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“Bethel”
One of the first pictures we see in the Bible regarding God’s house was with Jacob, the early patriarch. One night while on a journey, he took a stone and used it as a pillow for his head (several years before memory foam was invented). That night God appeared to Jacob through a dream in which he saw a ladder reaching from the earth to the heavens with angels ascending and descending on it. God promised the very spot of land he was on to him and his descendants.
When Jacob woke up, he was convinced that he had discovered a unique place and declared, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven.” (see Genesis 28:17) Jacob then took that very stone and set it up as a pillar and poured oil on it. He dedicated the place to God and called it Bethel, which means House of God.
This was one of the first moments in history when God gave man a glimpse of the connection between heaven and earth, between man and God. Jacob truly believed the place he was standing on was “holy ground.” It wasn’t anything special until the connection to heaven was known.
In a similar way, there isn’t anything special about a church building per se. It’s what happens in the building that makes it “holy ground.” It’s the connection that is made between man and God in that place that makes Bethel - the House of God.
Has there been a moment when you encountered God while in a church service? Perhaps you were moved by a worship song or God used a message to speak so clearly to you. Recognize that God is using His House to be a gateway to encountering Him.
One of the first pictures we see in the Bible regarding God’s house was with Jacob, the early patriarch. One night while on a journey, he took a stone and used it as a pillow for his head (several years before memory foam was invented). That night God appeared to Jacob through a dream in which he saw a ladder reaching from the earth to the heavens with angels ascending and descending on it. God promised the very spot of land he was on to him and his descendants.
When Jacob woke up, he was convinced that he had discovered a unique place and declared, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven.” (see Genesis 28:17) Jacob then took that very stone and set it up as a pillar and poured oil on it. He dedicated the place to God and called it Bethel, which means House of God.
This was one of the first moments in history when God gave man a glimpse of the connection between heaven and earth, between man and God. Jacob truly believed the place he was standing on was “holy ground.” It wasn’t anything special until the connection to heaven was known.
In a similar way, there isn’t anything special about a church building per se. It’s what happens in the building that makes it “holy ground.” It’s the connection that is made between man and God in that place that makes Bethel - the House of God.
Has there been a moment when you encountered God while in a church service? Perhaps you were moved by a worship song or God used a message to speak so clearly to you. Recognize that God is using His House to be a gateway to encountering Him.
Scripture
About this Plan
Is there anything sacred about the place we worship? Is the church really God's House? What is my part in the church? These and many more questions are answered in this study of God's House from the pages of Scripture. Not only are we called to gather in God's House, but we are also called to help build it.
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