Tag: new temple

Sunday rest and reflection!

Posted in all Sunday rest 2014 - May 4, 2014 - 0 Comment

Sunday May 4th, 2014

Dear Friends,

As we finished the reading of the Chronicles, the history of the Old Testament Church should jog our own memories!  The Israelites had the temple and God’s presence in their midst.  They had priests and kings placed by God as leaders and prophets to call them to godly conduct and a relationship by faith.  But this people rejected the call of the prophets and the people and leaders got involved in the world and neglected God!  They reached a point of “no remedy” but loss of their land and temple and then captivity!

We certainly have something better!  We have a New Covenant through the blood of Jesus Christ!  We are now living stones in the New Temple and the glorious Presence of God in the Holy Spirit lives in us!  Let’s gather today as His Temple and Bride to pray, worship, partake of Holy Communion, and hear His Word!  Jesus is coming and He is our remedy!  We must be about His business!

In His Love, Pastor John and Mary

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The new Temple of God!

Posted in 1st and 2nd Chronicles-BibleTrekToday - August 7, 2013 - 0 Comment

Scripture reading for August 7th: 1st Corinthians 3:5-23

The Corinthians were babes in their thinking.  They were following various teachers who had been preaching in their area.  There was pride and competition going on.  Some were bragging about their teacher Apollos and others boasted about Paul being a great apostle.  But these were merely servants who Christ Jesus had used to sow into their lives.  (1st Corinthians 3:5-7)

“Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you?  If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him; for God’s temple is sacred, and you are that temple.” (1st Corinthians 3:16-17)  By their quarreling and divisions, they were destroying the unity of the body of Christ.  They did not understand that the real temple of God was now their own bodies individually and their gathering together in unity corporately.  God’s Spirit lived in them and they were now sacred.  Others who loved Jesus were sacred too, regardless of who they had been discipled and taught by.

Paul used the analogy of building a house.  As an apostle, he had come and helped lay the foundation for the new temple.  This foundation had been laid by God and Jesus Christ was the cornerstone!  No other foundation could be laid for this new temple!  (1st Corinthians 3:10-11)  Paul then talked about building on the foundation with different building materials.  Some builders used gold, silver and costly stones.  Others used wood, hay or straw.  The costly building materials made for a more permanent house.  The wood, hay and straw were very temporary and not so beautiful.

The day when Christ Jesus returns will test the building materials.  “. .his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light.  It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work.  If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward.  If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but as through the flames.” (1st Corinthians 3:13-15)

As the new temple of God, we must be allowing the Spirit to build our temple with the gold of faith.  We must use the silver to make our temple a house of service.  The precious jewels are those we win to Christ by our faithful service.  May your temple bring glory on that Day of fire!

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The Glory Returns!

Posted in Ezekiel-BibleTrekToday - August 29, 2009 - 0 Comment

Scripture reading for August 29th: Ezekiel 40-43

“Then the man brought me to the gate facing east, and I saw the glory of the God of Israel coming from the east. His voice was like the roar of rushing waters, and the land was radiant with His glory. The vision I saw was like the vision I had seen when he came to destroy the city and like the visions I had seen by the Kebar River, and I fell face down.  The glory of the Lord entered the temple through the gate facing east.  The the Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner court and the glory of the Lord filled the temple.” Ezekiel 43:1-5

Ezekiel had been taken with the “hand of the Lord” upon him to the city of Jerusalem. (Ezekiel 40:1) It was not quite the “hair-raising” experience of his first trip!  (Ezekiel 8:3)   This time Ezekiel found a heavenly being with an appearance that glowed like bronze.  This man had a linen cord and measuring rod in his hand and told Ezekiel to pay attention and tell the house of Israel everything he saw.  This ‘man’ proceeded to measure everything in the temple and surrounding area, showing Ezekiel that the temple had been precisely rebuilt and all the furniture and needed rooms for priests and places of cleansing and sacrifice had been restored.

It was after this measuring job that Ezekiel beheld his vision of a returning Glory!  He saw the cloud of glowing glory coming from the east!  The land was radiant with the glowing fire. The Lord was speaking and the sound was like roaring waters!  It was like the earlier vision when the Lord had destroyed the city and Ezekiel fell face down.  He saw the glory of the Lord enter the temple where it had departed, through the east gate!  Suddenly, Ezekiel found himself inside the temple and it was filled with the glory of the Lord!  (Ezekiel 43:3-5)

From inside the temple, a voice spoke to him, giving him wisdom and insight.  “Son of Man, this is the place of My throne and the place for My feet.  This is where I will live among the Israelites forever.” (Ezekiel 43:7)  Ezekiel was told that he was to describe the temple to the Israelites and that as they considered the plan,  if they would be ashamed of all their sins, God would reveal the design of the temple to them!  (Ezekiel 43:10-11)

This beautiful restored temple is currently composed of living stones.  God’s glory fills each stone as they look to Jesus Christ, who baptizes them in His Holy Spirit with a deposit of heavenly glory!  God is truly dwelling in the midst of His people.  They now know Him and His laws are written on their hearts and God has forgiven them their sins and remembers these sins no more.  (Ezekiel 36:24-27) (Jeremiah 31:31-34)  We will behold His glory from within the heavenly city and temple forever and ever!

The most encouraging and comforting thing for any child of God is to be close to His glory!  The glory departing is the deepest of darkness and agony.  Take time today to enjoy the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ!

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