Jesus’ Journey to Bethsaida

Are you willing to spend regular time with God alone in prayer?

In Jesus’ Journey to Bethsaida, we learn that prayer was fundamental for His ministry and life; and it was the foundation of everything that He did. If Jesus needed to spend regular time with God alone in prayer, how much more do we need to as mere mortals.

This article is co-authored by Mark Alan Williams and Beth Harris. Beth is a wife, mother, Bible study leader, and volunteer writer and editor for markalanwilliams.net.

Jesus’ Journey to Bethsaida teaches us that like Jesus, we must spend time alone with God in prayer and includes two videos from Bethsaida.

Whether we are a morning or evening person, the important thing is that we set an appointment with the Lord and keep it. We can start with 10 - 15 minutes of quiet and uninterrupted time and build up from there to an extended time in prayer.

Matthew 6:6 says, “But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” (NIV)

The Bible has a lot to say about the importance of prayer and includes instructions that are helpful to guide us. Jesus taught His disciples how to pray in Matthew 6:9-13 and we can use The Lord’s Prayer as a template for our time with the Lord.

Also, another good method for prayer is to use an acrostic such as:

A – Adoration: spend time praising the Lord for who He is.

C – Confession: confess our sins.

T – Thanksgiving, give thanks for the blessings that He has given to us.

S – Supplication or present our prayer requests for ourselves and others.

Finally, we need to spend some time reading the Bible and ask the Lord to speak to us through it and then apply what we learn.

One of my (Mark’s) favorite ways to pray is to take a prayer walk. I love to stroll and talk to the Lord. Carolyn and I walk and talk frequently, and she is my closest earthly friend, so I enjoy it immensely. But the Lord is my friend in the heavenly realm, and I enjoy so much my times in prayerful contemplation. As with Carolyn, some walks are richer than others. That is to be expected. But sometimes I am nearly brought to tears by the presence of the Lord in these prayer walks.

Also, I pray through a list, and it reminds me to pray for people and issues I might otherwise forget about. The list keeps me on track and the spontaneity of my prayer walks helps keep me in intimacy with the Lord. For me, both are important.

STANDARD CONCLUSION:

Jesus’ final Great Commission was to “make disciples of all nations.” (Matthew 28:19) You are invited to use the Discipleship Journeys with Jesus materials to make disciples, as Jesus commanded. They’re completely free and easy to access on the internet. Just go to www.djjministry.org and sign up for the complimentary materials.

Each study is accompanied by two short videos recorded on location in the lands of the Bible, so you can see where the events happened! The photo above is from the videos of the first journey.

Journey 6 of DJJ, based on Mark 6:45-46 tells us about prayer. In this Discipleship Journeys with Jesus study of Jesus’ Journey to Bethsaida, we read, reflect on, and interact on that passage and the events recorded there. We commit to spending regular time with God alone in prayer.

Help Spread the Word!

If you found this article helpful, we’d love for you to share it with others on social media or otherwise. This will help get the Word in front of more people who need biblical guidance. Thanks for your help!

Additional resources about related subjects on this site:

• Jesus’ Journey to the Cross

• Jesus’ Journey to the Jordan River

• Jesus’ Journey to the Upper Room

• Why You Need Protecting Prayer in 3 Realms and How to Do It

• How Praising Unlocks Heaven on Earth

• So You Think You Can’t Take a Prayer Retreat?

• Unexpected Ways It Pays to Pray

• Seven Ways to Pray When Suffering

• Thanksgiving- A Most Important Attitude

• Five Simple Steps to Conquer Complaining and Find Happiness (no audio blog)

• Podcast: What’s so important about being thankful?

• Podcast: How can I be grateful when I’m grumpy?

• Quote card: It’s only with gratitude that life becomes rich.

• 4 Ways to Find Contentment Now

• Quote card: This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.

• What Does God Owe Me?

• How to Know God’s Will for You Right Now

• Quote card: Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love…

• Who Needs Jesus, I’m a Good Person

• Facing Death Fearlessly

NOTE: Social media is random. Email is reliable. Subscribe via email and you won't miss any of my articles, podcasts, or videos. You'll also get my eBook: 10 Prayers to Unlock Heaven on Earth

Jesus’ Journey to Samaria

Are you willing to share the Gospel with as many as possible? 

In Jesus’ Journey to Samaria, we see Jesus going out of His way to meet with an individual who needed to hear the Gospel, even though she was a “lowly” Samaritan woman. We also need to take time to share our faith in Jesus with everyone, and especially those who may be considered outcasts. 

Mark Alan Williams and Beth Harris co-authored this article. Beth is a wife, mother, Bible study leader, and volunteer writer and editor for markalanwilliams.net.

Jesus’ Journey to Samaria teaches us about sharing the Gospel with as many as possible and includes two videos from Mount Gerizim in Jordan.

Jesus always tailored His sharing to the person’s needs. He approached the Samaritan woman and asked, “Will you give me a drink?” He started in the natural realm asking for a drink of water; then, He shifted to the spiritual realm by helping her to see her need for something genuinely satisfying, i.e., living water. But, only after engaging her in conversation and gently convicting her of her sins of five failed marriages and living with someone who wasn’t her husband. Finally, He revealed that He is the Messiah who came to give her eternal life.

Recently I (Mark) was asked to preach at a church in the area. There I saw a man I met while playing basketball years ago. One day, after playing basketball, he prayed with me to become a follower of Jesus! I have shared about Jesus with many at basketball, and he is the only one to respond to the invitation.

I had thought of him recently and wondered if he was still following Jesus. He is! He was recording my message to play on the internet, as he does each Sunday. He and his family are quite involved in the church and following Jesus! It was so encouraging!

Like Jesus’ Journey to Samaria, we can start witnessing by using a natural topic of conversation. We can ask: How are you doing or how are things going? Unbelievers, if they are truthful, are broken. Their way of living hasn’t worked. If you listen carefully and ask enough questions, you will discover there is a void in their life. They need hope, peace, joy, or forgiveness, and they need Jesus.

That is why we need to share the Gospel with as many people as possible.

Jesus’ final Great Commission was to “make disciples of all nations.” (Matthew 28:19) We invite you to use the Discipleship Journeys with Jesus materials to make disciples, as Jesus commanded. They’re entirely free and easy to access on the internet. Just go to www.djjministry.org and sign up for the complimentary materials.  

Each study includes two short videos recorded on location in the lands of the Bible, so you can see where the events happened! The photo above is from the videos of this journey lesson.  

Journey 5 of DJJ, based on John 4:1-42, tells us about sharing the Gospel with as many as possible. In thisDiscipleship Journeys with Jesus study of Jesus’ Journey to Samaria, we read, reflect on, and interact on that passage and the events recorded there. We commit to being willing to share the Gospel with as many as possible.

Help Spread the Word! If you found this article helpful, we’d love for you to share it with others on social media or otherwise. This will help get the Word in front of more people who need biblical guidance. Thanks for your help!

Additional resources about related subjects on this site:

• Jesus’ Journey to the Jordan River

• Jesus’ Journey to the Upper Room

• Five Questions for Those Who Think Many Roads Lead to Heaven

• Six Reasons all Roads DON’T Lead to Heaven

• Now is the Perfect Time for Discipleship

• The Desperate Need for Discipleship

• 3 Reasons You Need a Strategy for Spiritual Growth

• Jesus Wants More FANS

• Have you Made Your Contract with God?

• Video – the Great Commission is for ALL Christians

• Setting Goals or Solving Problems

• Who Needs Jesus, I’m a Good Person

• Facing Death Fearlessly

• Why Your Sincerity Can be Deadly

• Podcast: Isn’t Christianity arrogant to claim to be the only way to heaven?

• 3 Motives for Rejecting Jesus

• Podcast: What exactly is hell?

• Podcast: What God would send people to hell?

• Podcast: Since Jesus paid the price, is everyone heaven-bound?

NOTE: Social media is random. Email is reliable. Subscribe via email and you won't miss any of my articles, podcasts, or videos. You'll also get my eBook: 10 Prayers to Unlock Heaven on Earth

How Every Bluetooth Device Testifies About Jesus

A modern-day marker to be Christ’s ambassadors

It used to be that when you saw someone walking down the street talking to themselves and not looking where they were going, you probably crossed to the other side of the street. But now we all use those small devices in our ears to talk through or listen to our electronic gadgets wirelessly.

King Harald “Bluetooth” Gormson

Bluetooth devices are named after Harald “Blåtand” Gormson; a Viking king who lived circa 911 – 986 A.D. The English translation of Harald’s middle name is Bluetooth, and some scholars maintain it is a nickname pinned on Harald because of a bad tooth that appeared to be blue.

That funky symbol we all see on our phones when connected to our Bluetooth devices is actually a clever combination of two of the ancient Danish runes used to spell his name.

Ericsson, the Scandinavian corporation responsible for the invention of Bluetooth technology, chose to call their new device a Bluetooth because Harald had a reputation for his communication and peacemaking skills.

Also, as you can see below in a photo taken in the museum on the King Bluetooth site of Jelling, in Denmark, the inventor Jim Kardach, thought the image on the Jelling Stone was King Bluetooth, when in fact it is an image of Christ.

King Harald Bluetooth is an ambassador for Christ still 1,000 years later. This is the description from the museum in Jelling, Denmark, right across from the Jelling Stone. If you cannot read it, here’s what it says: JELLING AND BLUETOOTH “Jim Kardach…thought that the Christ figure on the Jelling Stone depicted Harald Bluetooth, and therefore on a drawing gave Christ a mobile phone in one hand and a laptop in the other. Subsequently it was discovered that the figure was Christ and not Harald Bluetooth.”

Harald was baptized around 960 and the Danish Christian conversion began in earnest. He declared Denmark a Christian nation!

The Jelling Stone is the declaration that Denmark was to be a Christian nation!

The Jelling Stone in Jelling, Denmark, upon which it is recorded that King Bluetooth declared Denmark a Christian nation. The National Museum of Denmark’s website says, “The large rune stone at Jelling is often called ‘Denmark’s birth certificate,’ because Denmark is named in the inscription and also because the stone is a clear material proof of the change in religion.”

It was thrilling to visit Jelling, Denmark in 2017 and see the Jelling Stone, pictured here. That’s our son Danny and me by it.

So, Bluetooth technology is named for a man who brought Christianity to a pagan part of the world and is famous for peaceful negotiations. Every time we use our Bluetooth, it should remind us to be equally good ambassadors for Jesus like Harald.

Just like Harald Bluetooth, Christians are ambassadors for Christ. An ambassador is someone who officially represents someone or something in a good way.

2 Corinthians 5:20a states, “We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us.”

Paul is speaking about being an ambassador for Christ to the fact that God reconciled the world to himself through the blood of Christ.

In Ephesians 6:20, Paul again refers to himself as an ambassador, this time in chains. Like Paul, we should take our role as ambassadors for Christ very seriously in every situation. Philippians 1:12-14 (CEB) says this:

Brothers and sisters, I want you to know that the things that have happened to me have actually advanced the gospel. 13 The whole Praetorian Guard and everyone else knows that I'm in prison for Christ. 14Most of the brothers and sisters have had more confidence through the Lord to speak the word boldly and bravely because of my jail time.

Our Bluetooth can remind us that we, too, are Christ’s ambassadors. Our Bluetooth can remind us to witness and share the Gospel, as Harald did.

This is Carolyn and Danny in the chapel which is right beside the Jelling Stone where Denmark was declared a Christian nation by King Harald Bluetooth.

As disciples, of Christ, we should be intentional about remembering, that we represent Him, with our families, workplaces, neighborhoods, churches, communities, countries, and the world.

Just as each one of us is quick to judge an entire restaurant or company on the basis of one negative interaction with an employee, so others are quick to judge the faith we claim and the Lord we serve on the basis of our words and deeds.

Every time we use our Bluetooth, it should remind us of Harald and his ability to spread the gospel and bring peace. May it remind us to be good communicators of the reason for our hope, with “gentleness and respect” (1 Peter 3:15). May it remind us that Jesus died to bring reconciliation between God and mankind and that we are commanded to make that known (2 Corinthians 5:17-18) using our God given time, talents, and treasures.

Anybody recognize these Vikings? (That’s Carolyn and me in the Jelling Museum.)

To learn more about being an ambassador, a witness and a disciple, you can receive free discipleship lessons from Discipleship Journeys with Jesus. Just go to djjministry.org and click where it says “START YOUR JOURNEYS HERE.”

Discipleship Journeys with Jesus is an online ministry that takes people on journeys to maturity in Christ using a computer, tablet or a smart phone.

It is available:

• Anywhere there is an internet connection (borders are not an issue!)

• 24 hours a day

• Without charge

• In multiple languages through electronic translation and translations we’re creating to make available on our website

Just go to djjministry.org and click where it says “START YOUR JOURNEYS HERE.”

By the way, while we offer them without charge, there are many expenses, and if you are led to, you can help us via our Donate page.

Help Spread the Word! If you found this article helpful, we’d love for you to share it with others on social media or otherwise. This will help get the Word in front of more people who need biblical guidance. Thanks for your help!

Uncertain if you’re saved? Click HERE to learn how to be sure of your eternal salvation.

Additional resources about related subjects on this site:

• Jesus Wants More FANS

• The Desperate Need for Discipleship

• 3 Reasons You Need a Strategy for Spiritual Growth

• Have you Made Your Contract with God?

• Video – the Great Commission is for ALL Christians

• Who Needs Jesus, I’m a Good Person

• Facing Death Fearlessly

• Jesus’ Journey to the Cross

• How I Moved from Doubting my Salvation to Assurance

• 7 Reasons Christianity Provides the Ultimate in Positive Thinking

• 7 Ways to Pray When You’re Suffering

• How to Renew Your Mind and Think More Positively

• 7 Biblical Christian Mantras I Find Helpful

• You Can Do It!

• How to Tackle a Mountain-Sized Goal in Faith

• 4 Characteristics in the Attitude of a Winner, Part 1

• How Biblical Thought Replacement Creates Time and Energy

• What Caused Me to Doubt My Salvation

• Five Questions for Those Who Think Many Roads Lead to Heaven

NOTE: Social media is random. Email is reliable. Subscribe via email and you won't miss any of my articles, podcasts or videos. You'll also get my eBook: 10 Prayers to Unlock Heaven on Earth