The Jewish roots of Christianity

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Bible teaching with an emphasis on Israel, prophecy and the Jewish roots of Christianity

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Episode: “Our Greatest Need”
Life’s circumstances can bring us to our knees in desperation. Our ultimate assurance comes from our Father, who loves us and desires to help us. Jeff teaches us from the Pool of Siloam and the Garden Tomb in Jerusalem.
Series: “The God of Miracles”
We can’t go far in the Bible without encountering a miracle. When the universe was created, the Spirit of God hovered over the face of the waters (Genesis 1:2). When all seemed hopeless, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day (Matthew 28:6). In this nine-part series, we show our miraculous God at work from Genesis to Revelation, with teachings from the Holy Land by Dr. Jeffrey Seif. We also hear testimonials from those who have experienced the Lord’s supernatural hand in their own lives.

Caption transcript for The God of Miracles: “Our Greatest Need” (8/9)

  • 00:01 David Hart: On today's program, we've talked about "Our Greatest
  • 00:06 Need," in the series "God of Miracles," coming up next on "Our Jewish Roots," with Bible
  • 00:10 teaching from Israel with Dr. Jeffrey Seif.
  • 00:13 ♪♪♪
  • 00:18 male narrator: To believe in the Bible is to believe
  • 00:20 in miracles.
  • 00:22 From Genesis to Revelation, the impossible became possible.
  • 00:27 As God's hand moved across space and time,
  • 00:30 land and seas were created, graves opened,
  • 00:34 water turned to wine, the sick and lame healed,
  • 00:39 the land of Israel completely restored.
  • 00:42 Past, present, and future, he's the Alpha and Omega.
  • 00:48 He is "The God of Miracles."
  • 00:52 ♪♪♪
  • 00:54 CC by Aberdeen Captioning 1-800-688-6621 www.abercap.com
  • 00:57 David: Thank you so much for joining us today.
  • 00:58 I'm David Hart.
  • 01:00 Kirsten Hart: I'm Kirsten Hart.
  • 01:01 Dr. Jeffrey Seif: Jeffrey Seif.
  • 01:03 Kirsten: This whole series has been about miracles,
  • 01:05 and I've heard people say, "Oh, I got a small miracle,"
  • 01:09 as compared to a large miracle, but I have to say,
  • 01:12 if you are the recipient of a small miracle,
  • 01:15 it's your whole world.
  • 01:18 Dr. Jeffrey Seif: And if you look at things that the Lord
  • 01:21 did, some of 'em are small miracles.
  • 01:23 You know, he gave 'em a free lunch out of a few pieces of
  • 01:25 bread and a bunch of fish.
  • 01:26 They're gonna be hungry the next day,
  • 01:28 but nevertheless, the recipients of miracles are impressed by the
  • 01:32 fact that God sees us and is mindful and takes care.
  • 01:35 Kirsten: For them, it was everything.
  • 01:37 I mentioned before that I had foot surgery,
  • 01:39 and I've also had a broken toe, and you might not see someone's
  • 01:42 broken toe, but that might be everything to someone if God
  • 01:46 heals that toe.
  • 01:48 I know this sounds so silly, but that toe,
  • 01:50 if God heals it, it's your whole,
  • 01:52 whole world, and I love that Yeshua has compassion for people
  • 01:56 regardless if it's a big problem or a little problem.
  • 02:03 Dr. Jeffrey Seif: Yeah, now, the Bible serves up both.
  • 02:05 We notice the big problems understandably so.
  • 02:08 Someone's blind.
  • 02:10 They get vision.
  • 02:11 Oh, my word.
  • 02:13 We just so--can be so blessed because of the Lord's help.
  • 02:18 David: In this whole series, we've seen you stand in places
  • 02:21 where these miracles took place.
  • 02:23 Here's another one right now.
  • 02:25 We take you to Israel with Dr. Seif's teaching.
  • 02:27 ♪♪♪
  • 02:31 Dr. Jeffrey Seif: I wanna be careful walking down here
  • 02:34 in the Pool of Siloam.
  • 02:37 If it was the Pool of Bethesda, I wouldn't worry so much.
  • 02:41 Jesus healed a paralytic by there,
  • 02:43 but here, if I fall, the main story we know about isn't
  • 02:45 someone who is paralyzed but someone who was blind
  • 02:50 from birth.
  • 02:53 It's a fascinating story in the Gospel of John,
  • 02:57 the 9th chapter.
  • 02:59 Jesus is on record, speaking to this fellow,
  • 03:02 who was well known in the city.
  • 03:04 I mean, he didn't just show up on a bus.
  • 03:06 He's been there from birth, and, you know,
  • 03:10 people would've known the boy and the family.
  • 03:12 And Jesus didn't just heal him.
  • 03:15 He told him to come here.
  • 03:18 Now, it's interesting.
  • 03:20 One could argue the Pool of Siloam itself is related to
  • 03:23 healing because the water to the pool comes from the Gihon
  • 03:28 Spring, and the Gihon is the one river that's noted in the garden
  • 03:35 of Eden that is still noted.
  • 03:37 You might recall at the end of the Bible in Revelation,
  • 03:40 the water of life is for the healing of the nations.
  • 03:43 Well, the Gihon feeds this pool or did once upon a time,
  • 03:47 and people came here.
  • 03:49 And one of Jesus's people came here,
  • 03:51 in fact, and we know the story: Jesus healed,
  • 03:54 and he put mud in the eye and what have you.
  • 03:56 It's an interesting story.
  • 03:58 We're told that he spread mud on the eyes,
  • 04:00 and he told the man, "Go wash in the Pool of Siloam," and he came
  • 04:06 here and washed, and he came up, seeing.
  • 04:09 There are a number of people around here.
  • 04:11 People frequent the site.
  • 04:12 Maybe you can hear some voices because we're in a tourist area,
  • 04:14 but in Jesus's day, it wasn't a tourist area.
  • 04:17 It was a place of desperation.
  • 04:19 People wanted help and this one blind man who came here,
  • 04:22 you know, and Jesus told him to do what I just described.
  • 04:26 It reminds me, by the way, when it comes to miracles--
  • 04:29 and God does miracles-- it's not, you know,
  • 04:32 a "one size fits all."
  • 04:35 There's different ways.
  • 04:37 You get books today, "Seven Steps to Get Your Miracles,"
  • 04:39 you know?
  • 04:40 I'd save the money, personally, because he does different things
  • 04:42 with different people.
  • 04:44 We're gonna see that in the next story.
  • 04:46 I'm gonna read the verse now, and then we'll sit down and have
  • 04:48 a look at it.
  • 04:49 There was a woman who wasn't sick from birth,
  • 04:51 but she contracted something after spending some time on the
  • 04:55 planet, a flow of blood.
  • 04:57 No one would touch her.
  • 04:59 And Jesus said to her in verse 48,
  • 05:00 of the 8th chapter of the Gospel of Luke,
  • 05:02 "He said to her, 'Daughter, your faith has made you well.
  • 05:07 Go in peace.'"
  • 05:09 She wasn't told to go to the pool.
  • 05:10 She was just told to go.
  • 05:12 Let's go have a look at the story.
  • 05:14 ♪♪♪
  • 05:19 Dr. Jeffrey Seif: A lot of Bible readers are familiar with
  • 05:22 this story, but I wanna slow down the frame and unpack
  • 05:25 some particulars that Jewish perspective gives to look
  • 05:28 at this great miracle that people are familiar with but,
  • 05:32 oftentimes, not like this.
  • 05:34 In the Gospel of Luke, the 8th chapter,
  • 05:36 verse 43, we're told there was a woman that had a flow of blood
  • 05:39 for 12 years.
  • 05:40 Couldn't be healed.
  • 05:42 Some manuscripts note she spent all her money on doctors.
  • 05:44 Some of us have done that.
  • 05:46 No joking matter here.
  • 05:47 The fact that she had a flow of blood wasn't just the
  • 05:50 sickness itself.
  • 05:51 There's social ramifications.
  • 05:53 Individuals wouldn't touch her.
  • 05:54 Her husband wouldn't touch her.
  • 05:56 People wouldn't touch her, so she was alone in the world.
  • 06:00 She's not just betrayed by her own body,
  • 06:03 in some sense; that is, she feels her body's betrayed her
  • 06:06 with a sickness, but she would have a sense of disappointment
  • 06:10 with other human beings who wouldn't touch her.
  • 06:12 We're told this bold woman has a lot of chutzpah in verse 44.
  • 06:15 Even though individuals won't touch her,
  • 06:18 we're told that she goes through--or she presses through
  • 06:20 a crowd, so she's coming in contact with other people,
  • 06:24 and she touches the Great Rabbi.
  • 06:26 We're told that she touches his tzitzit,
  • 06:28 the fringe of his garments, which would've been construed
  • 06:31 as a no-no.
  • 06:32 She was supposed to keep her distance from people,
  • 06:34 never mind defile a Great Rabbi, but she has word.
  • 06:37 People know on the street that Yeshua does miracles and that
  • 06:42 he cares about people that are disenfranchised
  • 06:44 and are getting a bad deal.
  • 06:46 So even though it goes against the conventions of culture,
  • 06:51 there she is, pressing through the crowd.
  • 06:53 We're told in the text that the Lord realized power
  • 06:56 had gone forth from him and said, "Who touched me?"
  • 06:58 And she didn't wanna talk for the reasons
  • 07:01 that I just explained.
  • 07:03 She didn't wanna come out.
  • 07:04 Jesus kind of had to smoke her out in a way.
  • 07:06 Finally, when she realized the gig was up,
  • 07:09 then she gave voice to what she did.
  • 07:10 Yeshua, Jesus, wasn't the least bit disturbed with her.
  • 07:14 He wanted to heal her.
  • 07:15 Jesus loves women, women that find themselves in a bad way.
  • 07:19 They find themselves something of a social outcast,
  • 07:21 alone, not in contact with people.
  • 07:24 They have a particular problem, and with a flow of blood,
  • 07:27 it's particularly embarrassing for a woman.
  • 07:29 Jesus isn't embarrassed by any of this stuff.
  • 07:32 He cares about human beings, and there's a beautiful story about
  • 07:35 him caring about a woman, and he refers to her in verse 48,
  • 07:38 and I love it.
  • 07:39 He says to her, "Daughter."
  • 07:41 "Daughter."
  • 07:43 The familial language.
  • 07:44 It's the--one of the things that I like about the Jesus story,
  • 07:47 you know, religion kind of has an impersonal God.
  • 07:50 He's out there in the world, and people are respectful of
  • 07:53 a distant God and go to church for weddings and funerals,
  • 07:56 baby dedications.
  • 07:58 They go to synagogues or bar mitzvahs,
  • 08:00 but God's far away.
  • 08:02 But if you look at the God who reveals himself in the Bible,
  • 08:04 he's personal, not distant.
  • 08:06 Here he is, referring to her as "Daughter," not just to say that
  • 08:09 to her but to say it to you and me, a son.
  • 08:12 "He says to her, 'Daughter, your faith has made you well.
  • 08:16 Go in peace.'"
  • 08:17 She didn't have to go to the Pool of Siloam and wash.
  • 08:21 He just did it for her.
  • 08:23 Now, was there something special about her?
  • 08:26 Well, she does have some dogged determination,
  • 08:27 some chutzpah.
  • 08:29 She has some guts, but never mind what she has.
  • 08:31 What does God have? He has love for her.
  • 08:34 She's in an impossible situation.
  • 08:35 She's in a bad way in a variety of ways,
  • 08:37 and God loves her.
  • 08:38 And you know what?
  • 08:40 She might not be the only woman in the world.
  • 08:42 She's this woman in the Word right now,
  • 08:44 I gave voice to, but you're listening to me right now.
  • 08:46 Listen, I don't know who you are,
  • 08:48 where you are, what you are, but I know life,
  • 08:50 and sometimes it seems that we get dealt a bad hand of cards,
  • 08:55 bad cards in the hand, you know, that are hard to play with at
  • 08:58 the end of the day.
  • 08:59 I don't know what your story is, but I know this story,
  • 09:01 and from pillar to post, the story is there for a miraculous
  • 09:05 God who reaches out and helps people because he loves people,
  • 09:08 and he wants to make his will and ways known on planet Earth,
  • 09:11 and his will was that people who would come to him and his ways.
  • 09:15 They do it on their knees.
  • 09:16 If you haven't done it, do it, and you too can discover a God
  • 09:19 who does miracles even for you.
  • 09:23 ♪♪♪
  • 09:28 Dr. Jeffrey Seif: It is the greatest story ever told,
  • 09:32 and the implications are absolutely profound.
  • 09:35 It's known in the Hebrew world as "t'chiyat hameitim," which
  • 09:40 means "the resurrection of the dead," and I'm coming to
  • 09:43 you from a very special place in Jerusalem.
  • 09:47 It's a garden, and behind me is a tomb,
  • 09:51 a vacated tomb, actually.
  • 09:54 The place is referred to as the Garden Tomb,
  • 09:56 and it's understood that Jesus Christ was buried
  • 09:59 in that tomb behind me and that he rose again.
  • 10:04 He came up from it. What a story.
  • 10:08 What a pleasure it is to bring it to you.
  • 10:11 Of course, it's brought to us in biblical literature,
  • 10:14 in the Matthew Gospel.
  • 10:16 People came in 28:6, that--or they're informed,
  • 10:20 "He is not here.
  • 10:21 He is risen."
  • 10:25 This is the spot from which he raised.
  • 10:27 So goes the argument.
  • 10:29 What a fascinating story.
  • 10:31 And I wouldn't wanna finish up on miracles without talking
  • 10:34 about it, and I say that because,
  • 10:37 if you look at biblical literature from Genesis to maps,
  • 10:40 as my wife likes to say, it's just full of miracles.
  • 10:44 A supernatural God created the world,
  • 10:46 and he does miracles all the way for people that are making their
  • 10:50 way through the world.
  • 10:52 When I think of the Hebrew people,
  • 10:53 never mind the Christian religion,
  • 10:55 of course, the resurrected Lord is the origin of the
  • 10:57 Jesus people, but when I think of the Jewish people,
  • 11:00 Sarah couldn't have a child.
  • 11:02 The Lord did a miracle there.
  • 11:04 Rebekah couldn't have a child.
  • 11:06 The Lord did a miracle there.
  • 11:08 Rachel couldn't have a child.
  • 11:10 The Lord did a miracle there.
  • 11:12 Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the fathers of the Hebrew people,
  • 11:14 it all came from miracle wombs.
  • 11:16 It doesn't surprise me when I think of the Jesus story,
  • 11:19 a story that comes from a miracle womb,
  • 11:22 but with a woman named Miriam, fascinating story.
  • 11:26 He didn't just miraculously come from a womb,
  • 11:28 but he miraculously came from a tomb.
  • 11:32 A fascinating story, and it's not one that just speaks to our
  • 11:35 own eventual rise from our deteriorated situation.
  • 11:40 We will die one day, and our hope is that we will arise.
  • 11:45 He's the firstborn of many brethren.
  • 11:48 The argument is there'll be a second and a third and
  • 11:51 a millionth, et cetera, and we're part of that number,
  • 11:53 but it's not just that resurrection power speaks
  • 11:55 to life on the other side of the grave.
  • 11:58 There's implications for it now which is why I wanted
  • 12:01 to look at miracles.
  • 12:03 At the end of a series is the time to give a wrap on it.
  • 12:07 We considered a variety of stories in biblical text,
  • 12:09 all of which speak to, for, and about a capable God who's not
  • 12:14 just capable but desirous to help humanity,
  • 12:19 people like me and you, if we would only but turn to him.
  • 12:22 I hope you're inclined to do that.
  • 12:25 I hope your faith is built up 'cause I don't know where
  • 12:29 I find you as you're watching this program.
  • 12:31 People can be disoriented through life's circumstances.
  • 12:33 I'm staring at 67.
  • 12:35 My body doesn't perform like it did at 27.
  • 12:38 I look in my billfold, and, you know, life's precarious.
  • 12:41 The economy goes up and down.
  • 12:43 When I think of the political experience today,
  • 12:46 goodness, it's distressing in so many ways,
  • 12:48 and it doesn't take much for people to get distressed over it
  • 12:51 all, but it's good to know that our ultimate hope
  • 12:54 isn't in politics.
  • 12:55 It's not in finances.
  • 12:57 It's not even in our body, but there's a good God,
  • 12:58 who is more than able and willing to help us.
  • 13:01 Isn't that the truth?
  • 13:03 It's a miracle, and I'm pleased to tell you this story from this
  • 13:07 place of a miracle, the Garden Tomb,
  • 13:09 from which Jesus rose from the dead.
  • 13:11 ♪♪♪
  • 13:17 David: Communion is one of the things that we do every time
  • 13:20 that we go to the Garden Tomb, and as I take that Communion,
  • 13:23 the bread and the wine, I think about the miracles that have
  • 13:27 taken place in my life, and I'm so thankful.
  • 13:29 It could be a big miracle, a small miracle that
  • 13:32 maybe you're going through in your life.
  • 13:34 Dr. Jeffrey Seif: I've done that a number of occasions,
  • 13:36 too, to take the Lord's Supper against the backdrop of the tomb
  • 13:40 from which there's a responsible argument he emerged.
  • 13:43 Reminds me, by the way, that miracles still happen.
  • 13:48 Whether you're there, taking the Lord's Supper in a serene place
  • 13:52 or whether you find yourself in abysmal circumstances today,
  • 13:56 I want you to know that God is in the business of bringing
  • 14:00 things to life.
  • 14:02 That's the story of the Garden Tomb.
  • 14:04 That's the story of Communion.
  • 14:06 Jesus said, "Take this as my body," you know,
  • 14:08 to remember his death, but then, as believers,
  • 14:10 we remember his Resurrection to life.
  • 14:12 I want you to know that you can come to life too.
  • 14:15 If you just reach out to him in prayer,
  • 14:18 and make your way to a Bible-believing congregation,
  • 14:21 there's a whole new life and a miracle ahead of you.
  • 14:27 Kirsten: Dr. Seif, just mentioned "miracles" and the
  • 14:30 word "life," and Dave and I have discussed what are the greatest
  • 14:34 miracles that we've had in our lives.
  • 14:36 And when I was 41 years old, I found out that I had been
  • 14:40 adopted, and I also found out that my birth mother had gone
  • 14:44 to the country of Sweden to obtain an abortion,
  • 14:47 but it would've been my abortion,
  • 14:50 and I am so thankful for the miracle that happened in Sweden
  • 14:53 that no abortion happened, and I'm thankful for life.
  • 14:57 So, so many miracles, and we--I think we need to stop and take
  • 15:03 inventory of our lives and see what God has done in us
  • 15:07 and through us, and that's our testimony.
  • 15:09 Dr. Jeffrey Seif: Yeah, and some people are
  • 15:11 going the wrong way.
  • 15:12 Like, your mom, she went there to do something,
  • 15:13 and there was a stop sign somewhere there.
  • 15:15 Maybe you're in a stop sign right now.
  • 15:18 Turn to the Lord. Turn in the right direction.
  • 15:22 You'll be happy.
  • 15:24 David: And even think, for all of us sitting at this table
  • 15:27 right now, that there are miracles probably waiting for us
  • 15:31 to happen that we don't even know about yet.
  • 15:33 Dr. Jeffrey Seif: It's not just yesterday's news.
  • 15:34 I mean, Jesus is the same today, yesterday,
  • 15:36 and forever, and we look at the Bibles of yesteryear with a mind
  • 15:40 to encourage people.
  • 15:41 There is this thing called tomorrow,
  • 15:44 and with the good Lord's help, we can face tomorrow
  • 15:46 and experience Bible days in our own.
  • 15:49 Kirsten: And you've taught throughout this whole
  • 15:52 series--this is our last program in the series,
  • 15:53 which makes me a little bit sad, but every miracle
  • 15:56 has been different.
  • 15:57 It's God ordains different ways to reach and to perform
  • 16:02 a miracle in people's lives.
  • 16:04 It's not just the same way every time.
  • 16:06 Dr. Jeffrey Seif: No, they're customized to specific people
  • 16:09 in circumstances, and so different people in different
  • 16:12 circumstances can find themselves in those stories.
  • 16:15 David: It's good. Kirsten: It's good news.
  • 16:18 David: Yes, we'll be right back.
  • 16:20 David: Our resources this week,
  • 16:21 "Glory: The Future of the Believers."
  • 16:23 In this booklet, Zola Levitt explains the coming Rapture,
  • 16:26 our time in heaven, the kingdom on earth, and eternity.
  • 16:32 Call 1-800-WONDERS, or visit us at Levitt.com.
  • 16:36 Remember to connect with us on social media
  • 16:38 for so much extra content.
  • 16:42 Find us @OurJewishRoots.
  • 16:48 David: If you read the "Levitt Letter," you know that
  • 16:50 you can write in with questions or even thoughts that you
  • 16:53 may have about our program.
  • 16:56 I would love--actually, Kirsten and I would love
  • 16:58 to hear from you.
  • 17:00 If you have received a miracle in your life,
  • 17:02 please let us know about something life-changing,
  • 17:06 a miracle that has happened to you.
  • 17:08 Kirsten: And don't disregard your miracle.
  • 17:10 God can work a miracle even through challenges in your life,
  • 17:15 and we're gonna bring you a story right now,
  • 17:17 the rest of the interview from last week with our Caleb
  • 17:19 from the "Bearded Bible Brothers."
  • 17:22 Here's the rest of the miracle story.
  • 17:28 Caleb Colson: Jill, it's awesome to be with you today.
  • 17:30 We got to hear your mother's testimony previously and how
  • 17:34 she believed in faith for your miraculous healing when
  • 17:38 you were just a baby.
  • 17:39 You didn't know what was goin' on.
  • 17:40 You're just, you know, on the tube,
  • 17:42 and all these things are connected to you,
  • 17:43 but she believed.
  • 17:45 Your family believed.
  • 17:46 You got a church praying for you.
  • 17:48 You're here with me today, but comes a time when you
  • 17:52 have to start believing for yourself even as a child.
  • 17:54 You had another bad diagnosis given to you when you
  • 17:57 were two years old.
  • 17:59 Can you tell me about that?
  • 18:00 Jill Odieny: Yes, so the doctors finally diagnosed me
  • 18:02 with cerebral palsy when I was two years old,
  • 18:05 and they waited that long, back then,
  • 18:08 because they wanted to make sure that there weren't other
  • 18:10 developmental things in play.
  • 18:12 So they finally diagnosed me with spastic diplegia cerebral
  • 18:17 palsy when I was two, and essentially,
  • 18:20 what that means is that all of my muscles are in a constant
  • 18:24 state of contraction from the waist down,
  • 18:27 so I'm fighting my hips, my legs,
  • 18:31 my knees, my ankle, and that makes my walking gait really
  • 18:36 unsteady, extremely awkward, very inefficient,
  • 18:42 and my balance is extremely poor.
  • 18:45 So, I do walk with a walker now, which is normal
  • 18:49 for a 40-year-old living with cerebral palsy,
  • 18:52 but it should be said that all of the things that the doctor
  • 18:56 said I would never be able to do,
  • 18:59 I do all of those things.
  • 19:00 Caleb: You do it all. That's right.
  • 19:02 Jill: None of them perfectly, but I do all of those things.
  • 19:05 Caleb: Because that was the testimony of man.
  • 19:07 They said, "This is what you're gonna be," and God's Word is
  • 19:09 true, and he says, "That doesn't matter what they say.
  • 19:12 It matters what I say," right.
  • 19:13 Jill: Right, exactly.
  • 19:15 Caleb: And so you grew up with this,
  • 19:17 you know, prognosis, but you still had to work through to get
  • 19:22 this level of functionality that you have now to work into that
  • 19:25 healing that he's done for you and being functional.
  • 19:28 Was it hard growing up like this?
  • 19:30 Jill: Yes.
  • 19:31 Caleb: Tell me know that felt.
  • 19:33 Jill: Yes, it was extremely hard.
  • 19:34 When I look back on my childhood,
  • 19:35 I don't remember having fun.
  • 19:37 I remember a lot of physical therapy,
  • 19:41 a lot of occupational therapy, a lot of doctor's appointments,
  • 19:45 and a lot of tutoring inside of school,
  • 19:50 outside of school, and then homework when I was done
  • 19:53 with school because that was how much work it took for me
  • 19:58 and my parents.
  • 20:01 You know, they had to put in the work,
  • 20:03 too, because an eight-year-old doesn't know what she's
  • 20:05 supposed to do.
  • 20:06 So they were working along with me to try to make me
  • 20:09 into the most independent person that I could be.
  • 20:13 And then there were surgeries that were done early in my
  • 20:16 childhood to help me to learn how to walk and then give me
  • 20:22 more mobility, so, yes, it was a lot of work even though
  • 20:26 the initial healing took place as my mom described.
  • 20:32 There was more work that I, as a person,
  • 20:36 had to do in order to become the person that you
  • 20:39 see sitting here today.
  • 20:41 Caleb: That's right.
  • 20:42 And, like you said, what they said you wouldn't be able to do,
  • 20:46 you do now, and one of the things,
  • 20:49 you told me, they said that you would basically
  • 20:50 be mentally retarded.
  • 20:52 Jill: Yeah.
  • 20:53 Caleb: But none of this has ever affected your brain.
  • 20:54 Jill: No.
  • 20:56 Caleb: Exactly. You're smart.
  • 20:58 You're intelligent. You have a degree.
  • 21:00 Tell me what you've done with your life that you would not be
  • 21:04 able to do according to a doctor's standards of,
  • 21:06 you know, "your ailments."
  • 21:08 Jill: So, I graduated with high honors from high school,
  • 21:12 college, and seminary, and--
  • 21:14 Caleb: Wow.
  • 21:16 Jill: Yeah, I'm a huge theological nerd,
  • 21:18 and I decided to follow in my father's footsteps--
  • 21:21 Caleb: That's awesome.
  • 21:23 Jill: --and go to seminary from 2007 to 2010,
  • 21:25 and now I've used my postgraduate career in various
  • 21:29 ministry and mission opportunities for the last
  • 21:35 13 years to serve God and his church and the world who doesn't
  • 21:42 know him because there's a reason why I'm still here,
  • 21:47 and I say that not only because of what my birth story was like
  • 21:51 but because of what the rest of my life was like.
  • 21:56 Caleb: I find that amazing.
  • 21:58 It just brought to mind the story of Hannah and Samuel.
  • 22:02 She just wanted a child, but the price was giving that child back
  • 22:08 to God, and she was willing to pay the price.
  • 22:10 God did a miracle for her.
  • 22:11 You spent your life, it sounds like now,
  • 22:13 giving back to God because that's what the enemy
  • 22:15 was trying to stop.
  • 22:16 Jill: Yes.
  • 22:18 Caleb: I believe he can see into the spirit,
  • 22:19 you know, and he can see the light that's on us.
  • 22:22 He can see that destiny that God has stamped on our lives,
  • 22:24 and he tries to snuff us out even from our youth.
  • 22:27 Even when we're in the mother's womb,
  • 22:29 he tries that, but God has the last word in these things,
  • 22:33 and it's amazing.
  • 22:35 You're married now.
  • 22:36 Jill: Yes. Caleb: You're married now.
  • 22:37 Caleb: That's amazing, and you're doing ministry work,
  • 22:40 telling other people about Yeshua,
  • 22:42 about Jesus, that he can heal, deliver, and set free.
  • 22:45 Is there anything--take this last moment.
  • 22:49 I'd like you to talk to the camera to tell others who don't
  • 22:53 know Jesus why they should believe in our Messiah,
  • 22:57 what does he have to offer them.
  • 22:59 Jill: Jesus will never fail you.
  • 23:01 Jesus loves you more than you can possibly comprehend,
  • 23:05 so much so that he gave his life for you,
  • 23:09 and that doesn't mean that your life isn't going to be hard,
  • 23:13 and Jesus literally talks about that,
  • 23:16 but what you have, when you decide to believe in Jesus,
  • 23:20 is the assurance that the resurrection power of the risen
  • 23:25 Jesus Christ comes to live within you.
  • 23:32 I really hope you won't say, "No," to that because,
  • 23:35 if you decide to live for Jesus, I promise you,
  • 23:38 it's a decision you'll never regret.
  • 23:41 ♪♪♪
  • 23:50 Kirsten: Recognizing God's miracles in our lives is a gift
  • 23:56 of worship to him as we are full of gratitude,
  • 24:02 but we need to acknowledge that God did something miraculous
  • 24:05 in our lives.
  • 24:06 If you enjoyed Jill's story, please go on our
  • 24:09 social media outlets.
  • 24:10 We have more of her interview available on there.
  • 24:15 We are wrapping up another series.
  • 24:18 It always makes me a little sad to see this end,
  • 24:22 to see something end.
  • 24:23 Dr. Jeffrey Seif: You know, and I really loved doing
  • 24:25 a series on miracles, personally.
  • 24:28 In fact, the nation of Israel, the pictures behind us,
  • 24:30 it's a miracle done on the globe,
  • 24:33 but the Lord does miracles for individuals,
  • 24:37 and I'm so thrilled to have had the opportunity to participate
  • 24:41 with you in telling the story.
  • 24:43 David: I was gonna say, I think we need a lot more than
  • 24:45 eight programs to talk about miracles in the Bible
  • 24:47 and what's going on now.
  • 24:49 Dr. Jeffrey Seif: Listen, if we just picked every miracle in
  • 24:51 the Bible, we'd need a weekly program that covered
  • 24:55 a bunch in one program.
  • 24:57 There's so many.
  • 24:58 David: It's good.
  • 24:59 Kirsten: I love where it says that,
  • 25:01 if all the stories were written, the miracles that Jesus did,
  • 25:05 there aren't enough books to hold all of that.
  • 25:08 I mean, amazing, but we still have to learn when
  • 25:10 we get to heaven.
  • 25:12 Dr. Jeffrey Seif: Right, the world itself
  • 25:13 couldn't contain it.
  • 25:14 And there, in the Gospel of John,
  • 25:16 you know, there are a number of "I am" statements,
  • 25:18 "I am the way," "I am the door," "I am the resurrection."
  • 25:21 The word "Yahweh" or "Jehovah," associated with Jesus,
  • 25:25 God in the flesh, who lives to do breakthroughs on our behalf,
  • 25:32 that is so important.
  • 25:34 Kirsten: I don't know how you happened upon our program.
  • 25:37 Perhaps you watch every week, perhaps,
  • 25:39 somehow, you just turned this program on,
  • 25:42 or maybe you're on social media right now.
  • 25:44 We, from "Our Jewish Roots," from this program,
  • 25:48 would love to pray for your miracle.
  • 25:51 What do you need God to do in your life?
  • 25:55 And we will agree, as we're on a television set,
  • 25:58 that that would happen for you.
  • 26:00 Put your trust in him, in the risen Savior,
  • 26:04 and watch the miracles he does, and give thanks to him.
  • 26:08 That's worship to him in gratitude.
  • 26:10 David: Amen, that's good.
  • 26:12 Also, as you were just saying that,
  • 26:13 I was thinking that there may be some of you watching today that
  • 26:16 need a miracle to be able to go to Israel.
  • 26:20 Some of you have never been, and you'd love to go,
  • 26:24 but you think there's no way that you could get there
  • 26:26 financially or health.
  • 26:28 Pray for that miracle.
  • 26:30 We will take you to the Garden Tomb,
  • 26:32 where you saw Dr. Seif teaching today.
  • 26:34 The Pool of Siloam, we take you.
  • 26:36 So many life-changing places.
  • 26:38 You can find all the information on levitt.com.
  • 26:40 Join us. It's time to go.
  • 26:42 Kirsten: Wrap it up, wrap it up real quick.
  • 26:43 David: Yeah.
  • 26:45 Dr. Jeffrey Seif: Yes, and it's hard to put a bow
  • 26:47 on such a beautiful series, Bible teaching,
  • 26:50 great testimonies, but there's more to come.
  • 26:54 See, we wanna talk you into believing that there's a miracle
  • 26:57 even for you, and so, next week, we have individual testimonies,
  • 27:02 glorious testimonies.
  • 27:04 We wanna get faith to arise in you.
  • 27:06 Come back in a week.
  • 27:07 Till then--
  • 27:09 [speaking in Hebrew] Sha'alu Shalom Yerushalayim.
  • 27:11 Kirsten: Pray for the peace of Jerusalem.
  • 27:15 ♪♪♪
  • 27:17 David: Join us right now for additional content that is only
  • 27:19 available on our social media sites.
  • 27:22 Visit our website, levitt.com, for the current and past
  • 27:26 programs, the television schedule,
  • 27:28 tour information, and our free monthly newsletter,
  • 27:32 which is full of insightful articles and news commentary.
  • 27:35 View it online, or we can ship it directly to your mailbox
  • 27:39 every month.
  • 27:40 Also on our website is the online store.
  • 27:43 There you can order this week's resource,
  • 27:45 or you can always give us a call at 1-800-WONDERS.
  • 27:49 Your donations to Zola Levitt Ministries helps us to support
  • 27:53 these organizations as they bless Israel.
  • 27:55 Please remember, we depend on tax-deductible donations
  • 27:59 from viewers like you.
  • 28:01 ♪♪♪
  • 28:11 ♪♪♪

Episodes in this series

  1. The Holy Spirit
  2. The Exodus
  3. Death and Life
  4. Exile and Return
  5. The Incarnation
  6. Our Daily Bread
  7. The Physical Realm
  8. Our Greatest Need
  9. Bonus interviews

Guest organizations and links