Masada

Herod the Great built seven amazing fortresses with slave labor, Masada being one of the seven.  He had a wall built out of stones 1300 ft high!  On top of this wall, he had his fortress covering 1800ft x 900ft. (This is approximately the size of five football fields!) 

Riding in a cable car to the top of Masada

You can sort of get an idea of how high up it is with this picture

This picture shows what the rooms would have looked like.  Paint mixed with plaster covered all of the inside walls

Here is a model of the layout of Masada

This is what the inside of the rooms looked like

This Map, along with the list below shows the detailed list of places at Masada

Herod's palace (this picture is taken from Wikipedia)

this was a bath house where slaves would stand on the other side of the wall and burn coals to heat up water that would come through the pipes, so that it would be similar to a sauna

  I found the information about how they obtained water to be quite interesting.  "The cisterns in the sides of Masada can hold 10 million gallons. Before we answer the question of the source, we may ask why Herod needed so much water?  If his enemies ever got the upper hand, all Herod would have to do was reach the place that had earlier given his family refuge. Here he could live out the rest of his natural life, no matter what happened outside. He left the southern part of the mountain free, says Josephus, for agriculture. The water wasn't only for drinking, then, but for irrigation: to ensure a permanent food supply. The storehouses on the northern end also testify to this motive of independence. Here we have an island of self-sufficiency, a bunker of last resort."

For anyone who appreciates this kind of history, there are more intricate details on this website concerning how and where all this water came from, because they were, after all, in the middle of the desert!

The indented lines on this model of Masada show where the path was dug into the surrounding mountains to bring water into this fortress. The water (and food) supply here was enough to last at least 100 years!

By the year 66 AD, the zealots were living at Masada and believed they were safe from Rome, but not for long.  It only took 60 days (from what I remember) from the time the Romans built their camp at the bottom of the mountain, to the time they captured the fortress.

If you look at the center of this picture, you can see the outline of the Roman camp set up while they built a road to take over Masada

This is a drawing of the ramp the Romans built out of dirt and sand.  They then built a tower with drawbridges so they could cross over and take Masada.  By the time they got there, however the Jews were all dead.  After fighting their best and realizing they couldn't win, the jews had designated two men (by casting lots) to kill one another, and then commit suicide (because suicide was unacceptable to them).  They did this because they knew it would be better to die than to be captured by the Romans. 

Israel trip

So happy to have Daddy home!

Max's time in Israel was incredible and life changing!  It was amazing to walk where Jesus walked, and better understand visual references He used so often when speaking to his disciples.

For those of you who are wondering, the Israel trip was NOT part of the internship!

Charlie signed up for the trip a while ago and offered to treat Max so they could have “one final adventure together”.

How could we pass up this opportunity of a lifetime?

Little did we know, however, that he would be in the midst of this internship during the Israel trip!

He was quite sad to leave the family for ten days, but excited about this opportunity.   (Fortunately, Mark let him off the hook for the papers due during these 10 days,  since Max is the intern for whom so many exceptions have been made already, and Mark was very excited for him to go to Israel. )

Was I sad that I didn’t get to go? 

Not really.  I’m not really in a traveling phase of my life right now, and don’t really like to leave my kids for very long, so I was super excited to live vicariously through them!

Why am I writing about the Israel trip and not Max?

He came back from Israel last Thursday night and left again this morning (Wednesday) with Mark and all the interns to Southern Theological Seminary where Mark is scheduled to speak.  (The interns always go on one speaking engagement with Mark during the internship).   Needless to say, he has had absolutely no time to blog, which is why I’m posting on his behalf!  I will do my best to share some details behind some of the photos.

Caesarea Maritima is a national park on the Israeli coastline, near the town of Caesarea. The ancient Caesarea Maritima city and harbor was built by Herod the Great about 25–13 BC.  He was one of the greatest architects that ever lived!

As a huge ancient history buff, Max found their time at this port, as well as Masada (also built by Herod the Great), to be pretty amazing.  Masada gets its very own post here because of all the pictures and history involved.

Caesaria Philippi, where multiple pagan gods were represented and carved into the rocks.  This is exactly the place where Jesus said, "And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." Matthew 16:18 (ESV) continue reading the captions of the next few pictures and you will understand the double meaning of "gates of hell".

In this drawing, you can see the temples that used to be here for the pagan gods.  Behind the temple to the left was a large hole called "the gates of hell".

Here is a close up of "the gates of hell", where they would throw human sacrifices offered to their gods

             When you are in Israel, you begin to see the visual imagery Jesus used so often when he spoke, this being one example.  Matthew 16:18 suddenly took on an entirely new layer of meaning!

From the "gates of hell", the water would flow out here, and if there was blood in the water, that meant the sacrifice wasn't accepted by the god, so they would have to offer another sacrifice.
Max said this was an uncomfortable place to be, because there seemed to still be an evil presence lingering

Standing on top of Mt Carmel overlooking the most probable location for the battle of Armageddon

Statue of Elijah, also on Mt. Carmel, where Elijah defeated the prophets of baal.

"Streams in the desert", where David hid from Saul

This is Qumran, where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found.  As the story goes, a boy threw a rock into one of these caves in the desert in the 1940s and heard something break.  It turned out to be a jar where the ancient texts had been hidden by the Essenes who lived in this area.  The Essenes were a sect around the time of Jesus that believed in voluntary poverty and abstinence from worldly pleasures.

At 4,000 years old, this is the oldest piece of architecture in the world, a Canaanite gate, called "the gate of three arches".  Abraham walked through this gate when he rescued Lot!

A church has been built above the apostle Peter's house, and this is part of the floor of the church, looking down into his house.

this is under the church, what is left of Peter's house

what the inside of a home looked like during the time of Jesus

A fishing boat that was found from the time of Jesus

The Garden of Gethsemane

This is at the church of the Holy Sepulchre, where many people believe Jesus was buried. 
In the year 1149 the crusaders built the great basilica over Calvary and the empty Tomb of Jesus.
The basilica is a collection of chapels clustered around the rock of Golgotha and the tomb of Jesus.   

In the 1800s, through more research, some people began to believe that this "garden tomb" was the actual location of Jesus' burial because of its exact location and layout, and where it was in relation to Golgotha, etc.

A picture of Golgotha- you can see how it looks like a skull

Here is a picture of "Skull Hill"

Of course there are many more pictures, some of which I have yet to hear about, but this post must come to an end!  Have any of you been to Israel?  Was it life-changing? Any details I didn't mention in these pictures that you would like to add?

Why Join a Church?

I've heard many people ask the question "why do I have to become a member?" or "where does the Bible talk about church membership?", so this class was a great one to answer some of those questions!

Why Join a Church is the title of one of the six Membership Matters classes at CHBC.  Unfortunately, I no longer have my notes from this particular class, so I will simply share the handout they gave to everyone. 

A great deal of the purpose of the church is found in Ephesians

His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to his eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. - Ephesians 3:10-11.

A new command I give you: Love one another.  As I have loved you, so you must love one another.  By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another. - John 13:36

A Biblical Case for Church Membership

How does the Bible call Christians to relate within the local church?

Love One Another
    - I Peter 2:17 "love the brotherhood of believers"
    - Galatians 6:10 "THerefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those
       who belong to the family of believers."
    - Romans 15:1 "We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please
       ourselves."
    - Romans 12:13, 15 "Share with God's people who are in need.  Practice hospitality . . . Rejoice with
       those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.  Live in harmony with one another."

Encourage One Another
     - I Thessalonians 5:11 "encourage one another and build each other up"
     - Hebrews 10:24 "consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds"
     - Hebrews 10:25 "Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us
       encourage one another -- and all the more as you see the Day approaching."

Guard One Another
      - Hebrews 12:15-16 "See to it that no one misses the grace of God. . . that no bitter root grows up to
        cause trouble and define many.  See that no one is sexually immoral, or is godless. . . "
      - I Corinthians 5:1-5 "It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that
         does not occur even among pagans: A man has his father's wife.  And you are proud!  Shouldn't you
         rather have been filled with grief and have put out of your fellowship the man who did this?  Even
         though I am not physically present, I am with you in spirit.  And I have already passed judgment on
         the one who did this, just as if I were present.  When you are assembled in the name of our Lord Jesus
         and I am with you in spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus is present, hand this man over to Satan,
         so that the sinful nature may be destroyed and his spirit saved on the day of the Lord."

Obey Your Leaders
      - Hebrews 13:17 "Obey your leaders and submit to their authority.  They keep watch over you as men
        who must give an account.  Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be
        of no advantage to you." 
       -Implications for church members
       - Implications for church leaders

Putting it all together

Putting these commands into practice requires three characteristics of our relationships in a local church:
  
 1.  Relationships that are committed.
 2.  Relationships with a defined group of people.
 3.  Relationships that give permission to speak hard words into your life.

Church growth

Robert Schuller said that the most important thing for church growth is plentiful parking! 

Rick Warren says that the most important thing is the music.

So many think that the most important thing is marketing Christ to the consumer.

Too many try to market Christianity. 

In the beginning of the 20th century, America was a production based industry, not centered around the consumer, but in the middle of the 20th century, America moved from a production based to a consumption based industry, where the customer's tastes rule.

 There is a move in authority, then, from producer to consumer, and the customer becomes key.

 Schuller, Warren, and Hybels all polled the surrounding community to find out what they wanted in their churches. 

The church, then followed closely behind the business world in becoming consumeristic.  They became very focused on what the individual wants.  They want to provide that for them.

 We've been trained by our consumerist culture to put ourselves in the center of the universe.  The medium actually does matter, and so if Christianity is presented in a consumeristic way, then the religion ceases to be centered on God and Christ, and becomes centered on us.  This undermines the idea that Jesus is Lord and that we need to take all of the Bible seriously, not just what we want.  Churches have begun to say it in terms of meeting "felt needs".

 Church advertising is okay, because you're simply letting people know about your church, but church marketing is not okay, because you're trying to target a certain demographic, and give them a reason to come to your church to get what you think they want.

In the following video, Mark talks about church growth and numbers

The Posse

I've been having such a great time with the six other interns.

I'm definitely the "old guy" of the bunch.  Mark says I'm the "spiritual father," and he sometimes refers to me as "Papa Benfer" when we're all together, although I hope the other guys don't see me as that old!

They're such a wonderful group of godly men, though, and I will really miss them when this is all over.

Here they are...

Isaac Adams

Alex Duke

Timo Sazo

Nathan Malpass

Taylor Wehrle

Brian Davis

Guys from all over the world apply for the internship, all of whom seem equally qualified.  CHBC receives hundreds of applications, and they only choose six, so we all feel so blessed to have been chosen.  Actually, I'm the "seventh" this time.

Last week we were taken out for the official intern picture day.

A professional photographer and member of CHBC took us around town for some great shots.

They do this for every class and the pictures are posted in the CHBC office.

 Our pictures have been posted in the church's hallway, along with our write-ups, and they will eventually be added to the intern wall, to take their place beside the intern classes of the past.

We had a great time, as you can see.  We went to the Library of Congress and a back alley.
 

The photographer wanted "tough guy" shots, "mafia" shots, "boy band" shots, and even an "Abbey Road" shot.  One interesting thing to note: we didn't coordinate our clothes beforehand.  We all just happened to match perfectly.