by Matthew Crouch
There is no experience or blessing that quite equals a tour of Israel, the land of God’s people. Over the years TBN has hosted many wonderful Holy Land tours, but I don’t think any could quite compare to our just-completed Grace Israel Tour 2016 — G16 — which Laurie and I hosted with our friend Pastor Joseph Prince. I think the nearly 1,500 faithful and dear partners from around the world who joined us on the tour would agree: G16 was a trip that none of us will ever forget.
My parents, Paul and Jan Crouch, hosted TBN’s very first Holy Land tour back in 1975 with a little less than three hundred partners, and over the next nearly forty years they led thousands of people on more than thirty such tours. They loved introducing friends and “TBN family” to this beautiful and blessed land. It was their belief that visiting Israel was a way that just about anyone could experience the land of the Bible in an impacting way while embracing God’s Genesis 12:3 promise that He would bless those who bless Israel.
Laurie and I have really desired to continue that great tradition started by my mom and dad, and the incredible G16 tour — with its magnificent sightseeing, awesome worship, and life-changing teaching by Pastor Joseph Prince — was an unforgettable blessing. I believe that to a person, everyone involved was touched by God in a special way and returned to their homes with a renewed passion to love and serve Jesus.
Here are some highlights of the major stops and events during our ten-day G16 Holy Land tour:
Jerusalem’s Southern Steps
We had a great start to the tour with a special worship service in Jerusalem at the Southern Steps — the very steps that Jesus would have climbed on His way to the Temple. Following a time of praise and worship led by Javen and the Binions, Pastor Joseph Prince brought a powerful teaching on grace, reminding us that “Grace is not a theology, it is not a subject matter, and it is not a doctrine. Grace is a person, and His name is Jesus.”
The Sea of Galilee
Our next service took place on the shores of Galilee — the same sea where Jesus walked on the waters and calmed the raging storm. The New Creation Band opened for Pastor Prince before he brought a powerful message on our victory in Christ, reminding us that as God’s children of grace, we don’t fight the enemy for victory, but we fight from a position of the victory that Jesus has already won for us. Many were touched and encouraged by the message and ministry.
Baptismal Service at the River Jordan
The Jordan River is the same river where Jesus Himself was baptized by John the Baptist (Matthew3:13-17). We had a wonderful time with a group of our tour members from the U.S. who wanted to take the unique opportunity to be baptized in this very special location. A number of pastors on the tour — including TBN’s staff pastor, D Robinson — baptized nearly 400 of our dear partners. As you might imagine, it was a glorious, unforgettable moment!
During the baptism service Javen and the Binions led us all in worship, and while they sang I noticed an Israeli soldier standing nearby — with tears visibly welling up in his eyes. God was definitely at work in that moment. There is power in the Name of Jesus!
Here’s another interesting note: while the baptism’s were taking place, we noticed a white dove flying overhead, as if to punctuate the importance of what was happening in the river — and prompting many of us to remember that the Holy Spirit Himself is, indeed, always present.
As this special baptism service concluded, literally hundreds of our precious and dear partners lined up to share with Laurie and me some wonderful testimonies and stories of how God has used TBN to work in their lives. It was extremely encouraging, not just for Laurie and me, but for our entire TBN team.
Caesarea
On Sunday we enjoyed a memorable finale to a wonderful G16 tour, with a service at the ancient Roman amphitheater in Caesarea. According to the Book of Acts, it was in Caesarea that Simon Peter shared the Gospel with Cornelius, a Roman Centurion who became the first Gentile convert. And from Caesarea the Apostle Paul carried the gospel to much of the rest of the known world.
As we worshiped and fellowshipped on that evening, we took a quick survey and discovered that between 35 and 40 countries were represented by the G16 tour participants, including: Brazil, Kenya, Greece, Uganda, Barbados, Peru, Colombia, the Netherlands, England, Malaysia, Indonesia, New Zealand, Botswana, Switzerland, Belize, the Philippines, South Africa, Hong Kong, Hungary, Curacao, Turks and Caicos Islands, Austria, Australia, Ireland, India, Mexico, Ghana, Bolivia, Belgium, Honduras, Panama, the Dominican Republic, Nigeria, Canada, Singapore, the United States, and Israel.
Communion at the Garden Tomb
One of our final activities as a group was having a moving communion service at the Garden Tomb, celebrating the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. What a great ending to an amazing G16 tour. Once again Laurie and I were able to greet a lot of our tour participants afterwards, and hear more stories and testimonies about families and communities who are being blessed and impacted by the great new programming on your TBN.
G16 was the second Holy Land tour Laurie and I hosted with Joseph Prince (the first was in 2012). Each of these wonderful trips provides a unique and life-changing opportunity for us to meet and get to know many new friends and TBN partners from all over the world. It truly is a one-of-a-kind opportunity for each of us to fellowship and unite in one accord as we continue to strengthen every member of the Trinity Broadcasting Family of Networks, around the world — one nation, one channel, one broadcast at a time!
We’re already looking forward to our next Israel tour.
