Wednesday, January 6, 2016

Where do we worship?

Joan Boney ... apostle/prophet

In the OT, Solomon built an house for the Lord.  David wanted to build it but God did not allow David to build it and God told David, his son, Solomon would build a house for the Lord.  David accepted this and before he died, David gathered many materials for this house for the Lord that Solomon would build.

II Chronicles 6 ... 4 And he (Solomon) said, Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, who hath with his hands fulfilled that which he spake with his mouth to my father David, saying, 5 Since the day that I brought forth my people out of the land of Egypt I chose no city among all the tribes of Israel to build an house in, that my name might be there; neither chose I any man to be a ruler over my people Israel:6 But I have chosen Jerusalem, that my name might be there; and have chosen David to be over my people Israel. 7 Now it was in the heart of David my father to build an house for the name of the Lord God of Israel. 8 But the Lord said to David my father, Forasmuch as it was in thine heart to build an house for my name, thou didst well in that it was in thine heart:9 Notwithstanding thou shalt not build the house; but thy son which shall come forth out of thy loins, he shall build the house for my name.

New Testament ... 

John 4 ...  3 He (Jesus) left Judaea, and departed again into Galilee. 4 And he must needs go through Samaria. 5 Then cometh he to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. 6 Now Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well:and it was about the sixth hour. 

7 There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water:Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink. 8 (For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.) 9 Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans. 

10 Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water. 

11 The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep:from whence then hast thou that living water? 12 Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle? 

13 Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again:14 But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. 

15 The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw. 

16 Jesus saith unto her, Go, call thy husband, and come hither. 

17 The woman answered and said, I have no husband. 

Jesus said unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband:18 For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband:in that saidst thou truly. 

19 The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet. 20 Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship. 

21 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. 

22 Ye worship ye know not what:we know what we worship:for salvation is of the Jews. 

23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth:for the Father seeketh such to worship him. 24 God is a Spirit:and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

A new way was upon them ... Men were no longer going to go to a place (a building or a city) to worship God.

God was going to put the Holy Spirit, HIS Spirit in man.

Therefore man would worship God wherever man was ... NT church ...

Jesus said ... Mt. 18 ... 20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. 

We do not go to a church building to worship God.

We are the church.

When we read in the NT about Jerusalem, the "new" Jerusalem, wherein dwelleth righteousness, this is not the Jerusalem in the current nation of Israel.  This is the "new" Jerusalem, the one John wrote about in the book of Revelation.

Revelation 21 ... 1 And I (John) saw a new heaven and a new earth:for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. 2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

II Peter 3 ...  10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. 11 Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, 12 Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? 13 Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.

This present earth will never be filled with righteousness.  This present Jerusalem of the nation of the present Israel will never be righteous.

It is that "new heaven and new earth" and "the new Jerusalem" which will be filled with righteousness.

In the meantime, to the end of this present world, God leaves for HIMSELF a remnant who are a testimony to HIM.

So we do not go to a place to worship God or a building made with human hands as they did in the Old Testament.

We have the Holy Spirit inside us and we worship God continually in Spirit and in Truth as Jesus said in John 4.