Connect Study—Raise Up to Rise Up
Jesus is raised up so that we can rise up. Many Christians however fail to rise up. So close yet so far.
Eph 3:16-18 - I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit.Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong.And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is.
Moses’ Tabernacle provides the pattern of how we can encounter God. The tabernacle is essentially a meeting place with God.
The gate speaks of Christ, without Christ, we cannot even come to the Father. The first item is the brass altar. Brass speaks of judgement, which represents the cross. The laver speaks of cleansing by the word and water baptism. Many Christians stop at the cross. They are in the courtyard. They just stand outside and never go in.
Essential qualities for having an encounter with God
- Journaling, prayer, and worship
In the tabernacle, we see that only the priests can enter into the Holy Place. The Holy Place contained three elements—the table of showbread which speaks of the word and journaling, the golden lampstand which speaks of the life in the spirit, involving both the fruit and the gifts of the spirit and the altar of incense which speaks of prayer and worship.
- Jacob’s encounter—Wrestling with God
In Genesis 32, Jacob wrestled with God and pressed God for a blessing. He wrestled with God all night and the angel of the Lord touched his hip and from that point on, he walked with a limp. It was a defining moment in his life. The name Jacob means deceiver, but from that encounter, his name was changed to Israel, which means “God fight”.
Many Christians want the blessing without the process. We are not willing to “wrestle” which speaks of effort, exertion, and determination. At times it means going through trials and testing which God allows, to build to our strength and character
When the enemy wounds you, he wants to stop the blessings in your lives and your children. The wounds inflicted by God becomes a sign and a blessing.
- Zacchaeus’ encounter with Jesus Christ
Zacchaeus was a short man. He climbed up a tree to see Jesus. Jesus called him by name. His encounter with Jesus led to fellowship with Jesus.
- Abiding in his love
The Holiest of Holy in the tabernacle housed the Ark of the Covenant and the mercy seat. The mercy seat sat on top of the Ark of the Covenant signifying that mercy triumphs over law. Cor 14:1 says “Let love be your highest goal”.
Discussion Questions:
Icebreaker: Tell a funny story with the theme: “so close yet so far”
- Why do many Christians just stay outside the courtyard instead of going in to have a real encounter with God?
- How did Jacob’s encounter change his life?
- “When the enemy wounds you, he wants to stop the blessings in your lives and your children. The wounds inflicted by God becomes a sign and a blessing.” Share from your experience or observation about the truth of this statement.