Author: Jan Oosthuizen

The new temple has received a new structure: it is now made of living stones (people) (1 Pet. 2: 5) and that He rounds off the structure with five gifts ~ like the five main organs of the body, which nourishes and strengthens it His Body’s ministry (Eph. 4: 11-16).

AS the Lord had very specific specifications when building the tabernacle, or tent of meeting, so the Lord has specific precepts about how His body, church should function (Ex. 25:40; 26:30; 2 Tim. 1:13; Heb. 8:5). Of course, the most important specification is that Jesus Christ is the cornerstone (Matt. 21:42).

Jesus was revolutionary! He did not add anything to the old, no He replaced the old with something much better! Too many believers still think from an Old Testament, old covenant paradigm, and try to weave the words and concepts of the New Testament and new covenant into Christ into the old. Jesus was radically NEW. He paved a whole new path, through His preaching and example, His suffering and death, and His resurrection! The origin of Christianity did not begin in Genesis, it began with Jesus, and His resurrection!

Over the centuries, this difficult issue has been debated in various ways. I’m not going to pretend to be the final answer on this, but everyone should examine the Word of God and accompanying reading material themselves to gain insight and wisdom on exactly how we are going to deal with the presence of evil in our lives.

Not being able to experience pain is life-threatening.
Not feeling emotional pain makes people unscrupulous.
Without pain we do not become stronger and we do not build capacity. This is beautifully illustrated in the animated film, WALL-E. In the movie, robots do everything for humanity while humans just lie in their chairs, gain weight and watch TV.

Despite society’s neglect or mockery of servanthood, it remains a cornerstone of success in business. Any seasoned entrepreneur will tell you that true wealth, promotion, and sustainable growth come through serving others. The business that serves its customers best earns their loyalty—and with loyalty comes long-term success.