“God’s Mobile Home” – John 4:20-24

John 4:20-24

“Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship.” Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”

I went to a Christian school from 4th grade to 12th grade down in south Florida. It wasn’t affiliated with a particular church but many denominations were represented. Among my friends were Baptists, Methodists, Charasmatics, and Christian Reformed. We would good naturedly debate over who went to the best church. I loved my church because it was the one I grew up in, and it also happened to have a nice gym and a huge youth group! When we talked about our churches, for the most part we were referring to the buildings, but we also had very spirited discussions on theological matters. 
We find such a discussion here in John 4, where Jesus is speaking with a Samaritan woman by a well. Whether she was trying to wrestle with a deep question or just grasping at something to say to the holy man (a feeling many of us in ministry are familiar with) her question hit on a well-worn debate that Jesus was about to make irrelevant. 
During the time of wandering for the Israelites, the tabernacle represented the presence of God. It was in the middle of the camp as they traveled through the wilderness. As the Israelites settled in the promised land and built the temple, it was still all about the physical place. By the time the above conversation was taking place, the temple in Jerusalem was the main place of worship for the Jews. They didn’t even recognize the location that the Samaritan’s worshipped as valid. Jesus was saying, it didn’t even matter. The new covenant he was ushering in wasn’t about buildings, it was about the sincere adoration of a believer, wherever they happened to be. 
When we emphasize the importance of a building, we run the risk of compartmentalizing what was meant to be all consuming. When we tie the “spiritual” part of our lives to a certain place on a certain day or two of the week we are missing the point of what the church truly is. The tabernacle was the place where God lived among His people, but now He lives IN His people and WE have become the temples! The most ornate cathedral pales in comparison to the majesty of God lived out on the streets by those who worship Him in spirit and truth. 
While using the HEAR method (see below) consider the following questions: 
  • What do you think it means to worship in spirit and truth? 
  • How should we live differently or view ourselves if we are the temple of God?  
  • How do we reconcile the tension between the truths of yesterday’s devotional and today’s? 
Highlight – what words or phrases jump out at you? 
Explain – what does the passage mean? 
Apply – how does the passage intersect with your life today? 
Respond – how is God leading you to respond?

Jon Price, Associate Pastor
Photo by Diana Polekhina on Unsplash

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“Going to Church is Good!” – Exodus 25:8

Exodus 25:8

“And let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell in their midst.”

A study was done in 1975 showing how the brain needs designated physical spaces for the different areas and activities in our lives. For instance, I have a recliner. If you don’t have one, save your money and buy one! That recliner is in our living room where we talk, watch movies, play games, laugh, cry, wrestle with the kids, and (if we don’t spill anything) drink sodas. This place is designated for family time, so I have never attempted to work, study, or meditate in that recliner in the living room.

Though we know that the church building is not “the Church,” the space is still significant. The church campus gives us a designated place that provides us an environment to accomplish what might be difficult elsewhere. Having a church building gives us space for:

  • Community – where the people of God gather. We fellowship, pray, learn, and encourage one another.
  • Focus – it removes distractions so we can put our attention where it needs to be. 
  • Consecration – it is set apart for a specific reason – for worship, fellowship, and ministry (in other words, to help us to be set apart) 
  • Sanctuary – it is a safe place to be transparent, receive help and find encouragement.

When I hear a certain song, it brings back specific memories. The song has more power than it should because it brings me back to a place and time that is special. It is connected to a specific event. The church campus can be a similar connecting point – to sacred time spent with our God and with each other. 

Going to Church is Good!

While using the HEAR method (see below) consider the following questions: 
  • Is there a special place that you have reserved at home for your personal time with God?
  • Is there a certain song or smell or food that takes you back to a special time in your life? 
  • How has a church campus (whether Belmont’s or another) held special significance for you?
  • Consider sharing an answer to any of these in the comment section below or with your LifeGroup.

Highlight – what words or phrases jump out at you? 

Explain – what does the passage mean? 
Apply – how does the passage intersect with your life today? 
Respond – how is God leading you to respond?
Pastor Stephen Williams
Photo by Diana Polekhina on Unsplash

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Exodus 40:1-38

Exodus 40:1-38

“The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “On the first day of the first month you shall erect the tabernacle of the tent of meeting. And you shall put in it the ark of the testimony, and you shall screen the ark with the veil. And you shall bring in the table and arrange it, and you shall bring in the lampstand and set up its lamps. And you shall put the golden altar for incense before the ark of the testimony, and set up the screen for the door of the tabernacle. You shall set the altar of burnt offering before the door of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting, and place the basin between the tent of meeting and the altar, and put water in it. And you shall set up the court all around, and hang up the screen for the gate of the court.

“Then you shall take the anointing oil and anoint the tabernacle and all that is in it, and consecrate it and all its furniture, so that it may become holy. You shall also anoint the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, and consecrate the altar, so that the altar may become most holy. You shall also anoint the basin and its stand, and consecrate it. Then you shall bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance of the tent of meeting and shall wash them with water and put on Aaron the holy garments. And you shall anoint him and consecrate him, that he may serve me as priest. You shall bring his sons also and put coats on them, and anoint them, as you anointed their father, that they may serve me as priests. And their anointing shall admit them to a perpetual priesthood throughout their generations.”

This Moses did; according to all that the Lord commanded him, so he did. In the first month in the second year, on the first day of the month, the tabernacle was erected. Moses erected the tabernacle. He laid its bases, and set up its frames, and put in its poles, and raised up its pillars. And he spread the tent over the tabernacle and put the covering of the tent over it, as the Lord had commanded Moses. He took the testimony and put it into the ark, and put the poles on the ark and set the mercy seat above on the ark. And he brought the ark into the tabernacle and set up the veil of the screen, and screened the ark of the testimony, as the Lord had commanded Moses. He put the table in the tent of meeting, on the north side of the tabernacle, outside the veil, and arranged the bread on it before the Lord, as the Lord had commanded Moses. He put the lampstand in the tent of meeting, opposite the table on the south side of the tabernacle,  and set up the lamps before the Lord, as the Lord had commanded Moses. He put the golden altar in the tent of meeting before the veil, and burned fragrant incense on it, as the Lord had commanded Moses. He put in place the screen for the door of the tabernacle. And he set the altar of burnt offering at the entrance of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting, and offered on it the burnt offering and the grain offering, as the Lord had commanded Moses. He set the basin between the tent of meeting and the altar, and put water in it for washing, with which Moses and Aaron and his sons washed their hands and their feet. When they went into the tent of meeting, and when they approached the altar, they washed, as the Lord commanded Moses. And he erected the court around the tabernacle and the altar, and set up the screen of the gate of the court. So Moses finished the work.

Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. And Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud settled on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. Throughout all their journeys, whenever the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the people of Israel would set out. But if the cloud was not taken up, then they did not set out till the day that it was taken up. For the cloud of the Lord was on the tabernacle by day, and fire was in it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel throughout all their journeys.”

Use the HEAR method to dig into today’s passage: 
Highlight – what words or phrases jump out at you? 
Explain – what does the passage mean? 
Apply – how does the passage intersect with your life today? 
Respond – how is God leading you to respond?

Photo by Diana Polekhina on Unsplash

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“Freedom From and For”

Enjoy some sabbath today! Take some time to thank God for all He’s blessed you with. He has rescued us FROM our sin and FOR His glory! List one thing in the comments below that you’re thankful for.
 
Join us tomorrow as we celebrate believers baptism, the Lord’s Supper and the opportunity to worship together!
If you need prayer or someone to talk to reach me at jon@mybelmont.org

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“Having People to Share With” – Exodus 12:4

Exodus 12:4

“And if the household is too small for a lamb, then he and his nearest neighbor shall take according to the number of persons; according to what each can eat you shall make your count for the lamb.”

In this verse, God is giving Moses instructions for the Israelites concerning the Passover sacrifice and meal. A quick google search told me that a whole lamb would have been enough to feed upwards of 40 people! I can eat a lot but I doubt my wife, our year-old son, and I would have put a dent in a whole lamb. Without refrigeration, most of that meat would have likely spoiled, so a small family like mine was commanded to find a neighbor to share a lamb and the meal with. Two thoughts come to mind when reading this verse. The first is the importance of community. In this verse, having community was valuable enough for lives to depend on it! God intends for us to be a part of each other’s lives and to be there for one another. Life is hard and without your community, it is easy to get overwhelmed. We need those relationships to help us when times get tough or when we are presented with a whole lamb to consume.

My second thought from reading this verse is how it’s not the size that matters. A whole lamb would look like a much larger sacrifice for my family of three than it would have for a family of 20. Why would I want my sacrifice to look smaller if my firstborn son’s life depended on it?! It was never about the size of the sacrifice but rather the faithfulness in the sacrifice. There wasn’t a perfect “lamb to person” ratio that the Israelites had to meet in order for their sacrifice to work. The sacrifice wasn’t about the lamb, it was about their faith in action. God said “do” and they faithfully did. Don’t ever let the perceived size of your sacrifice influence your obedience to serve God!

While using the HEAR method (see below) consider the following questions: 

  • Are you part of a close community of believers? In what ways do you share with each other? 
  • How are you at sharing your surplus? Are you able to receive from others as well? 

Highlight – what words or phrases jump out at you? 

Explain – what does the passage mean? 
Apply – how does the passage intersect with your life today? 
Respond – how is God leading you to respond?

Chris Stephens, Contemporary service worship leader

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“A Family Beyond Our Kin” – Mark 14: 12, 22-25

Mark 14: 12, 22-25

“And on the first day of Unleavened Bread, when they sacrificed the Passover lamb, his disciples said to him, “Where will you have us go and prepare for you to eat the Passover?”

“And as they were eating, he took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to them, and said, “Take; this is my body.” And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, and they all drank of it. And he said to them, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many. Truly, I say to you, I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.”

A few years ago, I was in Kenya, Africa on a mission trip. I went with a group of college students to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ, and we had a great time being able to adventure out into new territories. I remember one night we were able to eat dinner at one of the family’s houses from the church. The entire night was trying new things and pushing past moments that were uncomfortable because of different cultures. However, the night was so sweet because we were able to sit around a table with people who looked different from us, but we all called the same Jesus, Lord and Savior. We were able to take the Lord’s Supper together.

In the Old Testament, the Passover celebration was done in obedience to God. Every element had a symbolic meaning. The bitter herbs symbolized the bitterness of slavery. The saltwater recalled the tears under Egypt’s oppression. The lamb symbolized the greatest element of all, Jesus to come, which was the sin-bearing sacrifice that allowed the judgment of God to pass over the household. Now, Jesus has brought the new covenant with Him, which is Himself and has always been. The bread represents His body that was broken for all people – for all sin. The juice represents His blood that was shed on the cross for the sins of all people – ALL people. This is the story of redemption, Jesus Christ.

That night in Kenya was a beautiful representation of how all believers, no matter what culture, color, language, or social class can come together to worship Jesus. The same King Jesus extended redemption to each one of us through His body and blood. I love verse twenty-five how Jesus will not drink again of the cup until His people join Him at His table in the new Kingdom of God. Praise Jesus for His death, burial, and resurrection today and every day. Much love, fam.

While using the HEAR method (see below) consider the following questions: 
  • How have you experienced Christian community across cultural barriers? How has it stretched your understanding of the family of faith? 
  • When you look at your own life, what items might you include in a meal that would represent the experiences that have impacted you and your faith? 
Highlight – what words or phrases jump out at you? 
Explain – what does the passage mean? 
Apply – how does the passage intersect with your life today? 
Respond – how is God leading you to respond?

Macon Jones, Student and Young Adult Pastor

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