A Holy Temple

Notes of meeting 29 June 2010

Picture of a Temple, Jesus is the cornerstone.
The temple is made up of stones that represent us. The picture changes to show Jesus on the Cross.
With Him we make up the Body of Christ and also have a share in his suffering.

See 1 Peter 2 v 4-22
As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, 5 you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6For it stands in Scripture:
"Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone,
a cornerstone chosen and precious,
and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame."
7So the honour is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe,
"The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,"
8and "A stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence."
They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.
9But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvellous light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
and Ephesians 2 v 19-22
19So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. 22In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.

The words “JESUS - COME - RETURN” and a picture of people in the formation of a triangle moving toward a green field or pasture.

Lean on Me.

I have heard your songs of joy.
I have heard your entreaties.
I have heard your cries for mercy.
I want you to share in my love, I want to pour out my love.

God inhabits the praises of his people.
See Psalm 22 v 3 But you are holy, O you that inhabits the praises of Israel.

Matthew 10 v 34 - 42
34 “Don’t imagine that I came to bring peace to the earth! I came not to bring peace, but a sword.
35 ‘I have come to set a man against his father,
a daughter against her mother,
and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.
36 Your enemies will be right in your own household!’
37 “If you love your father or mother more than you love me, you are not worthy of being mine; or if you love your son or daughter more than me, you are not worthy of being mine. 38 If you refuse to take up your cross and follow me, you are not worthy of being mine. 39 If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give up your life for me, you will find it.
40 “Anyone who receives you receives me, and anyone who receives me receives the Father who sent me. 41 If you receive a prophet as one who speaks for God, you will be given the same reward as a prophet. And if you receive righteous people because of their righteousness, you will be given a reward like theirs. 42 And if you give even a cup of cold water to one of the least of my followers, you will surely be rewarded.”

Ann spoke of the Lament (Sorrow) of Intercessory Praise - where we enter into the lament , sorrow , dismay of God the Father at the path people have taken. This lament at times may be difficult to shake off but we must remember that through the suffering (of the Cross) comes the Victory of Jesus.

“ there in Thine ear all trustfully we tell our tale of misery “ from the hymn Sweet Sacrament Divine. We also have our own laments misery that we must lay down before the Father and trust that as he leads us to intercede for other he will call others to intercede for us

She also spoke of the Power of Intercessory Praise - the power of the praise can intimidate us as it is something not within our control so we resist it .The praise is in the control of the Spirit at work in the body.

It’s noisy in heaven with the praise of the angels and saints there is only to be a half an hour of silence before the return of the Lord in judgement.
"And when he [the Lamb] had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour." (Rev. 8:1)

God wants to use our prayer to draw people to Him.