 Brendan Coburn  Steve, Monica, and Olivia Dalfino  MaryAnn DeSteph and Hank Klein  Bob, Jessica, Luke, and Katherine Lerario  Terry Lewis  JC, Stephanie, Jordan, Shavais and Taylor Oswecki  Raj and Sarah Selvaraj  Reggie and Susan Vassallo  Todd, Polly, Jacob, and Elias Vouglas Launches TODAY!!! Windsor

“I Lift Up My Eyes to the Hills!”

Jerusalem: Connecting Heaven and Earth “Wherever God touched earth, there was a nexus, a connection point, between the realm of heaven and earth; and the temple served as such a point for ancient Israel…For ancient Israelites, then, it is as though the stability of the cosmos (and certainly their nation) was bound together with Yahweh’s temple. Visiting the temple was to gain a glimpse of the habitation of God on earth, the center of power and rule in the world.” John Hilber, Dallas Theological Seminary

1.Believers joyfully seek God’s presence and power in His house. Loving God’s House

Deep Yearning for the Presence of God “How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord Almighty! My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may have her young — a place near your altar, Lord Almighty, my King and my God. Blessed are those who dwell in your house; they are ever praising you. Blessed are those whose strength is in you, whose hearts are set on pilgrimage.” Psalm 84:1-5

Jewish Temple

Jerusalem in Nehemiah’s Day?

1.Believers joyfully seek God’s presence and power in His house. 2.God’s house is to be a place where the people of God can find refuge, unity and justice. Loving God’s House

Salwah

1.Believers joyfully seek God’s presence and power in His house. 2.God’s house is to be a place where the people of God can find refuge, unity and justice. 3.We are to pray and act for the building up of God’s house. Loving God’s House

The Temple Today

“As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it and said, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes. The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you.” Luke 19:41-44 Don’t Miss God’s Blessing!

The Temple Today “Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.” Ephesians 2:19-22

“And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” Hebrews 10:24-25 Importance of Corporate Worship

“But we have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. We have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. We have come to God, the Judge of all, to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel…Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our “God is a consuming fire.” Hebrews 12:22-24,28-29 Loving God’s House