“And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you…stay in the city until you are clothed with the power from on high.” Luke 24:49
I have always avoided the thought of going to Israel. I was afraid that it would result in a loss of faith. I feared that the stories in the Bible compared to reality would only result in a loss of belief in the whole mystical vision I had of the wonderful tales from the Sunday schools of my childhood.
Then one Sunday I noticed a paper nailed to the door of the church. I thought of Martin Luther nailing his theses to the church door, but it was only a sign-up sheet for a trip to the Holy Land…I found myself signing up.
Time went by and the list of people signed up were scratched out until there were only a half-dozen names on the list.
My name remained.
Finally the half-dozen departed! When we got to Jerusalem we joined a large group of Methodists under a very talented guide. And it was a great experience. I was completely convinced of the authenticity of all the sites. It was the greatest trip of my life.
I have since then noticed that there have been similar uncanny instances of help when I made crucial decisions in life. I can only attribute it to Jesus asking the first Christians in the city to receive power from on high. Thank you, Jesus!
Jim Sunwall
Jim is a founding member of Servants of Christ and is a faithful supporter of the ministries of the church.