Opinion

A PILLAR IN THE TEMPLE

Friday, June 21, 2019

Overcomers are pillars in the temple of God in the heavenlies and living stones in Christ’s Church. Like Anna, they do not depart from the temple, but they minister to the Lord day and night (Luke 2:37). Here is what makes someone an Overcomer. It is not a question of how many times can we "attend" something, but whether or not we are abiding at all times. Pillars are an integral part of the structure; living stones are an integral part of the structure; if they were to suddenly "go out", the building would collapse.

Too many people serve God according to their calendar. When the calendar says it is Sunday morning, or Wednesday night, or Easter, or Christmas, then they flip the switch and become "spiritual". Some Christians might attend a church service, or seasonal meeting, and sing a few songs in hopes of "coming into the presence" of the Lord. When this is over, they flip the switch and go back to their normal lives. The pattern repeats itself each week, each season. This is one reason why churches must use "worship leaders" in an effort to induce people to do something on Sunday because it is totally foreign to them every other day of the week. They come in, and they go out.

What are we saying? That God's highest is not for us to come in and to go out of, but to be a permanent pillar. A pillar does not come in on Sunday morning and leave on Sunday night but is always in the temple (the apostles taught that we are the temple of the Holy Spirit). And of course, we do not mean a physical building. Overcomers are pillars in the temple of God, and that is a heavenly matter. However you wish to interpret this, one thing is clear: they have learned how to minister to the Lord continually, regardless of time or place. It is Spirit and Truth worship the Father seeks, and they give Him what He is looking for. There is no holy day or a sacred hour or special devotion. They do not have to "come into" the presence of the Lord because they LIVE IN the presence of the Lord continually. And so they overcome the earthly by abiding in the heavenly.

They belong to the Lord, hence, they bear the name of God, the name of the city of God, and the new name of the Lord Jesus. This, in contrast to those who bear the mark of the beast. To bear the Name is to have the Testimony. When the Name is written upon us then we bear the Testimony within ourselves. It is not so many words that are uttered, but a life that is lived as a pillar in the temple of God, no more to go out.

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