HOUSE OF GOD PLANS

“In the first year of King Cyrus, King Cyrus issued a decree concerning the house of God at Jerusalem: "Let the house be rebuilt, the place where they offered sacrifices; and let the foundations of it be firmly laid, its height sixty cubits and its width sixty cubits" (Ezra 6:3 NKJV).

About four hundred years before the birth of Christ, King Cyrus made a decree to rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem. This Temple would replace Solomon’s Temple which was destroyed seventy years earlier. We therefore want to focus on the sacrifices and foundations mentioned in the decree.

Sacrifices - “Where they offered sacrifices.” These sacrifices refers primarily to the animal sacrifices made at the Temple which were a part of the Jewish worship ceremonies. They foreshadowed the work of the Lord Jesus Christ on Calvary. The sacrifice of the Savior and the sacrifice of the saints must characterize every house of God. In our preaching and teaching at church, we must emphasize the sacrifice of the Savior. Leave out Christ and Calvary and there is no Gospel message for mankind. Further, if the church is to do well, the sacrifice of the saints must also be prominent. Churches do little because people are not willing to sacrifice their time, energy or possessions to support the church.

Foundations - “Let the foundations of it be firmly laid.” The Temple was to be built on strong foundations. What a wise decree. If ever there is an area that should be built on strong foundations it is in the area of spiritualty. And the Word of God and the Son of God are the best foundations upon which to build spiritually. The Scriptures and the Savior will never fail. A church must build its foundation upon the Word of God and the Son of God. The Scriptures and the Savior must be the foundations of the doctrine of the church or its doctrine is worthless. Individually we must build our spiritual hopes and aspirations upon the same foundations. Soul salvation must be based on the foundation of the Scriptures and the Savior. Build your eternal hopes on anything else and you will never know the joys of eternity in heaven.

(Adapted from Butler Daily Bible Reading)

Soli Deo Gloria (To God Alone Be The Glory)

Quotation of the Week

“A church cannot be built upon stumbling blocks!”

Anonymous

Word Study

Divine

In 2 Peter 1:3 we read, “As His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue” (NKJV).

Divine is the Greek word theios (θεῖος = thi'-os). Theios pertains to having the nature of God or as related to God by nature. In the passage, theios is used to refer to believers as “partaker of the divine nature.” This does not mean that believers are now ‘little gods.’ We are complete in Christ but we are not little gods. He Alone is God. The ‘Source’ however does assure the efficacy and reliability of the gift to follow. The power that is mentioned here belongs to deity, specifically to Jesus Christ who is God. Christ’s power is the source of the believer’s sufficiency and perseverance. Just as His power saves us in the first place, so His power energizes us to live holy lives from then on.

Prophecies Fulfilled by Jesus

Old Testament Prophecy – Messiah would be accused by false witnesses (Psalm 35:11).

New Testament Fulfillment – Matt. 26:60.

Bible Facts

Each star is unique (1 Cor. 15:41). Centuries before the advent of the telescope, the Bible declared what only God and the angels knew - each star varies in size and intensity!

Bible Quiz

Who was chosen as an apostle to replace Judas?

**Answer to last week’s trivia: Whom did John the Baptist call a “brood of vipers?” The Pharisees and Sadducees (Matt. 3:7).

That’s in the Bible

"Fall on stony ground”

“Some fell on stony ground, where it did not have much earth; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of earth” (Mark 4:5 NKJV).

“Fall on stony ground” - The expression “fall on stony ground” refers to an idea or doctrine that does not win acceptance or approval. Jesus placed a great deal of importance on the hearing of the Word of God. Obviously, our Lord was speaking, not about physical hearing, but about hearing with spiritual discernment. To ‘hear’ the Word of God means to understand it and obey it. In this parable the rocky soil is a picture of the person who receives the message of the kingdom of God with great joy. However, because of the inevitable persecutions and trials that come to all those who are members of the Kingdom, he does not remain. Like the young shoot without any root, he lasts only a short time.

Did You Know - Christian History

Walter Taylor was born in Pittsburgh, PA. Growing up, he was a member of one of the toughest gangs in the city. Despite his gang affiliation, Walter received good grades and his teachers never suspected that outside of school he was breaking into rail cars and stealing from vendors.

With his main interest being money and success, Walter rose from job to job, steadily improving his financial standing. He was so successful that he became co-owner of a pharmaceutical company.

With no use for religion in any form, Walter complained when his Christian wife wanted to hold prayer meetings in their home. However, when his wife died, Walter felt an emptiness and a realization that a life without Christ was meaningless. Now at thirty-years of age, Walter Taylor was on his knees in prayer. Previously against prayer, Walter found himself holding a one-man prayer-meeting of his own. After pleading with God for forgiveness, Walter rose from his knees with a new determination to serve the Lord.

He sold his share in the business and attended Moody Bible Institute. After marrying his second wife Ethelywn, Walter volunteered at the Pacific Garden Mission, and became a missionary to railroad men and miners in Colorado. But he felt God was calling him to work among city derelicts.

He shuddered at the thought. He still remembered being infected by lice years earlier after putting his arm around a drunk. However, God was not to be thwarted as an appeal came for him to take over the Old Brewery Mission in Montreal. He accepted and for the next sixteen years, Walter and Ethelwyn saw success in the previously unresponsive area.

Twenty years after his conversion, Walter and Ethelwyn became leaders of the Pacific Garden Mission. It was while at Pacific Gardens Mission that Ethelwyn wrote the hymn “Calvary Covers It All.” Walter, on the other hand expanded the mission’s work.

A Little Humor

A minister was asked to inform a man with a heart condition that he had just inherited a million dollars. Everyone was afraid the shock would cause a heart attack and the man would die. The minister went to the man’s house and said, “Joe, what would you do if you inherited a million dollars?” Joe responded, “Well, Pastor, I think I would give half of it to the church.” And the minister fell over dead.

Thought Provoking Church Sign

“Better not to have been born at all than never to have been born again!”