Christ
20. Christadelphians children of God
21. Gathering or meeting of believers
22. What and why Christadelphian Ecclesia‘
23. The Ecclesia
24. The ecclesia or Christadelphian church
25. The Ecclesia in the churchsystem
26. Intentions of an Ecclesia
27. Reasons to come together
28. Congregate, to gather, to meet
29. Character transformed by the influence of our fellowships
30. What makes a consecrated Christian
31. Small churches of the few Christadelphians
32. Ecclesia to exist, grow and communities to have people communicating with each other
33. A participation in the body of Christ
34. Looking for Christadelphian in your neighbourhood
35. C4U (Christ For You – Christadelphians For You)
36. Guide to Christadelphian Ecclesias
37. Adresses of Brothers in Christ Worldwide

Rate this:

#BecomeLikeChrist #BecomingLikeChrist #BeingAChristadelphian #BelgianChristadelphians #BodyOfChrist #BrotherInChrist #BrotherSOfChrist #BrothersAndSistersInChrist #BrothersInChrist #Brussels #Carelinks #Christadelphian #ChristadelphianCommunity #Christadelphianism #Christadelphians #Churchcommunity #Community #FollowerOfChrist #FollowerSOfGod #FollowersOfChrist #FollowingChrist #FollowingGod #FollowingGodSCommandments #FoodSupply #FreeChristadelphians #Gathering #GoalReaching #HavingSpiritOfChrist #HomelessPeople #HouseChurch #ImageOfChrist #Leefdaal #Leuven #LoversOfGod #Mons #NazareneManJeshua #Newbury #Nivelles #PathOfLife #PraiseGod #RelationshipWithJesusChrist #Sharing #SharingFaith #SharingFeedback #SharingFellowship #SharingGoodNews #SharingHope #Shelter #StudyingTheBible #Tervuren #TheWay #theWayToGod #toDefendWeakerOnes #toFollowGod #toGlorifyGod #toGrow #toGrowSpiritually #toHelpEachOther #toHelpThoseInNeed #toWorkTogether #Unity #UnityInChrist #UnityOfTheSpirit #WorkingTogether #WorshippingGod

Everyone Welcome in our open Ecclesia

The Christadelphians or Brothers and Sisters in Christ are a community of lovers of God, who follow the teachings of the Nazarene Master Teacher Jeshua, better known as Jesus Christ, the Messiah.

As followers of the Jewish man from Nazareth, we are aware that Jesus him being a Jew, worshipped the God of Israel, and asked to do his followers to do so too. That God of Abraham is a Singular Eternal Spirit Being, no man can see. Jesus did not come to earth to undo the Law of God or the Torah. He came to explain it and to show the Way to God. Therefore, we take the words of Jesus seriously as an indication of how to continue our life on the path laid in front of us by this rabbi, and keep to the Law of God, God and His son their teachings and wishes, instead of keeping to human doctrines.

Jesus preached love for all creatures of God, and that is why we find it necessary not only to show and share that love for the whole of creation (earth, plants, animals and human beings), but also to come up for the weaker ones and to help and defend those in need.

In case you are looking for making your life easier or want to know more about the present and the future and our position in the whole picture or Plan of God, then you are right at our address.

Even when you are not sure about the existence of God, you are welcome to join us at our meetings and Bible Classes. We also provide printed material which you are welcome to read and to question us about. Any time of the day someone shall be willing to help you with your questions or solving your problems.

At our ecclesiae we have meetings for studying and worshipping but also moments of gathering and sharing good time and food. Also, at those events you are very welcome.

In Wintertime, we also provide shelter for the night, in certain towns, for the homeless people. Waifs and strays are also welcome at our food supplies.

But our main occupation in the ecclesia is the provision to glorify God and praise Him with a merger in prayer and Bible reading in the unity of spirit.

For those gatherings, where they may take place (Leuven, Leefdaal-Bertem, Tervuren, Brussels, Nivelles-Nijvel, Mons or Newbury), we invite you to join us and to feel the spirit of our brotherhood.
In Belgium, we are financially very limited and do have no building of our own. We have to rent spaces and  also use private houses, making house-church. For that reason it is not possible to offer set days and hours for our meetings. In Newbury, it is different. There our brethren and sisters have their own hall and offer services on Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, with regular events on different days as well. Never be afraid to contact them or us to have further contact or to know about their and/our activities.

For the Carelinks (like the Antwerp Ecclesia) and Old Paths Christadelphians you shall have to contact them. We as Free Christadelphians are not bounded to any person or organisation and could be considered being part of the more progressive branch of Christadelphianism, having liberated ourselves from all boundaries of this world, only to be bounded to the sent one from God, the son of God, Jeshua, Jesus Christ.

One of us might have a strength in one area and another might be strong in another. We believe that when we can join hands to make ourselves stronger. We are convinced that when we come together in union, we all benefit and are made into the image of Christ.

We believe that all can help each other to grow in the Body of Christ, becoming more like Christ, pure and set apart. Coming together we give each other the opportunity to learn more about the Word of God, by sharing and discussing that set apart or holy Word. Together we can help each individual around us, to become part of a bigger unit, able to be compassionate, gentle, and to have a great capacity for mercy and forgiveness.

When coming to our ecclesia you should not be afraid that people would look at you as a strange intruder, because nobody would. Nobody shall go to point to the faults of yourself or others. Instead, you may find we try to use the strengths the Lord has given us to build up the body of Christ. We all have faults, and we all have gifts, and they are meant to work together. We all go for the same primary goal, to grow in the spirit according to God His Wishes, and to form a strong unit in the Body of Christ. By the influence of our fellowships you and we can have our character transformed.

At our ecclesia or church, we are people who want to share the hope in a better world. To reach that goal we know we have to start by ourselves and our own surroundings. We hope to inspire each other in our community of believers in Only One True God, but also to encourage those outside our community, to work at a relationship with Jesus, because when we seek him and not this world, he will teach us, and we will grow in all good things. A lot of this process is done through our brethren and sisters, who are here also for you!

+

Please find also to read:

1. Lovers of God, seekers and lovers of truth
2. Words in the world
3. Not all christians are followers of a Greco-Roman culture
4. Who are the Christadelphians
5. Who are Brothers in Christ and why do they call themselves Christadelphian?
6. Christadelphians or Messianic Christians or Messianic Jews
7. Brothers and sisters in Christ for you
8. History of the Christadelphians
9. John Thomas
10. Forming a Christian bond
11. About the Belgian Free Christadelphians
12. Those who call the Christadelphians a cult
13. What Christadelphians teach
14. Differences between Christadelphians and other churches in Christianity
15. Handbook to the Christadelphian Statement of Faith
16. Living as a believer in Christ
17. Disciple of Christ counting lives and friends dear to them
18. My faith
19. Becoming brothers and sisters in Christ
20. Christadelphians children of God
21. Gathering or meeting of believers
22. What and why Christadelphian Ecclesia‘
23. The Ecclesia
24. The ecclesia or Christadelphian church
25. The Ecclesia in the churchsystem
26. Intentions of an Ecclesia
27. Reasons to come together
28. Congregate, to gather, to meet
29. Character transformed by the influence of our fellowships
30. What makes a consecrated Christian
31. Small churches of the few Christadelphians
32. Ecclesia to exist, grow and communities to have people communicating with each other
33. A participation in the body of Christ
34. Looking for Christadelphian in your neighbourhood
35. C4U (Christ For You – Christadelphians For You)
36. Guide to Christadelphian Ecclesias
37. Adresses of Brothers in Christ Worldwide

Rate this:

#BecomeLikeChrist #BecomingLikeChrist #BeingAChristadelphian #BelgianChristadelphians #BodyOfChrist #BrotherInChrist #BrotherSOfChrist #BrothersAndSistersInChrist #BrothersInChrist #Brussels #Carelinks #Christadelphian #ChristadelphianCommunity #Christadelphianism #Christadelphians #Churchcommunity #Community #FollowerOfChrist #FollowerSOfGod #FollowersOfChrist #FollowingChrist #FollowingGod #FollowingGodSCommandments #FoodSupply #FreeChristadelphians #Gathering #GoalReaching #HavingSpiritOfChrist #HomelessPeople #HouseChurch #ImageOfChrist #Leefdaal #Leuven #LoversOfGod #Mons #NazareneManJeshua #Newbury #Nivelles #PathOfLife #PraiseGod #RelationshipWithJesusChrist #Sharing #SharingFaith #SharingFeedback #SharingFellowship #SharingGoodNews #SharingHope #Shelter #StudyingTheBible #Tervuren #TheWay #theWayToGod #toDefendWeakerOnes #toFollowGod #toGlorifyGod #toGrow #toGrowSpiritually #toHelpEachOther #toHelpThoseInNeed #toWorkTogether #Unity #UnityInChrist #UnityOfTheSpirit #WorkingTogether #WorshippingGod

The Christadelphians or Brothers and Sisters in Christ are a community of lovers of God, who follow the teachings of the Nazarene Master Teacher Jeshua, better known as Jesus Christ, the Messiah.

As followers of the Jewish man from Nazareth, we are aware that Jesus him being a Jew, worshipped the God of Israel, and asked to do his followers to do so too. That God of Abraham is a Singular Eternal Spirit Being, no man can see. Jesus did not come to earth to undo the Law of God or the Torah. He came to explain it and to show the Way to God. Therefore, we take the words of Jesus seriously as an indication of how to continue our life on the path laid in front of us by this rabbi, and keep to the Law of God, God and His son their teachings and wishes, instead of keeping to human doctrines.

Jesus preached love for all creatures of God, and that is why we find it necessary not only to show and share that love for the whole of creation (earth, plants, animals and human beings), but also to come up for the weaker ones and to help and defend those in need.

In case you are looking for making your life easier or want to know more about the present and the future and our position in the whole picture or Plan of God, then you are right at our address.

Even when you are not sure about the existence of God, you are welcome to join us at our meetings and Bible Classes. We also provide printed material which you are welcome to read and to question us about. Any time of the day someone shall be willing to help you with your questions or solving your problems.

At our ecclesiae we have meetings for studying and worshipping but also moments of gathering and sharing good time and food. Also, at those events you are very welcome.

In Wintertime, we also provide shelter for the night, in certain towns, for the homeless people. Waifs and strays are also welcome at our food supplies.

But our main occupation in the ecclesia is the provision to glorify God and praise Him with a merger in prayer and Bible reading in the unity of spirit.

For those gatherings, where they may take place (Leuven, Leefdaal-Bertem, Tervuren, Brussels, Nivelles-Nijvel, Mons or Newbury), we invite you to join us and to feel the spirit of our brotherhood.
In Belgium, we are financially very limited and do have no building of our own. We have to rent spaces and  also use private houses, making house-church. For that reason it is not possible to offer set days and hours for our meetings. In Newbury, it is different. There our brethren and sisters have their own hall and offer services on Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, with regular events on different days as well. Never be afraid to contact them or us to have further contact or to know about their and/our activities.

For the Carelinks (like the Antwerp Ecclesia) and Old Paths Christadelphians you shall have to contact them. We as Free Christadelphians are not bounded to any person or organisation and could be considered being part of the more progressive branch of Christadelphianism, having liberated ourselves from all boundaries of this world, only to be bounded to the sent one from God, the son of God, Jeshua, Jesus Christ.

One of us might have a strength in one area and another might be strong in another. We believe that when we can join hands to make ourselves stronger. We are convinced that when we come together in union, we all benefit and are made into the image of Christ.

We believe that all can help each other to grow in the Body of Christ, becoming more like Christ, pure and set apart. Coming together we give each other the opportunity to learn more about the Word of God, by sharing and discussing that set apart or holy Word. Together we can help each individual around us, to become part of a bigger unit, able to be compassionate, gentle, and to have a great capacity for mercy and forgiveness.

When coming to our ecclesia you should not be afraid that people would look at you as a strange intruder, because nobody would. Nobody shall go to point to the faults of yourself or others. Instead, you may find we try to use the strengths the Lord has given us to build up the body of Christ. We all have faults, and we all have gifts, and they are meant to work together. We all go for the same primary goal, to grow in the spirit according to God His Wishes, and to form a strong unit in the Body of Christ. By the influence of our fellowships you and we can have our character transformed.

At our ecclesia or church, we are people who want to share the hope in a better world. To reach that goal we know we have to start by ourselves and our own surroundings. We hope to inspire each other in our community of believers in Only One True God, but also to encourage those outside our community, to work at a relationship with Jesus, because when we seek him and not this world, he will teach us, and we will grow in all good things. A lot of this process is done through our brethren and sisters, who are here also for you!

+

Please find also to read:

1. Lovers of God, seekers and lovers of truth
2. Words in the world
3. Not all christians are followers of a Greco-Roman culture
4. Who are the Christadelphians
5. Who are Brothers in Christ and why do they call themselves Christadelphian?
6. Christadelphians or Messianic Christians or Messianic Jews
7. Brothers and sisters in Christ for you
8. History of the Christadelphians
9. John Thomas
10. Forming a Christian bond
11. About the Belgian Free Christadelphians
12. Those who call the Christadelphians a cult
13. What Christadelphians teach
14. Differences between Christadelphians and other churches in Christianity
15. Handbook to the Christadelphian Statement of Faith
16. Living as a believer in Christ
17. Disciple of Christ counting lives and friends dear to them
18. My faith
19. Becoming brothers and sisters in Christ
20. Christadelphians children of God
21. Gathering or meeting of believers
22. What and why Christadelphian Ecclesia‘
23. The Ecclesia
24. The ecclesia or Christadelphian church
25. The Ecclesia in the churchsystem
26. Intentions of an Ecclesia
27. Reasons to come together
28. Congregate, to gather, to meet
29. Character transformed by the influence of our fellowships
30. What makes a consecrated Christian
31. Small churches of the few Christadelphians
32. Ecclesia to exist, grow and communities to have people communicating with each other
33. A participation in the body of Christ
34. Looking for Christadelphian in your neighbourhood
35. C4U (Christ For You – Christadelphians For You)
36. Guide to Christadelphian Ecclesias
37. Adresses of Brothers in Christ Worldwide

Rate this:

https://christadelphians.wordpress.com/2020/02/25/everyone-welcome-in-our-open-ecclesia/

#BecomeLikeChrist #BecomingLikeChrist #BeingAChristadelphian #BelgianChristadelphians #BodyOfChrist #BrotherInChrist #BrotherSOfChrist #BrothersAndSistersInChrist #BrothersInChrist #Brussels #Carelinks #Christadelphian #ChristadelphianCommunity #Christadelphianism #Christadelphians #Churchcommunity #Community #FollowerOfChrist #FollowerSOfGod #FollowersOfChrist #FollowingChrist #FollowingGod #FollowingGodSCommandments #FoodSupply #FreeChristadelphians #Gathering #GoalReaching #HavingSpiritOfChrist #HomelessPeople #HouseChurch #ImageOfChrist #Leefdaal #Leuven #LoversOfGod #Mons #NazareneManJeshua #Newbury #Nivelles #PathOfLife #PraiseGod #RelationshipWithJesusChrist #Sharing #SharingFaith #SharingFeedback #SharingFellowship #SharingGoodNews #SharingHope #Shelter #StudyingTheBible #Tervuren #TheWay #theWayToGod #toDefendWeakerOnes #toFollowGod #toGlorifyGod #toGrow #toGrowSpiritually #toHelpEachOther #toHelpThoseInNeed #toWorkTogether #Unity #UnityInChrist #UnityOfTheSpirit #WorkingTogether #WorshippingGod

By the opening of the Season 2018-2019

After a marvellous great Summer we are looking forward with renewed energy for this new season.

It was to good to have the opportunity to meet in a very beautiful space, designed by Abscis Architects, in which they anchored from a future-oriented social commitment in the social, economic, historical and cultural context of the environment and created a place where travellers could come at ease.

We could count on the Cuiz’Inn restaurant where on the menu fresh and authentic dishes from all over the world could be found. That is why their motto was ‘Taste the world’. From Oriental wok dishes to Belgian classics: every recipe was given as much attention and care that made it possible to say that Cuiz’Inn was not just a roadside restaurant. In the open kitchen products were prepared fresh and on the spot. But that is now a thing of the past.

We shall have to look for a new meeting room, having our ecclesia meeting space being changed in a Starbuks Coffee saloon and a Burger King snackbar.

Brother Marcus Ampe shall be in the South of France until the 13th of October, after which he shall continue the search for an other meeting room. For a few weeks he shall take less time to think about the ecclesia work, taking some more time to walk in la douce France. After his Summer holiday he shall be once again all ears for those who need some help.

From mid October he will be back to work for one another’s welfare. Then he will encourage others again to be ready for each other, to forgive one another, to bear one another’s burden, to encourage and edify one another, and serve one another. Because that is what we should do at all times.

Whatever may happen, how much we may stay in the darkness concerning a meeting place around Brussels and Leuven, we shall try to look positive and shall keep the good spirit. Since the Facebook profiles timelines do not receive an update of the printed articles any more, we do hope people shall follow us on the Facebook pages: Christadelphia and Christadelphians.

For 2018-2019 we hope to continue with regular publications on this site and on the Brethren site Broeders in Christus, where you shall be able to find more articles in Dutch. From January 2019 you shall be able to find more regularly a devotion or a “Thought for the day” which shall follow our Daily Readings.

Our eyes shall also look at this world and give an eye from Christadelphian perspective on “Our World“. We also hope you shall find that blog of Brother Marcus, who by being very busy with some new bible translations and writing for some other Christian magazines, has somewhat neglected his own personal blog “Marcus Ampe’s space“.

Helping hands for the working of the Christadelphians in Belgium shall be very welcome. For sure we can use many hands and could also use some funds as well, having to face several costs which brings the ecclesia further in the red. Even when all the work is done voluntary, nobody receiving a payment for the preaching or work for the ecclesia, we have many costs, like internet-charges, publication and copyrights, postage fees, etc.. Doing no collections in the church service and not demanding a tenth of income, we depend on free gifts.

With much hope we look forward to find more readers, but also to find some people who would not mind meeting us in real life. We reach out our hand to find more people who would love to meet us. Like every believer in Christ, we need to feel that we are united in fellowship with one another, in the assurance that we are cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ.

Do you hunger to fellowship with others?

Remember, you cannot claim to walk with God and not walk with His people. Christ Jesus remembered his followers to come together regularly. He wanted that, after his death, they would continue to gather to praise his heavenly Father. But he also wanted them to meet each other at regular times to make sure they would feel united and willing to encourage each other.

It can well be that you too have to learn to fellowship with others and grow your faith in Christ Jesus. It is a task given by Christ Jesus. We should remember that. We also should remember that we should help each other to walk on the right path. We should give each-other a hand so that we can cross the wildest rivers.

Each day of our life we should remember that we are on our way to a better place. But we do have to look for the right station to catch the right train. To do that we need also to go to the right platform, where we shall be able to find people who are also willing to go on the track of life, from the darkness to the light. There we shall also find a special storyteller willing to go with us as a mentor and companion.

As an ecclesia, a bunch of people gathering with the intention to share their faith, we love to reach out our hand and to help people to cross the river and to bring them to save grounds and pathways where we can go forwards to reach the goal set before us by our divine Creator.

Jesus requested his followers not to stop meeting each other. For this we are still looking for places in Belgium to be able to realize this. If you have a room where we could come together you can always contact us. A meeting place to study the Bible and to praise and worship God does not have to be that special. Even in a living room one can come together to pray to God and form a community of believers.

This year too, we will try to make people realize that a small community of faith does not have to be that bad, but rather can be an advantage. Once again we invite others to join us for singing praises to God, praying together, listening to a message from the Word of God.

Every church needs people to shape and colour the community. Every church desperately needs people who make public meetings a top priority. Today is the day to start prioritizing the importance of the activities of your church in your life. Where are you and what do you want? Do you want to be part of true believers who want to fully serve Jehovah God with their hearts?

Everyone will have to realize that he or she also needs a church. We must see that God has made us a part of the church. Nobody can do it alone. We must realize that we are not strong enough on our own. Likewise, we must dare to be humble enough to recognize that we are not wise enough, not mature enough, and sometimes not godly enough. Without the beautiful, usual remedy that you experience in the church, you will not be able to save it. Without the support of your brothers and sisters in Christ, you will not be able to save it.

Then you also need to know that we also need you. The church needs you. It is together that believers in Christ have to make Church to form the body of Christ. If you are a believer, God has made you a part of the Church for the benefit of others. (1 Peter 4:10) says:

“As everyone has received a gift, you must serve each other as good ministers of the multiple mercy of God.”

God gave you to be part of the church that you have to make as your own church. You have to realize that you have received a lot from God, but that those gifts must also be shared with others. Those gifts that you received from God must be used for good use, also for other people. So we as a church give priority as an expression of generosity towards others.

We will also not fail to testify this year for Jehovah and His sentient. Without that God-given cornerstone we are not many, not to say nothing. All the partners in Christ must anchor themselves in the port provided by Jesus.

In our ecclesiae there is no collection plate passed. We know it could help us a lot and for members of the ecclesia it could be an easy way of sharing some of their possessions. Depending on free gifts we are very limited, even when nobody working for the ecclesia receives any money. All work is done freely. We do not have a staff payroll, because every work for God has to be done freely. As in the early church example, we do hope church members would not mind supporting the needs of other church members and shall be willing also to provide the means of having an established community of believers. Facing some great urgency for funds we dare to ask you if you would not like to help us. All sort of help is welcome. If someone can offer us a room to get together, it would be fantastic. If someone can provide us with some money to cover our expenses, that would be very nice.

Most of all we would appreciate it if we could find more people in Belgium interested in meeting with each other. Do you know that when you give a day to God, you can put aside all the worries of life. Together you can discuss many things with each other. By coming together you can share in the happiness of others. Together you can serve as supporters and strengthen each other. There are even many of the pleasures of life that we as brothers and sisters in Christ want and can share with each other. It therefore does not have to be a whole day spend with each other, where you invest time to worship God, serve the community and others. But what is it like to set aside a time for God and for each other?

Ideally we would welcome you at a meeting of like-minded people. That is our biggest wish for the new season.

°°°

Financial support is always welcome at Argenta Bank: BE37 9730 6618 2528 with notification: “Operation Belgian Christadelphians” or “Support for Belgian Christadelphians“.

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Preceding

Why we do not have our worship-services in a church building

A marvellous Summer ending

When seeing a biblically sound church

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Additional reading

1. Casual Christians
2. Establish Priorities
3. Expenses, costs – Onkosten, uitgaven
4. Contribution – Contributie, bijdrage
5. Be a ready giver

+++

Related

1. Tomorrow
2. Motives in Life
3. Love Your Neighbor as You Love Yourself
4. Do I Actually Need These People?
5. We’re Sent Together, Not Alone
6. Step Eight – Go into all the WorldWhy Should We Serve?
7. Building a Christian Church
8. Reconnecting with God
9. Hope for those in Need
10. 7 Ways to be closer to God
11. The Importance of Coordination in Service
12. Church and Community Working Together
13. What are God’s people? What are the service-doers? | The Church of Almighty God
14. Let there be Light
15. Touch 101: Personal space in church
16. Coming Home

Rate this:

#2018 #2019 #BeingChurch #BeingPartOfTheBodyOfChrist #BelieverInChrist #BelieversInChrist #BodyOfChrist #Brussels #BurgerKing #ChristadelphiaFacebookPage #ChristadelphianMeetingRoom #Church #ChurchCommunity #ChurchPlanting #ChurchService #Collection #CuizInn #DailyReadingsBibleReadingPlan_ #Darkness #EcclesiaBrusselLeuven #Facebook #FacebookPage #Fellowship #FindingAChurch #FollowersOfChrist #FreeChristadelphiansFacebookPage #GoalOfMan #GoalReaching #HelpingEachOther #HeverleeLeuven_ #Leuven #MakingChurch #Meeting #PlaceOfWorship #PraiseGod #Priority #ServeGod #Starbucks #ThoughtForTheDay #TrueBelievers #UnitedInFellowship #Worship #WorshipService #WorshippingGod