Holy Spirit – Eagle Rock Community Church

Temple or Tabernacle?

Posted on June 2, 2015 by Eagle Rock Community Church

Temple or Tabernacle? This week I will be covering the seventh chapter of the book of Acts. The whole chapter is dedicated to Stephen’s speech before the high Jewish council known as the Sanhedrin. One of the chief responsibilities of this council was the managing of the temple in Jerusalem. This temple was rebuilt after the exiles came back from Babylon in the sixth century before Christ. It was the center of Judaism in Israel. For several hundred years this institution preserved the religious life for the people of God. This temple was built after the pattern of Solomon’s temple which was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 B.C.The new temple never measured up to the old temple.

In John’s Gospel, when Jesus cleanses the temple, he claims his authority by claiming to destroy this temple and raise it in three days. John comments that Jesus was referring to his own body. In essence, Jesus embodies God’s presence and with his death and resurrection, the temple and it’s institution will not be necessary for the people to live in God’s presence.

In Stephen’s speech, he is reacting to the charge that he is preaching that Jesus will destroy the Jerusalem temple and it’s customs. Stephen draws from the Scriptures in the Old Testament concerning the Tabernacle and the Temple. His point throughout his speech is that God is present everywhere and that the Tabernacle, which was moved throughout the land, best represents the religion of Israel.

I believe he is saying that this “Jesus movement” is in line with the biblical tradition of God’s presence as moving and dynamic among the people. Jesus is God’s tabernacle in the flesh. This is in line with the narrative of John’s words of incarnation in chapter one of his Gospel.

What does all this have to do with my initial question? I think Stephen’s speech and the biblical tradition of the Tabernacle remind us that

God is wanting us to be a movement of His Spirit and not a preserving institution. Too often God has raised up “Stephens” in the church and her leaders have accused them of destroying the church.

Read your history and look at the lives of Martin Luther, John Wesley, the Ana-Baptists, and other more modern radicals and you will see what I mean! I am presently sitting in a “church office” and am honored to be a pastor of a local Christian community. This wineskin that we call the church is only a structure that hopefully facilitates the true tabernacle, which is Christ’s body, the church.

We are not “preserves” to be contained in jars of institutional structures, but are to be like “salt” that is poured out into the world to help heal and enhance this lost and suffering world! I confess my own struggle in being more like salt than preserves in a jar of religious structures.

We need more Stephens in this world!

God bless, Pastor Fred.

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When is Enough, Enough?

Posted on April 15, 2015 by Eagle Rock Community Church

Occasionally I get asked, “Are we living in the last days?”. This question is tied to the promise of Christ’s return. The people who ask this question are usually relating current events to the prophetic words of the Bible. My first response to this question is yes! We have been living in the last days since God poured out the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. Since day one of God’s outpouring, Christians have been anticipating Christ’s return. I am sure that the earliest Christians would have been dumbfounded if they knew that the age of the Spirit would last at least this long! I remember when I first received the Spirit. It was a time of great harvest among my generation. With all that was happening in the world at that time, I was caught up with great anticipation of Christ’s return. As years went by and I settled down to adult life, my sense of anticipation seemed to wane. I did have friends who would sit around and talk about end times, but my sense was that God was not finished in doing the work of reconciliation. Where are we now and what is to be our posture as Christ’s followers? I do not believe that the book of Revelation is an outline of things to come. It is primarily a first century book that reveals the truth in a symbolic way of the latter first century world. What it does prophetically, is give us a way to perceive the forces of evil that continually crop its head in history. It warns us of the totalitarian urge of the powers that be. We only have to look at the last century to see that these forces are dynamically at work among humanity. We see these totalitarian forces at work today! In the West, these forces are at work in secular, progressive movements that in the name of compassion are taking away our God given freedoms. In other parts of the world, radical religious extremists seek to destroy Christians and Jews and set up a world order that looks very familiar to the beast of Revelation. Our ever expanding global world that ties economic and technological forces look more like the Whore of Babylon every day! The names may change, but the reality of evil will continue to grow until God says, “Enough!”. Until that day comes, we are to be faithful in our witness that only Jesus is Lord. With ever increasing evil will come persecution. We see it happening right now. We must not get fooled with words of comfort and escape from tribulation. We must remain faithful and trust that God will keep what we have committed until the day of Christ’s return. Yes these are the last days!

What Wouldn’t Jesus Do?

Posted on January 14, 2015 by Eagle Rock Community Church