According to a 2015 Deloitte Survey, 6 out of 10 Millennials chose to work for their current employers due to their “sense of purpose.” What we value gives us purpose. Just as organizations have values, individuals do also. Most people have 5 to 7 core values that identify who they are. For the Christian, we are to be “in the world, but not of it.” We are to be different than the world – in our values, in our beliefs, in our character and in our behavior. What is the pointe in Jerusalem, the lesson we can glean from Paul’s desire to return to the city?
The Pointe in Jerusalem
Are there lessons that we can learn from Paul’s brief stop in Jerusalem between his second and third journeys? The content packed into the walls of the city of Jerusalem is rich and filled with inspiration. Here are a few things we should always consider when we think and study about Jerusalem
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There is value in heritage and tradition.
The fast pace and changing mores keep most people unsettled and insecure. The importance of traditions and heritage is significant, especially as a person ages. Even though his salvation was freed from the regulations of the Law, Paul desired to spend the Passover in the midst of his traditions and with his family. Jerusalem provided the setting for memories, fellowship and worship.
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It is important to give God a physical place in your life.
Jerusalem became synonymous with the “city of God.” Inside its gates were His people and His temple. The activities surrounding the worship of God centered on performance in the city. Jerusalem gave the people a specific place where they saw God as being present. The faithful understood that God does not dwell in temples made of hands (Acts 17:24), but the concept helped limited people have a focal point for devotion and challenge.
Of the almost twenty festivals and feasts celebrated by the Jewish faithful, three of the festivals were considered “pilgrimage feasts.” Pesah (Passover, Feast of Unleavened Bread), Shavuot (Feast of Weeks, Pentecost) and Sukkot (Feast of Booths, Tabernacles) connected the people with both the cycles of God’s creation and important events in Jewish history.
Do you have a place in your home which allows you to focus, study and worship your Lord?
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Jerusalem represents what God is going to provide for His people.
The term “New Jerusalem” occurs in Revelation 21:2 and Revelation 21:10. The concept is based upon prophecies that there will be a spectacular future for the city of Jerusalem. Scholars debate whether the future is figurative or literal, but the reality exists for a future of God’s presence with His people. In many ways, the New Jerusalem culminates the entire historic process of redemption. The New Jerusalem is a restoration of the Garden of Eden and Paradise (Revelation 21:6, Revelation 22:1-2).
Are you looking forward to that day?
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