Bible passage:
Seeking God in His sanctuary - Psalm 63:1,2 - O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory.
Discerning His will in His sanctuary - Psalm 73:1,2,16,17,28 - Truly God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart. But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled, my steps had nearly slipped. But when I thought how to understand this, it seemed to me a wearisome task, until I went into the sanctuary of God;
then I discerned their end. But for me it is good to be near God; I have made the Lord God my refuge, that I may tell of all your works.
Celebrating with His people in His sanctuary - Exodus 23:14-17 “Three times in the year you shall keep a feast to me. You shall keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread. As I commanded you, you shall eat unleavened bread for seven days at the appointed time in the month of Abib, for in it you came out of Egypt. None shall appear before me empty-handed. You shall keep the Feast of Harvest, of the firstfruits of your labor, of what you sow in the field. You shall keep the Feast of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you gather in from the field the fruit of your labor. Three times in the year shall all your males appear before the Lord God.
Church - the body of Christ - Matthew 16:18 - And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock, I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. Romans 12:5 so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Ephesians 2: 19-22 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.
In the Old Testament, the temple was a very important spiritual place. People sought the Lord, offered sacrifices, asked about God's decisions, prayed to Him, and gathered for festivals in the temple. It was also a building that was the pride of Israel. In the New Testament, we do see Jesus respecting the traditions and the laws and going to the temple often, especially to reveal Himself. Yet, He had truly changed the order of things when to the Samaritan woman He spoke of worship not just being restricted to Jerusalem, but to be in Spirit and in truth. He is the foundation and the cornerstone, and we are all being built up in Him.
Though the early church gathered at homes, church buildings provide a regular meeting place for Christians in an area. They also can host a variety of activities and could be used as a place of welcome to seekers. Let us pray that Christians and seekers in our country will have a church close to their home - a church that is a physical building as well as a church that is a fellowship of believers. Let's pray to learn how to balance extravagant church renovation budgets and small offertories for the construction of new churches in tribal places where new believers rejoice to have a building to gather in prayer.
Prayer points:
Pray that every believer has a church to call their home, a church close to where they live, a fellowship of believers with whom they can grow with.
Pray that seekers find churches welcoming. Pray that God puts a desire in their hearts to visit churches, pray, and find believers who could share the gospel.
Pray that missions that help in building churches in remote/ unfriendly places/ places without much Christian presence would receive sufficient offertory and carefully spend the money for the building projects.
Pray that there are no more churches burnt or destroyed in our nation. Pray also that churches are watchful not to unnecessarily offend the people of the neighborhood, but be a beacon of light.
If you can, try memorizing Romans 12:5.
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