I guess the Mediterranean is tumultuous in several different ways.   The sea can be rough, friends of mine witnessed a tragic fatal drowning in Tel Aviv in Israel, and the bible tells us of how rough the sea was when Paul crashed him boat off the coast of Malta.   As well as wars in Israel and Egypt, there was the war in Cyprus in 1974 when half of it was taken over by Turkey.   So I guess Gibraltar’s rock lets you see what goes in and out of the Mediterranean, a pretty unbeatable place for a military base.

This is a tiny place.

Gib (common nick name by local people) feels like a pleasant British town with red telephone boxes, Pounds sterling (with its own slightly different coins) although people driving on the right with British style plates starting with ‘G…..’   They have their own telephone provider, so I decided not to turn on data on my smart phone, which meant looking on maps was a bit tricky. There probably isn’t much crime in Gibraltar but also I wonder if the police seem a bit harsh!

The Youth hostel I stayed it is clean and functional, dingy and somewhat dull and not much more I can say about it.   I only saw one other visitor as it seemed fairly dead.   It’s the only hostel there and I’m sure most people are only there for just the one night.    Interesting enough, there was an African chap who was running the reception called Idris, the same name as a early figure in Morocco’s history.

This picture I saw in a window of a Jewish owned shop shows pleasant relations with different faith systems there.

It seems much of the shopping in Gibraltar is aimed at British mostly cigarettes and alcohol available tax free.  There’s a few nice gift shops as well, as restaurants offering a lot of British style food.    I was exploring around until quite late, so by the time I went to find somewhere for dinner it was 10pm and most places were closed, so I went to the local pizza hut.

Although it was a Sunday I planned to climb up to the top of the rock that morning, I saw a few sign posts for some Evangelical and Catholic churches there.   Many of the Jews here are of Moroccan descent.   The Jewish community of Gibraltar is quite interesting.   There are about 600 of them, and I saw signs around the city that they were all prepared for the coming (Purim) holidays.  I actually saw some Orthodox people coming out of a synagogue which I asked them for directions to my youth hostel.

Here’s some other well known residents who live here, the Macaques are the only apes that live in Europe, they live on top of the rock but do sometimes get nosy and explore around the town.   There’s a £4000 (!) fine if you are caught feeding them, as they are only meant to eat plain fruit and vegetables.

The plaque shown in the top right was a memorial funded by local Gib taxi drivers for the loss of one of the monkeys a few years ago.

Going from the top of town up to the top of the rock….

You can clearly see Gibraltar airport runway strip which is part of the border crossing to get in here from Spain.   I think this highest pinnacle isn’t reachable by anyone, would make a great place to do climbing though

Getting down from the rock is made simple with a Swiss style cable car for a £6.75 ticket.

I didn’t get to travel to the bottom coast of Gib as it was time to start to book my ferry.   Contrary to what I had read, to get the boat across to Tangier, actually required getting a bus a short distance to Algeciras (pretty sure thats an Arabic name too) in Spain, which I could jump on the boat just as it was starting to get dark.

Related:  Other tiny countries I have seen:-Andorra, Gibraltar, Iceland, Liechtenstein,  Luxembourg, Malta, 
Monaco, San Marino

Previous – 2. Spain, the bottom of Europe and the rock of Gibraltar

Next – 4. Sailing to Tangier

I’ve always wondered what it means in the bible about a dog returning to its vomit.   Proverbs 26 : 11

I’m guessing its to do with patterns of sin we often fall into.

In the last year I’ve seen actors and pop stars find the Lord, but later they get back into the drugs and a previous lifestyle only later.   Some Christians have some kind of background in new age before they are saved, and I worry when later they think it won’t hurt try Reiki (founded in Bhuddism) or hypnotism or reflexology (not recognised by mainstream medicine)

This blog article seems to cover this very well:-

https://gospelife.wordpress.com/2008/04/22/the-folly-of-returning-to-vomit/ 

Currently watching war unfold between Israel and Gaza.   Make no mistake, the clear danger here is Hamas, the political ruler and Islamic terror group that control the Gaza strip.   Innocent people are going to be tragically get caught up on both sides here.  I am praying that Israel can do what’s needed to completely disable Hamas terror group and stop sources of deadly weapons which have potential to threaten about 3/4s of the whole of Israel, as well place Palestinian people in danger of being killed as terrorist infrastructure tends to be built next to schools, mosques and hospitals in Gaza, which is just twice the size of the Isle of WIght but with 1.5 million people.

These days I live and work in London, and I’m trying to catch up with contacting some of my friends and colleagues I worked and got to know in Israel with Skype, seems people are coping well with unstable situation and uncertainty, although Israel has faced wars and threats including its modern day formation in 1948, The Six day War and Yom Kippur War in 1967 and 1973 respectively, as well intafadas and terrorism that have caused many sources of tragedy that have happened as well.

Now due to various different fake peace plans it seems a ground invasion is about to happen.   

I’m looking for a church here near my new home in London, I’ve got to know several different circles of Messianic Jews, in fact I also see many different small niche churches and home churches of believers for a particular nationality, last weekend I was looking for a friends church, but even with using Google Maps on my phone, I couldn’t find my friend’s church so I spoke to some people in the street who were going to a completely different church which was made of people from Zimbabwe, a country I don’t really know much about apart from they have many troubles there.

In addition to groups of Messianic believers I’ve met in Israel and UK, here in London I’ve seen a church at the background of a Chinese restaurant for Chinese believers in London, Persian church with evening services for Armenians, Japanese people doing a special service borrowing a normal Anglican church.   I found this really exciting as we see Christians in London able to reach out to their own brothers and sisters of the same ethnicity without feeling like they are losing their identity.

I’ve still yet to exactly decide on a regular congregation to go to on a Sunday, but I need to soon as I miss not having a cell group and want to make some new friends soon.   These smaller congregations are great, but I’d like to find a church that’s suitable for young single professionals like me, with good teaching, worship and fellowship.

Something I find that troubles me is people I know in Israel and UK, Jewish and Gentile believers who are involved with ministry projects, are under a different type of threats.  I’m seeing spiritual attack in last month or so, in terms of IT equipment failure of large ministry friends of mine work for, and believers getting into disunity with each other, its sad when brothers and sisters in the Lord have fall outs it makes it awkward for those who are mutual friends of those involved.    One of these circumstances happened purely out of asking two friends to meet up for beer, not realising something happened between them, resulting in me being shunned.

The blogging world can be great, to share whats going on with how someone is serving the Lord or reporting on whats happening to a particular group of believers in particular area of ministry.    Something I have seen is often when reporting on false teachers and those promoting a false gospel, is that you can end up spending too much on these things, and can end up missing out in your spiritual life.

I’ve done reporting on such things in the past, I really right now want to seek to understand and learn how spiritual gifts are, and wondered if I have wasted time as a believer than I could of spent better.

Despite several bad things that happened that obviously have been an attack of the enemy (not that’s an excuse for the way we may battle with each other)  I’ve been really blessed by my new job in London, and the Lord has provided many new exciting opportunities have happened, I’ve also seen exciting projects come to fruition by friends reaching out to those in need that really inspire me.   It is at times like this that enemy wants to plant strife and dischord.

Continue to pray for the peace of Jerusalem, and protection on those you know who are in Israel or are involved with projects for Jewish or Arab people.

To many Christians, taking an interest in Israel and Jewish people may seem just another type of niche type of ministry project no different from any other.

My friend Justin who was volunteering on the staff of the church I was at in Jerusalem for 4 years mentions this:-

“Now Justin aren’t you being a little narrow in focusing so much on Israel and the Jewish people?

Here is why I am not, we are commanded and called specifically to pray for the peace of Jerusalem and Israel, and the Jewish people, throughout the Bible The Holy Scriptures in countless passages.

Why? Because that is GOD’S Land, and they are GOD’S original people, whom HE called and whom HE has chosen, through whom we also have received the preserved Word of GOD, our faith, and ultimately the MESSIAH through their lineage and geneology.

Therefore when you pray for Israel you are not only praying for Israel, but for the world, because when you support your forefathers in the faith, and when you support GOD’S people, that translates to favor, and blessing upon you and the world, and the preservation of things. But when you neglect and abuse, you fail to support and oppose GOD’S People, if you could care less and don’t recognize GOD’S People it will be a curse, and a judgment upon the world.

So a prayer for Israel and a prayer for GOD’S People is a prayer for the world and its preservation and salvation. Furthermore with that in mind we as Christian believers I wholeheartedly believe are an extension of Israel by adoption, and one with the true believers of Israel that ultimately will accept and embrace JESUS CHRIST as their LORD and SAVIOR as well, through the connection and union of ourselves with THE MOSHIACH THE JEWISH MESSIAH CHRIST JESUS.

There are various scriptures which reference this and give light to it. That is why I emphasized prayer for the Christian Church specifically at this time as well. Then of course I referenced prayer for the lost and unbelieving in JESUS CHRIST as well, that they too would repent of their sins, and be saved by inviting JESUS into their hearts and lives to be their LORD and SAVIOR to fill them with HIS HOLY SPIRIT, and delivered from the impending tribulation judgment that could take place very soon by the looks of things in the world, and the end times events that very well could be preparing to be unleashed in the very near future.”