As a Christian, there is no denying the importance of the Land of Israel and the city of Jerusalem. Our New Testament faith rests firmly on the foundation of Jewish history and practices. One would be hard-pressed to find any part of their Christianity not initiated by, preserved by, or enacted through the people of Israel or the land we call Holy.
In a word, Jerusalem is Home for the believer, and I can't explain that to you unless you've been there. When you are in Jerusalem, you sense that you are home even though it may be the first time you've set foot there.
God's affections and attentions are for Jerusalem so strongly one of His identifying names is Jehovah Shamma - the Lord is There. This name was spoke by those in exile from Jerusalem as they were approaching their hometown. They'd lived in Babylon with no way to make sacrifices, no way to exercise their faith as God prescribed. They couldn't wait to be back in fellowship with Him, and they saw the city of Jerusalem as their way of coming together with Him again.
Three of the Jewish festivals had to be observed in Jerusalem. Passover, Pentecost, and Feast of Tabernacles. Passover celebrated the deliverance of God from slavery and oppression through a sacrificial lamb. Pentecost celebrated God's giving of the law to His people to set them apart for Himself. The Feast of Tabernacles celebrated the miracles of the wilderness and the reminder of God's presence leading His people through it all.
Today, we still celebrate all of those things every time we come together as a church family. Every service celebrates the finished work of Christ on the Cross as THE Sacrificial Lamb to redeem us and to save us. We celebrate not only the Word of God given to us, but also after the cross of Christ we celebrate the giving of the Holy Spirit which came also at Pentecost. And finally, we celebrate that this world is not our home. We are headed to a Promised Land in eternity, and while we walk through this world God leads us every step of the way as He did the people of Israel in the wilderness.
Tomorrow, we'll review the teaching from last Saturday's prayer training on spiritual opposition, and how to continue in the work of the ministry (specifically in prayer) when inspiration isn't enough. Then we'll talk about the reward of engaging in this work, and finally the legacy of this kind of calling. I hope you'll be back. :)