Some fun times in Israel so far..

Almost two weeks ago Friday, I went with a few girls to the shuk, the market, on Jaffa Road. It was about a 25 minute walk, but on the way we found a "shekel store", which would be the equivalent to our dollar stores (except for us everything is a quarter, the exchange rate being 1:4) as well as a place that sells small pastries for a shekel a piece. They were amazingly delicious. When you get to the Shuk, you see tons of people in the wide center in between shops on either side stretching about a quarter of a mile long. There were of course beggars in the middle of the road, but there were so many people, you almost didnt see them. You can probably get anything you could need in the shuk, from food, to clothes, to toiletries, to nic-nacs. And everything there is pretty cheap. I ended up spending only 10 bucks the entire time and bought a couple pastries, some headbands, a blanket, and a floor mat.

On the very first day that I did laundry here, and hung my clothes on the line (you'de be proud mom!) We also had a small taste of the east winds. I was sitting in my room at my desk during the afternoon, and I started to smell what reminded me of the chalk in the air when you clap two erasers together. I went outside and saw that the whole sky looked yellow. These winds, since they come from the east where the wilderness is, are full of sand/dirt, and make everything look foggy, but tinted. Luckily, my clothes were fine. I have a picture or two to illustrate what the air looked like, but it might take me a little while to upload it since the internet is slow with those things.

A lot of the guys here on campus like to play soccer, and I have gotten to do that with them a couple times so far. About 5 minutes from campus there is a hard court surrounded by fence that we play on. At first I was a little disappointed that there isnt a grassy spot, but playing on the court has such a foreign yet homey back-street feeling to it, as if we were young kids again playing in the driveway...

Tuesday, I headed down to Beit Jala (right near Bethlehem) to help with the 10th grade and 7-8th grade Bible classes. Two others from JUC (Jerusalem University College), Mark and Krystal (one of my roommates) and myself led the Bible classes. We had the students do Bible charades, where each group acted out a bible story and the other groups guessed what it was. They were pretty funny with it! I really wish I had a couple of them on video. After school, Krystal and I ran soccer with the 7-8th grade girls. It was the first week we were able to play, because last Tuesday it rained (Praise the Lord, though!) and the dirt field holds puddles of water, so it wasn't feasable. We had 10 girls this week, which is not bad, considering girls arent really ever allowed to play soccer. To my surprise, they listened better than I thought, and probably better than the kids at the EducationWorks day camp this summer. ;-) Of course none of them really know how to play at all, but thats ok we will work on it. They seemed to have fun, and I am having fun getting to know them. oh, and by the way, while we were playing, a shepherd walked by with his flock of sheep and goats. That's when you know you're in the Middle East.

The Land of Benjamin (22 February 2009)

Sunday was another day in the field... and I will get to that soon. We thought it was going to rain on us all day but we missed it pretty well. But the fact that I am saying that means that a lot of people living in this land are feeling quite relieved--God has been sending rain! Praise Him, because He has been merciful! I'm sure there is still a good bit of rain that the people would like to see to really rest easy, but still. We have to take it as it comes I guess. I'm not sure how many inches we got, but it rained a lot on Saturday and into Sunday. :o)

Sunday's field study was all in the land of Benjamin, and focused around it's importance to Israel. Bejamin is right in the center of a lot of the action. The Central Benjamin Plateau, which is surrounded by Mizpah, Ramah, Gibeah, and Gibeon, (just north and west of Jerusalem) controls the main routes to the west, imperial highway. This was important especially for the southern tribe of Judah because they are blocked in by wadis to the left and right and needed to go north to get to any trade. To the east, there are (2) routes to Jericho from the Benjamin plateau, and a third from Jerusalem. jericho was right on the eastern side of Israel, and during the time of Jesus it was also the eastern eage of Rome. This all made Jericho(both the OT and NT sites, about a mile from each other) a very important and strategic spot. This is why Joshua took it when the Israelites came into the land. (not to mention that it is an oasis in the middle of a wilderness, with 3 big springs supplying much water.) The main route that takes you west from the plateau leads you through Gezer, the "front door" of Benjamin. Gezer is like a hinge between Jerusalem and Egypt. It connects the coastal highway with the routes east to Benjamin. This is why it was used to make a pact between Egypt and Solomon, thru his egyptian wife.

Ok, having said all that, here are my thouhts about the day...mainly on the wilderness. It's not very informative on what we did the whole day, but if you like hearing deeper thoughts on the land, then here it is..
We made 4 main stops for the day-- The Wilderness, The Jerichos (both NT and OT), Nebi-Samwil (from where you can see the Central Benjamin plateau), and Gezer.

Our first stop was on top of the ridge between the Qilt and the Og wadis, from where you can see the town of Jericho to the East of the wilderness, and this is oddly enough where much of my thought keeps returning. Even though the wilderness of Judah (or technically, Benjamin) is seen, and rightly so, as a symbol of difficulty, darkness, danger, and death, there is something about looking out over the rolling hills that is beautiful. As strange as it may be, it is probably one of my favorite places to look at. Whenever we go to a place of strategic geo-political position, where there is much to gain from controlling and inhabiting the spot, it reminds me of how much Israel (as a people, and as they also represent us as God’s people) played the game of international politics.

Because the Israelites did not fully destroy the prier inhabitants of Canaan when they entered the land, they were constantly drawn into affairs (in more than one sense) with people and places around them. They could not be content with the land that God gave to them, or keep to themselves. All that God really required of them was to be faithful to Him and live in the land he allotted them, but when land, resources, and power become enticing, they could not restrain themselves from going after the things that the world around them sought after, such as power in holding cities and routes and trade. They wanted the land, yes—but for the wrong reasons, it seems. I suppose that is why the more luxurious places, the places that held socio-political importance, such as Gezer, do not catch my interest in this way.

Places like Jericho and Gezer were indeed of great importance to the people, especially as we look back and study what did happen, not what we wish would have happened. Though I may now see the Israelites’ history in light of their desertion of God time after time, I must remember that I am just like them. These “worldly” things do have impact on our lives and so it is good to be reminded of how the world looks at things, so that I don’t get stuck mentally in my own wilderness while physically I am in the middle of a busy city, and cannot find which way to go, for pure lack of knowledge. So I will stop to reflect and say that yes, these things, too, are good because they teach us the thought patterns of the ancient Israelites, with their successes and failures.

The wilderness has so much danger, yes, but there are usually people there, leading their flocks to graze, or traveling though. I used to see Psalm 139:7-12 as verses speaking about running from the Lord’s presence. After another reading, however, because of the wilderness imagery, it seems to be speaking about circumstances that the psalmist imagines himself ending up in and possibly even fears. He speaks about the depths of the earth, and the day fading into night all around him. These are possible circumstances in the wilderness that would cause trouble, for the water runs unexpectedly through the bottom of the wadis and the darkness brings the danger of robbery. Yet the Psalmist uses these pictures to say that the Lord sees him even then—the darkness is like light to the Lord. This statement takes great confidence in God as his protector.

That is what I see that is so beautiful about the wilderness. The pictures that are linked to the wilderness are so great and so deep that they extend back to the creation of the earth. There must be a reason that when Israel was created as a people before they were brought into the land that God promised and before Jesus began His ministry, they went into the wilderness to be tempted. The Bible says that the testing of our faith produces steadfastness. Yes, the wilderness is a picture of darkness to us, but it forces us to see God’s good despite it and through it, as he provides just enough “green pastures” to feed the flocks in need. Yes, it is a picture of the formlessness of the earth in its beginnings, but that is when the Lord “hovered over it” as he says he longs to do still with his people (Genesis 1:2 ; Deuteronomy 32:8-14; Matthew 23:37). It is a picture of the intimate love God has for His people and the utmost dependence we as His people have upon Him for everything.

Jerusalem Approaches ( 14 February 2009 )

Our third field study was just this past Saturday. (Valentine’s day, yes I know). Since we had studied the much about the events in Jerusalem, it was now time to get out and see the surrounding areas, how one would enter Jerusalem from different sides.

First we headed to the Norhern end of the mount of Olives, (Mt. Scopus). From there you can see over to the western hill and where the Watershed ridge route runs, as well as the Kidron Valley, which is not visible from the Western Hill. On a clear day, because of the height of the mountain, you can see as far south as Herodion and as far north as Nebi-Samwil, which overlooks the Central Benjamin Plateau. It looks down on Jerusalem, yet oddly enough, Jerusalem’s inhabitants continuously praised it.
In Psalm 48:2 the psalmist describes Jerusalem as being high in elevation, and in the “far north” or the “hidden recesses” of the north. The psalmist is here using Canaanite terms that were used to describe Mt. Hermon (which is in the far north) to talk about Jerusalem, specifically Mount Zion where the Temple was. The Canaanite name for Mt. Hermon was Mt. Sion, and it was the mountain that was their god’s holy place. By referencing high elevation and the far north, the Psalmist brings the hearers’ thoughts to Mt. Hermon, which was called Sion by the Canaanites. Even though Mt Zion (the temple mount at that time) is not the most prominent hill of those in the area, it is the one on which God’s temple was put, because it was on the far north of the city, and would protect the city from invasions. Taking the name of the mountain that was seen as being the holy place of a foreign god and using it to describe the holy place of his own God is a bold thing to do. The Psalmist seems to be using the names and imagery to say that his God is greater than other gods. The psalmist then continues to say, “within her citadels God has made Himseld known as a fortress. For behold, the kings assembled; they came on together. As soon as they saw it, they were astounded; they were in panic; they took to flight. Trembling took hold of them there, anguish as of a woman in labor. By the east wind you shattered the ships of Tarshish.”

It continues to amaze me how much change in landscape and climate there is in such a small distance in Israel. Looking over the East side of the Mount of Olives to the desert, it made me realize a few things. Jerusalem is the city that God chose for His people for several reasons, of which I am only beginning to learn. Even though it is a low hill surrounded by larger ones, those larger hills, as we have pointed out before, help to protect it. Not only that, the hills that surround it make for a beautiful view when one is standing near the temple mount, whereas standing on the mount of Olives—a hill that guards Jerusalem on the east—you look out and half of what you see is dry, barren, desert land. Perhaps this is part of the reason it is so nice to live in Jerusalem, where everything around you directly is still green and pleasant; uplifting, a symbol of life. Yet this may also be a downfall, and why they needed prophets like Jeremiah, who had seen the wilderness all his life (he lived in Anathoth to the east of the Mount of Olives), to remind them how close death is—almost literally at their doorstep. The Mount of Olives being higher than Jerusalem also provides for a very glorious and revitalizing reentrance into the city, after going through the dryness of the wilderness of Benjamin. I am caught by the imagery of being restored to the land after being in exile.

The “garden of Gethsemane” is a very pretty place, with old, beautiful trees (not as old as Jesus’ time, mind you.) Inside the church there is a rock in the corner of the building, supposedly the rock where Jesus’ sweat blood as he was praying.
On our way to Herodion, we stopped at a tomb and its accompanying ‘nefesh’ or monument. The words nefesh is Hebrew and refers to one’s soul, or essence. Monuments were called this because they represented the person who is in the tomb. At Herodion, we ate lunch, looked out into the wilderness once again, where we reflected on the great task of shepherding sheep in that environment, and how that relates to Psalm 23. Take a look at the Psalm and think about how it’s possible to talk about green pastures when you are in a place with only egg-shaped hills of chalky dirt, barely enough grass for the sheep to graze, and no relief from the sun. What quiet waters run through there? None. The only waters that run through the wilderness are flash floods. Incredible.
We made our way around the top of the Herodion and saw the remains of Herod’s living quarters on the top. Herod was a powerful man, with a lot of time on his hands. He took the top of a mountain off and moved it, to make a higher one, which we call Herodion. Because he was so ambitious but was restricted by Rome to staying in Jerusalem, he did a lot of amazing things with the landscape during his rule.

Our last stop of the day was Bethlehem; the birthplace of our Savior.
The fact that there were people in the 1st century who had already identified a recognized place of Christ’s birth gives us an indicator that the spot marked today by the Church of the Nativity is legitimate. I find it interesting also that we read so much of our western mindset into the text about Jesus’ birth in a stable. When we talk about this each year around Christmas, we assume that the stable was an unusual and lowly or despised place to give birth, when actually women often went back (or down) to the cave when they went into labor. The other thing that struck me is that when we (westerners) hear the word “inn” we assume that it was a large building used only for housing others, and that when there was found no room for Joseph and Mary, they were then turned away and had to search out the stable. In fact, what would have happened is the owner of the property would have already filled his room for guests, and so they normally allowed others to go to the back while the animals were out. This would have placed Mary and Joseph in the same vicinity as the inn, and not just being treated badly. Even so, will all of these things that add to the ordinary nature of this occurrence in the time of the New Testament, the point still stands that the entire scene was a picture of humility, because God become a man.

Biblical Jerusalem ( 8 February 2009 )

Our next field study focused on locations where Biblical events took place in Jerusalem—first during the Old Testament, and then during the New (Jesus’ ministry).
Our first stop on this field study was the broad wall. This is the wall that Hezekiah built when the Assyrians threatened. Looking at the wall, you can tell that it was built quickly, because all of the stones (especially in the middle are roughly cut, or not cut at all, and look as though they had been thrown on top. This, plus the abnormal width of the wall, makes it stand out from others of that time. It was built to expand the city and bring in those who were living just outside of it for protection. Some of the houses that were in the way of the wall construction became a part of the wall, and those living there were displaced.

After staring at the wall that runs through the city now, we walked to the city of David, where we could see and understand Psalm 125:2 which says, “As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds His people”. It is such an incredible picture that is given in this Psalm, because it is true—Jerusalem (Once again, the eastern hill, where David’s city was) is surrounded by hills that are much higher than the eastern hill. To the East, south and west, hills go up, blocking your view of anything beyond them, and to the north, the temple mount is raised up above David’s city, but flattens out. This makes the temple mount Jerusalem’s most vulnerable spot, and so Solomon, to represent God as the city’s protector, built the Temple there.

We stopped to see (barely) the excavation going on below us at the tourist entrance, where they think that Kind David’s palace might have been. Right next to it is a retaining wall built by the Jebusites before David conquered them and took the city from. The wall is stepped and angles up toward where the palace would be, to hold it in place, so that it does not slide down the hill on which it’s built.

We walked into the entrance to Hezekiah’s tunnel, by Warren’s shaft (a long natural shaft underground that an archaeologist named Warren discovered), by the Gihon Spring, which runs down into the Pool of Siloam, our next stop. The pool of Siloam was a large pool that had steps going down into it, so that when the water level was low, it was still possible to draw water out. This was also the site of King David’s garden, somewhere in the vicinity. If I remember correctly, the pool of Siloam is the source of the water that was drawn and brought up to the Temple mount on the last day of the feast of Booths(the end of the dry season). They would pour out the water at the temple, and pray for the rains that were to come throughout the winter.

After lunch, we walked to the Temple mount where we saw the ruins of “Robinson’s Arch” on the western side of the Temple Mount. This was an archway that held a large staircase leading to the Temple. It is where Jesus would have entered and overturned the tables of the moneychangers just inside. It was knocked down in 70AD when the Romans destroyed the Temple. The weight and impact of the arch falling crushed much of the street below it. The southern Stairs of the Temple Mount was another place we visited where Jesus, we imagine, might have taught, as crowds of people were coming and going. The Scribes and the Pharisees, whom he criticized for many things, could have easily heard Him and seen the illustrations that he used against them. For instance, Jesus compares them to “whitewashed tombs” (Mt. 23:27), which they could easily see from the southern stairs, just to the east on the Mount of Olives.

After leaving the Southern Stairs, we walked to the Pool of Bethesda, where Jesus healed the lame man in John 5. We briefly talked about what happened there and how the layout would have looked, before stopping in St. Anne’s Church, a crusader church built 20 feet away. This church is beautiful, it’s acoustics amazing. There is a seven second echo inside, which makes it a little bit difficult to preach (right, dad?). Like most churches we see here, it’s basic shape was the pointed arch, pointing us to God. Yet just about everything, the windows, the height of the archways, carvings on the pillars, were all irregular. Nothing in the building matches, although you would never notice with only a quick glance. This intentionally asymmetrical architecture, we were told, was made to remind us of our human imperfections, and God’s magnificence.
Well, it was starting to get dark, so we ended the day by going once again to a rooftop. This time it was on top of the Austrian Hostel. The view was amazing. You could see over the whole city and just as the sun went down we listened to the nearby minarets broadcasting the Muslim call to prayer. What an Interesting day.

Field Study Updates.. the first of many.

On Saturday we had our third Field Study. Seeing as I haven't even given a synopsis on the first two, I think I should do that before I get too behind on that. :-)

The first two were centered around Jerusalem itself. The first being in the Old City, and the second having to do with "Biblical Jerusalem" (when we visited the City of David and the Temple mount, among other things). Because my writings on these are so long. (sorry) I think I will make them into 3 separate posts. So here goes. First one's first.


Old City Walk ( 1 February 2009 )
The first weekend here, we took a walk through the Old City of Jerusalem. Our school is located on the Western Hill of Jerusalem, where I drew the blue star on the topographical map. We walked around the Church of the Dormition (right next to our campus) and down into the site of the Cenacle, or the Upper room, where Jesus supposedly celebrated His last Passover Seder with His disciples, and also where the Holy Spirit came down at Pentecost. This is also the alleged site of King David’s tomb. From what we know about King David and his time, this is probably not the site of his tomb. The reason it is cited here is because it is supposed to be on “Mt. Zion”. Yet in David’s time, Mt. Zion was the Temple Mount. The city of Jerusalem wasn’t even on the Western hill when David was alive. His city is situated on the Eastern Hill. This site may not even be the site of the Upper room or Pentecost. But for the sake of tradition and having a piece of ground (and building) to claim, the church will concede to calling it those things.

Next, we walked down to the cardo. This is the main street that runs North-South through the Old city. The Romans built it when they occupied the land. It was a wide stone street (as you can see in the sketch) with shops on either side. Some of these large, arch-shaped shops were found in the Old City, still in place.

From there, we walked down to an overlook, where we had a nice view of the Central Valley, the Temple Mount, and the Mount of Olives. We could also see, just barely, the Hills of Moab. If it were a clear day, you would definitely be able to see them.

Our last historical stop of the day was the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. This is (one of the two) site of Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection. Although there are two sites that claim this history, for many reasons, this seems to be the one that is more legitimate. According to the Bible and other texts, Jesus would have been crucified outside of the city walls. Many people use this to say that the Church of the Holy Sepulcher is not the correct place. However, at the time of Jesus, the city walls were in a different location than they are today. At that time, this spot would have indeed been outside of the city. Being inside of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher was kind of anti-climactic. I have now seen the place that Jesus died—it’s on the second floor of a church. That’s not exactly what I had in mind. Maybe I’ll have to go back on my own and visit, to get a fuller sense of the place. Maybe my mind will have to suffice.

We ended that day by going on the rooftop of some shops and looking round the tops of the city. That day we got a good overview of the city, and I was able to see how tight the city is, and how confusing it can be.As Psalm 122:1-4 says, “I was glad when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord!’ Our feet have been standing within your gates, O Jerusalem! Jerusalem—built as a city that is bound firmly together, to which the tribes go up, the tribes of the Lord.”

"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from...the Father of lights.."James 1:17

This land is amazing. I don't know what it is but something intrigues me about it. Maybe it's all the Biblical history that took place here, but I don't think so. Maybe it's the drastic difference in culture here from mine, or maybe it's the beauty of the hills and valleys. Whatever it is, I feel as though something good (in the biblical sense of the word) is going to happen this semester, beyond learning about the cultural backgrounds of the bible and all my classes.

Even though my faith does not depend on where I am (as Matt so eloquently stated), my location will inevitably affect my life; what I learn, with whom I interact, how I feel, my world view, etc. And to me, it seems as though all those things enhance my walk and my life. The relationship I have with my Lord will definitely reflect things going on around me (in the sense of my interactions with and my understanding of Christ), while at the same time my relationship to the Lord will never change. That is constant--it has been from the "moment" I was saved and it always will be. He is (among other things) my Savior, my redeemer, my friend, my Lord. What a greath thought--to know that for all eternity the faith I am given is from God who is constant.

I've never been so excited about rain in my entire life. We're in the middle of hte worst drought Israel has seen. Everyone is concerned if February passes by with little to no rain, there's practically no hope of any til October. I normally don't like rain--okay I strongly dislike it! One of the things I hate most is the bottom of your jeans getting soaked from walking on the wet ground during or after a rain. Yet I found myself praying for rain two nights ago with my roommate. The next morning I woke up to a wet ground outside, but the sun once again shining. We all thanked God for the rain overnight and humbly but excitedly prayed for more. It came during the affternoon some (as I was standing outside at the checkpoint back into Jerusalem--dont worry Ill explain), and once again around 10pm it started up. The Lord is gracious! Thanks be to God, who gives all good gifts, and who created and sustains life! He is the provider of the living water that falls on the land (Deuteronomy 11:10-12). I love watching the rain fall outside and hearing it hit the hard, slick stones. The thunder literally sounds like it is rolling, as it starts to the south and gets louder each second as it passes overhead.

The Lord is so good and has been answering my prayer in exciting ways! Before I left, I asked many of you to pray that I would find a ministry here so I could get involved in the culture outside of our campus, our little western bubble, if you will. God has given me not just one, but two places where I hope to minister this semester. Both are so neat, and such unique opportunities to cross paths with people who I normally wouldn't see even walking around Jerusalem. The first, Shevet Achim, is amazing for a couple reasons. When we got here, I saw it on a list of possible ministy sites from the university. It is a place that houses children who come to Jerusalem to get heart surgery done, because it is not available where they are from. They come from Nothern Iraq as well as some from Gaza I believe. First, it is amazing that I will have the opportunity to interact with Iraqis here in Jerusalem, hanging out with the kids as they recover and spending time with the moms. The thing that i found most amazing at first, though, is that Matt's friend from Church was in Kurdistan (in Northern Iraq) for a year, working with the organization that sends those kids to Shevet Achim for heart surgery!!! What an amazing connection, and a small world.

The second place I am planning on going is near Bethlehem in Bet Jalla, at a Christian school for Arab kids. This is why I had to pass thru a check point. It's technically in the west bank. I will be forming a soccer team for the middle school girls there along with one of my roommates. We are also hoping to do a Bible study with the 10th grade girls. I cannot wait to get to know these kids and to understand a little bit more what their life is like. It is going to be difficult, but great.

So thank you for all your prayers concerning this, and I appreciate continued prayers as I now try to jump into these ministries. I feel as though I am just beginning to scratch the surface of the differences in culture and worldview here.

I wish I could express how much is going on in my brain right now. I'm sure I'll update at some later point with some thoughts on Islam and the muslim way of thought as related to the world situation, as that has been on my mind much. My class on 'Classical Islamic Thought and the Modern Middle East' will, I'm sure, open my eyes to many things...

Faith in Spite of Your Surroundings

Since being here in Jerusalem for the past week, my mind has been filled with thoughts about faith and if it has anything to do with me being here in this specific place. The question posed in my own mind is this: Is my faith changed because of me seeing specific places that the Bible has always talked about? Is my faith any different because of me being in Jerusalem? Should it be any different, or should it remain the same because or in spite of this experience?

One must first define faith in accordance with the biblical model and also determine what contributes to faith.

First question (there have already been many questions!): Is faith dependent upon emotion?

"Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the people of old received their commendation. By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible." - Hebrews 11:1-3 (ESV)

My answer to this question is "no". If we examine copious amounts of scripture and more specifically Hebrews 11:1-3, we can see all that contributes to faith is conviction from the Holy Spirit (I will assume for time's sake that this is to what the author of Hebrews is referring even though the text does not specifically engage the Spirit as bringing the conviction) and works in the sense that true faith is accompanied by appropriate works as mentioned in the epistle of James. Emotion is a beautiful gift given to man by God, in my opinion, and does not necessarily ALWAYS operate without faith. The terms are not mutually exclusive, but they are not dependent upon each other for existance. Faith does not need emotion, and in turn emotion does not need faith.

Implication/Application: Therefore, whatever I may feel at any given point in my life, whether I am at the traditional site of the death and resurrection of the Messiah (the Church of the Holy Sepluchure) or at a worship service at my church (Langhorne Terrance Ministries), then these feelings should be attributed to emotion (which is not bad!) and not the "strengthening of my faith" or even proof that I am a Christian (and probably not the "anointing of the Holy Spirit", I'm open but skeptical on this front). I believe that these are misinterpretations of our feelings.

So then, where does faith come from and what does it look like?

Second question: Where does faith come from?

"And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ— by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." - Ephesians 2:1-10 (ESV)

I am very unsure how one can read Paul and think that we deserve anything. Even on the issue of faith we can see that if we truly have it, it was indeed supplied from God by the Holy Spirit and even sustained by God via the Holy Spirit as it says in I John 2:28-29: "And now, little children, abide in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his coming. If you know that he is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him." The word "abide" carries the meaning that is continual, teaching us that when God is involved or when we are convicted by the Spirit to continue to abide in him, then we will be practicing righteousness and thus will know that we are born of or are children of God. I John 3:16-18 will drive this home as well.

Implication/Application: We have somewhat slipped into the works aspect of faith, which is very hard not to do because they are both so intertwined. But the point is that this true faith that we are given by God is also sustained by God and is evidenced by our works. A proof of God's sustaining our faith is found in what we continue to do and how we continue to love. So if I say that I love people and yet I never think about their needs over mine, then there is need to question the genuiness of my faith. There is also a difference, I believe, in struggling against sin and continually practicing sin. Stuggle should be the sign of a faith-embodied person against sin, and practice should be the sign of a child of Satan (as I John so politely puts it) continuing and accepting sin.

Third Question: What does faith look like?
This question has been partially answered in the aformentioned section, but there is a more complete passage that I have meditated on recently.

"What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, be warmed and filled," without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
But someone will say, "You have faith and I have works." Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder! Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works; and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness"—and he was called a friend of God. You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. And in the same way was not also Rahab the prostitute justified by works( when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead." - James 2:14-26

Yes, this is in the Bible, and no this is not the Apocrypha. Now that's out of the way, it is clear that James views faith and works very closely together. If one claims faith and does not have accompanying works, how is this any different from the demons? They also believe that God exists and that he is "One" just like the Christians and the Jews, but they work against and oppose God.

Implications/Applications: Certainly this text may bring more questions than answers, but it does answer what faith should look like. Faith should be active and working. This is also seen as part of the fulfillment of salvation in the Ephesians 2:1-10 text (found in verse 10). If faith is true, the works WILL accompany it. Not might, not should, but will. Works might not be fast in evidencing themselves, but they must exist in order for faith to be faith.

OVERALL: This topic surged upon me in two ways. First, my father point blank asked me one morning before I left for work what I thought faith meant, questioning for himself the same thing. Also, since before I left for Israel, my boss asked me if I thought my faith would change (in a more positive way) because I was in Jerusalem for 3-1/2 months. I answered him that I hoped that my faith would not change, because that would mean my "faith" was dependent upon where I was located in the world for it to be better or worse.
The point is that everyone doesn't have to go to Jerusalem to attain the same "faith-level" as me or anyone else who has visited the country. Will I gain knowledge? Yes, I already have in my time here. Will that knowledge bring me a greater understanding of my relationship with God? Yes, it already has in my time here. But this knowledge that I now know can be understood by anyone in the States who can look at the pictures that I've taken (or any of the pictures on the internet of Jerusalem) and read the Bible and attain the same knowledge and thus the same relationship nurturing and growing results. The books that I am reading by evangelicals and some not-so-evangelicals are books that can be found all over the world and all people who can read can attain this knowledge.
I am convinced that being here in this place serves many other functions, but this city (Jerusalem) will not stregthen my faith. Seeing the traditional sites of where God was crucified and resurrected will not stregthen my faith. Only God by the conviction of his Spirit will stregthen my faith in doing more works for the quickening of the fulfillment of his kingdom so that he may be glorified and praised continually.

Lift, Praise, Adore Him
Matt@