The gates of Zion

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Robin and I on the temple mount behind the Eastern Gate
Robin and I on the temple mount behind the Eastern Gate

“The Lord loves the gates of Zion more than all the other dwellings of Jacob” (Psalm 87:2 NIV).

“Therefore Jesus said again, ‘Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep'” (John 10:7).

What a wonderful time we had in Israel this past summer! Robin and I learned so much in the land of the Bible. I took thousands of photos, but my eye was often drawn to the gates of old city Jerusalem.

tipsgatesmapMost of the walls and gates surrounding Jerusalem that we see today were rebuilt by the Ottoman Sultan, Suleiman, in 1535 AD. The walls that stood during the time of Jesus were destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD. During the following centuries Jerusalem’s walls were destroyed and rebuilt several times by both Muslims and Crusaders.

The Eastern GateThe exception is the gate near the temple mount, called the Eastern Gate or Golden Gate. It was rebuilt in 520 AD by the emperor, Justinian the Great, as part of his restoration program for Jerusalem, making it the oldest of the gates. Archaeological evidence of an earlier gate dating back to the 1st century has been discovered at the base of the Eastern Gate, suggesting that Justinian built it on top of the ruins of the gate that Jesus would have known. The Eastern gate was sealed in 1541 AD by Suleiman after his completion of the present walls surrounding Jerusalem. It remains sealed to this day.

The Jaffa Gate
The Jaffa Gate

Every gate has a unique appearance and allows entrance to a different part of the old city. In fact, each gate is so distinct in size and detail that we immediately knew where we were after only touring the city for a few days. Every gate has its own name and character. I love looking at my photos of them!

The Damascus Gate
The Damascus Gate

There’s the wide open Jaffa Gate that leads into the Christian Quarter of the old city and points towards the West and the road to the seaside city of Jaffa. It’s the gate that Robin and I entered almost every day in Jerusalem. It feels the most modern and accessible. Then there’s the great Damascus Gate to the North that used to connect to the road to Damascus, Syria. It opens to the old city’s Muslim Quarter and marketplace. It is always the most crowded, especially on Fridays and Saturdays as both tourists and locals take time to search for bargains at the many shops just inside its massive gates. This gate was just a short walk from the Garden Tomb and our hotel, the St. George Landmark.

LionsGate
The Lions Gate

One of my favorite gates is the Lions Gate, so named probably because of the four lions carved into its face. This gate faces East and is the gate leading to the Via Dolorosa and the Stations of the Cross that we followed on several devotional walks as we contemplated Christ’s carrying the cross to Calvary.

I have photos of all the gates because I’ve entered each one and admired their unique appearance. I wish I had space here to share them all. Perhaps I’ll discuss the gates of Jerusalem in upcoming blogs as I have time.

The Garden Tomb
The Garden Tomb

Having seen these gates and experienced their distinctive beauty, I’m not surprised to read that the psalmist spoke of the Lord’s love for them. I’m also more deeply aware of the historicity and validity of Christ’s claim to be the one and only, unique gate for the sheep.

The resurrected Lord Jesus is both the Good Shepherd and the Gate. He is our only access to eternal life and a relationship with the Father. He alone has opened the gate for us.

 

 

Why are we dipping instead of drinking?

Posted by & filed under Religion, Uncategorized, Weblogs.

1239615_10151714899103246_2111810181_n“For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes” (1 Corinthians 11:23-26 ESV).

We’ve had a couple of questions about the Lord’s Supper recently and we’d like to offer a short explanation to both. The first question we’ve heard is:

“Why are we having Lord’s Supper every Sunday now?”

We normally have it quarterly on every 5th Sunday, but we felt that our current seven-week sermon series through the seven “I AM” statements of Jesus deserved a more focused and experiential opportunity to respond. What better way to do this we thought, than to offer a time of remembering the Lord’s Supper? We really wanted this series to point people to Jesus. And thank God, that’s just what we’ve seen. These past two Sundays we have really experienced the presence of Christ. People have been saved and the worship has been awesome!

We believe that we have liberty when it comes to the frequency of remembering the Lord’s Supper. Many churches offer it weekly, others monthly and others quarterly. Some have no planned frequency, but offer it when they feel led of the Spirit. The first century church seems to have offered it every Lord’s Day.

In offering it every Sunday during this seven-week series, we wanted to change things up a bit, making it as meaningful as possible to engage hearts and minds, and set up a certain sacredness of worship flow in its layout. So, we arranged four tables with a candle, a cross, a cup, a basket of bread and an offering bucket on each one, then invited people to respond as the Lord led them. They could bring an offering, pray, tear off a piece of bread, dip it in the cup of grape juice, and remember what Christ had done for them on the cross.

It was this dipping the bread idea that led to the second question we’ve heard, which is:

“Why are we dipping instead of drinking?”

This is a fair question because our deacons normally serve the bread (in the form of little crunchy wafers in silver plates) and the grape juice (in silver trays containing tiny, clear-plastic, disposable cups) by either having people come forward or by passing them out with people staying seated. This has been our normal practice.

For this seven-week series we wanted to set a table that would offer a more satisfying communal and sensory experience. The smell and sight of a burning scented candle, fresh flat-bread that was both soft and tasty laid in a basket with cloth over top, a glass goblet of sparkling grape juice to dip a freshly torn-off piece of bread, an artistic cross to view while saying, “Amen.” These are beautiful symbols of remembrance.

Again, we believe we have the liberty (within biblical guidelines and our church’s statement of faith) to vary not only the frequency of the Lord’s Supper, but its practice as well. So, we decided to try intinction (from the Latin intinctio meaning to “dip into”) as a means for “drinking” from “the cup.” Intinction is an ancient practice in churches, although rarely seen or heard of in Baptist churches like ours.

For us, it was a way of honoring the idea of Christ’s body as one loaf and His blood as one cup, while maintaining a certain amount of hygiene for those that would balk at drinking from a common cup. We know that the verbs from the Scripture (Matthew 26:26-29, Mark 14:22-26, Luke 22:14-23, 1 Corinthians 11:23-29) are: “eat” and “drink,” which teach us how to take the Lord’s Supper. But we also know that the subject nouns in Scripture that describe the elements are: “this bread” and “the cup.” In both cases describing a singular loaf and common cup (And let’s not even get into whether the contents of the cup should be wine or grape juice!). We strive to offer a Lord’s Supper experience that honors both the nature of the elements and the proscribed actions, while at the same time remembering that the ordinance is a symbolic remembrance and proclamation.

While balancing our adherence to Scripture with hygiene concerns, we also have the matter of those who request a gluten-free bread alternative. Certainly not in the Bible, but neither is it prohibited, so we have been offering a gluten-free option on the left side of each basket.

We hope this helps answer the two questions about frequency and method concerning the Lord’s Supper.

Meditation on the Mount of Olives

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GaryRobinMtOlives
Standing on the Mount of Olives overlooking Jerusalem

“But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them” (John 8:1-2 NIV).

This Sunday I’m preaching from John 8 where Jesus made his second “I AM” saying. John begins the chapter by clearly describing the setting. He said that Jesus spent the night on the Mount of Olives and then arose at dawn to “appear” again in the temple courts to teach.

OliveTreeI love the language John uses. Jesus comes down from the Mount of Olives, which is East of the Temple Mount. He moves as the sun comes up. And as the light of day strikes the Eastern Gate, Jesus enters the Temple courts and “appears” just as the sun does.

According to John 7, Jesus had traveled from Galilee to Jerusalem for the Feast of Tabernacles. Also called Sukkot (Hebrew for “booths”), this is the feast reminding the Jews of how they lived in temporary shelters in the wilderness for 40 years when God brought them out of Egypt into the Promised Land. It is also a festival marked by the lighting of four candelabras in the women’s court of the temple to commemorate the way God led them through the wilderness with a pillar of fire at night and to remind them of the how his shekinah glory shown forth from the first Tabernacle.

The Eastern or Golden Gate
The Eastern or Golden Gate

It was in this setting, that Jesus declared, “I AM the Light of the world” (John 8:12). The light of the sun that rose above the Mount of Olives and appeared over the Eastern Gate to drive away the shadows on the Temple Mount was beautiful in its glory. The four candelabras (standing over 70 feet tall according to the Mishnah) could be seen from anywhere in Jerusalem as they were kept lit for the seven day festival of Sukkot. But all this light only pointed to the one true Light of Jesus.

It was in this place of wonderful light that Jesus made clear that he is the only true light in the world. He made the sun and moon and stars. He alone is the source of all light. And he alone is the only One that can deliver us from the darkness in this world today.

I’ve stood on the Mount of Olives in the early morning, reading the gospels and watching the sun rise on Jerusalem. The Mount of Olives stands about 200 feet above the Temple Mount and you can see the whole city of Jerusalem clearly from there. It is wondrous. And it was a place that Jesus loved.

Meditating on the Mount of Olives has caused a longing in my heart to see the One who not only loved this place, but loved us enough to come, offering himself to be our Light in the darkness.

Here’s a short video I recorded on my iPhone while there…

We’re back! …with learnings from Capernaum

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Capernaum1“And leaving Nazareth he went and lived in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali” (Matthew 4:13 ESV).

We’re back from our summer sabbatical and preparing to preach this coming Sunday! We are so excited and full. We can’t wait to share with you!

As we return to our work together, many people have been asking, “What’s the most meaningful thing you learned this summer?” That’s a pretty huge question to answer when you’ve spent the entire summer in Turkey, Greece and Israel walking in the footsteps of John, Paul and Jesus. There were so many things that we learned that it’s difficult to narrow it down! But I thought I’d begin with some learnings from Israel, specifically, the ancient city of Capernaum.

Why Capernaum? A couple of reasons. First, visiting the ancient ruins of Capernaum was very moving and brought several insights into Jesus’ earthly ministry. And second, I’m preaching from John 6 this coming Sunday and its setting is Capernaum.

Capernaum2A cursory reading of the four gospels will show that Capernaum was an important center of ministry for Jesus. While He grew up in the rather obscure hill country of Nazareth to the west of the Sea of Galilee, after beginning His public ministry,  He soon made Capernaum his home base. Located on the Northern shore of the Sea of Galilee, it was a prosperous fishing center as well as a crossroads for merchants traveling the Via Maris (Latin for “Way of the Sea”), an ancient road connecting Egypt with what today would be Syria, Iraq and Iran. This made Capernaum a very strategic location for Jesus, as well as a fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy concerning the region (Read Matthew 4:12-16).

Capernaum3The ruins of the synagogue and even the house of Peter’s mother-in-law have been discovered at Capernaum. We’ve stood in the place where Jesus healed the man with the withered hand, raised Peter’s mother-in-law from her sick bed, and made the first of His seven “I AM” declarations after feeding the 5,000, saying, “I am the Bread of Life!”

Standing in the ancient ruins of Capernaum on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, we could Capernaum4feel the breeze blowing off of the great fresh water lake. We could see the cliffs of Mt. Arbel and the town of Magdala, the home of Mary Magdalene, in the distance. And as we read the Scriptures concerning Jesus and His ministry in Capernaum, we were overwhelmed with emotion as we could almost hear Him saying, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst” (John 6:35).

What we have learned this summer is almost too deep for words to describe. For we have been to Capernaum, where Jesus lived by the sea.

Guest Post: Honoring My Dad, My Pastor, My Boss, and My Friend

Posted by & filed under Family, Parenting, Religion.

457169_3497558791769_503519324_oThe word, “Honor”, means to “give high respect, as for worth; respect manifested”.  As I approach Father’s Day this year, I can’t think of a better description for the way I look at my dad, Pastor Gary Combs, than this word: Honor.

My relationship with my dad is an unusual one.  There are not many people who can say that their dad is also their pastor, their boss, and one of their best friends.  Many may wonder how he and I balance the many aspects of our relationship and still manage to get along at the end of the day!  One thing I can attribute to that is the fact I am somehow able to compartmentalize my relationship with my dad so that I look at him as dad when at home, pastor while at church, boss when at work, and friend when I just want to hang out.

It isn’t always easy, having such a multi-faceted relationship with my dad.  We’ve been working together almost 8 years now, and trust me, we’re both human, so there have been times where sparks fly and we push each others’ buttons (we’ve known each other for over 30 years now, so we both know exactly where each others’ buttons are).  But what keeps us unified at the end of the day is our common deep passion and love for God and our mutual honor and respect for one another.

In Ephesians 6:1-8 it talks about children “honoring” their parents and fathers leading their child(ren), which pays honor to their child(ren) in return.  My dad has made a point, ever since I was very little, to teach me the Bible.  He has honored me with story after story, principle after principle, and all of the knowledge that he can offer to lead and guide me in this life.  God has been gracious to bless my dad’s work in me and raised me to be the man I am today.

Honoring my dad is easy, because he has earned that respect from me.  Not all fathers have earned their honor as mine has. However, the Bible doesn’t give an “out” for those who have poor fathers.  It simply says “Honor your father and mother” (Exodus 20:12).  No “ifs” or “buts” here.  Simply honor them.  Jesus honored Joseph, despite the fact that he knew every sin Joseph had ever committed, and Jesus had already existed for an eternity prior to becoming the son of Joseph.  Do you think that was easy?

Sometimes the honor we pay to our fathers starts with the humbling of ourselves, the letting go of our own hurts and fears, and the submission to God’s Word, which commands us to honor them.  And through that obedience, God does a work in our lives that this world cannot possibly understand, because they do not possess the love and power of God in their lives.

The end result?  God Himself is honored.

As I write this blog, I remember my pastor, who is on sabbatical and taking the summer off from publishing his blog.  May these words, which I have carefully thought out, uphold the standard that he has set and thus, honor him.

This Sunday, I will step up on stage to preach on honoring fathers.  In my own father’s footsteps, I will speak to the church from God’s precious Word, using the outline for preaching that my dad taught me.  May I be to my dad and to my Heavenly Father as the definition of “honor” says in the dictionary: “Respect, manifested”.

The picture above is of me, my dad, and my daughter (Cadence) last Father’s Day.  May the honor and respect passed on to me from my dad be passed through me to my daughter, and may God bless it so it passes on for many generations to come.

This Father’s Day I proclaim a high honor to my dad, my pastor, my boss, and my friend.  I love you, dad.

On sabbatical

Posted by & filed under Religion, Uncategorized, Weblogs.

SabbaticalArticle
Click on image to enlarge and read newspaper article in the Wilson Times

“The apostles returned to Jesus from their ministry tour and told him all they had done and taught. Then Jesus said, ‘Let’s go off by ourselves to a quiet place and rest awhile.’ He said this because there were so many people coming and going that Jesus and his apostles didn’t even have time to eat. So they left by boat for a quiet place, where they could be alone” (Mark 6:30-32 NLT).

WCC started its “ministry tour” in our living room in November of 1991. We had our first public worship service on Sunday, January 26, 1992. For the first three years I preached every Sunday, taught Sunday School, led worship, did setup and tear down, taught Wednesday nights and led a small group in my home. It was very rewarding, but hard work. Hard on me and especially hard on my family. We didn’t take a family vacation until our church was in its 4th year.

Soon, we’ll be coming up on our 22-year anniversary! Over the years, we’ve gotten better at taking vacation time, but we really began to have a deep and longing desire to take an extended break to be with the Lord to rest and recharge.

Even though the work is never ending, “with people coming and going,” our ministry leaders have recognized the importance for us to “go off by ourselves to a quiet place” to be with Jesus to get refreshed, replenished and refocused. That’s when we began to discuss the idea of taking a sabbatical (from the word “sabbath,” meaning “rest”).

So, with the support of our staff, deacons, and trustees, last year I wrote a grant proposal to the Lilly Endowment to participate in their National Clergy Renewal Program which offers funding for up to $50,000 per congregation to support a renewal program for pastors. It was a lengthy process and had many eligibility requirements, but it was well worth it. This past October 2012, they announced that 147 congregations had been approved for a grant. And WCC was among them (see photo)!

This coming Sunday is my last one preaching for a while. I’m finishing up the book of Jonah, we’re baptizing some new believers, and recognizing some high school and college grads. At the end of the 2nd service we’re going to ask for you to pray for us and commission us for our sabbatical.

Then, starting next Monday we’re off on sabbatical… to a secret destination to celebrate our 34th Anniversary, then to Turkey and Greece to walk in the footsteps of Paul and John, and finally to Israel to spend a month in the Holy Land. We’re leaving gaps between each trip to rest and think about our learnings.

DSC_0018Lord willing, we plan to be back in September, ready to start the next chapter of our journey together and to pastor WCC for another 20 years! While we’re gone, please pray for us as we will pray for you. And remember to support those who have stepped up to lead in our absence. They’ll need your encouragement, prayers, and presence this summer.

We love you! Thank you for releasing us to go on sabbatical!

Wishing for a “do-over?”

Posted by & filed under Religion, Uncategorized, Weblogs.

images“Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time” (Jonah 3:1 ESV).

Don’t you wish life came with a “do-over” button? You know, so that after you really mess up, blow it, miss an opportunity, or take the wrong path… you could just press the button. And “presto!” You get a fresh start.

That’s what happened to the Jewish prophet Jonah. God gave him a “do-over.” He gave Jonah a second chance to obey. At first, Jonah didn’t want to answer the call that God put on his life. He tried to run from it. He went the opposite direction. But God pursued Jonah. And after Jonah prayed and turned back to God, that first call returned to him afresh.

In truth, life doesn’t come with a “do-over” button. There are no guarantees for second chances or new tomorrows. But today, at this moment, God offers all of us a fresh start through Jesus, His Son. You can’t just press a button, but you can fall to your knees and call out to Him.

Has God called you to something and you’re afraid you missed it? It’s not too late. Call out to Jesus and listen for a “do-over!”

Prayers from the pit

Posted by & filed under Religion, Weblogs.

pit-200x200 “Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the belly of the fish, saying,“I called out to the Lord, out of my distress, and he answered me; out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and you heard my voice… I went down to the land whose bars closed upon me forever; yet you brought up my life from the pit, O Lord my God” (Jonah 2:1-6 ESV).

I think it’s safe to say that most of us have never found ourselves in the belly of a fish like Jonah. But if you have lived at all, you’ve found yourself trapped in one of life’s “pits” – A time when our plans and endeavors grind to a halt and there’s nothing left to do but… pray.

I remember one such “pit.” It was 1982. My wife and I had just found out we were expecting our first child. My company had informed me that I was getting a promotion with it a big pay raise. Life was good. At least externally. Yet, spiritually we were a mess. I was a mess.

In 1978 I had gone forward at a Christian conference to answer the call to full-time ministry. I knew that God was calling me. I was willing to do anything God asked. Yet, after getting married the next year, life got more complicated. I became so busy with work and paying the bills that I didn’t even take time to go to church most weeks, much less pray and read the Bible. One of the ongoing fights that Robin and I had was my sleeping in on Sunday mornings.

“Aren’t we going to church?” She’d ask accusingly, while slamming the closet door.

“I’m too tired. I have to work every other Sunday anyway. This is my only day off this week.” I’d reply sleepily, feeling guilty inside, but not showing her my feelings.

I knew I needed a change. I was a husband and I was soon going to be a father. I was called of God, yet I couldn’t even take my wife to church. I was miserable.

Then, it happened. I was involved in an accident at work. It caused a compound fracture of my lower leg. There were casts and surgeries, a bone graft, a steel plate and weeks and weeks of time at home alone, missing work.

At first I was angry and depressed. I hated being out of control. I couldn’t take a shower. I couldn’t even drive a car. My wife had to wash my hair and chauffeur me around, while I lay my full leg cast across the back seat. But after a couple of weeks, I stopped complaining and started praying.

I didn’t have anything else to do, so we went to church every time the doors opened, Sunday mornings, evenings, Wednesdays… The pastor even asked me to lead the Wednesday night Bible study one week while he was out of town, from crutches no less. I got my guitar out of the closet and started writing songs for the Lord. I played them at home and at church. My pregnant wife was working her hands to the bone taking care of me, but she was smiling again. The man she’d married had returned… only better.

Eventually, my leg healed and I returned to work. But my time in the pit had changed me. I was never the same afterwards. I don’t know where my life, our marriage, my children would’ve ended up, if God hadn’t allowed me to fall into a pit. He had to take me out of the busyness of life to get my attention, so that I would focus on what really mattered.

But God didn’t just leave me in the pit and He didn’t leave Jonah there either. He heard our prayers from the pit. And He answered them, rescuing us and giving us a second chance to obey His call.

Are you feeling too busy to answer God’s call? You better watch your step (and where you swim too)! God may interrupt your life with one of life’s pits.

 

 

 

No not Nineveh!

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Basic RGB“Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying,  ‘Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me.’  But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of theLord. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the Lord” (Jonah 1:1-3 ESV).

We’re starting a new sermon series this Sunday through the book of Jonah. It’s really an amusing little book. Most people think it’s a story about a big fish. Or maybe even about a man named Jonah, but really it’s about God. It’s about how God responds to man’s rebellion and running from Him. Because we’re all like Jonah. None of us want to obey God and go to Nineveh.

For Jonah, Nineveh was the capital city of Assyria and the home of Israel’s most hated enemy. For God to ask him to go to Nineveh was to request the unthinkable. Nineveh was the last place on planet earth that Jonah would want to go. So, Jonah ran away. Or at least he tried.

What qualifies as Nineveh for today? Is it the Middle East? Or across the railroad tracks in town? Is it the bully at school or work. Or the terrorist in Boston or Afghanistan?

Nineveh represents whatever puts us out of our comfort zone. It’s the place where God calls that we really don’t want to go. It’s the people who have hurt us and God sends us to tell them about His forgiveness. Nineveh is dangerous and discomforting. It’s whatever we hate or fear that God loves and cares for deeply.

Following the Lord, there will certainly come a time when we will hear His voice say, “Go to Nineveh.” And everyone of us will have to decide whether to answer like Jonah or not.

But if we answer, “No not Nineveh!” and try to run away. Then, we’d better be on the lookout for terrible storms and large fish, because God is still in the business of capturing attention and changing hearts and minds.