“The sanctuary will be in the centre of it ... In the centre of it will be the sanctuary of the Lord ... the Temple sanctuary will be in the centre of them” (Ezekiel 48:8,10,21).
Here, we have the centrality of worship in the life of God’s people.
First and foremost, God calls His people to worship Him. In all our
service offered to God (1 Peter 4:10-11), there is to be the offering of worship - “To Him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen” (1 Peter 4:11).
This worship is not simply personal worship - ‘you in your small
corner and I in mine.” It is the worship offered to God by His people
when they gather together to praise Him. It is God’s people responding
to the call, ‘Let us worship God.’ “How good and pleasant it is when
brothers live together in unity!” (Psalm 133:1). When God’s people worship Him “in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24), the Holy Spirit descends upon them “like precious oil poured on the head, running down on the beard” (Psalm 133:2).
As God’s people worship Him, the blessing of the Lord will be given:
“There the Lord bestows His blessing, even life for evermore” (Psalm 133:3).
There is to be prayer from “every one who lives in the land” (Joel 1:14). It is to be personal prayer - “O Lord, I cry to You for help!” (Joel 1:19). These two belong together - prayer for the nation and personal prayer. This is expressed so well in the words: “O Holy Ghost, revival comes from Thee. Send a revival. Start the work in me.” We hear the words, “Return to the Lord, your God” (Joel 2:13). They are followed by some wonderful words about the character of God - “He is merciful and compassionate, patient and always ready to forgive and to change His plans about disaster” (Joel 2:13). How do we know that God is like this? We look at what He has done for us - “Be glad and rejoice. The Lord has done great things!” (Joel 2:21). Looking at all that the Lord has done for us, we trust His promise: “Whoever calls on the Name of the Lord will be saved” (Joel 2:32). This salvation is more than forgiveness for past sins. It’s more than the future glory of being in God’s ev...
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