The Spiritual House by Elisabeth Pointer

!e Spi"tual H#se

It Is You & Me

INTRODUCTION 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

Key scripture (I Corinthians 3: 16-17) â&#x20AC;&#x153;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.

A holy temple We as individuals are compared to the temple or House of God, Why?...Godâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;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 ÂŠ2011 Household Of Israel Temple Of Jesus Christ. All Rights Reserved

The rebuilding 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 ÂŠ2011 Household Of Israel Temple Of Jesus Christ. All Rights Reserved

The 1st step in building 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? ©2011 Household Of Israel Temple Of Jesus Christ. All Rights Reserved

CORNERSTONE & FOUNDATION 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 ÂŠ2011 Household Of Israel Temple Of Jesus Christ. All Rights Reserved

The Spiritual House 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 Godâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s standards, you will gain eternal life ÂŠ2011 Household Of Israel Temple Of Jesus Christ. All Rights Reserved

You play a role 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 godâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;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 ÂŠ2011 Household Of Israel Temple Of Jesus Christ. All Rights Reserved

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.”

Tool #1:

reading the bible daily 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 ÂŠ2011 Household Of Israel Temple Of Jesus Christ. All Rights Reserved

Tool #1:

reading the bible daily 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) ©2011 Household Of Israel Temple Of Jesus Christ. All Rights Reserved

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.”

Tool #2:

Praying unto god 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) ÂŠ2011 Household Of Israel Temple Of Jesus Christ. All Rights Reserved

Tool #2:

Praying unto god 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 Lordâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;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 ÂŠ2011 Household Of Israel Temple Of Jesus Christ. All Rights Reserved

Tool #2:

Praying to god 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 ÂŠ2011 Household Of Israel Temple Of Jesus Christ. All Rights Reserved

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.”

Tool #3: 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 ÂŠ2011 Household Of Israel Temple Of Jesus Christ. All Rights Reserved

Tool #3: Fasting

Throughout the bible, Godâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;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 6hour 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 ÂŠ2011 Household Of Israel Temple Of Jesus Christ. All Rights Reserved

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 ÂŠ2011 Household Of Israel Temple Of Jesus Christ. All Rights Reserved

Tool #4:

Praising god

(Psalms 150: 6) “Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD.”

Tool #4:

Praising god 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 ÂŠ2011 Household Of Israel Temple Of Jesus Christ. All Rights Reserved

Tool #4:

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

Bringing it all together 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 ÂŠ2011 Household Of Israel Temple Of Jesus Christ. All Rights Reserved

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

Presentation By: Sister Elisabeth C. Pointer

Questions?

For questions regarding this presentation please contact us via email at info@householdofisrael.org or by phone at 219.949.9308