02/25/2018 DAB Transcript

Leviticus 16:29-18:30, Mark 7:24-8:9, Psalms 41:1-13, Proverbs 10:15-16

Today is the 25th day of February. Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I am Brian. It’s great to be here with you as we cross the threshold into a brand-new shiny, sparkly, week. And I’m coming to you today from the Sea of Galilee area. And we’ll be spending our time today all around the Sea of Galilee, just following in the footsteps of Jesus. And that’s going to be amazing. It always is. So, it’s great to be here with you from the land of the Bible and the region were Jesus did most of his ministry. And I’m excited to share with you all of the things that we did yesterday, which we’ll do as a as we conclude today, but where the beginning. So, let’s center ourselves and immerse ourselves in the Scriptures. So, as we go into this new week we’ll read from the Modern English Version. And, as always, we’ll pick up where we left off yesterday. Leviticus chapter 16 verse 29 through 18 verse 30 today.

Prayer:

Father, we than You for Your word and the richness of its tapestry and the way that it weaves it’s tapestry into the fabric of our lives, transforming us from within and changing the way we look at everything. And Lord as we spend some time here in the land of the Bible we see so clearly how true that really is and we thank You for the gift that You have given us in a tangible way through Your word. And we ask that You plant that deep within us, that we open ourselves completely to You and ask that You continue to transform us by and through Your word. As we continue to take steps forward each and every day in community. Come, Holy Spirit. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Announcements:

Okay. So, man, it feels like weeks have gone by here in the land of the Bible because we’re just moving around a lot, seeing a lot, drinking in a lot, experiencing a lot. And quite a day we had our first day in the Galilee area yesterday. So, we arrived the previous night after dark and awoke and were able to see the remarkable beauty that the Galilee provides, especially this time of year. It’s just breathtakingly beautiful and we had a breathtakingly beautiful day yesterday. I guess probably about as close to perfect as it gets. The weather was spectacular and everything was alive with life as we boarded the buses and headed out. And our first stop was in Cana of Galilee, which the Scriptures tell us was the location for Jesus first miracle, which was the changing of water into wine. And, of course, that took place at a wedding ceremony, wedding celebration. And there’s a church, there’s a couple of them that just sit are around this spot that has been venerated for a very, very long time. So, we were able to experience some of that, some of the archaeology. It’s like, you know, places that are holy sites that have been associated with certain events, a lot of times there is a church built upon a church built upon church built upon a church and you have to go down under the ground and find the ancient ruins of the previous structure. And that’s what you can do in Cana. But before all of that, we were able to come together and many of the couples here were renewing their vows of marriage and just considering the story that they are telling with their marriages and their time together. And I guess there were maybe 30, 35 couples. And we all got into the chapel together, bore witness to these renewal of vows, which is a beautiful, beautiful thing, just contemplating the centuries of marriage represented in the room and the long winding paths that each marriage and the stories and the children, all that has come from that hard work of staying married and being married. And just acknowledging that that’s a miracle in and of itself. What a beautiful, beautiful time that was. So, we spent some time there and then began to get back on the buses and move out. Our next stop was the ancient city of Betz Xian, which dates all the way back to Canaanite times, all the way through Byzantine times. So, thousands of years, dating back to before Abraham all the way through the Roman times in this area and beyond. And the ruins that are there are some of the most spectacular that we get to see. They’re just…the scale, the scope, what is there…it’s pretty, pretty amazing to say the least. And it’s only a fraction of what is under the earth. Betz Xian was one of the cities that we find in the New Testament as a Decapolis city. So, one of the major, major cities of the region. And if you’ve ever visited their you know why. It’s truly, truly amazing. So, we went into the amphitheater, the old ancient Roman amphitheater, and just kind of sat down, opened the Scriptures and read of the final battle in King Saul’s life. And we haven’t got to that story this year yet, but we will. King Saul was the first king of Israel and his reign was an interesting one, to say the least, and we’ll get to all that. But he ended up dying in battle with the Philistines. And when they discovered that they had killed him and battle they took his body and, according to the Scriptures, hung it from the walls of Betz Xian. So, yeah, those walls, remnants of those walls still exist. So, we situated ourselves in the Scriptures and then spent some time just wandering around. It’s pretty remarkable just wandering around and contemplating what it what it must’ve been like in its heyday, and all of the lives and times in history that is beneath and above the ground there. So, we spent a good amount of time just enjoying that. And then we had a nice lunch together. And back up on the east side of the Sea of Galilee to a place called Curcy, which is the site where Jesus threw the demons out of a man’s life and into a herd of swine, which then ran down into the water and drowned. And there’s just so much to be considered there because of the reaction of the people. This man who was demon possessed had become a disruptive force in the region. Everybody knew him and he lived among the graves. And, so, for them to come down off the hills and see that he was in his right mind, but this swine were bobbing in the Sea of Galilee was disruptive to say the least. And their reaction to this authority and power was to ask Jesus to leave. And that’s easy to apply to our own lives, how the Lord moves in disruptive ways and how we back off, become afraid, even though it’s what we’re praying for. But we back off and become afraid and ask Him to leave, in thought, word, or deed. And we were…and such a beautiful day…we were able to take a generous amount of time and just meander a little bit, contemplate a little bit before getting back on the buses and heading up onto the Golan Heights, where we were able to look down upon the ruins of another city, another city of the Decapolis, named Hippos Dosita. It’s not a place where you can go to by road. It’s not a place that can be accessed by bus. So, this was as close as we could get, but we could see it. And the man who had been healed by Jesus throwing the demons out of him began to tell what He had done for him all the way through the entire region, including Hippos. So, we connected the story there. And it’s also just a unique view of the Sea of Galilee and just…on a day like yesterday…absolutely beautiful. That place isn’t really a tourist stop, so buses aren’t going through there a lot. We found it, actually several years ago, just looking for a vantage point that we could access Hippos for the Promise Land films.  So, we’ve gone up there a couple times. Very, very unique view. And then we came back down the Golan Heights, back to our hotel, got freshened up, had dinner, and then we did our Facebook Live last night from the Galilee area. And that’s always a wonderful time of just the community here coming together because we’re on a couple of buses. So, everybody’s just kind of coming together and being able to hear and process what we’re feeling, sensing, seeing, doing, and share that live and just interact with people from around the world. And that’s beautiful. And you can re-watch that if you haven’t seen it yet at facebook.com/dailyaudiobible. And, of course, we’re posting pictures and videos and all that kind of stuff as we do things here in the land of the Bible and making this an interactive virtual trip for…well…just a community experience. We’re experiencing great community here in the land of the Bible, but we’re a community at the Daily Audio Bible all over the world so that everybody can’ be here, but that doesn’t mean we can use technology to our advantage and make it as much of a community experience as the technology will allow us to do. So, we continue to do that. And follow us on Instagram or Facebook. That’s where we’re posting all of this. And like I said, today we’ll be spending our time all around the Sea of Galilee walking in the footsteps of Jesus. And I’ll be able to share what that looked like tomorrow. I can’t share it now. It hasn’t happened yet, but we’ll talk about that tomorrow.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, you can do that at dailyaudiobible.com. There’s a link on the homepage. Thank you, humbly and profoundly for your partnership. What we do in building community around the rhythm of the Scriptures is something that has to be done in community. And, so, thank you for your partnership.

Couple things to look forward to on the calendar.

If you want to come to the land of the Bible with us next year in 2019, you can definitely do that and find out the details at dailyaudiobible.com in the Initiatives section. Just look for Israel 2019. I’m told that that trip is approaching half full already. So, check that out. And maybe you can be here live in person, experiencing this for yourself next year. And I hope you can.

The other thing is coming up is the More Gathering for women back across the ocean in the land of Georgia as opposed to the land of Galilee. This takes place in the mountains of Georgia just outside of Atlanta about an hour. And that’s coming up this April. So, if you’re a woman looking for more. The More Gathering it is all about exploring that. And you can find all the details about that at dailyaudiobible.com, also in the Initiatives section or just go to moregathering.com for all of the details that you would want to know.

And if you have a prayer request or comment, there is a number you can dial, 877-942-4253 is that number.

And that will do it for today. I’m Brian I love you and I’ll be waiting for you here tomorrow.

Community Prayer and Praise:

Good evening Daily Audio Bible family. This is Sean calling once again out of South Carolina. This time reaching out for our sister in the faith Cherry Pie, Cherry Chase. Dear Lord God, right now in the name of the Lord Jesus I pray that You will bless Cherry’s business. Lord God that You would flood her with investors, master that You will provide and become Jehovah Gyra in her business, master that You will bless every aspect of every affair in her business. Lord God, from the foundation to the top of the roof, that you will cover any and every element of this business with Your goodness Lord God, that You will rain down blessing upon blessing upon blessing upon her business. Lord God, we thank You and we count it all done. In the name of the Lord Jesus we pray. Amen. Hey sister Cherry Pie. I love whenever you call. There’s something about your voice that, over the years as I’ve heard you, I don’t know, I feel like I’ve had a connection. I think that’s because you sound like my aunt Juanita. I don’t know. But, anyway, I know that it’s not easy being an entrepreneur. I applaud your effort and I’m continuing to pray for you and…

Hi this is Cecilia from Northern California. I was in tears yesterday at the gym while I was listening to the DAB. One, for Wayfaring Wanderer from Western Canada with her broken family and her ex-husband. I just want to know, I’ve been praying for you fervently. And as well Deborah in Michigan, your injuries sustained in the accident being hit by a semi. Praise God your granddaughters are fine, but Lord, you know her injuries. I just pray for healing and I’m praying for you Deborah. And Blind Tony, what praise that it hasn’t metastasized throughout your body. And I am praying for comfort and encouragement for you as well. I was just so touched, like I am most days. Lord, I just pray that You are with these dear people. You know their needs and I ask You to intervene in their lives. Thank You for who You are. We praise You for who You are. And I pray this through the strong name of Jesus. Amen.

Hello Daily Audio Bible. This is Forest from Canada. I am the husband of Melody from Canada. Melody…we have some great news…and some prayer requests as well. Big news from us is, we are pregnant. Thank you for anyone who prayed for us during the whole process. I want to lift up my wife to you right now because she is feeling nausea and a lot of morning sickness. And due to her previous history of mental illness, we are trying to get her admitted to the hospital so that she can be weld care for. So, I would like the DAbbers community to pray for my wife, that she will receive the right treatment at the right time. And pray for me as well as I can be a great support for her. Thank you again for listening. This is Forest from Canada.

Hi there family. This it’s Viv calling from Canada. I’m just calling to ask you to pray with me for Brian and the team. So, holy Father Lord God Almighty, we join the DAB community in praying for Brian and every other person on the 2018 Bible land pilgrimage. Father God, thank You for getting everyone there safely and we pray for Your continued grace for protection against everything that is not of You Lord. We pray for stamina, good health, and alertness for everyone. __ every aspect of the daily broadcast Lord and bless the tech team as they do their thing Lord. And I pray that You help them to make everything run smoothly and so that there is no disruption. I pray for Your blessing on all of this Lord. And I ask this in Jesus name. Amen. Brian and Jill, thank you guys so much just for your obedience to God and your commitment in doing this every day. Just thank God for you. And I thank you two for your obedience. And I just ask that family we continue to hold them up in prayer as we do, of course. And on another note, Dwayne from Wisconsin, I think. I am joining you my brother in praying for the children of our DAB community members. And I’m going to step out on a limb, I’m just scaredy-cat in this, I’m going to do a 15 day challenge. So, the next time I call back, I’ll be starting my challenge. And I just pray Lord, for the Lord to help me stick to that because it’s been weighing heavily on my heart. Anyway, that’s it for now and that we hold down the fort until Brian comes back. Let’s just continue to hold…

Hey everybody this is Pelham from Birmingham or Addicted to Christ is my spiritual name that I go by. I’m calling it a pretty good mood today because there has been a ray of hope with the job that I was actually going to write down my line and would eventually be able to pay me more than enough to support my family and pay all my bills. So that’s all and down the line about two or three months, but for now we’re doing okay. We’ve still got power and the rent is paid this month, but not sure what’s going to happen here in about two weeks. I’m trusting in the Lord and I’m working as hard as I can. I worked about 14 hours yesterday, 12 hours, something like that. Went from one job straight to the job I really want to do. But I was calling today for prayer for my marriage. We are in a place now that I don’t think that there’s any coming back from. Things have been said by both parties that can’t be taken back and I’m calling in for prayer for that because I don’t want to lose, I don’t want to lose my wife. I don’t want to lose my son. I made a promise to God and I don’t want to break it, but I can’t…I can’t take what she’s doing to me at home right now…in my own home. I can’t start the day like this. Alright. Well, I’m still a good mood. Sorry about that. Okay. I hope everybody’s doing great. Thank you for the prayers. Blind Tony you’re in my thoughts. Bye.

Hello Daily Audio Bible family. This is John calling from Bethlehem Pennsylvania. I hope everybody’s doing well today. It is the 21st of February at about 10:31 AM here on the East Coast. And it’s a bright and sunny day. The weather is supposed to be phenomenal today, almost 75° in February in Pennsylvania. Absolutely amazing. Family, the reason for my call this morning is twofold. First off, I just want to pray over the Daily Audio Bible trip through the promised land and I wanted to ask very quickly for some prayer. So, first off, heavenly Father Thank You so much for the opportunity to be able to serve You today. Father God, we just ask You to watch over, guide, and protect, provide wisdom, strength, courage, perseverance, great health, and an abundance of blessing over the technology required and transportation required for this trip through the promise land. We just ask that for Brian and his team and for every person that’s attending this incredible opportunity Father God. We just thank You for that. And family, I’d like to ask for your prayer. We are presently in the process of conducting our Alpha program at church. If you want to find out more about Alpha just take a look and do a Google search for Alpha. But would you please join me in prayer over what we’ve got going on there, that we may be able to be drawn closer to Jesus, learn more about our faith, come together in fellowship in that community, and then go out into the world and be light givers for everybody. Especially want to ask that my friend Frank Hedrington be prayed for in all of this as he leads us. Thank you guys.