Temple Builders Ministry
Articles are "excerpts" from our book called "Temple Builders" written by John Lucas
Tabernacle of Moses
God shows us a picture of our journey towards this “more excellent way” when we observe the Tabernacle of Moses. This was the tabernacle that was built in the wilderness after God delivered His people from Egypt. We journey into the tabernacle as the priest of God. The day you accepted Jesus Christ into your heart and decided to follow Him, you at that instant found yourself in the tabernacle of God – IN CHRIST. White walls that represented the “Righteousness of God in Christ” surrounded the tabernacle. You are the righteousness in Christ Jesus as the New Testament declares, whether you act like it or not does not change this fact, however, following the “more excellent way” of God will cause you to walk in this fact. Why is it a reality and yet so hard to walk in? Because our inner man (spirit man) became righteous by faith in Jesus even though the soul man was still quite the same as the day before. The soul man still knew little of God’s way, of God’s mind and how to yield to that which is within. Christ made his home in our heart yet there are many areas of that home we have not allowed Him into, let alone allowed Him to become master of those areas.
The Tabernacle is composed of the Outer Court, The Inner Court (Also called the Holy Place) and the Most Holy Place (Also called the Holy of Holies). The Holy Place and the Holy of Holies are both covered under the same tent, which is called the Tent of Testimony or Tent of the Congregation. This symbolizes those who abide in the inner courts of God who will become a true testimony with true unity in brotherly love. Inside this TENT is where God wants every part of your life! There cannot remain one area that stays undealt with, for God’s word goes forth to bring all areas into subjection. Every area of your life must become a testimony. Every area of your life must reflect the unity we have with walking with God in His garden – in a relationship that we have chosen even though we were tempted to choose the things that separate us from relationship.
No matter where we are today in our spiritual WALK, no matter what
court we are in, we should progress to this “more excellent way”. We should
not be content to abide outside of the tabernacle where the world congregates.
We also should not be content to remain in the Outer Court of the
tabernacle. The Outer Court should
be viewed only as a “passing through” area.
When we enter the Holy Place, we see the great veil that divides us from
the Holy of Holies. The Holy Place is somewhat glorious; the Holy Place will
bring you to a place of unity and testimony, yet we know that behind the veil is
where we see God – FACE TO FACE. The
veil was torn when Jesus died and yet we act like it is there.
We know that we are not separated from God in the spirit and yet our mind
seems so earthly. Our walk still
seems so unlike the walk of Jesus in Love, Power and Wisdom.
The Holy place caused us great victory, the Truth set us free and yet we
know we must proceed through this veil to the Holy of Holies.
A revelation of WHO Jesus is - will bring you
behind the veil. Seeing the plan of the Father concerning His Son and
the church - will cause you to continually abide beyond the veil.
A life that abides in the Holy of Holies is a life that walks in FULLY
RIPENED FRUIT - HABITUALLY. Walking
in total obedience to the will of God and His Word will mature you to become
edible fruit. This is a fruit that
shall be permanent. Defining the difference between these courts will be given
in a multiple amount of pictures throughout this book, especially the difference
between the Outer Court and the Holy of Holies.
There is a much greater contrast between these two areas of service to
God because one symbolizes a baby who ALWAYS NEEDS and the other represents a
father that ALWAYS GIVES.
Paul
continues this teaching about the “more excellent way” in the chapter that
is commonly called “THE LOVE CHAPTER” (1 Corinthians Chapter 13). The
priests who entered into the tabernacle wore a priestly skirt. At the bottom
fringes were bells and pomegranates. The bells represent the gifts of the Spirit
and the pomegranates represent the fruit of the Spirit. Both the gifts and the
fruit represent the manifestations of the Spirit; but the fruit of Love is the
greater. God wants us to be a testimony
in Love that reveals His power. The
natural man will sometimes pick and choose the manifestation, however, the
spiritual man receives from His Father all good things and it is the Spiritual
man that will abide in the life of Jesus that causes growth.
God is
Love. We are taught a “more excellent way”, which is a walk of life where we
exhibit to the world the God on the inside of us and more specifically - His
Love NATURE. A temptation may come
to pursue the “more excellent way” of love and to refuse His gifts.
It is the gifts however that edifies us – to love. Love without gifts;
will cause a lack of the power of God that is required of us.
Why do we need power? Power
is a characteristic of the nature of God. Jesus
is called Power in 1 Corinthians and the next time the world sees Him - it will
be in Power! Paul writes in 1 Corinthians that the kingdom of God consists of
Power and not just mere words. The gifts of the Spirit exercise His power and
cause us to be heard of the world; even as the world heard it in the New
Testament when the POWERFUL WORKS of Jesus and the apostles got the attention of
the world and turned it upside down. Jesus said that the greater works
would be seen in the church.
2 Cor 4:7
But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.
“Excellency”
literally means – BEYOND MEASURE! Jesus
Who is Love – Who is Power - is in us and we are in Him.
Jesus is the treasure of 2 Cor 4:7 and we must choose Him in regard to
manifesting His love and His Power. We
must choose to exhibit Jesus to the world – in gifts that can cause a miracle
in another’s life and in sacrificial love that shows compassion – BEYOND
MEASURE.
On the other hand if we possess gifts without love, it is like having bells without the pomegranate fruit on the bottom of the priestly skirt. It will clang and it will grieve God when we try to enter behind the veil and the world will hear a sound of reproach. Both gifts and love are written about in 1 Corinthians, one right after the other and both gifts and love are REQUIRED for the “more excellent way”. Gifts are NOT the more excellent way but God ordained that they would help GET you there. We sometimes see gifts demonstrated and think the vessel that God used is spiritual, the gifts make NOONE SPIRITUAL - they only make him fortunate. Fortunate that he found FAVOR with God - UNMERITED! However they will help both him and others GET to a place of spiritual maturity, to a place of Love - God's very Own Nature.
Exod 28:34-35
A golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate, upon the hem of the robe round about. And it shall be upon Aaron to minister: and his sound shall be heard when he goeth in unto the holy place before the LORD, and when he cometh out, that he die not.
With the
bells on our skirts as God’s priest in this day, we enter His holiness not
casting away fruit or gifts. We do
not neglect that gift within and we choose to stay abiding in the vine that
causeth growth. Today’s priest
shall go forth from God’s Holiest with Life.
Many in today’s church have refused gifts for usually two reasons.
First, we were taught so by men, these men were used by the enemy to
EXCLUDE us from that which fulfills the unity of the body and its edification.
Secondly, many witnessed or were the victim of an abuse of a gift and
because of the hurt decided to reject it categorically.
When we are hurt we protect that hurt by disallowing FUTURE HURTS.
However, we must choose God’s way and proceed past false doctrines and hurts.
Some of us CHOOSE to live in the Outer Court (not much past our starting point).
Others choose to walk and abide in the Holy Place and are HEARD of God.
But God has an inheritance in store for those who will allow the Light of His Presence to fill the eyes of their HEART – IN THE HOLY OF HOLIES.
A walk
that consists of this “more excellent way” must be chosen.
It is a choice that commits to the plan of God no matter what the cost.
It is a hope that stays in Christ Jesus even though other Christians and
ministers are content with a “less
excellent way”.
Send comments to John R. Lucas -
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