Acts 15:16 "After this I will return and rebuild David's fallen tent. Its ruins I will rebuild and I will restore it."
How can we reach our potential as Christians if we keep God at arm's length?
Are you afraid to let God into your life?
What happens when you get up close and personal with people? You get to know them really well, maybe better than we want them to know us....but how can we be there for them if we don't know them well and allow them to know us well?
Know that ritual and ceremony won't get you into heaven. And that the preacher's job is not to get you into heaven. In Tommy Tenney's book "God's Favorite House" he talks about having a 'favorite' house. Close your eyes and think of your favorite house. What do we think of when we remember that favorite house? Good memories.
In Acts 15:16, God says "I will reveal David's fallen tent." God wants to reveal David's favorite. Houses then had less structure, more events; now houses have more structure, less events. David's tent was his tabernacle. What impresses God and what impresses man are two different things....Men get all attached to the structure, while God wants to be attached to their HEART.
How did David learn how to worship? He spent a lot of time alone with God. He practiced worship.
Intimacy with God will bring about blessing, but just the pursuit, in itself, of blessings brings nothing. David was a 'God-chaser' and he sinned in so many ways. Yet David repented of his sins and sought God.
David's tabernacle was a tent. There were two angels on either side of the ark of the covenant. God hovered in a blue flame between them. A veil surrounded the holy of holies. The ark of the covenant was hidden behind this veil; it was separated by this veil. Remember, that the veil was torn on the day Jesus was crucified.
It took Jesus' death on the cross to remove this division (sin) betweeen us and God.
In David's temple there was no separation, the Ark of the Covenant was right there. And David wanted people to SEE God's blue flame.
An absence of the flame shows there's no fire. Do you have the fire?
Sanctuarys are the most unused room in this country. They are used only 1 hour a week. We spend a lot of time and money to build them, but we don't use them much.
If we want God's attention, if we want God to visit us we need to invite the Holy Spirit in. How do we find that heart of worship? Invite the Holy Spirit into your life. Turn up your flame....
