The Spiritual House

!e Spi"tual H#se

It Is You & Me

The presentation “Dedication” discussed the rebuilding of god’s church & the restoration of the truth

What if you don’t belong to a church?

Does that mean that the Day of Dedication is NOT relevant to you?

The answer is NO

Dedication also pertains to the individual & how he or she is committed to the purpose of serving & obeying the Lord

INTRODUCTION

©2011 Household Of Israel Temple Of Jesus Christ. All Rights Reserved

(I Corinthians 3: 16-17)

“Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile

the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.

Key scripture


We as individuals are compared to the temple or House of God,

Why?...God’s house is a holy place that should be completely DEDICATED unto him

In ancient israel, the temple was where....

The Ark of the Covenant, which possessed the laws of God, was located

The priests would commune with God & make sacrifices on behalf of the people

The people would praise & worship the Lord

Like the temple, we as individuals should be holy, possessing the laws; communing daily with God; making sacrifices & worshipping the Lord

A holy temple


Can we truly become as a holy temple or house when we are all born in sin

The short answer is YES

A person who lives in sin can be compared to a house without a foundation, that is run down, tattered & dirty (Luke 6: 49)

The old house or life of sin has to be torn down then Christ rebuilds us, starting with the foundation & laying each brick or stone with great precision

Think of it as a construction project for the spiritual house

The rebuilding


with any construction project the first step is to lay the cornerstone & foundation

As indicated in the presentation entitled “dedication”, the cornerstone & foundation are key to the integrity of a building

What do these building features represent to us on a spiritual level?

The 1st step in building


Christ is not only our builder but he is the chief cornerstone & our foundation (I Peter 2: 6, Psalms 118: 22 & I Corinthians 3: 10-11)

Just as a cornerstone determines the angles & lines of a building, Christ determines the laws & standards that we must obey & measure up to

Christ is synonymous with the law because he wrote and established it; therefore, the foundation also represents the laws of god

He lays the foundation in each of us by teaching us his commandments & testimonies

Brick by brick, our doctrine & faith, everything that we believe & do, must be built upon that sure foundation or the laws of god

CORNERSTONE & FOUNDATION


When you, the spiritual house, are built upon the sure foundation of Christ you will be able to.....(Luke 6: 47-48)

Resist the temptation of Satan that can lead to sin

Gain greater understanding of the scriptures

Accurately discern between clean and unclean doctrine

Passover (clean) vs. Easter (unclean)

Sabbath (clean) vs. Sunday (unclean)

Live a clean & holy life that is FREE from sin, which means you are PERFECT in the eyes of God

By being perfect according to God’s standards, you will gain eternal life

The Spiritual House


The building and maintaining of your spiritual house does NOT fall exclusively on the lord

Christ lays the foundation by teaching us the laws but it is our choice to obey

Through obedience of god’s laws you will be able to build a spiritual house that will remain standing no matter the environment

To be successful there are 4 tools that are essential to the upkeep of your spiritual home

You play a role


Tool #1: reading the bible daily

(2 Timothy 2: 15)

“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly

dividing the word of truth.”


Studying the bible is critical to our salvation

The Lord placed everything we need to know about gaining salvation within the bible (Ps. 40: 7)

He commands us to be diligent when studying the word

Because we are flesh & susceptible to sin, it is easy for us to forget the laws of god if we are not careful

That is why you should read your bible everyday

Reading your bible daily will keep god at the forefront of your mind & steer you away from sin



It is important that you read the bible in its entirety, even if you don’t understand every verse

start from the beginning (Genesis), reading each book according to the order outlined in the bible until you reach the end (Revelation)

Once you finish the whole bible simply start over because the more you read the more you will learn & understand

A nice study pace is 1-2 chapters a day, with 1 chapter in the morning & one at night

The bible we read is the authorized king james Version Bible (Please see “The Bible” under the Christian Academy section of our website for an explanation)



Tool #2: Praying unto god

(James 5: 16)

“Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent

prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”


Prayer is a way in which we communicate with god, whether it be on an individual or group level

It is holy act and should not be taken lightly

This is the moment when you present your gratitude, supplications and sorrows to the heavenly throne

if done in sincerity, the Holy Spirit will take your prayer and bring it up as a sweet savor unto the Lord, making intercessions on your behalf (Romans 8:26-27)



We are not to pray for frivolous things like a luxury car, mansion or vacations

Christ taught us how we should pray (Matt. 6: 7-13)

In addition to the Lord’s prayer, you may have a personal prayer that you would like to add

You might want to pray for greater faith or for your basic necessities (i.e. Food), or for the lord to heal a physical illness of a loved one



As with reading the bible, you also should pray everyday

Before you leave the house or officially begin the day, you should pray to the lord asking that he guide your actions & protect you from harm

You should also pray before you go to bed, asking the lord to preserve your life while you rest

By doing this you begin & end your day with the Lord, keeping him at the forefront of your mind

Tool #2: Praying to god


Tool #3: Fasting

(Matthew 17: 20-21)

“If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by

prayer and FASTING.”


Fasting is the act of depriving yourself from food and water for a set period of time in order for you to meditate on the Lord

It is a necessary sacrifice for in depriving our physical bodies we feed and grow spiritually

By fasting, we become stronger & develop a closer bond with god

Though fasting is uncomfortable and sometimes unpleasant, God has mandated that we integrate fasting into our lives

Tool #3: Fasting


Throughout the bible, God’s children fasted, whether it was on an individual basis or with an entire group (Daniel 9:3)

At times, it was necessary to call for a special fast because of the situation that Israel was going through (Ezra 8: 21-23)

Christ, who serves as our primary example, also fasted and afflicted himself for 40 days and 40 nights (Matt. 4: 2)

Tool #3: Fasting


The bible does not specify how often you should fast but we know that fasting should be integrated into our lives on a regular basis

develop your own fasting schedule & work to stick with it

An example of a schedule may include a 6-hour fast twice a month

Some individuals may choose to fast more or less depending on their obligations

What is critical is that you do it and do it regularly, whether it be bi-monthly monthly or weekly

Tool #3: Fasting


A fast should start in the beginning of the day before you have consumed any food or drink

Open up your fast with a worship session, including a song, prayer & scripture reading

To make the most of your fast, It is best to avoid common books, television or radio programs that may distract you from the lord or even place unclean thoughts in your mind

During your fast we believe it is ok to engage in common activities such as a leisurely walks or cleaning the house

We do not recommend that you fast while at work because your mind will be consumed with completing work-related activities instead of the lord, defeating the purpose of the fast

Tool #3: Fasting


Tool #4: Praising god

(Psalms 150: 6)

“Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD.”


We must glorify the Lord in all ways (Ps. 96: 1-4, 95: 1-6, 100: 1-2)

Praising god shows our reverence for him and can be done through music, poetry, dance and artistic expression

Praising God, particularly through song, evokes such great emotion

The praise of god has the power to heal, comfort, inspire strength, teach his word & prophecy of his coming

We are able to tune Satan out when we begin to praise the Lord



As with reading the bible & prayer, you should sing a song to the lord everyday

In fact, a song, prayer & a scripture reading makes a complete worship on common days

When picking spiritual songs to sing or listen to they should not merely be about an exciting beat but provide a message reflecting God’s truth

Our church does not believe in spiritual songs that sound like Rhythm and Blues, Jazz, rap or Pop music

These are not holy but carnal



If you consistently use the tools you will be able to maintain a spiritual house dedicated unto the lord

And just as the house or temple of god you will.......

Possess & keep the laws of God

Commune daily with God

Be equipped to make sacrifices

Be filled with the praises & worship of God

Bringing it all together


To be dedicated unto god does not mean you do not have room for your common life

You should enjoy the “fruits of your labor,” participating in hobbies or going on vacation

It is good to spend time with your family & loved ones, provided they are not individuals that will try to influence you to sin

The lord also instructs us to “occupy” until his coming; therefore, going to school or seeking career advancement is not a sin in itself

The key point to remember is that god ALWAYS comes first

if any of these aspects of your life interfere with your ability to serve the lord then it becomes a sin

Final words


Presentation By:

Sister Elisabeth C. Pointer


For questions regarding this presentation please contact us via email at

[email protected] or by phone at 219.949.9308

Questions?


Documents

The Spiritual House