Church

Where God Dwells

/ David R Maas / Leave a comment

The New Testament applies Temple language and imagery from the Hebrew Bible to the Body of Christ, the true Sanctuary of God.

Apart from the contacts between Jesus and the early church with the priestly authorities, the New Testament shows minimal interest in the Temple complex in Jerusalem. More frequent are the applications of temple language to the community of believers inaugurated by Jesus and built by his Apostles. What the Temple and the Tabernacle foreshowed is coming to fruition in the “Body of Christ.”

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One Spirit, One People

/ David R Maas / Leave a comment

By his Death and Resurrection, Jesus formed one covenant community – One New Man – based on faith in him – Ephesians 2:11-22.

The Apostle Paul is adamant. There no longer can be “Jew or Gentile” for disciples of Jesus. The old distinctions are inappropriate among the One People of God. By his shed blood, he “dismantled the middle wall of partition” that separated Jews and Gentiles so “he might reconcile them both in one body for God through the Cross.” God is building both into one building, one habitation of God in the Spirit founded on Jesus.

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Famine in the Land

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The contemporary church is plagued by a famine for hearing the words of God, but one that is a self-inflicted wound.

Many credible men of God have warned that the Church of Jesus Christ will experience a “famine for the word of God.” I initially took this as a prediction that the Bible itself would be suppressed even in Western-style democracies as governmental authorities persecuted the Church. The present reality is rather different.

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The Shining City

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Contrary to the claims of politicians and far too many church leaders, Jesus is the only light able to illuminate this dark world, and as they follow him “wherever he leads,” preach his Gospel, and otherwise reflect him, his Body, the Assembly of Spirit-filled saints, becomes the only shining “City on a Hill” on the Earth.

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The True Emperor

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Jesus has reigned as Sovereign over the Earth since his Death and Resurrection, already he is seated on the Messianic Throne. Because of his obedience, he is the “Ruler of the Kings of the Earth.” Before his Ascension, he declared that God had bestowed all authority on him – “In Heaven and on Earth.” Thus, his authority is without limits and a present reality.

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