Standing proud before the veil in Moses’ Tabernacle was the Altar of Incense. For the Old Testament Priests, this altar was an image of continual and fervent prayer to God. Just as the fragrant incense ascended up towards where God is, so do our prayers. Today, this imagery symbolizes Christ interceding for us before the presence of the Father. Not only that, however, it is also a picture of the fragrant aroma that we, as followers of Jesus, carry as He sends us out in the world to preach the gospel of His kingdom and make disciples of Him. What does God “smell" like, and do you carry His aroma so that others around you may benefit from it?

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Put yourself in the shoes of an Old Testament Levitical High Priest. The day is Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. It's the day all of Israel makes the necessary sacrifices and festivities to ponder about and receive forgiveness from God, who has rescued you from slavery and is promising you a land to call your own. Upon donning yourself with your priestly garments, you approach the gates of the Tabernacle with the animals that you must sacrifice on the altar. The blood shed is finished and you make your way to the laver to wash yourself of the stains. With fear and trembling, you then turn toward the tent of meeting. You take a deep breath as everyone behind you watches you stand before its entrance. You step in…

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After the priests sacrificed animals on the altar in the outer courtyard of the Tabernacle, they’d move on to the Laver. This was where washing happened, symbolizing cleansing, purification, and reflection. These ideas aren't just ancient rituals—they continue into the New Testament and are meaningful today. They point to what Jesus has done and is still doing through His Holy Spirit to make us clean and pure like He is. Just as the priests couldn’t skip washing at the Laver before worshiping God, we shouldn’t overlook chances to purify our hearts. This helps us worship God genuinely and wholeheartedly. By doing so, we align ourselves with Christ's purity and holiness.

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Altars. They are a major theme in both the Old Testament and the New. Where there’s an altar, there's sacrifice. In the Old Testament, God required animal sacrifices on altars so atonement for sins could be made. In the New Testament, Jesus sacrificed Himself on the altar of the cross so everlasting redemption could be made possible - but why altars? Why blood? Why sacrifices? Can’t God just forgive without the mess and suffering? There’s much more to altars than we could ever assume.

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The Temple Gate was the first thing the priests saw when approaching God's Tabernacle. It was THE WAY they could access Him. Now Jesus is THE WAY to God. We follow His life and teachings through faith, producing the fruit of the Spirit. It is very hard to walk this way, but the reward is great.

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The God who is everywhere wants to be somewhere. All throughout scripture, God shows His people that He desires to be with His people. In the Old Testament, He wanted to be among them. In the New Testament (and today), God wants to be in you! Week 1 of the Dwell series is all about the “dedication”. Just as the Israelites dedicated the tabernacle to the Lord by ceremony, we (the current tabernacle of God) must dedicate our lives to Him by obedience! What does it mean to dedicate ours lives to Him fully and what must we rid ourselves of in order to have more of the indwelling of God?

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In this episode, Keith shares with us God's vision for YA in 2025 and beyond, as well as reveals a fresh approach to ministry so we may become strong in Jesus, have His word abide in us, and become overcomers (1 John 2:14). We pray this vision compels you to take on God's mission in your city and sparks a lasting hunger for His presence!

God is always at work in your life, wanting to sow “good seed” in you so that we may become the righteousness of God. The devil is also at work - wanting to sow a twisted version of what God is sowing. While the devil wants us to entertain wickedness, selfishness, and fear, Jesus desires for us to possess the fruit of His Spirit so that others may experience and see the Kingdom of God in our world. Are you a wheat or a tare? Are you genuine in your desire for more of God, or are you tempted to live as a counterfeit? What will God have from you during His harvest?

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