On Location From the Holy Land

Is God like ice cream? We live in a culture where people just think God is kind of like ice cream, purely based on my own personal taste. In this special episode recorded on location from Mount Carmel in the Holy Land, Dr. Sri tells us the story of Elijah and the prophets of Baal and reminds us to conform our hearts and minds to the truth and reality of the power of God.

Snippet from the Show
It's here on Mount Carmel that we really remember what God did, and we ask him to come and shine his light in the darkness in the world once again.

Is God Like Ice Cream?

People have different tastes and preferences when it comes to music, sports, even ice cream! Do we hold God to the same preferences? "I like {this Church teaching}, but I don’t care for {this teaching}. I like {this sacrament}, I don’t need {this sacrament}.”

Over 2,500 years ago, there were many people around this land of Israel that thought that they too could make up their own God.

Elijah’s Triumph over the Priests of Baal (2 Kings 18)
Elijah challenged the prophets of Baal to a great kind of spiritual duel, if you will.
He said, "Call on your deity, your god Baal, and ask him to bring down fire upon these sacrifices and then I'll call on my God, the one true God, to bring down fire.
The prophets of Baal called down their god, but there was no voice and no one answered.
Finally, Elijah gathers these stones and builds an altar in the name of the Lord, and he's going to call on God to bring fire down. But to “up the ante” even more, they soak the altar in water. Now surely fire can’t consume this because all this water on it, right?

But he calls on the one true God.

And the fire of the Lord fell down, consumed the burnt offering and the wood and all the people. When they saw it, they fell on their faces and said, “The Lord is God!”

It's here on Mount Carmel that we could really remember what God did, and ask him to come and shine his light in the darkness in the world once again.

We pray that God raises up many Elijahs today, many great bishops and priests of many great laypeople that will stand up for the truth of our one true God.

Amen.

For more information on upcoming pilgrimages to the Holy Land with Dr. Sri, email holyland.edwardsri@gmail.com!