Read more in this series: Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4 / Part 5 / Part 6 / Part 7 / Part 8 / Part 9 / Part 10 / Part 11 / Part 12
As temples of the Holy Spirit, we exist to glorify God while we welcome people into His presence. Every choice in our lives should conform to this purpose.
In this series we are exploring what it means to be temples of the Holy Spirit. We’re looking at the nine types of people who visit temples so that we can understand their motivation. If we understand what drives them, we will better understand how to help them on their journey towards the Lord.
The Journey So Far
We started this journey by walking out of the wilderness towards the cross, where we handed our sin over to Jesus. We passed through the gates with thanksgiving and praise. We passed through the fire of the altar and experienced the baptism of the Holy Spirit. We saw our new identity reflected in the laver and experienced inner healing.
Now we enter the Holy Place, the last stop before the Holy of Holies.
The Holy Place
There are three significant parts to the Holy Place: the Table of Showbread, the Lamp Stand, and the Altar for Incense. You can read about them in Exodus 37:10-29.
All three have layers of meaning, and they are worth researching in depth. For this article, let’s look at something they all have in common: each station in the Holy Place represents a different interaction with the word of God.
The Table of Show Bread represents the provision of the word. It is nourishing and meant to be enjoyed, not merely sampled.
The Lamp Stand represents the revelation of the word. It is the light by which we understand and navigate our lives.
The Altar of Incense represents the application of the word. It is where the word flows through our thoughts, words, and actions as we intercede for others before God.
Each station is significant, but they are more significant when understood together, and they only come together in the Holy Place.
This is important for two reasons.
First, we can’t enter into the Holy Place without stopping at the Altar and the Laver.
Second, the curtain dividing the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies has been torn from top to bottom.
The Other Side of the Altar
Have you ever met someone who has read the Bible, but who just didn’t seem to get it?
I was that person for a long time. I read the Bible on occasion, but when I did it seemed so dry and lifeless. I preferred to receive the word by proxy through preachers and small groups. I told myself I didn’t need to read the Bible because I already knew what it said.
The truth was I was running from it. It made me uncomfortable. Sometimes I would power through and read a chapter, but most of the time I just felt guilty for not understanding it or for not doing what it said.
My solution was to avoid the Bible. I believed in God, but I was content to live my life at a comfortable distance from His word.
Then my life hit a crisis point, and I was desperate. I knew there was nothing I could do to fix things, no bargain I could make to convince God to undo the things I had done.
I was fully at His mercy. I chose to surrender my whole life to Him—the good, not just the bad—and made a commitment that even if I never regained the things I had lost, I would follow Him completely for the rest of my life.
Then the most amazing thing happened. The Bible came alive.
It wasn’t a crusty old book anymore. It wasn’t hard to understand. It was as if the words were leaping off the page, transforming my mind and heart. A book that was thousands of years old felt like it was written just for me.
I realized the Bible had never been dead; I had been dead to it. I believed in God and went to church, but until I surrendered, it didn’t mean anything to me. I heard the word and read the word, but it was as if I was content to hang out in the courtyard, never moving deeper into the temple to experience the fullness of God’s presence.
When I surrendered, I could finally enter the Holy Place, and that is where everything came together. Just like the bread, the lamp, and the incense are three parts of a whole, the knowledge of the word, the revelation of the word, and the application of the word made up the whole experience that I had been missing out on for so long.
What’s more, I felt the presence of the Holy Spirit as I engaged on every level with the word. I still do, every time I read Scripture.
That’s because the veil is torn from top to bottom.
The Seventh Visitor - The Illuminated
Matthew 27:50-54 ESV - And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit. And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split. The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many. When the centurion and those who were with him, keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were filled with awe and said, “Truly this was the Son of God!”
When Jesus gave up his life, the temple veil was torn in two. The earth shook. The tombs were opened. The dead were raised.
That is really important when it comes to how we interact with God’s word.
The temple veil separated the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies, which is the very heart of the temple, where the Spirit of the Lord dwells. Nobody was allowed to cross the veil into the Holy of Holies except for the high priest, and then only very rarely. For most people, experiencing the presence of God was a fantasy that would never come true.
But when the temple veil was torn, that barrier was removed. Not only did we gain access to God, but the light of His glory gained access to us.
Because the veil is torn, when we read the word with a heart of humble surrender, it is illuminated not just by the Lamp Stand, but by the presence of the Holy Spirit.
When we sit down to read, the Holy Spirit is there with us, pointing out words and phrases He wants us to see. When we receive revelation, He instructs us, showing us how each individual revelation is connected. When we pray, He prays with us and reminds us of His word, inspiring our prayers.
Romans 8:26-27 ESV - Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.
The glory of the presence of the Holy Spirit illuminates the word. He illuminates our minds. He illuminates our hearts.
In His presence, His word comes alive. In His presence, His protective light surrounds us, protects us, and guides us. In His presence, our prayers become inspired. We take on the beautiful aroma of the Spirit of the Lord as we intercede for others.
Only by passing through the fire do those things become alive to us. Only by truly surrendering to the Lord do we experience the illumination of His word on every level.
Proverbs 23:26 ESV - My son, give me your heart, and let your eyes observe my ways.
Romans 12:1 ESV - I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.
If you find yourself avoiding the Bible; if you try to read it, but you don’t understand it; if you fear the conviction it brings, or simply fear falling asleep; ask yourself, “Have I surrendered to the Lord? Have I committed all of my heart, mind, and soul to Him?”
If you haven’t, it may be time to take that step.
If you have, then ask Him to illuminate His word. He will not forsake you. The Lord opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Ask the Holy Spirit to fill your heart and soul with the light of divine understanding. Read the word with expectation and joy as a sign of surrender.
If you’ve experienced the illumination of God’s word, please leave a comment as a testimony to others. Let them know how the Lord has helped you.
May the grace of God illuminate your heart and mind and lead you into truth.
Often, when the Holy Spirit truly illuminates the Word for me, I find myself in tears.