"Gentlemen, this is Jesus."

The Word for today:
Exodus 26, 27

Legendary Green Bay Packers coach Vince Lombardi started every season with a team meeting. Surrounded by veterans and rookies alike, he would hold a football high above his head so that each player could see it. With all eyes on him, he simply said: "Gentlemen, this is a football."

This was Coach Lombardi's way of reminding all of his players that success begins with a clear understanding of the basics. While it may have been a little simplistic, it succinctly illustrates the need to understand the fundamentals before moving on to more advanced tasks.

Going back to the tabernacle is the spiritual equivalent of going back to the basics. Whether you're an All-Pro Bible commentator or a rookie believer, the Tabernacle should be visited and revisited -- first to teach us the basics of our salvation, and continually thereafter to make sure we're staying on track as we teach others.

Over the next ten days we're going to take a tour of the tabernacle, from the east gate to the Ark of the Covenant.

We're going to keep it simple, concentrating on just a few of the furnishings per day. By the time we're done, you should be able to visualize your way all the way through the tabernacle like you can visualize going through a house you've lived in for twenty years. We'll be resorting to pictorial aids -- pictures and diagrams -- as we make our way "from the door to the core."

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Which came first, the Bible or Jesus?

The answer, of course, is Jesus:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

That beginning (John 1:1) is the oldest beginning in scripture, because no matter when you think it was, it was before that!

(The Bible's second oldest beginning, when God created the heavens and the earth, is found in Genesis 1:1. The Bible's third beginning, the beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, is found in Mark 1:1.)

Jesus is the original Word, which God has proclaimed in multi-media:

The Bible is a paper expression of the original Word.

The Tabernacle is an architectural expression of the original Word.

Finally, we witnessed a human expression (an incarnation) of the original Word:
The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. (John 1:14)

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So I've always wondered (silly me) why they don't build churches according to the plan given for the tabernacle. Then the building we call "the church" would actually be doing what the church is supposed to do -- proclaim the Word of the LORD.

But instead the first thing encountered upon entering our current churches is some lame and dippy "Connection Café" where the biblically ignorant can miraculously manage to stay biblically ignorant during the entire thirty years of their church membership!

What a stark contrast to the sparsely appointed Tabernacle, where God allowed just a handful of furnishings which powerfully bespoke his Word…

Now we're nearing the Door. I'll meet you right here tomorrow.

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