TEMPLES OF THE HOLY GHOST

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Second to the truth about God, Himself, and salvation, the teaching
on Practical Christianity is so needed today!!!  Bro. McNair
refers to this so well!

Jonathan McNair wrote:
 
> I was teaching this morning in the Bible Class on the Tabernacle and got
> on an interesting thought. The ark of the covenant typified and at times
> embodied the presence of God. There was a prescibed way for the ark to
> be carried [transported] as David found out when he tried to move it on
> the ox cart!! We are now the temples of the Holy Ghost and there is a
> prescribed way, in God's Word, for us as the ""containers"" of the
> presence of God [Holy Ghost] to live and act!!! Paul asked the
> Corinthians the question, ""What, know ye not that your body is the
> temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you???"" and then went on to tell
> them to glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are Gods.
> 
> It is important for us to live according to the prescribed order in the
> Word of God [as transporters] of the Holy Ghost. Paul told the
> Thessalonians to ""quench not the Spirit"" and he told the Ephesians to
> ""grieve not the holy Spirit of God""!!!

What a great thought!  It is very strongly stressed, especially in 
Romans chapters 5 through 8, how to see the Spirit work in our lives.

Bro. McNair have been chatting together about the issue of doing good.

Let me quickly explain.  In Romans, Paul is getting to the main points
of the info found in chapters 6 through to 8. In chapter 1, he is preparing
us for that truth.  And in 1 he says God HARDENS the hearts of people
who receive truth of God's existence and do not glorify and love God as 
a result. Such VAIN people are then "given over" to a hard heart and 
they cannot do  good.  At first, I feel, they know they are wrong, but 
have pleasure in sin.  And THEN they no longer see any wrong in it, 
for their hardness has progressed.

God just will not leave them as they are when they confront truth
and refuse to glorify God.  He will HARDEN their hearts.

In Like manner, Paul found he could not do good even though he wanted
to (Romans 7).  His problem was that he MISSED LOVING GOD.  So God,
to a slight degree, "hardened" him.  But (back to Romans 1) when we
receive truth and LOVE and glorify God, God does the opposite
of hardening us.  He removes the veil o ver our hearts (2 Cor 3:15-
16) and gives us His righteousness!  IOW, causes us to do good!!!!
Yes, I said GOD causes us to do good, not ourselves!!  For He gives
us HIS righteousness.

I preached Sunday mroming about the Key to Heaven - Loving God.
The only thing we need is love for Him, and all else will fall
inplace.  God will not allow us to be righteous and do righteous
deeds if we refuse to LOVE Him.  ANd that means we can't even pray
to do good so we will not go to hell.  God says, "If that
is all you are praying to do goo for, then I wil not answer." He
wants us to LOVE HIM!  Not go to Him for a fire-escape!

Oh, the wisdom of God!!!
-- 
In Christ,
Mike Blume
mfblume@ns.sympatico.ca
http://www3.ns.sympatico.ca/mfblume/mblume.htm