What a blessing to meet people of God who really love the Kingdom with a passion. In my recent trip to Waycross, Georgia, I had the privilege of meeting some of them. They are part of a prayer group which will impact the city of Waycross, because they pray with gusto. I met there with Dr. Ken and Kikky Williams, Susan Hohenstein, Lisa Mosely, Marlene Smith, Lisa Jordan, Boo and Ann Clarke, Terri Davis, Betty Miller, Jane Smith, and Sharon Chapman, just to name a few.

I was proud of those folks in Waycross. They sought a touch from God, while many others were happy having coffee at Starbucks and having an experience with furniture and cookies. God help us!!

This was the dilemma that drove Jesus Christ to take the disciples to Mt. Hermon. In Matthew 16, Jesus asked the disciples who they though He was, suggesting that the disciples had a very weak concept of Jesus’ identity. What amazes me is the fact that He had to be transfigured in glory in front of the disciples in order to convince them of His nature. Yes, it was a supernatural experience!

Jesus became surrounded by people who were sold out to the Kingdom. However, until Jesus came to Mt. Hermon for the experience of the transfiguration, the disciples still doubted that He was the Christ. It was after the powerful experience of the supernatural that those men came to the conclusion that, yes, Jesus was the Son of God.

All of us are waiting for an experience with God. You can have a head full of knowledge but never have heart knowledge about who God is. An experience with God will changed the way you think. I firmly believe that these friends from Waycross want that experience with God: intimate, personal and powerful.

You can be a pastor for 20 yeas, a seminary professor for 10 year, a church member for 30 years and still have no concept of the Person of Jesus Christ if your heart remains cold and self-centered. Imagine trying to sense the presence of God while having a critical spirit about the gifts of God. At Christmas time this year, a seasoned pastor walked by me and speaking to another said, “Are you all speaking in tongues here?” The derogatory comment was directed toward me, but was belittling to the Holy Spirit. Let me ask you this: How can such a person come to understand the presence of God at any level? It seems impossible, but it is not! All the person needs is a supernatural touch of God and she will change. The disciples experienced a touch of God at Mt. Hermon. From that moment on, they knew who Jesus was and did not doubt His divinity.

You too can know the glory and the power of God, just like the disciples. Ask Him today to reveal Himself to you as He truly is – and once you have gazed upon His majesty and beauty, you will never be the same!

Rick Bonfim

The city of Jerusalem is sacred to the Muslim because of the fabled magical “night journey” which the Prophet Mohammed made to Jerusalem from Mecca. After supposedly arriving at the Temple Mount, Mohammed went to the rock upon which Abraham was about to sacrifice his son Issac when the angel stayed his hand. On the same night, so goes the fable, God transported Mohammed back to Mecca.

The first mosque on the Temple Mount was a wooden mosque built by Caliph Omar. The second mosque was rebuilt in A.D. 699 by Caliph Abd al-Melik, the Mosque of Omar, also known as the Dome of the Rock. The Dome of the Rock still stands and dominates the Jerusalem skyline.

In 1967 at the culmination of the Six-Day War, Israel captured the Temple Mount. For the first time in almost 1900 years, Israel once again had control of their holy place. For political reasons, Israel gave back to the Muslims the control of the Temple Mount. The Muslims consider the Temple Mount to be their sacred place, and Jordan has jurisdiction over this disputed acreage. Since all the nations around Israel are Muslim, Israel keeps a law of”Status Quo,” which says that if a site is Jewish it will remain Jewish and if a site is considered to be Muslim it will remain Muslim.