Psalms 132: 1-18

King David in this passage of Psalms deals with the seriousness of finding a place for the covenant of God. As you travel around the world you cannot help but be amazed by some of the great cathedrals. We can only imagine what the temple looked like which it was completed during the reign of Solomon. Since the time of Moses God’s people had had the tabernacle, in which to worship God. King David felt God should have permanent home in which to dwell, where the Ark of the Covenant could be displayed.

Although, we know God’s greater desire is that He be allowed to dwell in our hearts, since we are the living temple of God. God has established in his word a pattern that we should follow of corporate worship. Although, we are called as individuals to spent time in worship and fellowship daily, we are also instructed to meet for fellowship with other believers.

In joining to together, we are able to share in the blessing and the distresses of the congregation. During this time of fellowship we are instructed in righteousness and guided through the Word of God to examine our lives in light of the scripture.

In my travels around the world, I have had the opportunity to worship in various buildings, some large and others very small. One thing each had in common is that they were set apart as a place of worship. The church is to be a place set aside for worship, fellowship, prayer, praises and glorifying God.

During the years 1973-1986 while I ministered with Evangelism to Communist Lands, many times while traveling in Eastern European countries, we would discover that a church building had either been destroyed or taken over by the government for other uses. It was heart breaking to see those building been used for a purpose other that what it was designed for.

However, because God dwells in our hearts instead of building, we saw hundreds of people continuing to worship. Many times these Christians were forced to gather in fields, in barns, in homes and anywhere they could meet. These Christian were not limited to worship in a building, nevertheless after the fall of the communist, these churches building are being built again.

Although, the communist of Russia and Eastern Europe have gone, we still face many enemies to the practice of free worship. There are still people who have a great desire to have a place set aside to go to worship.

We, who have great provision, have an obligation to help our brothers and sisters who are suffering, making great sacrifice to gather for worship and fellowship. The gospel has been spread throughout the world because of the sacrifice of believers, giving offerings and praying.

Let’s join together to make a difference in those areas of the world where the gospel is being preached under great distress.

We love you all in Jesus Christ our Lord,
Eddie & Barbara Lofton