Growth in Christ-likeness does not always come easily or consistently. We need one another to both encourage and challenge us in our walk with the Lord. As we get to know others at a deeper level in a small group setting, we can begin to more easily fulfill the ‘one-another’ aspects of the Christian life.

In ancient Israel, the high priest wore an elaborate set of garments when discharging his duty. These garments clothed him with dignity and honor fitting to his work and pointed ahead to the One who would be clothed with ultimate honor not through a set of clothes, but through the power of a perfectly righteous life. Though we are all naked and defiled in our sin, the Lord Jesus clothes us in His own righteousness by grace, through faith in His work on the cross.

It is has often been said that freedom is never free. Nowhere was that truth more clearly seen than at the altar in front of the tabernacle. Day after day, the perpetual stream of blood sacrifices showed God’s people the severity and scope of their sin so that they might receive the riches and responsibilities of His grace. It all pointed forward to the ultimate Sacrifice who would impart ultimate grace through the ultimate cost of His own body on the cross.

God knows the struggles we face in a fallen world and loves us enough to meet us where we are, travel with us on our journey, and provide intimate access to Himself through the blood of His Son, Jesus Christ. The tabernacle is far more than a tent. It represents the heart of God for a wayward and needy people like us!

One of the Apostle Paul’s key goals in ministry was to present everyone complete in Christ (Colossians 1:28). He understood that the true Christian life is one in which believers increasingly think and act biblically. Through Bible study, prayer, meaningful discussion and other opportunities small groups help individual believers, and thus the body as a whole, grow in Christ-likeness.

Just as our bodies need nourishment to live, so our souls need the sustaining presence of God. Likewise, just as our eyes need light to see where we’re going, so we need the Light of God’s presence to shine into every aspect of our lives. The tabernacle table and lampstand represented God’s perfect sustenance and guidance, ultimately found in the Lord Jesus Christ.

We all struggle with guilt in a variety of ways, and all of our human-centered attempts to deal with it are counterproductive. Only God can provide mercy and forgiveness to sinners like us and the Ark of the Covenant anticipates how He has done so through the cross of Jesus Christ.

If God created everything, owns everything, and needs nothing, why does He call us to give? The only conclusion can be that it is for our benefit unto His glory. In Exodus 25 we find that God’s invitation to give is itself a gracious gift that reorients our hearts, involves us in His work, and prepares us for His own presence among us, ultimately in the Person of His Son.

As a disciple of Jesus, Ananias responded to the Lord’s call to minister to Paul who was in need, and Ananias responded in faith and action to help someone he was not naturally inclined to serve. Ananias demonstrates the kind of commitment to ministry to others that we strive to develop in Covenant’s small groups.