Skia of the Skene! (Shadow of the Tabernacle)

1 And the Lord called unto Moses, and spake unto him out of the tabernacle of the

congregation (tent of meeting NIV) saying, 2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, If any man of you bring an offering unto the Lord, ye shall bring your offering of the cattle, even of the herd, and of the flock. 3 If his offering be a burnt sacrifice of the herd, let him offer a male without blemish: he shall offer it of his own voluntary will at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the Lord. 4 And he shall put his hand upon the head of the burnt offering; and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him. Leviticus1:1-4

These opening verses of Leviticus contain several gems ('and', tabernacle of the congregation, burnt offering, voluntary and atonement). Wrapped up in these words are the promises of fellowship, free-will and salvation wholeness (physically, mentally and spiritually - body, soul and spirit wholeness)

Leviticus 1:1 opens with the word 'And'! This tells you something right away. Leviticus is connected to Exodus. In Exodus chapter 40, the tabernacle (Link - skene-tabernacle) was set up and ready for business. In verse 33, it says Moses finished the work and guess who stops by?

32 When they went into the tent of the congregation, and when they came near unto the altar, they washed; as the Lord commanded Moses. 33 And he reared up the court round about the tabernacle and the altar, and set up the hanging of the court gate. So Moses finished the work. 34 Then a cloud covered the tent of the congregation, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. Exodus 40:32-33

The desire of God's heart is to have a relationship with each of His sons. Moving from the mountain to the tent of meeting was a starting place. Eventually He would move from the tabernacle to the temple; then to Jesus Christ (John 1:14 - tenting among us); then on the day of Pentecost into the hearts of men and women who believe.

The book of Leviticus is  an inspiration as well full of information about God's heart. It is a curious book to many but very necessary for our learning as it contains shadows (Link -skia), symbols and patterns of things to come.

So Where Do You Go To Church?

In the book of Acts, it is pretty easy to see that the early Christians 'fellowshipped' on a daily basis. Nowhere in that book are there examples of 'set' meetings like the liturgical works of art we have today. We have tried to imitate the 1st century by dividing up into home fellowships or bible studies and the question still is asked  "Where do you fellowship?" This really is the same question as: "Where do you go to church?"

In the Old Testsment there was first a tabernacle (in the wilderness -Exodus, Leviticus Numbers etc) then there was the temple that Solomon built. Under the New Testament contract a new  construct appeared which was 'not made with hands:

44 Our fathers had the tabernacle of witness in the wilderness, as he had appointed, speaking unto Moses, that he should make it according to the fashion that he had seen. 45 Which also our fathers that came after brought in with Jesus into the possession of the Gentiles, whom God drave out before the face of our fathers, unto the days of David; 46 Who found favour before God, and desired to find a tabernacle for the God of Jacob. 47 But Solomon built him an house. 48 Howbeit the most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands; as saith the prophet, 49 Heaven is my throne, and earth is my footstool: what house will ye build me? saith the Lord: or what is the place of my rest? Acts 7:44-49

The church I belong to is a church that a person can't GO to. Fellowship occurs on a daily basis. It is a huge group and it is amazing what transpires within the group  because it is directed by the "Head' ( or 'Lord' if you prefer) Jesus Christ. Its members are found all over the world and it is called 'the body of Christ':

12 For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. 13 For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. ........... 27 Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular. (I Corinthians 12:12-13,27)

I, II, III John

The three letters of John toward the end of the Bible are rich encouragement to the believer. The letters are about fellowship with the Father, Jesus Christ and each other. The Free On-Line Dictionary defines 'fellowship' as:

1. a. The condition of sharing similar interests, ideals, or experiences, as by reason of profession, religion, or nationality
b. The companionship of individuals in a congenial atmosphere and on equal terms.
2. A close association of friends or equals sharing similar interests.
3. Friendship; comradeship.

John's letters are addressed to Christians, not pagans seeking salvation. He makes this quite clear in
I John 2:21:

21 I have not written unto you because ye know not the truth, but because ye know it, and that no lie is of the truth.

When reading all three letters, it is important to keep who this is addressed to in mind.We can be a son of God and be out of fellowship with Him. God wants to have a vital spiritual relationship with us. in 1:3-4 it says:

3 That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. 4 And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.

Our joy is to be full! It is one thing to say we are Christian, but it is quite another thing to experience the great pleasure that comes with having an active relationship with God. Throughout these letters, fellowship is the big topic.

 In I John I and II, the word 'abide' is used over and over (actually 26 times). It is an interesting study and substantiates the point of John's letters. 'To abide' in something means to continue in, to stay in or to remain at. Studying God's word enables a person to reach for the 'full joy' of fellowship. It is a continuing process. We remain at it. An appleseed never produced an apple without first producing roots, stems and leaves. It takes time and staying at it. We produce fruit in just the same way. The fruit is a result of our continuing relationship with God.

Homologeo is Good For The Soul

In I John , there is a great record for believing people on what it means to 'confess' (homologeo link - speak the same thing). In I John we are reminded of the oneness we have with God and Jesus Christ through the spirit. We share that same oneness with others who are 'born again' as we all walk in the light of the Word. We're 'on the same page' so to speak.

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life;(For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;) That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship (koineo- link) with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full. ( I John 1:1-4)

Our joy is full when we allow God's life in Christ to rest in our hearts. However sometimes we get sidetracked from the full view of what God has in store and it feels like we've wandered out on dark scary road in the middle of the night. Do we just keep walking or do we turn our direction back to the warmth and comfort of the light of home. It just takes a recognition that we have wandered into someplace where we shouldn't be. Sin is being somewhere where we shouldn't be in both doctrine and practice. (You have to have both because just walking around with the doctrine under your arm instead of in practice can keep you out on that dark road.)

This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth (katharizo in Greek; cathartic in English  meaning purging or purifying) us from all sin (a wandering off the mark).(I John 1:5-7)

If we walk in light we have fellowship with each other, we don't have to make fellowship with one another. God is light, there is not one micron of injustice, unkindness, failure, fear, politics (just had to throw that in), untruth, meanness or any other form of darkness you can think of. The Word of God can be more than just a flashlight lighting our path. It can be a noonday sun surrounding us with goodness and that's good for the soul!