Chapter 9
Published on Sunday, 17 April 2011 15:10 | Written by Administrator | | | Hits: 5166
Review of the Tabernacle's Message
The True Church
The Tabernacle, as we have seen, was God’s physical structure symbolizing; Jesus Christ, God’s plan of salvation, and the church. Everything about it, everything in it and/or brought into it, and every ceremony connected with it was symbolic. Even the priests who ministered there were types of Christ and believers. (see: Appendix 2). It has long been recognized that the true church is not a combination of boards, bricks, mortar and glass. The church is, in fact, the redeemed believers of whatever denomination.
God doesn't save denominations, He saves people!It was this relationship between Christ, the church, the ministries they perform and the gospel message they proclaim, that the Tabernacle symbolized.
The Gospel in Wood, Fabric and Metal
This, the most perfect, altogether beautiful and holy structure ever to adorn the earth, was God’s Gospel written in fabric, wood and precious metals (see:Appendix 2). Every structure designed and built by men, for God, has been less perfect, less holy. Just as the religions of men have diluted and polluted the pure worship of God, so the temples, cathedrals, and chapels, have been less than what God first ordained. Men look upon them in awe but God looks upon them with disdain.
Jesus left the temple and was walking away when his disciples came up to him to call his attention to its buildings. "Do you see all these things?" He asked. "I tell you the truth, not one stone here will be left on another: every one will be thrown down." Matthew 24:1-2 NIV (italics mine).
This is not because God doesn't appreciate the sincere efforts of men and women with a desire to please Him. Too often, however, people forget that the first ingredient in any attempt to please God is obedience to His will. God doesn't need anything. The heavens, the earth and all they contain are His. What He wants from us is our love. We show our love through our obedience. Jesus said:
15 "If you love me , you will obey what I command. John 14:15; NIV
As one would approach the Tabernacle the first and most obvious thing to catch the eye would be the pure white linen fence. Moving around to the east-end, the next thing to draw attention would be beautifully ornate, brightly colored, gate to the courtyard. Upon drawing closer the acacia wood posts with their bronze bases, silver caps and hooks would become clearly visible. It would quickly become obvious to any reasonable person that the only way in, without acting like a criminal, is through the gate on the east-end of the courtyard.
Jesus the True Shepherd
"Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. John 10:1; NKJV
Jesus is the only legitimate gate into the presence of God and the life he offers (John 10:1-7). He invites all who will come (John 3:16). Any religious leader who points to any other way than Jesus is a thief and robber (John 10:7-9).
Upon entering the courtyard the first thing the visitor would come to was the bronze Altar of Burnt Offering. This was the first and most prominent article in the courtyard. Until an appropriate blood sacrifice was made here, one could go no further. Likewise, until a person comes to the cross in repentance, and by faith, accepts the death of Jesus and the reconciliation it offers, it is impossible to draw any closer to God. Rejection of Jesus the Son is a rejection of God the Father.
Behind the bronze altar, and in front of the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, was the Laver. The Laver contained the water for washing. The priests were not permitted to enter the Tent of Meeting until they washed their hands and feet.We saw that Aaron, the high priest, was symbolic of Jesus, our High Priest, and that the other Levites were symbolic of all true followers of Christ Jesus. The of water represented the cleansing of self-judgment inspired by the Word of God, and the Holy Spirit who reveals Christ and the scriptures to us.
As the priest approached the door to the Tent of Meeting he first began to see the Glory of God. He first saw the five gold pillars holding the curtain at the entrance by five gold hooks (five symbolizing God’s grace and man’s responsibility) gold representing royalty, divine nature and glory).
We noted that this curtain formed a barrier that not everyone could pass through. No one dared enter except an anointed priest and even they dared not enter without the washing at the Laver.
Once inside, the priest observed the pure silver foundation, approximately 7,500 pounds of silver. This was testifying that God’s church must be built upon, " Jesus Christ and Him crucified" because His blood was the precious price of our redemption.
Personal Humility
The priest would now behold the walls of gold. These walls, made up of forty-eight acacia boards covered with gold, visible from inside, spoke of Jesus and those who believe in and follow Him. As the trees had to be cut down to form the boards, ending forever their life in the earth, so the true follower must be cut off from the world as his, or her, source of life and strength. This occurs as the Holy Spirit wielding the Word of God, sharper than any double-edged sword (Heb. 4:12 NIV) brings him to repentance.
As the sap of the tree had to dry up, so the spirit of the old self must die and give way to the Spirit of God. This is not to imply that becoming a believer means we have achieved perfection only that we have begun to be changed. The believer must then be shaped and fitted by the trials of life, to take his, or her, proper place in the church which is Christ’s body (1 Co. 12:27).
This is a lifelong and often painful process as our will is being conformed to His will. Like logs with numerous knots and twisted grain, we tend to resist the trimming and shaping and many have to suffer much before it can be accomplished. Then, and only then, they take on a new beauty that is not their own, like the boards that were covered in gold.
As time passes and more and more of the change is accomplished, the old form becomes scarcely recognizable, if at all. They are no longer trees, but boards, and not just boards, but part of a wall, fitted to come together in perfect unity to serve the purpose for which they were prepared. We need not fear or resist this process, Jesus went through the trimming and shaping before us:
Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered and once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him and was designated by God to be high priest in the order of Melchizedek. Hebrews 5:8-10 NIV (italics mine).
The Promise of a New Order
As was mentioned, counting the double boards at the corners, there were a total of fifty of these boards making up the walls. Twenty were on the south side, twenty on the north side. The west wall, the back wall of the Most Holy Place, however, was broken down as six frames plus two corner frames which equals eight (Exodus 26:22-25).
However, the two corner frames were double from bottom to the top fastened with rings so there were actually four (two double frames) forming the two corners making the back wall a total of ten frames (six plus the two double frame corners).
This is significant since two is symbolic of witness, four is the number of the world, six is the number of man and ten is the number indicating divine law and order. Twenty is the number representing readiness for service. Forty is the number of testing. Fifty symbolizes Jubilee. Eight is the number for resurrection, new beginning, new order, new method, system, plan, controlling group or class. The established order; the Law, the Aaronic Priesthood with its sacrifices and holy days, was tested but found wanting as God clearly knew it would be.
The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming -- not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship. Hebrews 10:1 NIV (italics mine).
This structure was witness to the world of God's covenant promise to replace the old order and bring about the redemption of those who would believe and resurrect them to a new beginning. One of the most amazing things about the Tabernacle is its revelation to us of God’s; love, mercy, wisdom and foreknowledge*. The very fact of His having a plan to provide a Savior tells much about all of these.
* Knowledge of something before it happens.
Not visible from inside, but vital to the strength and stability of the walls were; the tenons (hands) of the boards that were set into the silver bases, the five gold covered rods and the ropes and stakes that secured the boards in their place. It is clear that these boards, each one cubic (18 inches wide) and ten cubits (15 feet tall), were never intended to stand-alone. Even when firmly anchored in the one talent (75 pound) base of silver they could easily be tipped over by a moderate wind. The believer who tries to go it alone -- not needing the church to "be a Christian" is equally vulnerable.
Just as each board was designed to be secured to other boards as part of a wall -- so we were designed to be part of Christ’s body, the church. The one middle rod, symbolizing Jesus, went through the center, that is the heart, of each of the boards linking them together as a single unit. The other four rods, representing the four Gospels that would one day tell Jesus story to the world, added strength and support, locking the boards into a strong wall.
Even when tied with the rods into a single wall unit there would be little stability with only the silver bases to keep them upright. Those believers who form "clicks" within an assembly whether within a local church, or within a denomination, are like the single wall – firmly tied to each other but unstable.
It was only when secured to the boards forming the other two walls that they became more secure. We need to maintain unity with all other true believers, even other churches, to be our strongest and most stable.
Then when the coverings, symbolizing His character, were in place with ropes, symbolizing Christ’s love, securing the walls to the stakes driven deep into the ground, symbolizing His burial and resurrection, the structure became very secure and was well able to withstand the storms and elements of the desert.
As the priest raised his eyes toward heaven he would behold the beauty of the white linen curtain with the cherubim woven in scarlet. blue and purple. This reminds the believer of the one true God who is seated upon His throne between the cherubim, pure, holy, undefiled and full of glory.
Not seen from within, but of great significance, were the curtains of goats hair which remind us that Jesus was our scapegoat and removed our sin forever. The covering of rams skins were died red to remind us that Jesus loved us enough to shed His blood for us. The outer covering of hides of sea cows, remind us of His humility and faithful service which set an example for us to follow.
As the priest begins his ministries in the Holy Place, the earthly home of the King of Kings, he first goes to the Lamp, the only source of light for the Tent of Meeting. The ministries of the Lord cannot be carried on in darkness. The priest must trim the wicks and see that there is sufficient oil.
The lamp, as we’ve seen, represents Jesus and His body of believers. The light is symbolic of the light of God’s Truth. The oil symbolizes the Holy Spirit -- the source of wisdom and power to witness. Unless we tend to this ministry as our Lord commanded us, there can be no light in the world.
He then comes to the King’s table called the Table of Shewbread, the place of communion with God. Twelve new loaves, called the Bread of Presence, symbolic of believers, had to be placed on the table each week and covered with pure white frankencense, symbolizing prayers and the Holy Spirit. These were to replace the old loaves. We too, have to be refreshed by frequent fellowship with the Lord, lest we become stale. In Revelation, Jesus warns the church at Ephesus about having lost their first love.
"Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. Remember the height from which you have fallen! repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place." Revelation 2:4-5 NIV (italics mine).
The last place of ministry in the Holy Place was the gold Altar of Incense which represents the ministry of prayer. The position of the Golden Altar of Incense was directly in front of the Ark of the Covenant with only the shielding curtain between them.
This was the traditional position, directly in front of a palace throne, where the subjects of the king would come to make petition of him for his favor and blessings. It is fitting then that we would come to this place, symbolically, to petition the King of all kings.
This was last in order, not because prayer should be the last thing we do, but because to be ready for an effective ministry of intercessory prayer, the believer must have tended to the other ministries first. Far too often we attempt to make this our first stop in approaching the Lord. If we have not been properly filled with the light of Truth and oil of the Spirit, and tended to our fellowship with the Lord and with each other, how can we expect to be effective in our ministry of intercessory prayers.
As was mentioned earlier, only the anointed High Priest could enter the Most Holy Place, and then only with the blood of an offering . Jesus has entered the Most Holy Place in Heaven, and He did so with His own blood (Heb. 8:2; 9:11-12). It was also mentioned that the veil was torn from top to bottom at Jesus death opening the way into the Most Holy Place (Mk. 15:38; Lk. 23:45).
This is true, of course, but it must be realized that we now have, only spiritual access through our prayers by the power of the Holy Spirit, with the promise of full access when we are changed from these bodies of flesh to spiritual bodies and are made like Him. For now, we have only a dim view of the Tabernacle, but one day we will see Jesus, the true Tabernacle, as He is, and we will be one with Him as He is one with the Father (1 Co. 13:12; Jn. 17:21; 1 Jn. 3:2). Praise the LORD!
For now, we are confined to these bodies of clay, and to a world filled with temptations and trials. We live in a world where our senses and perceptions often confuse and deceive us. Yet, we are not left without hope, no matter how hopeless our situation may seem. We serve a Savior, who cared enough to set aside the glory He had with the Father. Setting aside the powers that were His by birthright, Jesus humbled Himself to become a servant of you and I, His creations. Our LORD chose to suffer and die for us! But He is not a dead offering for our sins -- He is a risen Savior. Because Jesus lives, we know WE SHALL LIVE WITH HIM!
But more than that we have the promise of a more abundant life now. Not a life of prosperity according to the dollar, as some teach -- but a life rich with the knowledge that Jesus is always there for us. No matter what we are going through -- we have the assurance that He truly "will never leave (us) nor forsake (us)." Joshua 1:5 NIV (italics and inserts mine).
God took great interest in every detail of the Tabernacle. No detail was too small or insignificant for His notice and concern. So it is with our lives. It is an odd fact of our nature that nearly all of us will cry out to God for assistance in the major crises of our lives. Soldiers used to say, "There are no atheists in the foxholes." But how many of us will trust God for the nitty little problems and decisions of daily life. We need to understand that God is concerned enough that He sent the Holy Spirit to inhabit our physical bodies (1 Co. 6:19) and He wants to be involved in every detail of our lives, not just the big issues. No detail is too small or insignificant.
God’s Anointing
It seems appropriate to make special mention, here, of the importance of the anointing to the church today. It seems that most of the churches in America today, and perhaps throughout the world, are pitifully lacking in this area. As was mentioned earlier, the Levite males, although qualified by: birth, age and health, could not wear the priestly garments, perform priestly duties, or enter the Tent of Meeting, until they were anointed as priests.
Clearly, God placed great significance upon the anointing of the priests. More than this, however, we see that all of the articles of ministry, both within the Courtyard and the Tent of Meeting, were to be anointed.
Take the anointing oil and anoint the Tabernacle and everything in it; consecrate it and all its furnishings, and it will be holy. Then anoint the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils; consecrate the altar and it will be most holy. Anoint the basin and its stand and consecrate them. Ex. 40:9-11; NIV (italics mine).
The anointing oil was the symbol of the authority, power and wisdom of God to perform the service on God’s behalf. It symbolized physically, in the view of those present, the invisible spiritual work being done by the Holy Spirit.
Too often today, churches, even those who believe in the anointing power of the Holy Spirit, are attempting to operate without the authority, power and wisdom of the Spirit of God. The results are devastating. Entire denominations are turning their backs on God and His word. They use the title, Christian, but are in fact, secular in nature -- more concerned with being politically correct than with being righteous before God. They teach that Jesus was a real person in history and a good man but deny His divine nature and miracles. They retain the Bible as a reference but edit out whatever doesn't fit their preconceived ideas.
There are, of course, many reasons for this. I believe the most prevalent reason is the lack of sanctification, resulting from the devastating ignorance of God’s Word and lack of effective prayer, among His people. We must never forget that as humans we are basically very selfish and self-absorbed. This is at the root of all our sinful behavior. We are not capable of changing our own nature. It is by our knowledge of God’s Word, the holy scriptures, that we are sanctified as the Holy Spirit reveals Jesus love, His sacrifice and His will. The Apostle John said that we will become like Jesus, when we see Him.
Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. 1 John 3:2 NIV (italics mine).
God’s Word from Genesis to Revelation, is a revelation of Jesus Christ. As we pray and study scripture, our vision of Jesus grows through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit as He opens our understanding of God’s Word and will. The Holy Spirit then works in us to conform us more and more to Jesus image as God’s Law of Love is written in our hearts and on our minds. The problem today, is that too few really study and pray.
This is not to imply that education or literacy is a prerequisite for Christianity. In fact, most Christians throughout history could neither read nor write and many around the world cannot, even today. The Holy Spirit is their tutor. Nevertheless, for those of us blessed with the ability to read and write, what excuse do we have for not studying God's love letter, the Bible?
The church was never intended to be a filling station for "Christians" who run out of spiritual gas every week. We should be filling up daily as we study and spend time in our prayer closet at home. Then, like the example of the priests in the Tabernacle, we could gather in our assemblies to serve rather than just to be served.
Please note that I emphasized those who run out every week. Even the best among us need to be spiritually refuled on occassion. The church certainly is intended, in part, to be a forum for the ministry of believers to each other, for healing and strengthening. However, too many today, have so little knowledge of God’s Word and so little of God’s love, it would be nearly impossible for them to share any.
This may sound a bit harsh, however, my purpose is not to criticize the spiritually weak. I can identify with them too much for that. Rather, my purpose is to give a wake up call which applies to myself as much as to others. Time is running out for all of us. People die daily! No one knows who will be next and we don’t know the day or hour of the Lord's return.
I am becoming more convinced as time passes, and I observe more of our churches in action (or inaction), that we no longer even know how much we are lacking. I see and hear ministers and laymen, who seem honestly to feel that they are operating under the anointing of the Holy Spirit, yet nothing much comes from it. How is this possible? Has God become impotent? I think not! I know, and am witness, that when God moves, good things happen!
The only logical conclusion that I can reach is that the anointing is lacking. I believe the church, today, operates more by grace than by anointing. I’m not saying that there is no anointing in the church today -- only that the great power of the anointing of God, experienced in revivals of the past, is lacking. If no anointing were present, the true church would cease to exist. This, thank God, has not happened yet, and will not, until the Lord takes the church out in the Rapture.
Nevertheless, scripture gives us a vivid picture of what happens when the powerful anointing of God is present:
They devoted themselves to the apostles teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. Acts 2:42-43 NIV (italics mine).
This is what the Lord Almighty says: "In those days ten men from all languages and nations will take firm hold of one Jew by the hem of his robe and say, ’Let us go with you, because we have heard that God is with you.’"Zechariah 8:23 NIV (italics mine).
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The Lord replied, "Go down and bring Aaron up with you. But the priests and the people must not force their way through to come up to the Lord, or he will break out against them. Exodus 19:24 NIV (italics mine).
We see from these scriptures that our God is an awesome God. Believers should be in awe of God. That we often are not is a clear indication that something is wrong, not with Him but with us. Unbelievers cannot be in awe of God, if we are not. They generally can’t even see Him except through us. The clearer view we have of God, the more in awe of Him we will be and the more of Him the unbeliever can see in us.
We see in the book of Acts, a picture of people so totally overwhelmed by the love of God and love for each other that they sold many of their possessions and gave to anyone in need. They wanted to be together constantly. Contrary to what has often been taught there is no indication here that they formed communes. We see clearly here that they broke bread in each others homes so they did not sell their homes but they did sell off possessions. They probably sold land they weren’t living on, jewelry, and other items that they really did not need for daily living. This would be consistent with Jesus teaching.
When the powerful anointing of God is present men either run to God or they run from Him-- they do not stand still! Wouldn’t it be grand to see people respond to the gospel in such fashion. Only the powerful anointing of God can get such results. We don't see much of this in churches today but it is not because God has changed, it is because people have.
The Church: As a Portrait of Jesus
The church, like the Tabernacle, is to be the earthly manifestation of Jesus Christ. We are all the world will see of Jesus in this lifetime.
"While I am in the world, I am the light of the world." John 9:5 NIV (italics mine).
"But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself." John 12;32 NIV (italics mine).
"By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." John 13:35 NIV (italics mine).
"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Matthew 5:14 NIV (italics mine).
The church should present a clear portrait of Jesus so that the world can see him and come to Him. If this is true, the church should look like Jesus by doing the things He did during His ministry upon the earth. All too often what the world sees in the church is a very dim, fuzzy and often distorted picture. Too often the world looks at the church and sees: selfishness, laziness, dishonesty, lustfulness, greed, backbiting and unfriendliness.
The church should be:
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Loving -- toward each other and even toward our enemies
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Preaching -- the full Word of God undiluted without fear or apology. The World needs God’s gospel – not a social gospel.
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Teaching -- its members to minister to each other and to the world,
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Evangelizing -- reaching the lost locally as well as supporting missionaries,
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Ministering -- meeting needs to bring healing to the body and the community, through:
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Physical healing -- not just miracles of healing the body, but miracles of feeding the hungry and clothing the naked, teaching people to care for their children and themselves and meeting other such needs.
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Spiritual healing -- giving them the "Bread of Life", mending broken spirits. I’ve listed this as #2 only because its easier to convince people of their need for Jesus when #1 above has been taken care of.
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Social healing -----reducing; racial and cultural differences, hatred and crime, etc. This will follow if ministries #1 and #2 above are done well.
The first duty is the hardest. It is much easier to preach, teach, evangelize and minister than to love as Jesus loved. The love that Jesus expressed was friendly, kind, generous, full of mercy, grace and forgiveness. His love gave all, expecting little or nothing in return. He gave His love and mercy even to those who were crucifying Him,
" Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." Lk. 23:34 NIV (italics mine).
It is much easier to work for the LORD than to love like that. Nevertheless, this is what He has asked us to do. It is possible. Others like Stephen (Acts 6:8-15). have accomplished it, but only with the LORD's help.
Developing love isn’t easy. It is a process we must constantly work at with God’s help. We must first make the decision to practice love on a regular basis. We must make a conscious decision to act lovingly, first toward the Lord then toward someone we find hard to love. The more we do for them and invest in them (not just money) the more we will truly come to love them. Then, and only then, will the world see Jesus as the power of His anointing reveals His presence in our life.
Filling God’s House
When God is present, His compelling power draws men to Him. So much so, as we see, that in some cases, those who are not prepared must be warned to refrain from approaching Him (Exodus 19:24 above).
If we truly believe God’s word, that He is all knowing, always present, and all powerful, how is it that we act as though He isn’t aware of, or able to handle, our personal problems and/or the problems of the church. Do we think God doesn’t care?
We have become so attuned elsewhere we often neglect the real source of our solutions. Many times even Christians turn to the world's resources to meet their needs, rather than to God. While God has often used the world's resources to answer the prayers of believers, our problem today is we often resort to the world for solutions before we even consult the Lord. Many churches even take this path today rather than leaning upon God. We see it very clearly in the way some churches seek to fill their sanctuaries.
There are two ways to fill a church building:
1) seek and receive the anointing of God
The Apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders among the people. And all the believers used to meet together in Solomon's Colonade. No one else dared join them, even though they were highly regarded among the people.
Nevertheless, more and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number. As result, people brought their sick into the streets and laid them on beds and mats so that at least Peter's shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by. Crowds gathered also from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those tormented by evil spirits, and all of them were healed. Acts 5:12-16 NIV (italics mine).
A thousand will flee at the threat of one; at the threat of five you will all flee away, till you are left like a flagstaff on a mountaintop, like a banner on a hill." Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion. For the LORD is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him! O people of Zion, who live in Jerusalem, you will weep no more. How gracious he will be when you cry for help! As soon as he hears, he will answer you. Although the Lord gives you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, your teachers will be hidden no more; with your own eyes you will see them. Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, "This is the way; walk in it." Isaiah 30:17-21 NIV (italics mine).
"’Let us go with you, because we have heard that God is with you.’ " Zechariah 8:23 NIV (italics mine).
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2) tell the congregation what they want to hear, make them feel good, entertain them,
For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. Timothy 4:3 -4 NIV (italics mine).
Sadly, many churches today have chosen the the easier second option. Many churches today have more Bingo nights and socials, than worship services. Some have replaced mid-week Bible study and prayer services with church basketball and baseball games, or a dance in their social hall.
Understand I am not opposed to social activities among church members. In fact, I find it lacking in some churches. The problem is that the church was not put here to tell people what they would like to hear. What people want to hear is obvious. We even have a phrase for it." I’m O.K. – you’re O.K.", but that isn’t the truth.
The point here is that the Lord never intended for His church to become another social club. There is too little difference between some churches and The Rotary Club or The Elks Lodge. These clubs have their place and provide numerous services to their communities -- but they are not the Lord’s church and the Lord’s church must not become a social club. The church wasn’t intended to be popular. It was intended to be effective.
Churches must be pointed outward, not inward. That is, churches must not become satisfied or comfortable with their membership rolls nor should they become focused upon numbers. God is not impressed by the number of people that pass through the church doors or even the number of people in the church pews.The church is commanded to be evangelistic: He said to
them,"Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation." Mark 16:15 NIV (italics mine).
Our objective as the church should be to faithfully obey that command. The results are not up to us to control or even to worry about.
Many larger churches have wisely chosen to start cell groups (small groups of six to twelve people). These groups usually meet in homes to break bread, study scripture and worship. This concept fosters fellowship and closer relationships between the brethren. It can also be conducive to evanglizing since some people are more inclined to develop trust, and be more open to sharing, in these smaller more intimate groups. Even these groups, however, can become too ingrown over time. Their purpose, like that of the church, must be to reach outward.
What is disturbing to me personally, is that even fundamentalist, full gospel and Pentecostal churches are succumbing to the trend toward popularity and political correctness. When I see pastors and church leaders, playing the numbers game, trying to fill their assemblies by using secular style programs and contests, I am deeply troubled. God’s house is to be a place of worship and reverence where God’s word is spoken and heard, not a theater for entertainment. This is not meant to imply that I object to illustrated sermons nor that I believe the sanctuary is to be a solemn place. On the contrary I believe God wants joy to fill His children.
However, when we feel we must entertain people with productions more appropriate for Hollywood or Broadway or run contests to bring people in to "hear the word", I feel we’ve lost our own way. Of course we want to see souls won to the Lord! That is His command to us. But we must remember that it is HIS HOUSE to fill, and HE will fill it if we are obedient.
Our concern must be to obey Him. As the chorus says, "Unless the Lord builds [fills] this house -- we labor in vain!" I don’t mean to imply that we are to do nothing. He has instructed us to spread the gospel, be witnesses, make disciples, baptize them and teach them.
The fact that a church program attracts non-believers doesn’t make it evil. Many have been saved through inspired programs. The thing we must be careful of is compromise. If the program entertains the non-believer but doesn’t bring conviction, something is missing. That something is the Holy Spirit. I have heard Paul’s statement,
"I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some" (1 Co. 9:22 NIV italics mine)
quoted to justify questionable actions and programs.
Paul did make a serious effort to identify with, and reach, everyone he witnessed to. Nevertheless, there is no indication that he ever compromised concerning the message of the gospel. We must follow God’s Word and the leading of the Holy Spirit. We must not compromise the truth to fill the sanctuary. We are only to carry out the Lord’s instructions. We must be sure that we are!
In many instances those who make these attempts are, I believe, sincere in their belief that they are doing God’s will as they work to build His church. We see and hear continually, how certain ministers and evangelists are winning countless thousands to the Lord with their messages of hope, healing and prosperity -- how these poor souls are delivered from drugs and alcohol, set free of their sins and healed in their bodies. I’m sure many are saved and healed since God’s Word is not without effect, no matter who preaches it. But if all the numbers proclaimed are genuine, we should be in the midst of the greatest revival of all time.
I've personally attended churches where claims were made of hundreds of new converts per year and yet the congregation remained steady at numbers much lower than the number "converted" and in some cases membership even dropped off. This makes one wonder where all the converts went. This is not to say that the leaders of those churches were deliberately lying or distorting the truth. the numbers they reported did respond to the altar calls. They simply did not keep attending the church.
The real problem, I believe, is in the way the "converts" were accounted for and followed up. Some of them went to the altar several times in the course of the year. In fact, some went forward nearly every service that they attended and so were counted multiple times. Some "converts" probably were insincere, others were perhaps sincere but there was never any real discipling and there was no system in place for follow-up when they stopped coming.
Many simply did not bring the ransom required.
We see in the symbolism of the Tabernacle that no one could be counted as part of Israel until they paid the price of redempion (ransom). The price of redemption, for the Jews of Moses day, was the act of faith in giving the piece of silver. They were symbolically turning from other gods to the God of Israel.
For us, today, the price of redemption is the act of turning from sin (other Gods) to faith in the blood of Jesus Christ (symbolized by the silver). Some will undoubtedly say they don't worship other gods. What we must realize, however, is that anything we place between ourselves and God, is another god. It may be money, ambition, lust, resentment, jealousy, envy, entertainment, a love interest or even church work. Clearly some will never turn from their other gods. Nevertheless, it is our responsibility to warn them clearly.
Necessity of Repentence
I seriously wonder, at times, whether we, I include myself, really understand repentance today. I have observed more than one service where the altar call was no more than a few sinners standing at the front of the sanctuary repeating a couple of sentences and being told they are now Christians. Of course, a person who truly repents and believes God could well be redeemed this easily. My concern is for those who do not understand their need to repent or what repentance involves and may not have a firm grasp on faith.
True repentance involves change; a change of mind, a change of heart, a change of direction and a change of behavior. Many who respond to an altar call come because of they feel guilt about some act or issue in their life but never understand their need to address the moral compromise and rationalization that led them to sin and do not comprehend the importance of faith in redemption.
If genuine faith is absent, the redemption is not real. If it is real but the convert doesn't gain an understanding of how moral compromise and rationalization influence us during times of temptation, he is doomed to repeat the sin. This can lead to discouragement.
I am further concerned by the lack of follow through. If we leave baby lambs alone in the fields, it should not surprise us when they die of exposure or are devoured by predators. I don’t want to sound like a doomsayer here. I’m not. In fact I am very optimistic about the future of the church. After all -- the Lord is in charge! I don’t believe it is wrong to have a positive outlook. In fact it would be wrong not to. God’s will IS going to be done! My point here is that we, as the church -- the body of Christ, need to listen to what the Head (Jesus) has to say.
The problem is that if He wants our participation and we don't give it, we become guilty of sin and He cannot bless us.
"Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me. When I say to a wicked man, 'You will surely die,' and you do not warn him or speak out to dissuade him from his evil ways in order to save his life, that wicked man will die for his sin, and I will hold you accountable for his blood. But if you do warn the wicked man and he does not turn from his wickedness or from his evil ways, he will die for his sin, but you will have saved yourself." Ezekiel 3:17-19 NIV (italics mine).
It seems our hearing is so plugged, our vision so clouded and our memory so poor, that we no longer even know what the anointing of God is, or how we should function in it. We need a wake up call!
The Power of Discipling: God’s Building Plan
I believe the greatest reason many churches teaching truth today don’t grow like they should is that we have gotten into a pattern of substituting the gimmicks, promotions and programs, that the members enjoy, for the personal witnessing and discipling they hate.
These substitutes may seem right and even inspired. They may even appear effective for awhile. The problem is that it is lazy ministry and it is not God's way. When Jesus sent His twelve Apostles out alone for the first time to carry His message to the villages, He gave them the following instructions:
"As you go preach this message:'The kingdom of heaven is near.' Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give. Do not take along any gold or silver or copper in your belts; take no bag for the journey, or extra tunic or a staff;for the worker is worth his keep." Matthew 10:7-10 NIV (italics mine).
Many of us have heard this scripture presented in evidence of our need to support those called to spend their lives in ministry. They are correct. Jesus does say here that,"-- the worker is worthy of his keep." But what was Jesus motive for sending them out at this time?
His time to go to the cross had not arrived yet and He was not ready to send them out on their own permanently. It seems clear that this was, so to speak, a trial run. This was a chance for them to try their wings while He was still around to nurse their wounds when they crashed. His primary purpose at this point was to teach them to depend on God instead of their own strength, wealth, knowledge or skills. For this reason He told them not to take anything with them, not even a change of clothing.
I'm not advocating the idea that ministers, evangelists and missionaries should go into the field with no money, clothing, cars, or tools for their work. In fact they should go as prepared as possible so that they can be effective. We see this illustrated later when Jesus gave them the following instructions shortly before His crucifixion:
Then Jesus asked them."When I sent you without purse, bag or sandals, did you lack anything?"
"Nothing," they answered.
He said to them,"But now if you have a purse, take it, and also a bag; and if you don't have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one. -- ." Luke 22:35-36 NIV (italics mine).
The point here is that if Jesus felt it was important for His hand picked and personally trained Apostles to learn to rely on God to provide the results and provide for their needs as they carried His message to the people, it might be a good idea for us to do likewise.
Jesus final instruction to His disciples and to us
"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching themto obey evrything I have commanded you." Mathew 28:19 NIV (italics mine).
To illustrate how effective personal witnessing can be, consider these facts. If a church with fifty members started a campaign of personal witnessing and discipleship and each member witnessed to and gained just one solid convert per year who would follow their example, it would be a two hundred member church in just two years. The same church would be at sixteen hundred members in five years. That is an astonishing thirty two hundred percent growth in just five years.
JUST IMAGINE what would happen if every Christian in the world began to take the Great Commission of Jesus in Matthew 28:18-20 to heart. Realistically, we know that not every Christian will do so. Nevertheless, if only one in ten responded and gained one new convert per year the church would increase more than fifty percent in four years.
Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefor go and make disciples of all nations,baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
Matthew 28:18-20 NIV (italics mine).
We need to stop planning and start doing -- stop criticizing others and start praying for them (and ourselves) -- stop building structures and programs and start building people! Of course, we will never reach perfection in this lifetime, being captive as we are in these bodies of flesh, for as Paul said:
Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.1 Corinthians 13:12 NIV (italics mine).
Presently, we have been reborn spiritually but our bodies will not be changed until He comes. We still have to wrestle with, and overcome, the old nature.
I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize. 1Corinthians 9:27 NIV (italics mine).
We, therefore, being full of ourselves, with our lusts, jealousies, prejudices and greed, have a very limited view of Jesus at this time. We need to study and pray constantly, to improve our sight and hearing, and as our view improves we will become more and more like Him, and the anointing will return. We will never be perfect in this lifetime but with God’s help we can all be better than we are!
It is Time for Change
We are to be new creatures in Christ Jesus. This means changed from our old self and old ways. While we know that the old nature will not be completely done away with in this lifetime, there should be a drastic change in our attitude about sin. We can no longer embrace it, make light of it, or excuse it.
We should hate sin in ourselves and deeply desire to be free from it. We should seek to be rid of obvious sin quickly and permanently. He told the woman caught in adultery to go and sin no more (Jn.8:3-11). He did not tell her to taper off, and He doesn’t tell the wife beating husband or the child abusing parent, to simply cut down on the abuse a little at a time. These things must be stopped, once for all -- and so it is with all such sin!
The intent of our heart must not be to wean ourselves off of our sins, but to stop them entirely. The cheating husband who goes to the altar call but holds on to the address book, "Just in case" and the drunk or doper who maintains a stash but "won’t use it" are kidding themselves. They have not fully repented. They are trying to negotiate with God, wanting to walk with one foot in God’s will, and one in the world.
We may not chase women, abuse alchohol or dope but many of us attempt to negotiate with God on other issues. This doesn’t work. God is very gracious and will try to correct the thinking of such persons. But if we want the best God has for us, we must turn our back upon our past life and walk away from it -- which is to walk toward God (see: Idolotry of the Heart).
This doesn’t mean we will always succeed on the first try, but unless we approach the effort, with the sincere intent of changing with God’s help, we are simply continuing to feed our desires and we will never succeed. If we fail we must try and try again, trusting the Lord for His help and never accepting failure as final. When we make the firm commitment to change, which is true repentance, God steps in to help us keep that commitment.
Beyond the need to obey, there is a very important, though little understood, reason for us to seek to keep ourselves pure and holy. Obeying the Lord, of course, should be more than sufficient reason to satisfy us; but, we are human. Paul spoke of another very important reason. Most of us have heard this reason many times; however, after studying about the Tabernacle it may now have more significance.
"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." 1Corinthians 3:16 NIV (bold mine).
"Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? --" 1 Corinthians 6:19 NIV (italics mine).
The Greek word for temple as translated in these two scriptures is naos which according to Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance has the following definition:
naos, nah-os’; from a prime, naio (to dwell); a fane, shrine, temple; -- shrine, temple. Compare hieron.
hieron, hee-er-on’, neut. of hieros; a sacred place, i.e. the entire precinct (whereas naos denotes the central sanctuary itself) of the Temple (at Jerus. or elsewhere): -- temple.
hieros, hee-er-os’, of uncert. affin.; sacred:-- holy.
The Most Holy Place of the earthly Tabernacle was a copy of that which is in heaven. It was here that the brilliant light of the Shekinah glory of the Lord appeared between the cherubim of the Mercy Seat upon the Ark. But as we have seen the earthly Tabernacle was also a type of the church that was to come. The Most Holy Place was the place where God came down and met with man appearing between the cherubim on the Atonement Cover (Mercy Seat) of the Ark.
The Most Holy Place of the Tabernacle was eventually replaced when the Ark of the Covenant was placed in the Most Holy Place of the Temple built by Solomon. Under Solomon’s rule Israel enjoyed peace and great prosperity. Unfortunately, this led to apathy and spiritual decay that eventually led to Israel’s downfall at the hands of the Babylonians.
During the invasion the Temple built by Solomon was destroyed by the Babylonians. Most of the Jews, especially the educated and prominent, were taken to Babylon. During the dislocation the Jews were deprived of the Temple and many lost their national identity. No longer able to offer animal sacrifices (no Temple and no altar) they turned to the sacrifices of praise, prayer and study of the Tora (five books of Moses).
And this whole land shall be a desolation and an astonishment, and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years. Jer 25:11; NKJV (italics mine).
At the time appointed by the Lord the Jews, who wanted to, were allowed to return to Israel. By this time many considered themselves Babylonian Jews and had no desire to return.
Eventually another Temple was erected under the direction of Ezra. After this new Temple was erected Israel enjoyed a period of spiritual revival for a time. Unfortunately, it was short lived. Before long the people returned to their spiritual apathy and their religion became more a matter of ritual and habit than sincere worship of God.
By the time of Jesus birth, approximately four hundred years later, the rituals and teachings of the religious leaders were corrupt and hypocritical, based more upon man’s self serving traditions than upon God’s word. The religious leaders who were supposedly educated in God’s Law and well prepared to lead the masses to God, were themselves spiritually blind. It was a spiritually dark period.
From the time Jesus began His ministry, God spoke to man through Him and He was the light. Then when Jesus died upon the cross the light that shown through Him was extinguished. The veil separating the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place was torn at the time of His death. Later the Temple was totally destroyed when Roman armies invaded Jerusalem. Not a stone was left in its place fulfilling Jesus prophecy:
Jesus left the temple and was walking away when his disciples came up to him to call his attention to its buildings.
2 "Do you see all these things?" he asked . "I tell you the truth, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down." Matt 24:1-2: NIV (italics mine).
The Temple with the Most Holy Place was never rebuilt.
Paul told us that we are now the earthly Tabernacle. We know that the tablets of the Law were placed in the Ark which was in the Most holy Place. God said the day would come when He would write His law on men’s hearts. The Spirit of God lives in us. Our heart is the Most Holy Place where God dwells and His light is reflected in and through us. We have been made the light that shines out of darkness, lighting the way to Truth and redemption through Christ Jesus. We have a responsibility before God to tend the light just as the priests before us did.
To keep the light burning brightly we, like the priests of old, must keep ourselves holy-- for nothing unholy was allowed to enter the Tent of Meeting where the Lamp was (see: Separation of the Holy from the Common. We must regularly partake of, and keep fresh, the bread (fellowship), keep oil (the Holy Spirit) in our lamp , burn incense ( pray) regularly, and take our place in the Most Holy Place before the Ark of God (Jesus) to hear His commands so that we can do His will -- not our own.
Even when we have truly repented, and turned from the world and toward God, we sometimes stumble and even fall. Like Peter walking to Jesus on the water, we get our eyes off of the Lord and we sink into sin (Matthew 14:25-31). This is when God’s wonderful grace comes into play.
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness 1 John 1:9 NIV (italics mine).
According to Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance the word translated confess in this verse is the Greek word homologeo.
homologeo (confession is made, give thanks, promise).
It is derived from the base words:
homou (at the same place or time: -- together),
logos
-- and --
logos ( something said/thought, also reasoning, motive, computation) The New Strong's Exhaustive Concordance,Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1990
.
and it carries the idea of coming together to consider, reason and agree.
It is our attitude toward sin that makes the difference. Before we came to know Christ as our Savior and Lord, we embraced sin, often with little or no pangs of conscience. The longer and better we know Jesus the more sensitive our conscience becomes, so that we come to truly hate the sin in our lives. When we get serious about loving and serving God, ridding ourselves of sin, and living among our brothers in unity and God’s love, He will help us to do so, and the anointing of God will return!
Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 NIV (italics mine).
Like all good fathers, God wants His children to be full of joy. Nature, itself, will tell us that, if we listen. Whether, human children, domesticated or wild animals, virtually all young animals are full of innocence, playfulness, unabashed curiosity, forgiveness and the pure joy of living.
Every good parent loves these qualities in their young, even when they occasionally cause a few problems. God is the best of fathers and He, after all, is the Creator of all things. He is the reason the young of all creation behave as they do. Doesn’t it seem only reasonable that God must love these qualities in His children. Doesn’t it seem likely that this is what Jesus meant when He said,
"I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefor, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven."Matthew 18:3-4 NIV (italics mine).
This scripture, I believe, specifies little children for a reason. Small children are humble, dependent, free of prejudices and malice. They are playful, full of the love of life. They can be in a tug-of-war with a playmate over a toy one minute and be playing gleefully together the next. Their greatest joy is to be with, and have the attention of, their parents. They learn pride, prejudice, fear, and the ability to hold grudges and hate, as they get older. They also lose the joy of living in the process.
It is in truly trusting God and being full of love, hope and expectation, free of; fear, grudges, anger and hate, that true joy exists. It cannot exist in an environment of mistrust, suspicion, fear, anger, and hatred. These things stifle joy.
We need to heed the Lord’s words and become as small children again -- not childish -- but childlike. When corrected by their parents small children turn in tears to the parent for comfort. Little children’s faces literally light up when they see their parents. Their great delight is to have their parents interact with them in conversation and play. If we would change and permit the Lord Jesus Christ to be the delight of our lives, we could become the delight of His.
God loves us and He wants our love as a freewill offering! He wants us to be filled with joy and to spread that joy to others. This would be well pleasing to the Lord. In bringing to God the sacrifice of joy, we would give Him the best of all gifts -- the true uninhibited love, praise and glory He desires (See:Psalm 27:6; 33:3; 42:4). When we have the joy of the Lord -- we bring joy to the Lord
Category: Tabernacle
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