Nothing is as heart-breaking as seeing God's family divided by bitterness, anger, lack of purpose, criticalness, gossip, apathy, human-centeredness.
Nothing is as inspiring as seeing God's church repent, rebuild, and reach out to the world.
I say this because in my short-life as a Christian, I have seen the church crumble, but I've also seen churches pick up the pieces and become even stronger.
I feel that in our church, we have a lot of rebuilding to do. It is not because I know a lot of the issues happening around, it is because I feel it. I hear it in the sermons at times, or in conversations. I feel, hear, and experience some kind of sadness over where the church is at.
However, I also feel that people want to rebuild. There is some sense of concern and desire for change. Where do we start?
I really don't know but I am inspired by this quiet time. And I wanna share it with you.
"When God builds His church"
First and foremost, it IS GOD'S CHURCH. God's church can only be built by Him. God's design for his church is HIS design, not ours. God's mission, purpose, standards, vision for HIS church are HIS, not man's.
I say this because oftentimes, we try to rebuild using our own mental skills and physical abilities. We have lots of opinions on what is good for the church, and what is not. Leaders lead relying on their talent. People complain based on what they think they know.
I remember attending a leader's training seminar in the Philippines. When it was time to discuss the purpose, vision, and mission of the church, opinions came from left to right. It came to a point where division was about to break out. I praise God because the facilitators where led by God to stop the discussion for an hour. We were asked to pray for wisdom, guidance, and for unity. After we came back together, he said, "We are touching on something divine. The direction of the church is something which God alone can define. We need to be very spiritual about this. Satan is trying to stop us, but we need to pray."
In that sector, the vision, purpose, and mission of the church are directly quoted from the Bible. To this day, the Great Commission and the Great Commandments are bearing spiritual fruits in the lives of the disciples and saving people's lives.
Back to this quiet time...
Shortly after the Isrealites sinned against God by worshipping a golden calf, God commissioned Moses to build a place of worship for Him.
God is building a physical temple in this case, but I believe that we can get a lot of principles from these scriptures in building God's spiritual temple among us. We can also see God's excellent character by looking at the details of the whole process.
Key Scripture: The design of the temple Exodus chapters 25-28. Building the temple Exodus chapters 35-40.
1. God left nothing to chance. He was very specific and detail oriented.
From the materials, down to the dimensions, down to the designs of the poles for carrying, to the rims, God was very, very specific. God gave very specific instructions on building them and all that Moses needed to do was obey. Some say that every detail has its own spiritual significance too. God was communicating something in every structure he ordered made. As to what, we must research.
How do you think we can build God's spiritual church today such that we don't deviate from God's instructions?
2. God wanted His temple beautiful, representative of who He is.
The materials used were fit for a king. See the list in Exodus 35:5-9. An article I read said that in modern day measurement, the gold, silver, and bronze used were 2,800 lbs, 9600 lbs, and 6,700 lbs respectively (Exodus 38:24-29).
Never mind that the Israelites were in the middle of the dessert. God had foresight enough to allow the Israelites to "loot" the Egyptians during the Exodus.
In the middle of the desert, the Temple was literally and spiritually, the treasure of the Israelite nation. It was made from precious materials and their precious God dwelt in it.
Today, what does the Bible say is the temple of God? How can we make this temple fit for our King? Do you think God desires to dwell in a beautiful temple among us today?
3. God called the people to get involved and the people responded willingly.
The truth is, the temple wouldn't have been made if the people were unwilling to participate. All the materials came from the people's donations, and all the work was done by the Israelites themselves.
It was very, very moving because God made it clear that the materials should come from people who are "willing to give", or from those whose hearts prompted them to give. (Exodus 25:1-4)
The result was, people gave more than what was needed. Moses had to restrain them from giving some more!!! (Exodus 36:4-7).
Having come from disappointing God (golden calf), the people repented and gave as much as they could give. A classic example of how brokenness produces gratitude, which is expressed in generousity to give.
I am sure that God was pleased. Not just because of the amount raised but because of the hearts that made the offerings.
What will it take for our spiritual church to give overwhelmingly the way the Israelites did? How can our hearts come this level of gratitude?
4. When God wants to build His temple, He provides.
Exodus 35-36 mentions that it was God who gave the craftsmen their ability to create and to teach others. This shows us that when God asks us to do something, it is because He has already provided us with the means to do so. We just need to act.
The materials needed were also provided by God when the Israelites came out of Egypt. One important thing to remember also was that God was specific about the needs of the temple. Moses and the leaders communicated the needs of the temple to the people. The people who had the ability to meet the needs came forward and gave willingly.
What are the needs of the church today? Can you see how we have what it takes to meet those needs? What percentage of the church should get involved? What should the leaders do? What should the members do?
OUR CHURCH TODAY
We can learn so much about building God's church today from the building of the temple. To close, allow me to share some scriptures from the NT about God's modern day church.
1. We are God's workmanship. Ephesians 2:8-9
2. We are building the body of Christ today and God has given us the abilities to build God's church. The ultimate goal is unity in the faith and in the knowledge of Christ. So that we may all attain the fullness of Christ. Ephesians 4:11-13
3. Each part must do its role in love. Ephesians 4:15-16.
4. Specific commands for becoming God's children of Light, which the church needs to grown in today (Ephesians 4-6)
- Put off falsehood and speak truthfully to neighbor
- Discuss disputes urgently
- Each member working and productive, and giving to those in need
- No unwholesome talk, only those that will build others (those who listen may benefit)
- Do not grieve the Holy Spirit
- Get rid of bitterness, rage, anger, brawling, slander, malice
- Be kind and compassionate to each other, forgiving each other
- Live a life of live
- Not even a hint of sexual immorality or any kind of impurity or greed
- No foolish talk, obscenity, coarse joking, only THANKSGIVING
- Do not get involved in deeds of darkness, expose them.
- Do not get drunk in wine (debauchery)
- Be filled with the Spirit
- Sing psalms, hymns, spiritual songs
- Submit to one another.
The next scriptures are about building awesome families, excelling at work, and putting on the full armor of God.
Come to think of it, we have a lot to grow in, don't we?
Let us keep on praying for God to build His temple among us!!!
Sunday, December 30, 2007
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
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