Calvary Temple

Join us for a study through the Gospel of the Apostle John, continuing with John 7. About six months after the Bread of Life discourse in chapter 6, Jesus leaves Galilee and quietly enters Jerusalem during the Feast of Tabernacles. Soon, we find Him teaching boldly in the temple, even while the Jewish leaders seek to kill Him. Some believe, some doubt, and the Jewish leaders cannot find a way to arrest Him.A

The Ark of the Lord was captured by the Philistines, but wherever it went throughout their country, God’s hand brought judgment. Realizing they could not stand against the God of Israel, they sent the Ark back with offerings on a cart. When it arrived at Beth-shemesh, the people rejoiced—but some treated it irreverently, looking into the Ark, and God struck them. The message was clear: God is holy, and His presence is not to be treated casually.

God had already given clear instructions in Numbers 4:15—the Ark was to be carried by the Kohathites, but never touched by them. Yet when David later attempted to bring the Ark to Jerusalem, he followed the Philistine method and placed it on a cart. When the oxen stumbled, Uzzah reached out to steady it, and God struck him down. David stopped the journey and left the Ark at the house of Obed-edom, where it brought great blessing. Same Ark—different outcome.

So what’s the story about? We don’t get to carry God’s presence our way. David had the right desire but the wrong method; Uzzah had good intentions but ignored God’s instructions. The difference between judgment and blessing was obedience. And the message for us is simple: we honor God’s presence by obeying God’s Word. We cannot separate the two—because God’s presence is a gift, but it is never casual.

In Timothy 4:1–5, Paul the Apostle warns Pastor Timothy that false teaching won’t always look dangerous—it often sounds spiritual, disciplined, and even wise. Some will drift from the faith, not by rejecting truth outright, but by embracing ideas shaped more by culture than by God. These teachings can dull conviction, add unnecessary rules, and subtly redefine what is true and good.

Paul reminds us that God’s creation—including things like food and marriage—is good, as rooted in Book of Genesis, and meant to be received with gratitude. The danger lies in both extremes: adding rules God never gave or living without boundaries altogether. True spiritual maturity is found in discernment—staying grounded in God’s Word, rejecting distortion, and learning to receive everyday life as a gift shaped by truth and thanksgiving.

I’ve always loved finding a good bargain, especially through thrifting—carefully looking for quality and deciding what something is truly worth. That mindset was tested on a trip to China, where after a chaotic and overwhelming marketplace, I was led to a quiet shop filled with beautiful, high-quality pearls. There, I could slow down, recognize true value, and choose something lasting.

In Matthew 13:45–46, Jesus describes a merchant who finds one pearl of great price and gives everything to obtain it. This reminds us that Christ and His kingdom are of incomparable worth. When we truly recognize that, everything else fades in comparison—and what we “give up” becomes a joyful exchange for something far greater.

In Exodus 3, Moses encounters the burning bush and hears God call his name. When he asks, “Who am I?” and “Who are You?” God answers, “I will be with you,” and “I AM WHO I AM.” In that moment, God reveals Himself as the eternal, self-existent One. Throughout Deuteronomy and Isaiah, He continues declaring, “I am He,” showing that His identity never changes—He is the unchanging “I AM.”

Then, the “I AM” stepped into human history in Jesus Christ. In Gospel of John 6, Jesus said, “I am the bread of life… given for the life of the world,” pointing to the cross where His body would be broken. Yet He also declared He would take His life up again. The bread was broken, but not defeated—because in Book of Revelation 1:18, He says, “I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore.” The cross finished the work, and the resurrection proved it: Jesus is the fulfillment of the great “I AM.”

Join us for a study through the Gospel of the Apostle John, continuing with John 6:15-71. Following the miracle of Jesus feeding the 5,000, the people follow Jesus and even strive to make Him their king. However, when he replies with the teaching of Himself as the "Bread of Life" - speaking to spiritual needs rather than the physical - the people, and many disciples find the teaching hard to accept and reject Him and His message.

Each of the four Gospels—Gospel of Matthew, Gospel of Mark, Gospel of Luke, and Gospel of John—highlights a different aspect of Jesus’ triumphal entry, but all point to the same truth: He fulfills the prophecy of Book of Zechariah 9—a humble yet righteous King bringing salvation and peace.

Zechariah, written after the exile, describes a Messiah whose kingdom is not built by war but through righteousness and covenant faithfulness. As Matthew Henry notes, this is a spiritual kingdom, centered on salvation. Jesus riding a donkey reveals a King who comes in humility to save, not to conquer by force.

This contrasts with His return in Book of Revelation 19, where He appears as the victorious Warrior King on a white horse, ruling in righteousness. The same King who came in mercy will return in glory, visibly and unmistakably (Revelation 1:7), bringing final judgment and triumph.

Link to the video viewed during the service: https://youtu.be/TohLXneqL7I The conflict between Israel and the Amalekites begins in the family line of Abraham. Through Isaac and Esau came Amalek, the ancestor of the Amalekite people. Generations later this line included King Agag and eventually, Haman.

Amalek became Israel’s enemy after attacking the Israelites in the wilderness when they were weak and vulnerable. Because of this, God declared ongoing conflict with Amalek and later commanded King Saul to destroy them. Saul disobeyed by sparing King Agag and keeping the best livestock, and as a result, God rejected Saul as king.

Centuries later, Haman the Agagite (descendant of Agag) attempted to destroy the Jewish people in Persia. His plot was stopped by Mordecai and Esther. Haman and his sons were killed, and the Jews were saved—an event remembered in the festival of Purim. If God had not brought judgment on Haman and his ten sons, the Amalekite line might have continued and threatened the people through whom the Messiah would come!

Traveling west by wagon train in the mid-1800s was a brutal journey. Most people walked 15–20 miles a day beside the wagons through heat, dust, scarce food, and little water. Nights were spent near creeks if possible so animals could drink and families could wash off the day’s dirt before collapsing to sleep, only to rise and prepare again for the next day. After enduring the harsh prairie conditions, travelers still had to face the freezing storms and disease of the mountains. Yet they endured it all in hope of reaching a better place and claiming a new home.

In a similar way, the Israelites traveled to Jerusalem each year for the festivals and sacrifices, using the journey to prepare their hearts before God. As they traveled, they sang the “Songs of Ascents” recorded in the Psalms, remembering God’s deliverance and seeking His help. When they arrived, they brought their offerings as instructed in Leviticus 1:1-4. The worshipper laid his hand on the animal, identifying with it, and then killed the sacrifice, symbolically transferring his own sin to the sacrifice. But the priest alone took the blood of the sacrifice and applied it to the altar, symbolically covering the sin of the worshiper.

These sacrifices pointed forward to Jesus Christ, the true sacrifice and High Priest. As explained in Hebrews, Christ entered the holy place not with the blood of animals but with His own blood, securing eternal redemption. Because of His sacrifice, the veil that once separated people from God was torn, and believers can now come boldly before God, cleansed and forgiven through Him.

Join us for a study through the Gospel of the Apostle John, continuing with John 5:16-47, and John 6;1-14. As we finish John 5 we see the fallout amongst the Jews from Jesus' healing of the lame man at the pool at Bethesda on the Sabbath. This portion of scripture is almost entirely the words of Christ as He explains to the Jews exactly who He is - the Son of God. As we begin John 6, we see the creative miracle of the loaves and fishes as Jesus feeds the 5,000.