Today's Bible Study, Authored by Arthur Cincotti. 02/06/2022
Listen to our Bible Study Discussion at: Design of the Church Podcast
The Design of the Church
“On this rock I will
build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.” Mat. 16:18
As much as we know of church history, beginning
with the Book of Acts, suggests to us that the earliest Christian churches were similar to what we would call “house churches.”(Also see Phm. 1:2)
Acts 3:1 informs us that Peter and John
continued to worship at the temple, but most likely held separate meetings to preach the Gospel.
Soon those meetings would be held in secret because of persecution.
Fast forward twelve hundred years. The great
cathedrals of the Gothic, Romanesque, era and the Renaissance basilicas were
all built with and order that we still borrow from. The actually resemble a
birthing canal, moving from the Cathedra (raised throne) to the Bema (elevated
platform) down the Naive, through the Narthex, into the Atrium, and out the
Portico. The idea was that every time you left the church you were born again.
New engineering techniques made it possible to achieve great height to suggest
a sense of loftiness, and the use of more glass to bring natural light
streaming in from clerestory windows.
But this isn’t about church architecture!
Jesus had a much bigger
idea in mind. A call to intimacy.
We may have to go back to the Old School Master to catch a glimpse.
What was the first
Church?
Was it not Adam and Eve walking in unbridled fellowship with God in the cool of the garden? Untainted
by sin.
The detailed
instructions for the first Tabernacle is in Ex. 25-27
The short version is in
Heb. 9:1-5
The Hebrew word for
Tabernacle is “miskan”
Some definitions include: dwelling,
habitation, tent, residence.
The size of the
Tabernacle that Moses built was 150ft x 75ft. It was collapsible and able to be
transported. Inside this space was an outer court where the alter of burnt
offerings and bronze laver were.
It was always set up to
enter from the east.
Inside this court was
erected the Tabernacle proper, or “The Tent of Meeting,” or “The Holy Place”
15ft wide, 15ft high, and 45ft long. In the Holy Place were the altar of
incense, table of showbread, and golden lampstand. An inner chamber was called
“The Most Holy Place”. Therein was the Ark of the Covenant with the Mercy Seat.
The design was such that
anyone could enter the court to make sacrifices and perform ceremonial washing,
but only the priests could enter the Holy Place to attend to the lampstand,
replace the showbread, and burn incense. Only the high priest would enter
alone, “once a year, not without blood” Heb. 9:7
All this describes a
pathway to fellowship and intimacy with God.
And one another!
Church is designed to
drive us into fellowship with one another.
The dynamic of meeting
puts us in close proximity.
The dynamic of singing
gives us a unified declaration.
The dynamic of listening
builds our faith individually and corporately.
The dynamic of the meal
we call “communion” binds us all together
through celebration.
In a sense, we are born again when we leave because we’re changed.
Our fellowship with one
another becomes a proving ground for the integrity of our fellowship with God.
I Jn. 4:20, “for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can
he love God whom he has not seen?
--------------------------Join us for another Bible Study Next Week ----------------------------------
or
Join our “Victory over the Darkness”, “The Bondage Breaker”, "Freedom in Christ" series of Discipleship Classes via the mt4christ247 podcast!
at https://mt4christ247.podbean.com, You can also find it on Apple podcasts
(https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-mt4christ247s-podcast/id1551615154). The mt4christ247 podcast is also available on Google Podcasts, Amazon Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartradio, and Audible.com.
Email me at mt4christ247@gmail.com to receive the class materials, share your progress, and to be encouraged.
My wife, TammyLyn, also offers Christian encouragement via her Facebook Group: Ask, Seek, Knock (https://www.facebook.com/groups/529047851449098 ) and her podcast Ask, Seek, and Knock on Podbean (https://feed.podbean.com/tammalyn78/feed.xml)
Encouragement for the Path of Christian Discipleship
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.