The Tabernacle in the Old Testament is a pattern of what is in heaven and it outlines how the believer can enter into the Presence of the LORD in today’s context.
Within the Tabernacle resided the Altar of Incense, a picture of worship and prayer. It is positioned in front of the veil that separated the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies.
Each time the priest entered into the Holy Place, he was commanded of the LORD to take a handful of incense and sprinkle it onto the burning coals of the altar. As the incense burned day and night, the perfumed smoke passed through the veil and into the Holy of Holies, as a pleasing aroma to the LORD.
The fragrance, mixed with the presence of God, would fill the Holy Place, saturating the clothing, hair and even the skin of the priest himself. The fragrance of God’s presence would then be carried by the priest to others in the Outer Court.
Today, as believers in the New Covenant, when we enter into the presence of God and offer Him our worship, our love and our adoration; we must come away with our spirit, soul and body so permeated with the fragrance of God that we will be “…to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing …the aroma of life leading to life…” just like how it’s described in 2 Cor. 2:15-16.
WORSHIP ALWAYS TRANSFORMS US
The goal of worship is to be transformed into the image of the One who is worshiped. In Luke 9 is a beautiful account of how Peter, John and James went up to the mountain to pray with Jesus. As Jesus spent time with His heavenly Father, His face shone like the sun and His clothes became white and glistening (Luke 9:28-31; Matt. 17:2). Jesus was transfigured by the presence of God.
In the original Greek, the word transfigured is the same word as “metamorphosis”, which means to change from one form to another. It is the same word used to describe the transformation of a caterpillar in a cocoon into a butterfly. So during His time of worship unto God, Jesus was metamorphosed from a human being into a glorious spiritual being.
The same word is used in another verse …”But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the LORD, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the LORD.” (2 Cor. 3:18)
This verse tells us that what happened to Jesus – when He was worshiping His Father – can also happen to us. For that to happen, based on 2 Cor. 3:18, we must know four things:
1. We must worship God with the REAL “US”
To worship with an “unveiled face” is to come before God without any masks – open honesty. Real change and transformation of our lives cannot take place without us being truly honest and open in the presence of the LORD.
2. We must look into the GLORY OF THE LORD
Introspection alone is not going to bring about the transformation we need in our lives. To that effect, even spiritual activities such as prayer, reading the Bible or Christian books would not change us either. It is only when we see the glory of God in Jesus Christ, then only will true transformation take place.
So, during prayer, when we see Jesus, we will be changed; as we read His Word, when we see Jesus, we will be changed.
3. We must expect the Holy Spirit to work in us
When we are looking at His face, the Holy Spirit is doing a deep inner work within us. In the Old Testament, during the plague in the desert, when Moses lifted up the bronze serpent on a pole, his message to the people was “Look and live”. Today, Jesus has already been lifted up on the Cross as our Savior to give us eternal life. So Paul’s message to us here is, “Look and be changed”.
4. We must allow the change to be PROGRESSIVE
Whatever glory we can see in God becomes the new platform to greater levels of glory to be revealed to us. As we spend time in worship looking at God’s nature, we will be adjusted to that nature – we become more loving, more forgiving, more faithful, more patient – from glory to glory!
The transformation is not instantaneous and there are no shortcuts; but as long as we hang in there with Christ, we will never fail. We are changed from “faith to faith” (2 Cor. 10:15) … “from strength to strength” (Ps. 138:3) … “from grace to grace” (1 John 1:16).
By the by, as we worship God, the Bible says that we will be changed “until Christ is formed in us” (Gal. 4:19).
Preaching the gospel of Christ in a way that’s both progressive and heartfelt, Dr. Kong Hee is a highly sought-after conference speaker worldwide, and his messages minister to millions of people around the world who are inspired to become true ambassadors for Christ wherever God has placed them. Kong is also the founder and senior pastor of City Harvest Church – a thriving, contemporary congregation in the heart of Singapore. His international TV program, Alive! With Kong, encourages millions around the world each week. For more information on Kong’s ministry and materials, please visit konghee.com.
http://edition.konghee.com/
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