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“And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.” Ephesians 2:22
Dear Immanuel Family,
God’s word is filled with the work of building. Physical building and the imagery of building in creation. When God creates Eve out of the rib of Adam, the Hebrew word is בָּנָה (banah) which means to build, figuratively and literally. (Gen. 2:22) What does this mean God is doing with us?
When David wanted to build the temple, David was told that God would instead build David a house in his royal lineage. The house of Christ, a kingdom without end. (2 Samuel 7:13)
And the carpenter’s son, Jesus, a carpenter himself according to Mark 6:3, would have been known as master craftsman. The title refers often to carpentry, but it also refers to an artisan builder and construction. The same stone the builders rejected (Psalm 118, Ephesians 2:20) has become the chief cornerstone. The one who prophesied, “Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up again.” (John 2:19) Jesus the builder and the body.
Jesus then told Peter that upon this rock he would build his church. (Matthew 16:18) And Peter then reminds us that we are, “…chosen and precious in God’s sight, and like living stones let yourselves be built into a spiritual house…” (1 Peter 2:4-5)
The Greek word translated from the Hebrew בָּנָה (banah) is οἰκοδομέω (oikodomeo) in the Septuagint (Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible). It is the same word used in the Greek from Genesis 2:22 all the way to Ephesians 2:22, and the same word used in 2 Samuel 7:13. This is what God is doing and building in our world and in us; the church.
And here we are, this church home and family, each of us fearfully and wonderfully made, being built together by faith in Christ into the family of Immanuel where the Holy Spirit God lives. My family and I are so grateful to be a part of this welcoming and loving church that we now call home.
Sincerely Yours in This Shared Love of Christ,
Pastor Duane
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