ORDER OF SERVICE
Praise and Worship : Worship Team
Offertory Prayer : Elder H. Zabiak
Induction of New Members : Secretary, TBSUC
Bible Study : Rev. Kumam Suresh Singh
Benediction : Elder L. Ngulminthang
INTRODUCTION ON GENESIS
Genesis is the first book of the Bible which tells us about the creations and the beginning of all things on earth. The book has many special features and attributes which is beyond our present understanding in terms of its importance and spiritual implications besides the hidden design and plans of God in creating man. It is a very wonderful and amazing book and as we explore more, we will come to realise that we know nothing about it.
BIBLE STUDY ON GENESIS:1-3 (God’s Original Design for Worship – Cosmic Temple)
Our first impression on earth is that it is a just a formless and shapeless thing, no design, fully/totally empty. Let us try to dig deep into the true meaning, its implications and the true messages God had designed to convey through this book.
ANCIENT/REAL VIEWS ON “GOD’S IMAGE”
In ancient days or earlier, the image of God reflected in his creation of human being is understood as his physical appearance, his facial descriptions and structures. But, God is spirit, no forms or shapes and omnipresent God, so mankind taking his physical image is a wrong belief.
The true implication of God’s image on us is to share his kingship on earth. This is the reason that he allowed us to take his own image, the image to rule - as we see in the Bible “Let them have Dominion”.
Our kind God entrusted upon us the kingship with tremendous freedom so that we can enjoy our assigned roles, grant us the liberty to exercise our freedom in whatever ways we wish due to his love. It entails the risk of being a sinable creature that leaves rooms for potential fall in us. So, if we try to fully understand and explore the meaning of this creation, being created after his own image, it implies that God wanted to fill the whole universe through us with his divine glory, greatness like a mirror, reflecting his attributes of a supreme one, to ultimately turn it (the world) into his Temple.
Genesis 2:15 says “And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it” and in Genesis 2:5 we see that “And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the Lord God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground.” Comparing the two portions, it seems they are contradicting. So, one thing is clear that since there were no plants and grains in those days that Adam’s role that God assigned in the Garden of Eden would be more than just a tiller or gardener. Eden would be an orchard rather than a vegetable garden.
Turning to Exodus 38:21 “This is the sum of the tabernacle, even of the tabernacle of testimony, as it was counted, according to the commandment of Moses, for the service of the Levites, by the hand of Ithamar, son to Aaron the priest. Numbers 18:6 “And I, behold, I have taken your brethren to you they are given as a gift for the Lord, to do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation.” Leviticus 8:35 “Therefore shall ye abide at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation day and night seven days, and keep the charge of the Lord, that ye die not: for so I am commanded.”
From all of the above verses, something about the word “Tilt” has been discovered. It could mean “Priesthood” as Adam’s role. The services of God than that of physically laboring the soil or performing agricultural works is what God wants from Adam. To guard, take care of the Garden of Eden, which further means to rule over all other creatures in the world, to lead them in praising and glorifying God. Reflecting his praise upward, a link between God and other creatures in serving the creator. Then, we may wonder, if Adam is the priest, then what really does the Garden of Eden implies? Here, we see from the above verses (in Numbers), it is a “Tabernacle”, a place where the priest serves the Lord and performs the rituals. The first and foremost design and purpose of creating Adam and appointing him as a priest show that, in a family functioning, men/fathers are called to be the high priest, serving his family in worshipping God, to form a divine relationship with God. As we know before the laws of Moses come into being, Abraham, Lot, etc. are serving the Lord by being a priest for their respective families.
FIRST DESIGN OF GOD : Father to be the priest of the family
Eden Garden is a sacred place / a holy place which is occupied by the glory of God, so it was guarded by the cherubs after Adam and Eve were expelled from it. And during Moses’ time, the Ark of Covenant is also guarded by Angels, placed inside the tabernacle, the reason being God dwells in it, and occupied the centre of the tabernacle and Israelites were placed surrounding it. This represents the small world we live where God tried to create a centre within our individual life, where he would dwell.
SECOND DESIGN OF GOD: God wants to create a place at the centre of our life and live in it.
As God’s plan in Eden Garden had failed, he created a nation – The Israelites and occupied the centre, sometimes taking the forms of cloud. In Genesis 2:18 “And the Lord God said, it is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.” God said it is not good for man to live alone, so he planned to create a helper, to support man in his service to God. There is a misinterpretation or error in understanding the procedure of how God created woman. The most accepted belief is that God was extracting one rib from Adam to create Eve while he was asleep. The correct way is, God created Eve from one sides of Adam. From the other half of his body or being, to be by the side of man, supporter and helper.
THIRD DESIGN OF GOD : Women are created to be equally important as men, occupying half of man-being, to be no less important in serving God, supporting men, in helping/backing whatever endeavours men undertake, compliment each other.
As it is, Adam and Eve were originally designed by God to be king and queen on earth to represent the supreme God, to have dominion, which will gradually expand and cover the whole world. But, they let or allowed setan to intrude their territories and finally failed to protect God’s holy place.
As Adam and Eve could not protect and maintain the sanctity of (Eden), God’s dwelling place (Eden), God had chased them away from it as God never allowed anybody to live sinfully according to his original plan. Proceeding further and exploring the book, we see God commanding Moses to rescue the Israelites from their bondage as he claimed them as his “Sons” which eventually led to the killing of the first-born in Egypt. Then, God trained the Israelites to worship him by giving Laws of Moses since he wanted to revive, recreate the damaged relationship in Eden, planning to create new creations within human or the “New Eden”. And the Israelites were indwelled by the glory of God as we have seen from the Solomon Temple where God revealed in its fullness. After that, God’s glory left mankind. Times passed by, mankind tried to begin moving away from God’s will and sin had occupied them once again denying the authority of God and God tried to mend the relationship in all possible ways by means of his prophets, but to no avail and mankind turned away from God. In the book of Ezekiel 11 we see God’s glory leaving mankind and their temple.
After hundreds of years, as we see in John 1:1 “In the begining, was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God”. The word “Dwell Among Us” means, “God’s Tabernacle Among Us” though it is never written in this way. This speaks about “Jesus”.
Back to Genesis, the Temple does not have form and shapes i.e. the Tabernacle. Then, next followed by Solomon Temple, filled with the glory of God in its fullness. After which as we mentioned earlier, there is no place on earth where God dwells in. Again in John, which says “Word” dwells among us, would mean a temple which can feel, move around, talk, the real God becoming flesh, finally having forms and flesh unlike the earlier Temple. Proved by his very own words, “Destroy this Temple, I will rebuild within three days”, Jesus becoming the dwelling place of God. Finally, God with his full glory, revisiting us through Jesus. Church building is not a Temple, Jesus is the only Temple.
The crucification of Christ Jesus on the cross for our salvation brought the “New Exodus”. This belongs to us, going away from setan and his sinful world. In Jesus sprouts a living “Tree of Life”.
TO SUMMARIZE:
1. God’s plan to create his kingdom through Adam and Eve failed.
2. God tried through Abraham and his descendants, but failed again.
3. Only through Jesus, God’s plan of a new creation, new kingdom came into being. Finally, the New Creation took place and the old one destroyed and replaced. (Romans 8:21; 2 Corinthians 5:17).
In Genesis, God made light from darkness. Likewise, God through his only begotten son, Jesus drove away the darkness in us and replaced it with his glorious light and filled us. (Colossians 3:10; Revelation 21:5; Revelation 22:5). Since then, new creation becomes the repeated theme in the Bible.
The deprived privileges as the children of God have been restored through Jesus. No more temple required. God and the Lamb are the only Temple. God is not interested in physical Temple. Human beings are originally designed to be governors in serving God, and man leading the family.
We should concentrate on our family and prioritise it. American families are healthier when they follow Biblical principles. If possible, man should earn for the family and woman should be the homemaker.
God wants to fill this world with his Temple through us, the whole world is God’s temple. We should adopt Temple lifestyle throughout the world, then only the ultimate Design of God “The Cosmic Temple” could be fully realized and come into being.
