The Tabernacle Now

In Exodus, the Tabernacle, was initiated, as the place for God among His people. God gave meticulous instructions as to its construction, function and services. As they wandered through the wilderness, the tabernacle went with them. Once their traveling days were done, a more permanent structure, the temple, was designed and built to worship God.

God has always desire to be with His people. Jesus Christ became the replacement for the temple. God's spirit rested on him. Since no man could actually see God at any time (John 1:18), Jesus Christ as God's son, could make Him known through the way he taught and lived:

And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt (tabernacled) among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. John 1:14

18 No man hath seen God at any time, the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him. John 1:18 

His life was the sacrificial lamb to make the ultimate atonement for the weaknesses of human existence. Previously sacrifices were made over and over to continually atone for mens sins. As a result of the once and for all sacrifice of Jesus Christ , the gift of holy spirit is poured forth to anyone who confesses Jesus as Lord and believes that God raised him from the dead.

19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple (tabernacle) of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? 20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's. I Corinthians 6:19-20

The tabernacle was a tent literally.   It was usually made out of woven goat hair or skins. It is interesting that Paul's occupation was that of a tent-maker to support himself.

Paul's revelation of the new covenant unfolds the truth regarding our new spiritual natures tenting in our own hearts.  It was Paul who revealed the spirit's purpose in our lives in Romans through Thessalonians. He revealed our spiritual inner nature, its benefits and the closeness of God.

Abba Father

God Works in Obvious Ways...........

Why do so many feel like God works in mysterious ways? Things seem mysterious when people fail to understand the love of our creator. I have been working through a difficult chapter of a certain section of the New Testament. It was troublesome because of translation problems. Right in the same chapter God appears to contradict himself. God does not contradict Himself! He's God! It was troublesome because of translation problems. Man causes those kinds of problems.

Take a peek at II Timothy 3:16-17:

All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.

Honestly, does this sound like God wants confusion and mystery in our lives? Even King Jimmy English cannot hide what God wants us to have. It says "All" scripture; not just the book of Timothy.

The word 'perfect' might throw one off a bit. Does God expect us to be perfect? Actually the word 'perfect' means complete or equipped for suitable purposes. To say otherwise, would be a lie. None of us, in and of ourselves, are perfect, but we can be completely equipped.  Obscurity, mystery and frustration come with a lie. Men lie. God doesn't lie.

9 God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?(Numbers 23:19)

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Nightwatch

Today I had all planned out. I knew exactly how the day would go. Right! Nothing went according to plan but it all worked out well. I have seen that happen so often and I'm glad that I'm beginning to understand that I don't have to control everything to make sure I land on my feet.

For many, in certain situations, excessive control over things makes people feel safe, however in reality it promotes and celebrates anxiety and fear. Letting God take care of fears and anxieties is absolutely the best way to go, although many times our 'white knuckle do not let go' grip on life is very reluctant to give up its clench.

The greatest times to let go of things that are bothering me occur when I wake up suddenly at night.

If I have remembered Thee on my couch, In the watches -- I meditate on Thee. Psalm 63:6 (YLT)

The word 'watches' in this verse refers to a specific unit of time at night A while back, I went to bed early and was sleeping soundly when I woke up with a very clear mind and a sense of joy. It was 11:55 pm. It was exactly the same time as a couple of nights before that when I experienced the same thing. I stayed up until about 3 am and still ended up with about 8 hours of sleep. I had a great time those three hours. It had been a busy weird week. Somehow a lot of things got processed in those wee hours free of telephone calls and other side distractions and noise.  It is a pretty exciting concept actually. Almighty God, designer of the universe, loves actual undivided fellowship with his kids. If we could just believe this!

When we pray, be it in the middle of the night or in broad daylight, we must believe that He is a rewarded of those who diligently seek Him. It is not about begging, cajoling or fulfilling a spiritual chore. We aren't being be dragged into the throne room.  Prayer is vibrant, exciting, always available and must include a 'yes He is real!' attitude. It is something to look forward to with delight.

Too often, we languish in feelings of insignificance and unworthiness or the other side of the coin, pride and elitism, to really understand what it means to come boldly and humbly to the throne of grace. Thankfulness is the great leveler. Thankfulness and joyful expectation are the keys to rich conversation in a any situation, be it human or supernatural.

Revival

First there is a seed. These seeds are floating all over throughout our neighborhood. The seed is at the base and fine filaments are surrounding it.  The wind lifts the seed by these filaments and carries it wherever. 
8 The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit. John 3:8

These seeds fall everywhere, even on stony ground

Some fall by the wayside

Some fall among thorns and thistles and other stuff.

Some falls on good ground.  These seeds fell on the lawns and it looked like snow. I was reminded of:
 John 4:35! Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.

In the Beginning was the Word.................

John 1:1 is a beautiful verse! Much has been written about it and 'extrapolated' from it. Actually it is quite simple:

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

God is the Word. The Word is what God is and the Word is life-giving and powerful, healing and ultimately separates truth from error. The Bible contains records written down by men who loved and saw God operate in their lives. God is spirit (John 4:24) and that is how God communicates to man:

20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.
21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost (Spirit) (2 Peter 1:20)

We don't have original texts. The Bible, its versions, translations, translations of translations contain the Word of God but also may contain biases, slants, interpretations of God's heart. God has protected His Word for anyone who wants to know and error can be routed out and truth gotten to. (Just look at all of God's works; surely He can protect His Word.)

Think about who wrote down the books that are contained in the Bible. Holy men like Moses, Isaiah, Jeremiah, David Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Paul, John and Peter. These men spoke by revelation from God and it was written down. Paul doesn't contradict Moses, nor does Peter contradict Jeremiah.

It is easy to splice out a verse and in standing it up alone change the meaning of it. Context is very important. An example of this is Philippians 4:13:

I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

This verse could mean a lot of things when taken alone, but nestled in the book of Philippians, its true meaning is clear. I had an interesting time studying Galatians 6 this weekend. Galatians is not a long book, so reading it in one gulp is not hard. Galatians 6 makes so much sense in context.

Biases from translations can be eliminated by taking in and regarding the whole context of the Word of God. This takes some effort, time, some diligence and love for the truth.

John 1:1 re-emphasizes the context of the Word of God. It was in the beginning. God is faithful to His Word. This is so simple and, actually, it is quite an adventure!