My House, My Rules

      Do you remember hearing those words come out of your Mother's mouth? Have you said them to your children? "My house, my rules. You don't like it, then you can live somewhere else." You ever wonder where that originated? I used to wonder about that, too. But now I know: it came from The Bible, from God.

     In the second half of The Book of Exodus God gives Moses the details on how to build God's house not only from an architectural standpoint, but from an interior designer's viewpoint as well. But this house that will be built for God is not a permanent living arrangement; while it may be mobile, it is but a foreshadow of the house God wants to truly be allowed to live in: us.

     The foundational structure of God's house is The Chief Cornerstone, our beloved Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Upon this Cornerstone, this Rock, is built the church. The church is not a meeting place for Christians, it is built of Christians. We worship God in Spirit and in Truth, as His desire indicates. We do not meet in buildings made by hand, but in the unity of Spirit. Neither time nor space prevent God's people from assembling themselves in His presence to seek His face, honor His Name and give Him glory and praise. Our worship is from the heart and rightly so: for "God inhabits the praises of His people." Psalm 22:3. It is a dwelling place not made by hand (Acts 17:24).

      Born-again Christians are people who believe that Jesus Christ is the Only Begotten Son of God; that He died on the cross for us, paying the death penalty for sins we could never pay for; that God raised Him from the dead and He walked out of the grave. Born-again Christians are Jesus Freaks. We will tell anyone and everyone about our Savior and how He can be your Savior, too. We want to share God's love with everyone we meet. This is how the church grows. Proclaiming the Name of Jesus to anyone who will take the time to hear about our wonderful Lord and His saving grace: He forgives sinners who repent and forgets all the sins He has forgiven.   Who wouldn't love a Man like that? Who wouldn't serve a King like that?

      We are called to follow Jesus for this same reason: "Follow Me and I will make you fishers of men," is what Jesus told the fishermen who listened to Him, in Matthew 4:19. Jesus informs us that in order to walk in power, boldness and fearlessness, we need The Comforter that God will send when we fast and pray together. And He, The Comforter, the One who will guide us in Truth with Love, is The Holy Ghost (as named in The OT) or The Holy Spirit (as named in The NT). He is the third Person in the Trinity of God. He has a Name, too. He is not an 'it' or a 'that'. He is holy because He, also, is God. And this Person must be with us when we tell people about Jesus. The Holy Spirit is persistent but gentle, just like God. And The Holy Spirit is with me now as I tell you about Jesus.

       There is a right way and a wrong way to preach The Name of Jesus. The right way is in God's agape love. The wrong way is any other way than God's agape love. This agape love is unconditional love. It is a no-frills, no strings attached, self-sacrificing love. It is the love which God has for the whole world (John 3:16).  It is pure. It is holy. It is life-changing. God's agape love is not exclusive: God loves EVERYONE. Regardless of class, status, gender, politics, religion, race, ethnicity, age. God's love does not discriminate; rather, it embraces all people. Anyone can receive salvation and become a part of God's family, God adopts us through the blood of His only Begotten Son Jesus Christ. There is only one Name under heaven by which all can be saved (Acts 4:12) and that Name is JESUS.

      In God's house, Jesus rules. For God has set His Son on His right hand, His rightful place being by His Father's side, interceding for God's people on our behalf, because He loves us (Hebrews 1 and Hebrews 7:25; Romans 8:34; 1 John 2:1). In God's house, Love lives. "Love one another as I have loved you." John 15:10-12. Again, this is the agape love referred to previously. We who live in God's house love each other with a sacrificial love, preferring to give honor and show/share God's love than receive it. It is a humbling to receive pure love from God's family. This act of love is not meant to elevate us, but to encourage us, to walk and live in God's Word because God's Word lives in us. "In Him we live and move and have our being." Acts 17:28; Hebrews 2:11; Matthew 25:40(the least of these).

      In God's house, Mercy runs. ... . Hope springs. ... .  Joy is a verb. ... . Faith is evidence. ... . Love measures. ... . Jesus saves. "I was glad when they said to me, "Let us go to the house of The Lord." Psalm 122:1. "The Spirit and The Bride, they say, 'Come.'" Revelation 22:1. "Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled." Matthew 5:6.