Church!

1 Chronicles 16 NLT, “They brought the Ark of God and placed it inside the special tent David had prepared for it. And they presented burnt offerings and peace offerings to God. 2 When he had finished his sacrifices, David blessed the people in the name of the LORD. 3 Then he gave to every man and woman in all Israel a loaf of bread, a cake of dates, and a cake of raisins. 4 David appointed the following Levites to lead the people in worship before the Ark of the LORD—to invoke his blessings, to give thanks, and to praise the LORD, the God of Israel. 5 Asaph, the leader of this group, sounded the cymbals. Second to him was Zechariah, followed by Jeiel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Mattithiah, Eliab, Benaiah, Obed-edom, and Jeiel. They played the harps and lyres. 6 The priests, Benaiah and Jahaziel, played the trumpets regularly before the Ark of God’s Covenant. 7 On that day David gave to Asaph and his fellow Levites this song of thanksgiving to the LORD: … 36 Praise the LORD, the God of Israel, who lives from everlasting to everlasting! And all the people shouted “Amen!” and praised the LORD. 37 David arranged for Asaph and his fellow Levites to serve regularly before the Ark of the LORD’s Covenant, doing whatever needed to be done each day. 38 This group included Obed-edom (son of Jeduthun), Hosah, and sixty-eight other Levites as gatekeepers. Then all the people returned to their homes, and David turned and went home to bless his own family.”

The Ark of God symbolizes the housing of the presence of God. In those days, because the Holy Spirit was not yet sent to us, God’s presence had to abide WITH man, rather than IN man, so it was housed in a physical thing. But after the death and resurrection of Christ and the Holy Spirit being sent to us, God’s presence is now housed in our physical body, giving each of us individual responsibility in regards to walking out our salvation. 1 Corinthians 6:19 NLT says, ” Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself,”

Essentially, our body is a sacred place; and in that sacred place, there is a heavenly prototype consisting of the outer and inner courts/enclosure, and the most holy place. There are so many things I can say about this most Holy place. But, for time sake, the most holy place is our fully surrendered and pure hearts. The bible says that “the priests brought in the ark of the covenant of the LORD to its place, into the inner sanctuary of the temple, to the Most Holy Place” (2 Chron. 5:7 NKJV). This scripture can be likened as a reference that the word of God, that is heard, is the interchangeable presence of God, that is brought into and resides in our transformed hearts.

The church (sanctuary, the holy place) is a reflection of this heavenly prototype on another level. It is also considered a body – the body of Christ. Made up of each believers close-knit and intimate relationship with Christ, the church as a unit is regarded as his bride. And because each believer carries a temple of their own (their bodies, the sacred place), that each house a piece of the Holy Spirit (the presence of God within the ark of their hearts), Christ cannot deny himself; which further solidifies the marriage relationship, making us one with him (inseparable).

The scripture says that “they brought the Ark of God and placed it inside the special tent David had prepared for it.” This is the act of coming (bringing our bodies – the temple, the sacred place), that houses the presence of God (the Ark), to the meeting place (the sanctuary, the holy place) where we (as a group or gathering) are prepared “to invoke his blessings, to give thanks, and to praise the LORD” (1 Chron. 16:4). And they arranged to do so regularly. They each played a part and served, and did whatever needed to be done to ensure that their meeting together was one that was pleasing onto the Lord. And when they returned to their homes, they were able to bless their families.

Now that is what I consider, Church!

Blessings,

G.M.