Today's Encounter - The Temple of Living Stones

It's been a while since my last blog post but I am happy to be back blogging for those who are following these posts and hopefully encountering the living God as a result. That's the whole point of my life. Am I facilitating an encounter with God?

I had to blog today because as I sat at the piano to lead my mom and I into God's presence in worship inviting to be with us, we opened up ourselves to encountering Him and receiving revelation and impartation that has already transformed us. I  sense that as some point we are to start videotaping these sessions because they are so dynamic with times of spontaneous teachings. I believe as the situation in the world grows more tenuous, we need these times of encounter with our Father. Our time today was truly wonderful.

Today's Scriptures in answer to the question I asked the Lord today are:

1 Cor. 6:17-20                           Revelation 21:22-27           
Ephesians 2:19-22 (*21)           1 Peter 2:4-5
John 8:12                                  Luke 19:13

Our Prayers today:

Matthew 6: 9-15 (The Lord's Prayer)
Ephesians 6:10-20 (Encircling prayer)

Words from spontaneous worship:

1. From song "Open up our Eyes" - God is always fighting for us. The battle is the Lord's so that I am free to be me and you and free to be you. Really I am free to be the me I was created to be. He is always with us.

2. From the song "Sinking Deep" - We are the temple of the Holy Spirit. No longer is there a temple of brick and mortar that houses the presence of God but now His temple is made of living stones. The new  location for the Holy of Holies set apart for the Holy One is in us. We are as a people, the Church, His temple of living stones.

Hang on, you are about to be wowed,, not by my words but by what you and I have already read in the Word of God. The Word which is incredibly liberating yet awe inspiring.

As we worshiped The Lord was speaking over us being about free to be who He created us to be because as we follow and obey Him He has our backs, fighting our battles so that we may walk free, even carefree, especially in the spirit. (See Psalm 91, Philippians 4:6). We are not hindered by anything as long as we in in Him. That's a common theme you'll see in my writing. These posts are not intended those uninterested in following Christ. I have no gimmicks or deals for you. I can offer you an introduction to an incredible life in Christ but nothing of material worth. That being said, let's jump into this treasure trove of Scripture.

As that word came from the Lord about being the "temple of the Holy Spirit," no longer one of brick and mortar but of living stones. I had to ask the Lord, "Are there many temples, or one temple made up of many living stones. This was a real question. We set out to get the answer using His Word. The best place to find what He means when He speaks.

He answered our question and so much more:

1. 1 Corinthians 6:17-20 - Glorify God in Body and Spirit

 ¹⁷ But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him. ¹⁸ Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body. ¹⁹ Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? ²⁰ For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body^[c] and in your spirit, which are God’s.

Verse 17 stopped us in our tracks, just about knocked the breath out of us. A person who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him. That is so hard to comprehend. No wonder sexual immorality for the believer is such a travesty, it's actually rather sickening based on this verse. Even though we know the Holy Spirit in the measure in which we have Him now is but a deposit of what is to come, when Jesus asked the Father to send us Holy Spirit, He was giving us as much as we could handle in our mortality, yet He knew to what degree we needed Him in order to be empowered to do all that He said we would do including having victory over sin. At that joining [when we genuinely come to Christ], our bodies and our human spirits become God's.


2.  Revelation 21:22-27 - The New Jerusalem

 ²² But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. ²³ The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it,^[j] for the glory^[k] of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light. ²⁴ And the nations of those who are saved^[l] shall walk in its light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honor into it.^{[m] 25} Its gates shall not be shut at all by day (there shall be no night there). ²⁶ And they shall bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it.^{[n] 27} But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes^[o] an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.

In the City in which God will once again live with man, the New Jerusalem, there will not be a temple because Father God and the Lord Jesus Christ, will comprise the Temple. It's a sobering and awesome thought that we now occupy a position only the Father and the Son will when they come back to earth to reign. Friend, what does that say about who we are, and whose we, and how we ought to be occupying ourselves now? Does that not give new meaning to "Occupy [do business] until I return." (Luke 19:13: Parable of the Master who Left His servants in charge) There will also be no need for any other light such as the sun or moon. This also communicates to me that the veil that currently separates the natural from the supernatural realm will be no more since God, Whom we can now know only the Spirit because He is Spirit, wiill actually be the Light in the City.


3. Ephesians 2:19-22 (*21) - Christ the Cornerstone

¹⁹ Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, ²⁰ having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, ²¹ in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, ²² in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.

Paul tells us here,  in answer to the question of whether we are individual temples or together make up one temple, that we are fitted together as one temple where God dwells---in the Spirit. Jesus is the Chief Cornerstone of the whole building (singular). This is another way of telling us what he wrote in 1 Corinthians 12 about being different parts but of one body. One injured part affects the entire body. Friend, this is another way of saying, "we absolutely need each other." This is coming from someone who is naturally a loner. That's naturally. In my God-ordained identify I am both people- and task-oriented. One could say extroverted introvert or the other way around. I need to be alone and with people to be my best me.


4. 1 Peter 2:4-5 - Jesus the Chosen Cornerstone and we His Living Stones

⁴ Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, ⁵ you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. ⁶ Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture, “Behold, I lay in Zion A chief cornerstone, elect, precious, And he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame.”^[b]7 Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who are disobedient,^[c]

“The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone,”^[d]8 and “A stone of stumbling And a rock of offense.”^[e]They stumble, being disobedient to the word, to which they also were appointed.⁹ But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; ¹⁰ who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.

This is where the apostle Peter refers to the people of God as living stones following God's chosen Living Stone. Jesus Christ. Interesting that believers see Jesus as "precious" but to those who are disobedient, He is a "stumbling block and a rock of offense." You know the type. The ones who get so offended when you alert them of God's s standards asking "who are you to judge me?" when the Word of God is what judges them. These are people, whom I might add, we once were. We were disobedient, and often, defiantly so. How do we respond to these people? In love, yet unless you are lead by Holy Spirit, do not no try to correct them. They still know best and there is too much pride, and often pain, blocking the way forward. But never ever stop praying for them. Again, before we came to Christ, we were all once disobedient and defiant. Only the grace of God operating in our lives caused us to change and seek Him Who alone can save us from ourselves and that which is to come

5. John 8:12 - Follow the Light to Walk in Light

¹² Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”

It's interesting to note that this was when He exonerated the woman caught in adultery, challenging her accusers by telling them, "let he who is without sin, cast the first stone." Of course, there were none then, and angry mob that was ready to stone this woman to death, dissipated. I believe Jesus had just proven that all who follow self, or others, are walking in darkness and are therefore, all sinners. Only those who follow Him walk in the light and therefore walk free. This is the same chapter where He tells His disciples, "If you abide in my word [are obedient to my Word], you are indeed my disciples in deed [you will do what I do], and you shall know the truth [no longer deceived by the evil on into sin] and the truth shall make you free [outside of Me there is no freedom].

Matthew 5:14-16 - Believers are Salt and Light

14 “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

Summing it all up, first, we who belong to Christ are joined in one spirit with Him; therefore, sexual immorality is egregious and brings great harm. We are not our own;, our bodies and our spirits are God's. Second, when the Lord returns and sets up the New Jerusalem, there will be no temple building because the Father and Jesus will be the Temple. There will be no need for the sun and the moon because the Son will be the Light in the City. Third, we as the saints of God, have been built and fitted together, upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Jesus as the Chief Cornerstone, as the temple of God. Fourth, we are living stones being built up as a spiritual house in Christ. And fifth, we who follow Jesus Christ, the Light of the world, will never walk in darkness. He was the Light sent into this world and He still is. But we, His followers, are the be the lights to shine His light in this world.

Bottom line:
To put it into one full sentence, the theme of what I believe the Lord is telling us today, we are to occupy until He returns to once again to take His rightful place in this world. That means, we are the living stones that form His temple until He returns to be the Temple; we are His lights in this world until He returns to be the Light in that great City the New Jerusalem.

Take your positions, saints. It's never been more important. We are the generation upon  whom the end of the age has come. We must be found in position upon His return, but that is only possible if we stick together in the bond of His love.