The Two Temples
(A Christian Workbook)
Section 1 – The Body Temple
he apostle
Peter wrote, “Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual House, an
holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to Yah by Yahshua
the Messiah.” (1Peter 2:5) The overall purpose of this work is to look at that
spiritual House, but before we talk about the House as a whole, we must look
first at the stones.
If we
acknowledge that the Temple of Yah, in Its widest application, is the
collective Body of believers, some interesting and relevant questions may come
to mind. “Why should we become part of this Temple?” “What does it mean to be a
stone in the House of Yah?” These questions are examined in considerable detail
in Part 2 of this work, where I would say this book truly begins. Yet before
every journey we must count the cost. Before each adventure we must make sure
that we are equipped for what we may find on the way.
In
order to have the tools to succeed at this Christian life, we must first make
sure of what we are doing. The Messiah asks us for nothing except all that we
are – our broken hearts, our imperfect lives. When we surrender these things to
His loving care, He takes that which has been broken and He mends it – and then
He glorifies it. But we must know what it is we are giving up, for what man
would give a gift to his father without knowing what is inside the box, under
the wrapping paper and beneath the ribbons?
Paul
tells us, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of Yah, that ye
present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto Yah, which is
your reasonable service.” (Romans 12:1) He asks for reasonable service – that
is, intelligent service. We do not follow blindly, but assent to His will being
worked out in our lives. The purpose of this first, initial part of The Two
Temples asks us to count the cost of laying everything at the foot of the
Cross. When we have confidence that we have done this, then we are ready to
lose sight of selfish desires, and to enter into the meaningful, conscious,
eternal service of others.
