In this weary world of trials, temptation, stress, and crises, Jesus offers us the promise of rest for our souls through His Spirit!

"Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." - Matthew 11:28-30

We come to Jesus when we turn from the world of sin by repentance. We take His yoke upon us when we enter into covenant with Him by water baptism by immersion in JESUS name. We find rest for our souls when we receive the gift of His Spirit, the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost is the Spirit of Jesus in us. (John 14:17)

When the disciples received God’s Spirit on the day of Pentecost, they spoke with tongues.

"And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance." - Acts 2:4

The prophet Isaiah foretold of the pouring out of God’s Spirit He described it as the rest for the weary. We would speak in tongues as God speaks through us when we receive God's rest. God's Spirit, which is the Holy Ghost, is rest and refreshing for our souls.

"For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people. To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear." - Isaiah 28:11-12

The rest and refreshing of the Holy Ghost is for everyone, for Jesus is calling all to come to Him.

"Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;" - Acts 3:19

"Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call." - Acts 2:38-39

We have a promise to receive from Jesus! The rest and refreshing for our souls!

Church!

"But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women." - Acts 8:12 (John 3:5, Acts 4:12)

Peter preached the gospel message of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus on the Day of Pentecost, and they too were baptized.

"Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.

“And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation.

“Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.

“And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers." - Acts 2:38-42 KJV

Time for church!

“Spring up old well, within my soul, spring up old well and overflow, spring up old well, flow out through me, spring up old well, and set me free.”

"And from thence they went to Beer: that is the well whereof the LORD spake unto Moses, Gather the people together, and I will give them water. Then Israel sang this song, Spring up, O well; sing ye unto it:" - Numbers 21:16-17 KJV

The LORD said of the well to Moses, I will give them water. Jesus told the woman at the well, I will give them water.

"Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water. ... Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: but whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life." - John 4:10, 13-14 KJV

The Bible speaks of the rock in the wilderness. That Rock was Christ.

"Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; ... And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ." - 1 Corinthians 10:1, 4 KJV

"Take the rod, and gather thou the assembly together, thou, and Aaron thy brother, and speak ye unto the rock before their eyes; and it shall give forth his water, and thou shalt bring forth to them water out of the rock: so thou shalt give the congregation and their beasts drink. ... And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice: and the water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their beasts also. And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron, Because ye believed me not, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them." - Numbers 20:8, 11-12 KJV

This account of Moses striking the rock to make the water come out instead of believing and speaking to the rock, as God commanded, is what Jesus was referring to when He stood and cried on the last day of the feast. This was the last day of the feast of tabernacles, during the water drawing ceremony which commemorated the giving of water from the rock in the wilderness. Jesus, being the Rock, pours out His Spirit – “living water” – to those that believe and “honor Him as holy” – believing that Jesus is God revealed in flesh.

"In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)" - John 7:37-39 KJV

On the Day of Pentecost, after Jesus was glorified, He poured out His Spirit on the believers that were gathered in the upper room.

"And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance." - Acts 2:4 KJV

The LORD had become our salvation. The believers recognized that Jesus was the Holy One of Israel in their midst. With joy they drew water from the wells of salvation – Jesus had begun to pour out His Spirit!

"Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; 'For YAH, the LORD, is my strength and song; He also has become my salvation.' "["Behold, God is my salvation. I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the LORD, the LORD, is my strength and song; and he has become my yeshu`ah." - Isaiah 12:2 HNV (“Yeshu’ah” is the Hebrew word for “Jesus”. It means “LORD-Salvation”)]

"Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation. And in that day shall ye say, Praise the LORD, call upon his name, declare his doings among the people, make mention that his name is exalted. Sing unto the LORD; for he hath done excellent things: this is known in all the earth. Cry out and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion: for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee." - Isaiah 12:3-6 KJV

When we have been born again, we have been born into royalty. Jesus has chosen us. We are of His royal priesthood. We belong to Him, His own special treasure.

We are born again when we are water baptized in Jesus name for the remission of sins and are filled with His Spirit, His Holy Ghost. (John 3:3, 5, Acts 2:38) This is how we are born of water and of the Spirit.

Before we were born again, we were in darkness. We were not His chosen people. We faced His judgment for our sins.

When Jesus called us, we turned to Him by repentance. When we were baptized for remission of our sins in His name, He brought us into His marvelous light of mercy, filling us with His Holy Spirit.

"But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy." - 1 Peter 2:9-10

"Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call." - Acts 2:38-39

Becoming the temple of God – Part Two

Just as Jesus’ body was born as the temple of God, our bodies become the temple of God when we repent, are baptized in Jesus name, and receive the Holy Ghost, which is God’s Spirit.

Jesus said, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” This temple which Jesus spoke of is His body. (John 2:19-22)

Jesus’ body was destroyed when He died. He was buried, and on the third day He raised it up by His Spirit. (1Cor. 15:3-4)

To become the temple of God, our body must go through a similar process: we become dead to sin – we destroy our old sinful nature. We are buried with Jesus by baptism in His name, and we are raised to a new life by being filled with His Spirit. By this, we become the temple of God. (Rom. 6:2-6)

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 KJV - What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.

1 Corinthians 3:16-17 KJV - Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.

2 Corinthians 6:16 KJV - And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

The Body of Jesus the Temple of God – Part One

"Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.

“Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days?

“But he spake of the temple of his body.

“When therefore he was risen from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this unto them; and they believed the scripture, and the word which Jesus had said." - John 2:19-22 KJV

Jesus’ body is the temple of God’s Spirit. All the fullness of God is in His body.

"For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily." - Colossians 2:9 KJV

When we worship Jesus, we are not worshipping a man – flesh – but rather the Spirit of God that dwells within the man.

We are not worshiping the temple, but rather the Spirit of God that dwells within the temple.

Jesus said, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up”. This temple which Jesus spoke of is His body.

Jesus’ body was destroyed when He suffered the half-way death of the Roman whipping, and then hung on the cross to die.

They put His dead body in a tomb, and on the third day the Spirit of God raised His body from the dead.

Jesus, resurrected by His Spirit, showed Himself alive to many witnesses over the next forty days, and then ascended up to heaven.

Ten days later, on the day of Pentecost, the Spirit of Jesus returned to fill the hundred and twenty disciples that were praying in the upper room in Jerusalem.

On that day, their body became the temple of God. (To be continued, Part 2)

"Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call." - Acts 2:38-39 KJV