WHAT GOD WANTS

I've been looking at Exodus chapters 25 to 40 about the construction of the tabernacle for a couple of weeks now. Probably the most incredible thing that I've seen there is how God chose to provide it for His people at that time. 

He instructed Moses about the details. He had Moses commission 2 men to design and to create the structures. He directed Moses to have the Israelites donate the materials to be used to build the tabernacle, its furnishings, & the instruments to be used there. The same is true of the priestly garments that were to be provided for Aaron & his sons.

The reason this is so incredible to me is that God could have just spoken & the tabernacle would have appeared. That's kinda what Aaron claimed that happened with the golden calf when Moses was up on the mountain. "I just threw the earrings in & out popped the idol!" God could have snapped His fingers & made the tabernacle appeared out of nothing. 

But he chose to use people to provide materials for it & to do the actual work, following the blueprint that He had given Moses. 

Among many things, the tabernacle was intended to represent God's presence and to carry the the furnishings where God was understood by the Israelites to dwell among them.

God dwelling among people, being with them, working in & thru them, is profound.

His revelation in Christ reveals that Jesus fulfilled God's desire embodied & expressed thru the tabernacle. "The Word became flesh & dwelt/tabernacled among us."

As miraculous as the reality of our experience of God's presence is in our lives now, the hope that we have as believers in Christ goes even beyond that. In the end, Scripture tells us that the Lord will be the light in the New Jerusalem. He will dwell in a tangible way in the midst of mankind. There be no need for a sun or moon because the Lamb, Jesus Christ, will be the light. God will tabernacle with with mankind.

We know that God has placed in us a desire for Him. But do you realize that He also has a desire for us? He wants to be with us, living in us. He wants to work in us and transform us into the image of Christ. He wants to work thru us to bring that same transformation of others' lives.

Be encouraged that he wants to be with you. He's done everything necessary for that to happen.

SOMETHING IMPORTANT ABOUT CHINA

Earlier today I heard a sound byte of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo talking about China. He used a term to describe China that is profound & extremely important. In referring to China, he referred to it as "the Communist Chinese government." In a 15-20 second soundbite he used this phrase twice.

Why is this important?

Mainland China is vast. It's also not a monolith. What I mean is that throughout China there are many different ethnicities, cultures, languages, & religions. The various people groups there are divided & distinguished by these differences. The thing that holds them together as a nation is not the willingness or even the desire of the people to be united. What holds them together is the martial power of the central government. This is a really important thing to understand & remember when discussing mainland China.

Sometimes people think that disparaging the Communist Chinese government is racist & disparaging to the Chinese people. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Unlike the ideal of the United States, where government is constituted of, for, & by the people, in a communist state like mainland China the government is the power. The government is constituted of, by, & for the government (aka Communist Party). This is the reality regardless of any phraseology in the name of the country.

So, the term that Secretary Pompeo repeated (the Communist Chinese government) was really important.

When we speak of the Chinese people, or of any of the various ethnic, religious, cultural, or linguistic groups, we are speaking of those particular people. 

When we speak of the Communist Chinese government we’re not speaking about the people. We are speaking about the absolute power that the Chinese Communist Party wields to force its will on & to control the Chinese people.

That distinction is really important.

MISSING GOD'S HOUSE

There are potentially some positive results could come from the coronavirus situation that we're facing.

Our time in overseas for 15 years gives a perspective for one of the things that I would like to see happen.

When we lived outside the US we were rarely able to attend a church where the services were in English. We really enjoyed the churches where we were involved and were blessed thru the great relationships with people in those churches. 

But when we did have occasion to attend an English language church it was an opportunity to to really soak in and appreciate the ability to communicate without needing to navigate another language & culture.

Since returning to ministry in the US, we have continued to appreciate our the local church for that & many other reasons.

One of the fallouts of the situation with the coronavirus is that in some states the government has either suggested or mandated as an emergency measure that there be no gatherings of people over 100, 250, 500, etc. 

So, depending on the state, there will be people this weekend who may not have the option to attend a church.

I would like to see disciples of Christ develop a new appreciation for the local church. Our tendency when we have something is to take it for granted. As believers, we are human & prone to taking our church for granted. Our involvement & experiences in the congregation are a huge part of our discipleship process. 

The possibility of having to miss a time together with God's people once, or even over several weeks, should awaken people who genuinely love the Lord suddenly realize the treasure that they have in their local congregation: fellow disciples & spiritual leaders who oversee the ministry. 

Whether this happens to you personally or not, I encourage you to not take your local church for granted. 

Appreciate it & love it. 

Pray for it and be a blessing and a strength to your pastor & fellow believers in that congregation.

Don't be like this: