Your pastor likely has never seen the places he preaches about each week: the holy city of Jerusalem, the waves on the Sea of Galilee, the rocky slopes of the Judean wilderness. You can change that.
To your pastor, these places may be mere words on the pages of his Bible—places he’s experienced only in his mind’s eye through pictures, Bible atlases, and travel videos.
Your pastor’s seminary gave him the biblical languages. But YOU can give him the Bible lands.
It’s easier than you think. Here’s how.
No doubt, a tour to Israel would benefit any Christian. But how will it specifically bless your pastor? Here are 3 answers.
I received one of the finest theological educations in the world, and yet, experiencing the lands of the Bible remained a mere elective. How much I would have missed if I’d never gone! My research of hundreds who have traveled to Israel affirms this conclusion.
In the same way the original languages offer pastors an unparalleled immediacy to the biblical text, the lands of the Bible reveal to pastors the context of Scripture like nothing else.
Your pastor’s seminary gave him the biblical languages. YOU can give him the Bible lands. (Tweet that.)
The truths of Scripture are rooted within a grammatical-historical and geographical context. Once a pastor adds geography to his preaching, the precision of his communication increases.
It’s true. A pastor who includes biblical geography in his teaching gives his congregation a better understanding of the Bible. My congregation often appreciated my including the sites and insights.
This is an astounding statistic that I have never seen contradicted in the many Israel tours I have helped lead:
In short, pastors who experience Bible lands enjoy:
A trip to Israel will enhance your pastor’s ministry, and you have the privilege of making it happen. How?
Tell your church leaders that you would like to head a committee to raise the funds for your pastor’s tour. (Perhaps you can send them the link to this post!) Explain that you would like to raise the money via fundraisers or a love offering from the congregation. Perhaps the church budget can make up the difference if necessary.
Here’s how:
Plan to announce the surprise as a gift for “Pastor Appreciation Sunday,” Christmas, an anniversary, or some other occasion. Invent a reason to celebrate your shepherd! He and his wife will appreciate the gesture as much as the journey. It will draw you closer to them and them to you. Be sure to affirm that you’ll be praying for the tour.
I have found none better than the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands. I recommend you gift your pastor the 5-volume “Israel Collection.”
I’d love to have your pastor join us for my upcoming trip to the Holy Land. It will be the trip of a lifetime.
Your pastor will never be the same after his journey to the Holy Land. It will enlarge his perspective and his love for God’s Word and will provide him with a greater confidence in what he preaches. And because he will never be the same, neither will you.
Just be sure to get him a round-trip ticket!
Tell me what you think: Has you pastor been to Israel? To leave a comment, just click here.