I’ve been writing a lot lately on Church, its purpose, and how today’s church model is very different from the church in Acts’.  I’ve felt led to write such posts mainly because when I look at the Christian Church, I see many churches that fail to equip God’s people for the evangelistic work that we are supposed to be doing, too many churches manipulating non-believers into “salvation” by not revealing the deeper things of God, and too many churches practicing churchianity as their lifestyle rather than performing the work that a Christian is called to do daily as their lifestyle.

I’m not bashing, condescending, or hating in any way.  The most important thing as a Christian is to have a real relationship with God.  But also do not forget that we are all accountable to God, and because of this, strive to uphold what God calls of us.

So let’s get to the point: is Church for the Christian or an opportunity to reach non-believers through a specifically catered service?  The first church was mentioned in Exodus 19:5:

“Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession.”

Possession (Strong’s 5459) is equivalent to peculiar.  Therefore, God is calling the assembly a peculiar possession.  God selected his bride and proposed to her.  She was special in God’s eyes (for more info on the marriage relationship to Israel, see Israel’s Marriage with God).  This church was an assembly of Hebrews, whom God had chosen to enter into a relationship with Him.  This assembly was closed off to all foreigners (Exodus 12:43), unless the foreigner became circumcised (Exodus 12:44) – which is to say, the foreigner becomes an Israelite.  This is because in order to partake in the celebration (at the time, Jewish festivals/feasts) of God, the assembly needed to maintain its purity and unity by not allowing any idolaters into their assembly, or church.

Although God commanded Israel to not allow foreigners to celebrate Israel’s festivals with Israel, God did not call for complete segregation from foreigners.  In Leviticus 19:33-34 God says:

“When an alien lives with you in your land, do not mistreat him.  The alien living with you must be treated as one of your native-born. Love him as yourself, for you were aliens in Egypt. I am the LORD your God.”

Therefore, while assembling as a congregation to celebrate God, foreigners were not allowed to partake.  But while living their daily lives, Israel was called to love foreigners.  This should start to sound somewhat familiar to you since the Old Testament was a shadow of the things to come (Colossians 2:17).

So what about the church of Acts?  There are 7 key characteristics that define what the church of Acts did (see The Church of Acts for more details): Prayer, witnessing outside the church, devotion to all things of God within the church, christian fellowship, proper delegation of church authority, baptism, and a focus on the entire church body (not just a particular church).  The church in Acts was socialistic, where no brother was ever found in need because possessions were sold to distribute wealth.  All characteristics of the church in Acts and all teachings within the New Testament point to a church with the entire purpose of preparing and equipping God’s people so that they can successfully go out into the world to witness to non-believers.  The church is not supposed to be geared toward bringing in non-believers for the following reasons:

1) Churches should replicate the teachings within God’s word for how to run and manage a church

2) If a church is geared toward non-believers, it is not possible for it to properly equip God’s children.  How can a church celebrate God and His word to the fullest if its service is “watered down” for the non-believer?

3) In the Old Testament, God forbade foreigners to partake in the celebration of Jewish festivals and other holy days so that the congregation can maintain its purity and unity.  This obviously has an implication for today’s church (Colossians 2:17).

Similar to the Old Testament, where although God forbade Israel to allow foreigners into its holy celebrations but mandated Israel to love its foreigners that lived in its lands, the church today should follow this example as well.  Inside the church, focus on raising up God’s people by following the example of the church in Acts and the teachings within God’s word.  Outside the church, love non-believers and be strategic witnesses.

If you are a church leader, remember that you are accountable to God.  If your heart differs from what His word tells us, clearly in this case your heart is not being guided by God.  Be ever discerning and seek the heart of God at all times and be sure to adjust your service to what God’s word tells us out of the fear of the Lord.

-Mark

A little background on the division of Israel:  During Solomon’s reign, God gives a word to Jeroboam in 1 Kings 11:31-32 telling him that he will become the ruler of the 10 northern tribes of Israel after God splits the kingdom during Rehoboam’s reign (Solomon’s son).  Because Rehoboam followed advice that was given from those he grew up with and those who knew his heart, thereby rejecting advice from elders, God caused the 10 northern tribes to rebel against Judah (2 Chronicles 10).  Therefore the word to Jeroboam was fulfilled and Israel was split in two: Israel and Judah.

Israel was taken captive by Assyria in 2 Kings 17 and never returned back to the Lord.  Therefore, Israel was unfaithful and as Paul discourses in 1 Corinthians 7, unfaithfulness (adultery) is one of the only two reasons for divorce within a marriage.

Judah was taken captive by Babylon; however, God never mentioned that he divorced himself from Judah.  This could be because Judah returned to the Lord (although not fully), as depicted in Nehemiah, Esther, and Ezra.  Therefore, Judah is present day Israel.  This is fascinating: Leviticus 25:25 “If one of your countrymen becomes poor and sells some of his property, his nearest relative is to come and redeem what his countryman has sold.”  Perhaps the prophecy in Leviticus is another reason why God did not divorce himself from Judah.  David was from the house of Judah and Christ came from the house of Judah.  Now reread Leviticus 25:25. Israel sold its property and its nearest relative (Judah, or Christ) came to redeem it.

Hosea 1:6-7 “I will no longer show love to the house of Israel, that I should at all forgive them.  Yet I will show love to the house of Judah; and I will save them- not by bow, sword or battle, or by horses and horsemen, but by the Lord their God.” If Judah is present day Israel, how will God reunite both houses of Israel, as spoken of in Hosea 1:10-11 (“In the place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’ they will be called ‘sons of the living God.’  The people of Judah and the people of Israel will be reunited, and they will appoint one leader and will come up out of the land, for great will be the day of Jezreel.”  Perhaps we should take 1 Peter 10 literally – “Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.”

What is the day of Jezreel?  Turn to Zechariah 12.

Verse 3: “On that day, when all the nations of the earth are gathered against her, I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock for all the nations.”  Assuming we all believe in a pre-trib. rapture, the church will be gone.  Therefore, the nation of Israel is under attack – the battle of Armaggedon.

Verse 7: “The Lord will save the dwellings of Judah first, so that the honor of the house of David and of Jerusalem’s inhabitants may not be greater than that of Judah.  This is foretelling that God will save Judah (modern Israel) first so that Christians (the house of David) do not think that they are greater than Israel; the branch must not think it is greater than the tree.

Verse 10: “And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication.  They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son.”  Therefore, God will save Judah because he will grant them grace to recognize Christ Jesus as the Messiah.  They will repent and mourn after recognizing the truth that they have failed to see for the past 2000 years.

Now, reread Romans 11 so that you can see the truth behind Paul’s message about Israel being saved.

Tying everything together with the marriage from Part I:

God married his bride at Mt. Sinai on the day of Pentecost.  On the day of Pentecost, God calls his believers to him by blessing them with the mark of a true believer – the Holy Spirit.  How will God consummate his new marriage with both houses of Israel?  The tribulation is 7 years long for a reason.  God blows the trumpet, Christians are raptured, and our marriage with Christ is consummated.  Then comes the 7 day (in this case 7 year) honeymoon before the final trumpet blast.  The final trumpet blasts and then Judah recognizes its sin and God grants them grace.  Does Judah have its own 7 day honeymoon?  According to the Jewish feasts, the final feast – Feast of Tabernacles, which comes after the Day of Atonement (the final trumpet; atonement – refer to Zechariah verse 10 above), is a 7-day celebration that is followed by a season of rejoicing and celebration because the harvest has occurred!  This season after the Feast of Tabernacles is the 1000 year reign of Christ.  Let’s not kid ourselves:  we will feast in heaven with our brother Judah!  All Israel will be saved!

-M

Exodus 19:5 “Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession.”  Possession (Strong’s 5459) is equivalent to peculiar.  Therefore, God is calling the assembly a peculiar possession.  God selected his bride and proposed to her.  She was special in God’s eyes.

Although the terms of the covenant were not established yet, Moses set before the elders (who would set before the assembly) the words that the Lord had commanded him to speak (Exodus 19:4-6) and Israel had accepted, responding in Exodus 19:8 “…We will do everything the Lord has said.”  The bride had accepted the groom’s proposal and God was betrothed with the church.

Next, God drew up the marriage contract – the bride price, the promises of the groom, and the rights of the bride.  In the wedding contract, the groom (God) promises to work for her, honor her, and support her in truth, and to provide food, clothing, and all other necessities, and to live with her.  However, before God brought the formal contract to his bride, God commanded his bride to immerse herself into a water cleansing and spiritual purification – symbolizing a separation from a former way of living into a new way (a spiritual rebirth).  In Exodus 19:10, God commands Moses to tell the people to wash their clothes, consecrate themselves, and abstain from sexual relations.  For on the third day, the ram’s horn will be blown – symbolizing the in-gathering of his bride.  While the bride purifies herself, traditionally the groom prepares a house.

On the third day, the groom blew the ram’s horn resulting in a very loud trumpet blast.  Moses led the assembly to the foot of Mt. Sinai to meet its new husband.  Mt. Sinai was a form of a wedding canopy and in Jewish tradition, the wedding canopy was open on all four sides so that a witness can testify to the couple’s consummation.  In Exodus chapters 20-23, God presents to his bride the marriage contract – the covenant.  In 24:5, the bride formally accepts the grooms offer; “Everything the Lord has said we will do.”

Symbolic of the consummation, In 24:8 the blood stained cloth was revealed as Moses took the blood from young bulls and “…sprinkled it on the people and said, ‘This is the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words.’”

This is where the practice of a honeymoon came from (I think): After the covenant was confirmed, in 25:15-16 “Moses went up on the mountain, the cloud covered it, and the glory of the Lord settled on Mount Sinai.  For six days the cloud covered the mountain, and on the seventh day the Lord called Moses from within the cloud.”  This is why the full Hebrew wedding contains a week long period where the bride and groom retract from society.

So the assembly (church) is Israel.  What happened to the marriage contract?  It was broken.  The marriage contract – the Torah (meaning to teach) – was written on hearts of stone.  Jeremiah 3:8 says “I gave faithless Israel her certificate of divorce and sent her away because of all her adulteries. “  However, God never gave a certificate of divorce to Israel’s sister Judah.

Check out Part II!