The True New Testament Tabernacle

The True New Testament Tabernacle

There is much confusion in the church about what the true tabernacle ( church) is. The scriptures make it perfectly clear that there are to be NO DIVISIONS OR SECTS in the true church of Jesus Christ, but we find there are more that 20,000- different denominations calling themselves “Christian”. All with their own little set of beliefs and rules. You can't wear this or that or you must believe this but not that, you can-you can't----

If there is ONLY ONE true church of Jesus Christ according to the apostle Paul and Jesus Himself , then there is something radically wrong in the modern church world. This article will endeavor to enlighten you as to what the problem is.

A Look at What JESUS Has to Say About Why He Came to Earth.

Jesus said :

Matt 5:17-20 "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. 18 For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. 19 Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.

He says he came not to do away with the law but to fulfill it. Now you must remember that at this time the Law of Moses was still in effect. So He is speaking as one under the law. You can also see in vs 18 that He says the law cannot pass away UNTIL ALL of it is Fulfilled. No man has ever been able to fulfill (keep) ALL of the law, before Him, but He has been sent to Fulfill the law, to keep every single part of it . Once that has been done, the law no longer has any effect, it is finished, done away with and then the New covenant of grace and mercy will begin.

Many people are confused about this because of false teachings that say the law was not done away with, or only partially finished, it was not done away with , it was Fulfilled and that is different. Let me give you a simple example that makes it easier to see the truth.

Lets say you are having a new home built. You sign a contract that lists all the details of what you want in your home, how many bedrooms, the size and shape, how many bathrooms etc. The contractor builds your home to the exact specifications in the contract, you pay him and the contract has now been FULFILLED. It is no longer in effect, you may still have the copy of it but it has no more use, it is done. But you now have your dream home. That is what happened to the Law of Moses under Christ. It did its job, He fulfilled ALL of it and now we have the salvation of Christ by His blood sacrifice (the fulfillment of the law). Eternal life available to whosoever will.

A Look At What What He Brought to Us

Matt 10:34-39 "Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. 35 For I have come to 'set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law'; 36 and 'a man's enemies will be those of his own household.' 37 He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. 38 And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. 39 He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.

You must understand that he is not come to destroy families as it sounds, but is talking about the separation that must occur when some in the family decide to follow him and others do not. He is saying that there is a price to pay to follow Him by those that will truly submit to, trust in and be led by Him. Not all are willing to submit to His Lordship.

Mark 1:14-15 Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, 15 and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel."

He is bringing with Him and inviting everyone into, the Kingdom of God on the earth. At this point there were two sets of government on the earth, the Israelites that were under the law of Moses and the rest of the world under their governments.

From now on there are to be two worlds living on the earth, the natural one , controlled by satan and the Kingdom of God, a Spiritual Kingdom. led by the Holy Spirit of God. All those that decide to follow Him enter into this new Kingdom and continue to live on the earth but are no longer part (citizen) of the earthly realm. They are now to become a Spiritual people and no longer a natural (carnal) people. They are to be Different than those of the earth. We will find, how to live and worship and serve the Lord in this new covenant , is also shown to us in scripture as was the old. But this new covenant is totally different, it consists of mercy and grace instead of law and punishment. We will see more on this later.

You MUST understand the following to FULLY KNOW the Truth.

Gal 3:15-29 Brethren, I speak in the manner of men: Though it is only a man's covenant, yet if it is confirmed, no one annuls or adds to it. 16 Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, "And to seeds," as of many, but as of one, "And to your Seed," who is Christ. 17 And this I say, that the law, which was four hundred and thirty years later, cannot annul the covenant that was confirmed before by God in Christ, that it should make the promise of no effect. 18 For if the inheritance is of the law, it is no longer of promise; but God gave it to Abraham by promise.

19 What purpose then does the law serve? It was added because of transgressions, till the Seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was appointed through angels by the hand of a mediator. 20 Now a mediator does not mediate for one only, but God is one.

21 Is the law then against the promises of God? Certainly not! For if there had been a law given which could have given life, truly righteousness would have been by the law. 22 But the Scripture has confined all under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. 23 But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed. 24 Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. 25 But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.

26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.

The new testament (covenant of Christ) was given before the law of Moses. The law was added for a time, it was never permanent, it was a temporary fix, to govern the people until the coming of Christ, who would FULFILL the law, thereby ending it and bring in the Kingdom of God as promised to Abraham. Contrary to what the jews and many that profess Christianity teach, the law was finished by Christ , according to scripture as shown in the above scripture.

It NO longer has any effect and is not and never was intended for Christians. We are clearly told it was to begin with Moses and end with Christ. So it is impossible for it to be intended for Christians as Christianity began at the resurrection of Christ.

A Look at What HE Accomplished on Earth

John 19:30 So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, "It is finished!" And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.

He came to fulfill the law and He did. Remember He said He came to Fulfill the Law and not to just do away with it. When he was on the cross, he was fulfilling the scriptures that told of His coming and manner of death and the reason for His death and resurrection. Later when He rose from the dead the New Covenant was established (began) , the law was no longer in effect AS he had FULFILLED ALL of it as He had been sent to do. Did you notice that even as they killed Him He was in control, They could not take His Spirit from Him, it did not depart until He said “IT IS FINISHED”. Many Falsely teach that it meant he was dead, His life was done, but He actually is saying I have finished the job I was sent to do and it is FINISHED, , I have completed my work up to this point. The Law of Moses is Finished. From this day forward anyone that lives by the law is calling Him a liar and saying His death was not a sufficient sacrifice.

Gal 3:10-14 For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse; for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them." 11 But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for "the just shall live by faith." 12 Yet the law is not of faith, but "the man who does them shall live by them."

13 Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree"), 14 that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

Gal 5:3-5

4 You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace.

Do you see it now, the Israelites were selected by God to be His only chosen people UNTIL Christ would come in the timing of God and set ALL mankind free. He came with the authority to bless and save ALL who would come to Him under His terms. He personally paid the price for the sins of the world (forgiveness is by the shedding of blood), and made entry and citizenship in the Kingdom of God available to all. Remember there are requirements that must be met to receive this salvation in order to enter in. There are today many teaching that ALL men will be saved whether or not they meet God's requirements and you must not believe their lies, as you can see it is contrary to scripture and only foolish men devoid of the truth can say this.

A Look AT The Old Testament Church , The Tabernacle

You can read the detailed instructions for the old testament church tabernacle starting in Exodus chapter 25. God gives the instructions on how to build and of what materials to be used in the construction of His home the tabernacle where they are to meet with Him. He also gives explicit instructions on how meet with Him, what He expects from them and how to prepare etc in complete detail.

Ex 25:8-9 According to all that I show you, that is, the pattern of the tabernacle and the pattern of all its furnishings, just so you shall make it.

The Priesthood (Clergy)

You can read of the appointment and ALL about the priesthood, their duties, their garments and how they are to perform their duties of the old testament in complete detail beginning in Exodus chapter 28.

Ex 28:1-4 "Now take Aaron your brother, and his sons with him, from among the children of Israel, that he may minister to Me as priest, Aaron and Aaron's sons: Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. 2 And you shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother, for glory and for beauty. 3 So you shall speak to all who are gifted artisans, whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom, that they may make Aaron's garments, to consecrate him, that he may minister to Me as priest. 4 And these are the garments which they shall make: a breastplate, an ephod, a robe, a skillfully woven tunic, a turban, and a sash. So they shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother and his sons, that he may minister to Me as priests.

The Church

The church was actually the temple (tabernacle). The building made with Hands. The place where they had to come to meet with God, through the priesthood. They could not approach God on their own.

The People

The old testament congregation was made up of the nation of Israel and a few others were allowed to become part of it. Very few. See the law for details

Manner of Meetings

Starting in Exodus chapter 25 you can see all the explicit and complete details of the priesthood, their raiment, the instruments, the sacrifices and all the details of when where, and how the service of the tabernacle is to be performed. It is too lengthy to be shown in detail here but you should read it if you are not familiar with all of it. The important thing to understand here is that God gives COMPLETE details of when, where, why, how and by whom He desires to be served. All this, of course, changed when the new testament was begun, but since God is the same yesterday, today and forever we can expect the same level of detail under this covenant as well.

Sacrifices

Beginning in chapter 27 of Exodus you can read all about the required sacrifices. And again the thing to understand here is that all the details are given by God Himself.

God's throne among the people of Israel.

Ex 25:10-22 "And they shall make an ark of acacia wood; two and a half cubits shall be its length, a cubit and a half its width, and a cubit and a half its height. 11 And you shall overlay it with pure gold, inside and out you shall overlay it, and shall make on it a molding of gold all around. 12 You shall cast four rings of gold for it, and put them in its four corners; two rings shall be on one side, and two rings on the other side. 13 And you shall make poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with gold. 14 You shall put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark, that the ark may be carried by them. 15 The poles shall be in the rings of the ark; they shall not be taken from it. 16 And you shall put into the ark the Testimony which I will give you.

17 "You shall make a mercy seat of pure gold; two and a half cubits shall be its length and a cubit and a half its width. 18 And you shall make two cherubim of gold; of hammered work you shall make them at the two ends of the mercy seat. 19 Make one cherub at one end, and the other cherub at the other end; you shall make the cherubim at the two ends of it of one piece with the mercy seat. 20 And the cherubim shall stretch out their wings above, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and they shall face one another; the faces of the cherubim shall be toward the mercy seat. 21 You shall put the mercy seat on top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the Testimony that I will give you. 22 And there I will meet with you, and I will speak with you from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are on the ark of the Testimony, about everything which I will give you in commandment to the children of Israel.

God had a sort of throne in the most Holy place where He lived, the mercy seat on top of the ark of the covenant.

The home of God among the people of Israel.

Ex 40:17-21 And it came to pass in the first month of the second year, on the first day of the month, that the tabernacle was raised up. 18 So Moses raised up the tabernacle, fastened its sockets, set up its boards, put in its bars, and raised up its pillars. 19 And he spread out the tent over the tabernacle and put the covering of the tent on top of it, as the Lord had commanded Moses. 20 He took the Testimony and put it into the ark, inserted the poles through the rings of the ark, and put the mercy seat on top of the ark. 21 And he brought the ark into the tabernacle, hung up the veil of the covering, and partitioned off the ark of the Testimony, as the Lord had commanded Moses.

Note that God lived in a portable building built by the hands of men and to meet with Him you had to go to where the temple currently was located. You also could not approach Him for yourself, you had to go through men, the priests. Only those of the tribe of Levi could serve the Lord. Those of the ministry (priesthood) were required to do the work of the ministry.

Holidays and How and When to Celebrate Them

ALL holidays (Holy Days) that were celebrated were GIVEN by GOD along with complete details of when , where , why and how to celebrate them. They were not devised by men. They were not bastardized heathen holidays meant to keep the people in the church, they were God ordained and God given. Why should it be different today if God never changes?

I am going to show the instructions given to the Israelites for the passover. Note the complete detail.

You can find all the Holidays (feasts) the Lord commanded starting in Exodus chapter 23.

So can you now see, why we cannot celebrate man made , especially bastardized heathen holidays, and expect God to bless them. He tells us what He desires of us. And He never changes, if He told us then he will tell us now. By now you should have read the entire law of Moses and become familiar with it.

Ex 12:1-20 Now the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, 2 "This month shall be your beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year to you. 3 Speak to all the congregation of Israel, saying: 'On the tenth of this month every man shall take for himself a lamb, according to the house of his father, a lamb for a household. 4 And if the household is too small for the lamb, let him and his neighbor next to his house take it according to the number of the persons; according to each man's need you shall make your count for the lamb. 5 Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats. 6 Now you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month. Then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it at twilight. 7 And they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses where they eat it. 8 Then they shall eat the flesh on that night; roasted in fire, with unleavened bread and with bitter herbs they shall eat it. 9 Do not eat it raw, nor boiled at all with water, but roasted in fire — its head with its legs and its entrails. 10 You shall let none of it remain until morning, and what remains of it until morning you shall burn with fire. 11 And thus you shall eat it: with a belt on your waist, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. So you shall eat it in haste. It is the Lord's Passover. 12 'For I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the Lord. 13 Now the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt. 14 'So this day shall be to you a memorial; and you shall keep it as a feast to the Lord throughout your generations. You shall keep it as a feast by an everlasting ordinance. 15 Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. On the first day you shall remove leaven from your houses. For whoever eats leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that person shall be cut off from Israel. 16 On the first day there shall be a holy convocation, and on the seventh day there shall be a holy convocation for you. No manner of work shall be done on them; but that which everyone must eat — that only may be prepared by you. 17 So you shall observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread, for on this same day I will have brought your armies out of the land of Egypt. Therefore you shall observe this day throughout your generations as an everlasting ordinance. 18 In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at evening, you shall eat unleavened bread, until the twenty-first day of the month at evening. 19 For seven days no leaven shall be found in your houses, since whoever eats what is leavened, that same person shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he is a stranger or a native of the land. 20 You shall eat nothing leavened; in all your dwellings you shall eat unleavened bread.'"

Ex 12:43-13:1 And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, "This is the ordinance of the Passover: No foreigner shall eat it. 44 But every man's servant who is bought for money, when you have circumcised him, then he may eat it. 45 A sojourner and a hired servant shall not eat it. 46 In one house it shall be eaten; you shall not carry any of the flesh outside the house, nor shall you break one of its bones. 47 All the congregation of Israel shall keep it. 48 And when a stranger dwells with you and wants to keep the Passover to the Lord, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it; and he shall be as a native of the land. For no uncircumcised person shall eat it. 49 One law shall be for the native-born and for the stranger who dwells among you." 50 Thus all the children of Israel did; as the Lord commanded Moses and Aaron, so they did. 51 And it came to pass, on that very same day, that the Lord brought the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt according to their armies.

The atonement for sins of the priests and the people.

Lev 16:29-34 "This shall be a statute forever for you: In the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall afflict your souls, and do no work at all, whether a native of your own country or a stranger who dwells among you. 30 For on that day the priest shall make atonement for you, to cleanse you, that you may be clean from all your sins before the Lord. 31 It is a sabbath of solemn rest for you, and you shall afflict your souls. It is a statute forever. 32 And the priest, who is anointed and consecrated to minister as priest in his father's place, shall make atonement, and put on the linen clothes, the holy garments; 33 then he shall make atonement for the Holy Sanctuary, and he shall make atonement for the tabernacle of meeting and for the altar, and he shall make atonement for the priests and for all the people of the assembly. 34 This shall be an everlasting statute for you, to make atonement for the children of Israel, for all their sins, once a year." And he did as the Lord commanded Moses.

Note that atonement (forgiveness of sins) was only possible once a year and if the “man” priest was not acceptable that day to God the sins would not be forgiven. In fact there was a cord tied to the leg of the priest that entered the most Holy place with God, to be used to pull his body out if God killed him. This was not salvation, only the forgiveness of sins. It could not make one righteous as Christ does.

Also notice that is says this is a “statute forever” , the word used here does not mean eternally, it means for an indefinate period, which in this case is until the death of Christ as the law will be done at that time and since it is to be COMPLETELY fulfilled, no part of it shall remain.

Salvation

In the old testament, salvation was by faith as it is in the new testament. Salvation is and always has been and always will be, a free gift by the Grace of God , received by belief and trust and adherance to Christ and His Gospel.

Rom 10:3-4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.

The law could not bring salvation, it was designed to point them to Christ. We look back at Christ the savior and they looked forward to Him. The entire law points to the free gift of salvation only available through Christ the messiah. No man could fulfill the entire law so no man could be justified by it and it tells us that. Faith in Christ is the ONLY Way. Now that Christ has come there is no need for the law which pointed to Him as the coming redeemer. Now all can look back to His coming as it has brought all that was promised.

1 Tim 2:5 For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus,

Duration of The Covenant

Gal 3:16 Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, "And to seeds," as of many, but as of one, "And to your Seed," who is Christ. 17 And this I say, that the law, which was four hundred and thirty years later, cannot annul the covenant that was confirmed before by God in Christ, that it should make the promise of no effect. 18 For if the inheritance is of the law, it is no longer of promise; but God gave it to Abraham by promise.

19 What purpose then does the law serve? It was added because of transgressions, till the Seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was appointed through angels by the hand of a mediator.

The Law of Moses was given for a certain period of time. It was temporary, NEVER was it intended to last beyond the death of Christ. Look at the above scripture, check your bible, it was to be in effect from the time it was given to Moses only until the death of Christ on the cross. At His resurrection the new and eternal covenant was to begin. As in the born again experience of the Christian, the Kingdom of God that was brought by Christ made “ALL things NEW”. The entire law was Finished and done away with and a brand new and totally different manner of relating to God was instituted. Nothing of the old was retained, it was FULFILLED and therefore finished forever.

A Look at The Instructions For HIS Church (The New Testament Church)

He and The original apostles have given us the pattern for His church just as God gave the Israelites the pattern for the Old Testament church. If we have eyes to see and ears to hear and a heart to obey, we find HE gives us instruction on what and how to do everything that is important to Him. The Tabernacle (temple), The Priesthood (Clergy), Manner of Meetings, Sacrifices, God's Home on earth, Holidays and how to Celebrate them, Atonement, Salvation, Duration.

The Tabernacle

Remember, The tabernacle is God's home with man on the earth. Where in the old testament He was on the mercy seat in the little room (most Holy place or Holy of Holies) in the tabernacle (a Building made with hands), it is different in the new testament.

Mark 15:37-39 And Jesus cried out with a loud voice, and breathed His last.

38 Then the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.

When Jesus died the veil (the covering to the entrance to the most Holy place where the presence of God resided ) was supernaturally torn in two, God was exposed, let out of the box where He resided under the old testament. It was the beginning of the new covenant. No longer is God going to live in the tabernacle made with hands, He is no longer confined to a single location inside a temple made with hands. No longer must we depend on men to go to God for us. No longer do we have to go to where the tabernacle is, He is with us always.

1 Cor 3:16-17 Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? 17 If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.

2 Cor 6:16 And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said:

"I will dwell in them

And walk among them.

I will be their God,

And they shall be My people."

1 Cor 6:18-20 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's.

Remember, “where two or more are gathered in His name there He is in the midst of them. We can meet anywhere, any time, with or without notice. He will be there, in a home, at the beach, the coffee shop, at work, in a warehouse, He does not care, all He cares is that we invite Him to be the leader and Lord and He will meet us there. We are His abode, He goes with us if we allow Him to.

The Priesthood (Clergy) - New Testament Ministries

1 Cor 12:27-29 Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually. 28 And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues.

Do you notice He did not appoint them “Over” anything or anyone, He appointed them “in the church”. Those appointed/Given to the body of Christ are members individually as are all, not above or more important, not “in charge” or “in control”but entrusted with special giftings to be used to bring the whole body of Christ into “the stature of the fullness of Christ”, thereby requiring them to become true servants of all and not lords or masters as so many believe. They are not appointed to stand and tell everyone what to do but are supposed to teach , by example and word how to become doers of the word. To allow all to minister as the Spirit leads. How to be servants and meet the needs of all. Todays “ministry” for the most part believe that they are to stand and preach at “their” people who are “under their control”. They think they are to do the ministering while the regular people look on. But scriptures say that is not their job. In the new testament there is NO clergy-Laity. All are equal and all are able to access God directly without need of a “clergy” . In fact those who are to minister to the others are required to be SERVANTS to all and must lower themselves to be true servants to the brethren.

Matt 20:25-28 But Jesus called them to Himself and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them. 26 Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. 27 And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave — 28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."

Mark 10:42-45 But Jesus called them to Himself and said to them, "You know that those who are considered rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. 43 Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant. 44 And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all. 45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."

Can you see it in the above scriptures “yet it shall not be so among you”. “ 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, “

The work of the ministry, the bringing of the lost to Christ, the healing , the baptizing etc. (the work of the ministry, not the work of the “church” or of a pastor) “the work of the ministry” is to be done by ALL the saints and the job of those called to the specific ministries ( they are ministries that men do and are not Positions, or Titles as some suppose), is setting the example of servanthood and bringing the rest of the saints to “the fullness of the Gospel of Christ. He SPECIFICALLY states they are not to be “OVER” or “In Control” of anyone. But prideful men continue to believe what the schools of “the churches of men “ teach instead of learning the truth from the scriptures with the help of the Holy Spirit. They serve as hirelings in the “churches of men” and believe and teach they are serving the “church of Christ” but Christ and His Spirit are far from them. These “churches” are the fruit of men that have no knowledge of the truths of scripture and bring “their” people (yes their people because God is not with them) into a bondage of meetings and programs and all the man made hoopla that has nothing to do with the true church of Jesus Christ. Jesus set us free from bondage and He has NO desire for us to be brought back into bondage of any kind. The true church of Christ serves as HE directs through His Holy Spirit and does so as an act of love by hearing from Him and following His direction, not that of some mere deluded man with a plan. True leadership is seldom seen but the evidence of their presence is always evident. There is no such thing in scripture as a pastor, check your scriptures, that is something men do for other saints, it is a ministry and is not a “position' nor is it a “title”. The great apostle shows the example, he always says Paul called to be an apostle or Paul, a bondservant, and NEVER does he assume it to be a title. There is no such thing as apostle john or pastor fred. These ministries are the opposite of what the “churches of men” want you to believe. ALL ministries are to assume the lowliest place in the true church. Ministry, as Christ shows us is a position of SERVITUDE. There are to be NO men lifted up above others, ALL who assume leadership roles are to be BONDSERVANTS OF ALL. Any man calling himself by any title other than brother or his own name does not understand scripture and is not qualified to lead. Note, God gave the ministries to THE CHURCH, He DID NOT give the church to the ministries. We are warned in scripture to beware of HIRELINGS, those that are paid to minister and do it a a job, not as true ministry does, as a work of love. Hirelings always require a title.

Eph 4:11-16 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head — Christ — 16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

Notice again that the ministry was given to the church and the reasons for it. The only true ministries in the new testament are men that are filled with and led by the Holy Spirit and leading, training and releasing the brethren as they are prepared to fulfill their ministries. Their mission is John 5:30 “ I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me.” They have no desire to build anything but the unseen Kingdom of God.

No one can be planted in any location if they are free to follow the Holy Spirit of God. Nothing in the Kingdom is permanent all is continuing forward in preparation to the last days. To be truly a part we must hear from the Holy Spirit and do His will , NOT the will of men.

There is ONLY ONE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST and only one leader of it, His Holy Spirit.

1 Cor 1:10-13 Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. 11 For it has been declared to me concerning you, my brethren, by those of Chloe's household, that there are contentions among you. 12 Now I say this, that each of you says, "I am of Paul," or "I am of Apollos," or "I am of Cephas," or "I am of Christ." 13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?

Acts 2:1 When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.

Acts 5:12 And through the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were done among the people. And they were all with one accord in Solomon's Porch.

Acts 15:25-26 it seemed good to us, being assembled with one accord, to send chosen men to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, 26 men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

All denominations and most non-denominations and other so called Christian groups are not of one accord with scripture, or with each other and therefore are a part of the “churches of men” and are not of God. All groups that cannot fellowship with other “Christian” groups are not part of the body of Christ, it has no divisions and no schisms and is NOT divided.

All of the body of Christ must be of one accord for God to recognize it. It is our responsibility as Christians to search the scriptures together until we find the truth, when the true meanings of scripture are found then and only then can there be “all in one accord” and until we reach this place of one accord we must remain in fellowship and searching for the ONE TRUE understanding of each scripture. If we will do this we will become the true body of Christ and be of one accord. Nothing else is acceptable to those who truly love and follow only HIM.

Yes , it means we must die to self, but that IS a requirement of Christianity any way.

Did you notice, this is the exact opposite of the old covenant, only the ministry work for God in it but now the ministry is NOT to do the work of the ministry they are to teach the people to do it. And there is no Priesthood any longer, no clergy/laity. Nothing but saints and some with more responsibility that requires them to be servants of all.

The Church

Is the people. Gods abode is IN His people so they do not have to go anywhere to meet Him. He is always with them. His temple (tabernacle) is no longer a building made with hands. The old has passed away and all things have become new.

The People

The new testament church is made up of “whosoever will”. Any person that is willing to repent and accept Jesus sacrifice as his own and follow HIM is welcome and becomes a part of the church of Christ. It requires that we recognize that ALL things have become new, the old has passed way and we are a New Creation in Him,. No membership cards, no secret pledge, no submission to or permission from men required. Just submission to Christ. It is the beginning of a Spiritual journey and is not something you do once and then go on living your life as you wish. It is a lifelong journey and those who endure to the end SHALL be saved. He has bought us and we belong to Him and not to ourself. Therefore we must continuously hear from and follow Him if we claim to be Christians (His people). Otherwise we are liars and the truth is not in us.

Manner of Meetings

The manner of meeting when saints come together is not written on a sheet of paper or a board in front for all to read. The meeting of the true saints of the church of Jesus Christ will understand the plan that scripture has laid out and will understand that the meeting is to be LED by the Holy Spirit and because of this can move in any direction as , if and when He says. In over 40 years I have never seen a meeting that was truly led by His Spirit that did not at some point take a turn in direction.

1 Cor 14:26-33 How is it then, brethren? Whenever you come together, each of you has a psalm, has a teaching, has a tongue, has a revelation, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification. 27 If anyone speaks in a tongue, let there be two or at the most three, each in turn, and let one interpret. 28 But if there is no interpreter, let him keep silent in church, and let him speak to himself and to God. 29 Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others judge. 30 But if anything is revealed to another who sits by, let the first keep silent. 31 For you can all prophesy one by one, that all may learn and all may be encouraged. 32 And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets. 33 For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints.

Do you see, ALL are to be prepared to be used as a vessel of the Holy Spirit as He leads the meeting, with a scripture , a prophecy, a healing touch, whatever the Spirit moves with and there are some simple instructions here on how to avoid confusion. Since not all are at the same level of understanding and ability to hear and follow the Spirit this is when those ministries that are appointed in the body will be able to speak (thereby training) what is necessary to keep the meeting flowing with the Spirit and not be misled .

There is NO man leading or controlling the meeting, the Spirit is allowed to lead and use those He wishes and the ministries just keep up with the Spirit and see that His leading is not interrupted.

OH how different this is from the controlling spirits in the meetings of the “churches of men”.

The Sacrifices

There are no further sacrifices necessary in the true church of Christ. He made them for us and all we have to do is accept HIS sacrifice as being ours as He tells us.

God's Throne on Earth

God does not have a throne on earth, He lives in us , and He is everywhere and anywhere His people are. We can approach Him without going before His throne, all we have to do is speak because He lives IN US. We are his tabernacle and throne room and we are never alone.

He has a throne somewhere in the heavens from which he will judge ALL mankind when this earthly dispensation comes to an end.

God's Home on Earth

We, the new testament saints are God's home on earth until the judgement. Then after it we the saints of God will inherit the earth. Then at some point, in an instant there will be a new heaven and a new earth and we will spend eternity there with Him.

2 Cor 6:16 For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said:

"I will dwell in them

And walk among them.

I will be their God,

And they shall be My people."

Rev 21:1-4 Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. 2 Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. 4 And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away."

Holidays and How to Celebrate Them

There are no holidays given to be observed in the new testament. So we should not have ( make, celebrate, observe) any if we truly become the disciples of Christ that we are called by scripture to be, then ALL days will be lived for the Lord and there truly will be NO NEED to have any special “days of celebration”. And scripture tells us how to handle this with grace and not law.

Rom 14:5-6 One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind. 6 He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord; and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it.

Atonement

No longer do we have to depend on a mere man to go before God in our behalf on that one day of the year. Under the new testament Jesus paid the price for all of our trespasses and sins to be erased and all we have to do as Christians is repent and ask His forgiveness and we become clean again. And day any time any place. Its between us and God . Of course if we have offended or hurt a brother then we must also make that right as well.

1 John 1:8-10 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Salvation

Salvation is now open to ALL that will repent and accept the atonement that was paid for by Christ on the cross. It is a free gift, ours for the taking by meeting the requirements sent forth in scripture.

1 Tim 2:3-6 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave Himself a ransom for all,

Rom 5:18-19 Therefore, as through one man's offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man's righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. 19 For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man's obedience many will be made righteous.

Note that it says God desires ALL men to be saved and that it also says through Him many will be made righteous . Not All will be saved and not all will be made righteous, only those that will repent and meet the scriptural requirements will be made righteous. (be saved).

Duration

This new covenant is eternal, From the death of Christ to eternity-- FOREVER Never Ending. Unlike the old covenant that was given for a specific time period ( from Moses until Christ) the new covenant has NO END.

CONCLUSION

here is only one true church of Jesus Christ. It has no denominations (schisms and divisions). It has NO CLERGY. Its headquarters is at the throne of God in heaven and not in a building made with hands on earth. In it ALL are equal but some have been called to a greater servanthood. There are no Men in Charge, it is led by the Holy Spirit.

It has no permanent location. God is with it.

It is eternal.

The current “church” system is an attempt by men to re-invent the old testament tabernacle ) temple- church) into a vehicle for them to be lifted up and have control over people. The old testament tabernacle was part of the law and was done away with as was the rest of the law when its time was finished. (Remember it was only in effect from Moses until the death of Christ)

The true church is the People who belong to and follow Jesus Christ without reservation and nothing more.