Greetings, brothers and sisters in Christ and Children of God. We hope to see you at church Sunday. Service starts at 10AM downstairs in the sanctuary. Children’s church is upstairs, we look forward to greeting them. You can drop your children off at 9:45. Stop in the cafe for donuts and coffee before or after church.

The email of encouragement last week discussed the restoration of things old, like houses that had to be restored. Like the restoration of a house, relationships must go through a restoration. First we must restore the relationship with God, and then we can restore the broken relationships around us.

In that discussion of restoration, I mentioned what Jesus told the early church leaders. He said to them, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days”

 (John 2:19). However, the physical temple made of rock was not what Jesus was talking about. He was talking about his body as the temple. It was three days after his burial that he was resurrected.

So first, let us look at what was in the first temple that was missing in the second. It was the ark of the covenant. The ark of the covenant sat behind a curtain in the temple, in a room called the Holy of Holies, where the Lord dwelt on the seat between the cherubs (Exodus 25:22). Inside the ark were three items: the Ten Commandments (Exodus 25:16), a jar of manna (Exodus 16:33), and Aaron’s rod (Numbers 17). According to Hebrews, all three of these items were in the ark of the covenant (Hebrews 9:4); however, in 1 Kings and at the time of Solomon, only the tablets were in the box (1 Kings 8:9). Regardless of what was not in the box, the important thing in the box was the Ten Commandments. The ark is the heart in which God dwelt.

The prophet Jeremiah foretold of a new covenant not made of stone but a law written on their heart (Jeremiah 31:33). Jesus referred to this new covenant during the final passover celebration when he said, “This is the cup of the new covenant in my blood”

 (Luke 22:20). Through Christ, there is a new covenant written on our heart. This law is within the ark of our heart, which resides in the temple of our body. If Jesus refers to his body as the temple, then our body is also a temple. Just as the temple had to be restored like old houses, so our temple also requires restoration.

We must seek the restoration of our heart through Christ and allow the foundations of the law of God to be built inside of us so He may dwell within us like he dwelt in the ark. The first step is to seek first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness (Matthew 6:33).

Last week, the little lambs fought the battle of Jericho and the walls came tumbling down. I bet you could not help but sing that, and now it is in your mind for the day. The young detectives discovered evidence that proved the story of Jericho was real and not a fictitious story. Joshua was given the task to enter the walls of Jericho and take the land, but through the instruction of God and by the power of God, the walls came down. This week, the lambs will search out the truth about women in the bible as we focus on a judge, a prophet, and a warrior named Deborah. God not only uses men like Joshua, but he also uses women and empowers them to be leaders too. Do not mistake what I am saying; man was created to be the head, but God uses women in the bible to carry out His mission. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male or female; you are all one in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:28). We are all equal in His eyes.

I look forward to worshiping the Lord with you through songs of praise and dancing before the King of kings. If for whatever reason I do not see you, may the Lord bless you with joy, peace, and an abundance of love, and may He guide you, comfort you, heal you, and restore you when you are in need.

God bless you,

Your brother in Christ,

Michael (aka Mr. Michael)