The Southern Steps: Disciples Are To Be Filled With The Holy Spirit

One of the highlights for all of us was our time on the Southern Steps, the original stones that led up onto the Temple Mount in Jesus day.  It was on these steps that rabbis would teach their disciples.  It was on these steps that Jesus would sit, debating the Pharisees, Scribes, and Sadducees that gathered on the perimeter of His audience, trying to trick Him into saying something for which He could be arrested.  It was on these steps, very probably, that Pentecost took place, and certainly the place where Peter preached his first sermon and 3000 were baptized in one day.  The steps were carved out and placed at random widths and heights so no one could enter the Temple area quickly or casually. They forced people to walk slowly, with a measured, reverent, intentional gait. 

And on these very same steps, it was my privilege to remind our Tour group of the person, the power, the presence, the purity, the precepts, the prayers, and the priority of the Holy Spirit. Other tourists gathered on the outskirts of our group to hear God's Word as I spoke, unconsciously reenacting a scene that had happened many times throughout Jesus' ministry.  Even as I shared the truth, I prayed that what I said would be a demonstration of the power and the presence of the Holy Spirit.  Because He is as alive and active in our day as He was in the first century. And disciples that are used as powerfully today as they were in Jesus' day are those who are filled with the Holy Spirit because they yield their lives moment by moment to His moment by moment control.

John 16:5-16, Acts 2:1-4

Click here and here for more videos from the Southern Steps.

The above post belongs to a number of vignettes written by Anne Graham Lotz from her 2013 trip to Israel. The pictures and videos are a compilation of those taken by iPads, iPhones, and cameras belonging to Anne and other tour members. All of Anne's site teachings were professionally videoed and in the near future, it will be our joy to share some of them with you. But we couldn't resist giving you this "home-made" glimpse of our tour of His land. We pray you will be blessed.