The Journey of Abram.
(A parallel to the Christian Journey)
Where are You?
(Acts 7: 2 -4) (Genesis 12: 1 – 10) (Genesis 13: 1 -4, 18)
Acts 7:2 And he said, "Brethren and fathers, listen: The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Haran,
3 and said to him, 'Get out of your country and from your relatives, and come to a land that I will show you.'
4 Then he came out of the land of the Chaldeans and dwelt in Haran. And from there, when his father was dead, He moved him to this land in which you now dwell.
Genesis 12 1 Now the Lord had said to Abram: "Get out of your country, From your family And from your father's house, To a land that I will show you.
2 I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing.
3 I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed."
4 So Abram departed as the Lord had spoken to him, and Lot went with him. And Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.
5 Then Abram took Sarai his wife and Lot his brother's son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people whom they had acquired in Haran, and they departed to go to the land of Canaan. So they came to the land of Canaan.
6 Abram passed through the land to the place of Shechem, as far as the terebinth tree of Moreh. And the Canaanites were then in the land.
7 Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, "To your descendants I will give this land." And there he built an altar to the Lord, who had appeared to him.
8 And he moved from there to the mountain east of Bethel, and he pitched his tent with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; there he built an altar to the Lord and called on the name of the Lord.
9 So Abram journeyed, going on still toward the South.
10 Now there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to dwell there, for the famine was severe in the land.
Genesis 13: 1 Then Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife and all that he had, and Lot with him, to the South.
2 Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold.
3 And he went on his journey from the South as far as Bethel, to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai,
4 to the place of the altar which he had made there at first. And there Abram called on the name of the Lord.
Gen 13:18 Then Abram removed his tent, and came and dwelt in the plain of Mamre, which is in Hebron, and built there an altar unto the LORD.
The journey of Abraham has a lot to teach us in our Christian walk.
We see first of all that God called Abram out of his pagan land and revealed Himself to Abram whilst he was dwelling in Pagan Ur of the Chaldeans.
Joshua 24:2 2 And Joshua said to all the people, "Thus says the Lord God of Israel: 'Your fathers, including Terah, the father of Abraham and the father of Nahor, dwelt on the other side of the River in old times; and they served other gods.
We are also reminded in Isaiah 51: 1,2
1 "Listen to Me, you who follow after righteousness, You who seek the Lord: Look to the rock from which you were hewn, And to the hole of the pit from which you were dug.
2 Look to Abraham your father, And to Sarah who bore you; For I called him alone, And blessed him and increased him."
What is Isaiah telling Israel to do here? Look unto the rock and to the hole of the pit.
To whom is Isaiah referring.
The question is answered in the next piece of text. Look to Abraham and Sarah.
“Look unto Abraham your father, and unto Sarah that bare you”:
Look (Hebrew—hab·bî·ṭū)
Strong's Hebrew 5027: To scan, look intently at, to regard.
What are they told to look at, what are they to consider?
They are told to look unto Abraham and Sarah.
God had moulded the entire nation, He had taken Abraham and Sarah from a distant land, and had formed them into a great people and nation for his own purpose.
To consider the state of Abraham and Sarah before God gave them Isaac, from whom Jacob and all his posterity sprang. He compares the bodies of Abraham and Sarah unto a rock, or pit, or quarry, out of which stones are hewn or dug; thereby implying, that God, in some sort, actually did that which John the Baptist said he was able to do, (Matthew 3:9,) even of stones to raise up children unto Abraham, something that was impossible with man or by the course of nature, for Abraham and Sarah, in such old age as they then were, to have a child, yet God is able to hew one out of a rock, or dig one out of a pit.
God called only Abram out of the Ur of the Chaldees. Out of this one chosen man (this rock) would come a great many nations.
Out of the seed of Abraham and through Sarah would the chosen race of Israel come and from that seed would also come the promised Messiah, Jesus Christ.
Isaiah is telling Israel that if God can raise up a multitude of peoples from one impotent man and one barren woman, He could certainly deliver His promises to them.
By a miracle, God reversed Abraham’s impotency and Sarah’s barrenness and made the way of salvation for His people.
It appears that there are two ways of looking at this text, however one does not contradict, or conflict with the other.
The first one is that Abraham is the rock and Sarah is the quarry (pit – hole).
This interpretation is supported by the part of the text that says,
Look unto Abraham your father, and unto Sarah that bare you:
This interpretation is supported by numerous commentaries.
The second interpretation, also supported by different commentaries, is the sense of the house of Israel, whose lineage descended from Abraham, it could be said that they came from the hole of the pit.
Abraham had lived in a land which was full of idol worshippers. Ur of the Chaldees was a rich land in material wealth, but greatly lacking in the spiritual blessings. It was a pit of sin. God called Abraham out of this land, away from his family.
The physical house of Israel came from a man (Abraham), who was 100 years old, before his son Isaac was born. Of course, Abraham was also the ancestor of all who believe. God did not call Abraham's father and other relatives. He called Abraham alone.
Isaiah 51:2b for I called him alone, and blessed him, and increased him.
Of this one man, God would build a mighty family of believers.
The Hebrew meanings of the words used in this text gives the sense of where the seed was taken.
Rock. (Hebrew – tsoor)
From H6696; properly a cliff (or sharp rock, as compressed); generally a rock or boulder; figuratively a refuge; also an edge (as precipitous): - edge, X (mighty) God (one), rock, X sharp, stone, X strength, X strong. See also H1049.
Hewn. (Hebrew - châtsab)
A primitive root; to cut or carve (wood, stone or other material); by implication to hew, split, square, quarry, engrave: - cut, dig, divide, grave, hew (out, -er), make, mason.
The elect nation of Israel were taken from the rock and hewn from the quarry.
This is obviously a reference to Abraham pagan roots.
This was the commentary given by a young Christian named Stephen, one of the early deacons in the church, given to the Sanhedrin before they stoned him to death.
Acts 7:2 And he said, "Brethren and fathers, listen: The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Haran.
Ur of the Chaldees was in southern Mesopotamia, southeast Iraq, near to the city of Babylon. This was near to where the tower of Babel was built in the time of Nimrod. It was a place of paganism.
The meaning of the name Ur in Hebrew, is “light as of a fire”.
The word Ur is translated as fire in verses in the Bible.
Isa 50:11 Behold, all ye that kindle a fire (ur), that compass yourselves about with sparks: walk in the light of your fire, and in the sparks that ye have kindled. This shall ye have of mine hand; ye shall lie down in sorrow.
Eze 5:2 Thou shalt burn with fire (ur) a third part in the midst of the city,
Roughly translated: walk in the light of your Ur (fire). Or Thou shalt burn with Ur (fire).
Abram was born into a pagan family and into a pagan society. Abrams father Terah was pagan and worshipped false gods. According to the Jewish Talmud, Terah was a pagan monger, a seller of pagan idols. A worshipper of Sin the moon god (An apt name for a pagan god).
(Sin, (Akkadian), Sumerian Nanna, in Mesopotamian religion, the god of the moon. Sin was the father of the sun god, Shamash (Sumerian: Utu), and, in some myths, of Ishtar (Sumerian: Inanna), goddess of Venus, and with them formed an astral triad of deities).
There is no scriptural evidence that Abram worshipped false gods but he was born into a pagan family. However it is obvious that Abram was at one time a Godfearer even though he was not righteous.
There came a time when God revealed Himself to Abram and called him into His service.
The first thing we notice is, Abram did not find God but God revealed Himself to Abram.
According to a traditional story from the Talmud, which maybe true or not, Abram immediately challenged his father Terah with the truth concerning the real God.
The story is told of Abram going into his father’s shop and smashing all the pagan idols except one. He then put the hammer into the hand of the remaining idol.
When Terah returned he challenged Abram about who killed all the gods. Abram said, “the remaining idol had smashed the others”. Terah replied, “That is not possible, the idol is only made of stone and they have no life or breath” to which Abram replied, “exactly”.
This extract is taken from the the Book of Jasher. (The Midrash) (Jewish Rabbinic Writing on the Written & Oral Torah).
(Genesis Rabba) (Hebrew - B'reshith Rabba).
The Book of Jasher: 11:13 And in the fiftieth year of the life of Abram son of Terah, Abram came forth from the house of Noah, and went to his father's house.
14 And Abram knew the Lord, and he went in his ways and instructions, and the Lord his God was with him.
15 And Terah his father was in those days, still captain of the host of king Nimrod, and he still followed strange gods.
16 And Abram came to his father's house and saw twelve gods standing there in their temples, and the anger of Abram was kindled when he saw these images in his father's house.
17 And Abram said, As the Lord liveth these images shall not remain in my father's house; so shall the Lord who created me do unto me if in three days' time I do not break them all.
18 And Abram went from them, and his anger burned within him. And Abram hastened and went from the chamber to his father's outer court, and he found his father sitting in the court, and all his servants with him, and Abram came and sat before him.
19 And Abram asked his father, saying, Father, tell me where is God who created heaven and earth, and all the sons of men upon earth, and who created thee and me. And Terah answered his son Abram and said, Behold those who created us are all with us in the house.
20 And Abram said to his father, My lord, shew them to me I pray thee; and Terah brought Abram into the chamber of the inner court, and Abram saw, and behold the whole room was full of gods of wood and stone, twelve great images and others less than they without number.
33 And when Abram saw all these things his anger was kindled against his father, and he hastened and took a hatchet in his hand, and came unto the chamber of the gods, and he broke all his father's gods.
34 And when he had done breaking the images, he placed the hatchet in the hand of the great god which was there before them, and he went out; and Terah his father came home, for he had heard at the door the sound of the striking of the hatchet; so Terah came into the house to know what this was about.
35 And Terah, having heard the noise of the hatchet in the room of images, ran to the room to the images, and he met Abram going out.
36 And Terah entered the room and found all the idols fallen down and broken, and the hatchet in the hand of the largest, which was not broken, and the savory meat which Abram his son had made was still before them.
37 And when Terah saw this his anger was greatly kindled, and he hastened and went from the room to Abram.
38 And he found Abram his son still sitting in the house; and he said to him, What is this work thou hast done to my gods?
39 And Abram answered Terah his father and he said, Not so my lord, for I brought savory meat before them, and when I came nigh to them with the meat that they might eat, they all at once stretched forth their hands to eat before the great one had put forth his hand to eat.
40 And the large one saw their works that they did before him, and his anger was violently kindled against them, and he went and took the hatchet that was in the house and came to them and broke them all, and behold the hatchet is yet in his hand as thou seest.
41 And Terah's anger was kindled against his son Abram, when he spoke this; and Terah said to Abram his son in his anger, What is this tale that thou hast told? Thou speakest lies to me.
42 Is there in these gods spirit, soul or power to do all thou hast told me? Are they not wood and stone, and have I not myself made them, and canst thou speak such lies, saying that the large god that was with them smote them? It is thou that didst place the hatchet in his hands, and then sayest he smote them all.
43 And Abram answered his father and said to him, And how canst thou then serve these idols in whom there is no power to do any thing? Can those idols in which thou trustest deliver thee? can they hear thy prayers when thou callest upon them? can they deliver thee from the hands of thy enemies, or will they fight thy battles for thee against thy enemies, that thou shouldst serve wood and stone which can neither speak nor hear?
Whilst the book of Jasher is an Apocryphal work and not a canonical book of the Bible, it is accepted in Judaism as traditional literature. Jasher is also quoted in Joshua 10:13 and 2 Samuel 1:18
Two lessons here.
1. Man cannot reach for God, it is God that reaches down to men.
Romans 3:11 There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.
It is God who reveals Himself to man. Man cannot save himself. We cannot reach God through religion, or through anything that we do, man is dead in trespasses and sins and completely separated from God.
God in Christ came into the world to save sinners, He came to seek and save that which was lost.
Luke 19:9-11 And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham.
10 For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.
2. We are saved to serve.
The first thing Andrew did when he found Jesus Christ was to go and tell his brother.
John 1:40 – 42 Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard John’s testimony and followed Jesus.
41 He first found his brother Simon and told him, “We have found the Messiah” ”(which is translated as Christ).
42 Andrew brought him to Jesus, who looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas” (which is translated as Peter).…
We notice that when God called Abram whilst in Ur of the Chaldees, Abram did not take up the call immediately.
He went with his father Terah to Haran.
This is not where God had told him to go. Abram in the first instance did his own thing, he did not obey God’s command. He still had family ties, he still had family business.
Matt 10: 37. 36 A man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.’
37 Anyone who loves his father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me;
38 and anyone who does not take up his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me.…
Luke 14: 26 If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.
However, God did not leave it there, He called Abram a second time.
Genesis 12 1 Now the Lord had said to Abram: "Get out of your country, From your family And from your father's house, To a land that I will show you.
Pretty strong language from God, not Abram “will you follow me” but “Get out”.
This is a command, God is not asking but telling.
Sometimes it is necessary to speak in such a manner to stubborn people, even we do with our children. It is not “come here please” but “get here this minute”.
Acts 17:30 "Therefore, having overlooked the times of ignorance, God now commands all people everywhere to repent,
12:4 So Abram departed as the Lord had spoken to him, and Lot went with him. And Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.
The name of the place Haran is called “Parched” Abram had gone from the place of fire (unbelief) to Haran a parched land. God wanted Abram not in a parched land but land full of blessing.
This time Abram obeyed and started his journey to Canaan.
6 Abram passed through the land to the place of Shechem, as far as the terebinth tree of Moreh.
Shechem means “Shoulder” in Hebrew. Not a shoulder anatomical but the idea of carrying a burden.
The terebinth tree of Moreh is an oak tree which has the modern meaning of “Teacher” but ancient Hebrew it had the meaning of Teaching or Instruction, acquiring “Knowledge”, particularly the knowledge of God.
So Abram was called out of pagan Ur, he went his own way and ended up in Haran, the parched land. He eventually heard the command of God again and took up the call and went to Shechem, were his burden was taken from him.
He arrived at The terebinth tree of Moreh, where he gained the knowledge of God.
The oak is a very hard wood with strength.
Abram’s knowledge of God would give him strength.
Shechem is were you lay your burden down and the terebinth tree of Moreh is where one comes to a knowledge of God.
Matthew 11:28-29 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
29 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.
Here Abram built an altar. This is where he made sacrifice and this is where we make a sacrifice of our lives on the altar, no sacrifice, no progress.
Shechem is not the end of Abram’s journey and it does not mean that he could relax, for there are many testing times ahead.
6b And the Canaanites were then in the land.
Abram was not only going to cope with the Canaanites but many attacks and many trials.
So too, do all the children of God.
The moment we get saved is the moment the testing begins. The devil has no need to bother with those that are already his but when one gets saved, the devil gets worried. He comes in, casting doubt on what a new Christian has experienced, trying to rob him of his assurance, trying to steal his new found peace and joy.
So Christian’s cannot relax here in Shechem and we certainly have to be aware of the next move.
Next, Abram moves forward, he did not stay in one place, there is more to experience.
His next stop is a place called Bethel. The meaning of Bethel is “the house of God”. (Hebrew – Beit –house) and (Hebrew – El – God).
The first place for any new Christian who receives the knowledge of the Lord is Bethel, the church. It is good for any new believer to go to a local church, where they can be taught in the scriptures, to receive instruction in the knowledge of God.
2 Tim 3:15 And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
When we become Christians irrespective of our physical age, we are babes in Christ and need nourishment from the Word of God.
Bethel was on the West and Ai was to the East. So we must turn to Bethel, the house of God, with our backs to Ai which means “a heap of ruins”.
Abram built another altar at Bethel, facing West, with his back to the East. East was where Abram had originally come from, Ur of the Chaldees.
We must also turn our backs to the world that we have come from and sacrifice our lives to the service of the house of God.
This does not mean the building but the temple of God not made by hands but that which is which is the Body of Christ.
We must leave all those things that we did, all our past sins and those things that did not glorify God and leave them as a heap of ruins and begin afresh, with a new life.
Sadly there are many people that never make it to Shechem. They hear God’s call but they never respond. They hear the Gospel, they have knowledge in their heads but it never drops to the heart. They never come to the point of repentance and faith in Christ. They continue to carry their own burden.
One must get to Shechem before one can move on to Bethel.
Testing comes in many forms and they come when we least expect them.
God had brought Abram from parched Haran and brought him to Shechem and the terebinth tree of Moreh, the place where burdens are lifted and knowledge is gained.
However, 10 Now there was a famine in the land and Abram went down to Egypt to dwell there, for the famine was severe in the land.
In scripture, Egypt, is a type of the world.
Isa 31:1 Woe to them that go down to Egypt for help; and stay on horses, and trust in chariots, because they are many; and in horsemen, because they are very strong; but they look not unto the Holy One of Israel, neither seek the LORD!
Egypt cannot help you.
Isa 30:7 For the Egyptians shall help in vain, and to no purpose: therefore have I cried concerning this, Their strength is to sit still.
Modern translation render this verse.
Egypt can't help you! That's why I call that nation a helpless monster."
Abram went down to Egypt. It does not tell us that God told him to go.
Those that go to Egypt must go on God’s orders, for example Moses and Joseph, for there is no help in Egypt.
It is dangerous for any Christian to venture back into the world. A Christian should only go to Egypt on a Godly errand and with the power of the Holy Spirit.
One cannot have a leg in both camps. A Christian cannot court worldly pleasures and expect not to suffer consequences.
Maybe someone has hurt you in the church, maybe you find the church too challenging, maybe something has gone wrong in your life or your family and you feel God has let you down. It is certain that God hasn’t, but to you it feels that way. You feel like packing it all in. Remember your answers are not to be found in Egypt. The world will only feed the flesh, it cannot feed the spirit.
The first thing that Abram did in Egypt was tell lies. We read about this in the next verses,
(read Genesis 12: 11 – 20).
It was only by the providence of God that the situation turned out Ok.
Whenever one gets involved with the world, it must be with a godly mind. The flesh always seeks the things of the world and they will only bring you down.
As Christians we are in contention with the world, the flesh and the devil.
If a Christian wanders away from the ways of God and God shows him the error of his ways, the only way is to retrace ones steps and get back on track.
God understands and if we repent and turn back to Him, He will forgive our waywardness and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
This is what Abram did, he returned to Bethel.
Gen 13:1 And Abram went up out of Egypt, he, and his wife, and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the south.
Gen 13:2 And Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold.
Gen 13:3 And he went on his journeys from the south even to Bethel, unto the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Hai;
Gen 13:4 Unto the place of the altar, which he had made there at the first: and there Abram called on the name of the LORD.
Gen 13:18 Then Abram removed his tent, and came and dwelt in the plain of Mamre, which is in Hebron, and built there an altar unto the LORD.
Metaphysical meaning of Hebron
Hebron, he'-bron (Heb.)--united; joined together; conjunction; cemented; welded; bound by a common bond; friendship; brotherhood; company; community; confederation; league; alliance.
The basic meaning is “Fellowship”
The final destination of Abram was Hebron. Hebrew meaning, (Fellowship).
Bethel is the House of God. The house of God is made up of the individual members of the body of Christ.
We are lively stones.
1 Peter 2:5-9 Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.
The Building of God is made up of individual stones. However stones are only useful in a building, if they are knitted together to form the fabric of the building.
A pile of stones in the middle of the building is not useful. The stones maybe in the building but they are not where they should be.
The stones need to be joined together to make the walls of the building.
Each individual member of the Body of Christ needs to function as they have been gifted by God.
Ephesians 4:11-16 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some,
evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ:
14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;
15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:
16 From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.
It is not religion that is needed but a fellowship of believers. A functioning Body of believers. The Body of Christ.
Religion does not have the answer to the world’s problems. Religion solves nothing.
The one thing that Karl Marx and Jesus Christ had in common is the statement that religion in itself is not good for people. Religion lets you down. Sooner or later churches fail you. Why? Because churches are made up of people, just like us all. The church fails because we fail, it is not God’s doing.
Jesus did not come to start a religion, He came to bring life, a body of believers, functioning in the world.
It is important that the church becomes a fellowship, not a just a church. Anyone can do church.
Anyone can attend Sunday meetings, sing the hymns, quote the Bible, give an offering.
However, it is more than just church, it is fellowship that is needed. A group of Christians, caring for each other and loving each other, that will effect the world.
John 13:35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.
There is nothing wrong with a church but it needs to be more than just a place to do religion. It needs to become a fellowship of believers.
There are many false churches in the world and many false religions.
We must progress from Bethel (church) to Hebron (fellowship).
This is where the blessings are.
It is important that each one of us finds our individual ministry in the body of Christ, so that we can minister to each other and to the world around us.
Where are we in the journey?
Are you still in Ur of the Chaldees, living in unbelief and idolatry?
If you are, you need to recognise that Jesus Christ came into the world to save
sinners and all have sinned and come short of God’s mark. You need to repent and turn to Christ and you shall be saved.
Are you in Haran, having heard the call and yet not willing to make the move?
Don’t wait any longer, Now is the accepted time, now is the day of salvation.
Are you a Shechem dweller, You have repented and believed the Gospel, your burden has been lifted, you are sitting under the Terebinth tree of Moreh, having the knowledge of the truth of the Gospel but not in Bethel (the church)?
Have you gone to Egypt, are you out of the will of God, have you gone back to the world, or have you one leg in the church and the other in Egypt (the world)?
If you are, repent and return to Bethel.
Are you a Bethel dweller, happy just to go to church, polish the pew, sing the hymns and give in the collection? This is where most Christians are, leaving 15% of the church doing 85% of the work.
If this is you, ask God to show you what your ministry is, how you can function in the fellowship.
Or are you in Horeb, the place of Fellowship, functioning with the gifts God has given you for the up building and edification of the Body of Christ.
Wherever we are in this journey, we all are somewhere on this map.
Each one must examine himself.
Are you in the faith?
2 Cor 13:5 Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?
Have you heard the call?
2 Corinthians 6:2 For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.
Are you in a church, whether a regular church, a house church or a regular member of a Christian group?
Hebrews 10:25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.
If so, Are you happy just being in Bethel, just doing church?
Galatians 5:13 You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh ; rather, serve one another humbly in love.
Or, Are you in Horeb, a functioning Fellowship?
1 Cor 12: 27 Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.
Romans 12:5 so in Christ we who are many are one body, and each member belongs to one another.
1 Peter 4:10 Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.
Ephesians 4:12 to equip the saints for works of ministry, to build up the body of Christ,
From Ur of the Chaldees to Haran, from Haran to Shechem, to the terebinth tree of Moreh. Going on to Bethel. Avoiding the trip to Egypt and settling in Horeb.
The journey of Abram parallels the journey of the Christian life and we can learn from it.
Where are you?
