This Shall Be Called Bethel

“This shall be called the house of worship. This shall be called the place of praise. This shall be called the house of Bethel, the place where God lives…”

            There are places we go to encounter God and then there are people who have become places where God dwells. Bethel means “house of God”. In scripture, Jacob encountered God at Bethel and declared “Surely the Lord is in this place” (Gen. 28:16). What was once a location became the place of a divine encounter.

            What if Bethel is more than a place we visit? What if Bethel is who we become? There comes a point in our walk with God where worship can no longer be confined to a building. Praise is no longer something done when the music starts. The presence of God can no longer be something recognized only when entering a sanctuary. Why? BECAUSE YOU ARE THE SANCTUARY.

            Paul reminds us that we are God’s temple and His Spirit dwells in us (1 Cor. 3:16). That means that “This shall be called the house of worship”, implies more than just a physical building. He is talking about us being the house of worship.

I AM THE HOUSE OF WORSHIP

            Worship is not just what comes out of our mouth but worship is what our life says about God. Obedience is worship. Surrender is worship. My yes is worship. Trust is worship. Willingness to serve when nobody sees is worship.

            There are moments when God will ask us to lay something down, not because He wants to take something from us but because He wants to establish something is us. A house of worship is a house that is surrendered. It is a place where God doesn’t have to fight for ownership. My response is “Lord, this belongs to you”. If I am Bethel then everything in me must point back to the one who lives there.

I AM THE PLACE OF PRAISE

            Praise becomes more powerful when we understand that we are carrying the presence of God into place that may not know how to recognize Him. We do not have to wait until everything is perfect to praise Him. We praise in the process. We praise in the waiting. We praise when we understand and when we don’t. We praise because our praise is not a response to circumstance, it is a response to who God is. Psalm 34:1 says “I will bless the Lord at all times and His praise shall continually be in my mouth”. Continually…that means praise is not confined to a sanctuary. Praise belongs in us.

I AM BETHEL

            Jacob did not build Bether and God decided to show up. God showed up and then Jacob recognized the place as Bethel. There are moments when God reveals Himself to us in such a way that we can never look at things the same way again. That the revelation of Bethel, I don’t just go to the place where God is but I BECOME THE PLACE. I AM BETHEL! My heart is his dwelling place. My life is His sanctuary. My worship is the atmosphere. My obedience is the altar. My praise is the sound. My surrender is the door. Everywhere I go, I carry the evidence that God lives and dwells here. When people encounter me, they may be able to say what Jacob said, “Surely the Lord is in this place.”

“This shall be called the house of worship. This shall be called the place of praise. This shall be called the house of Bethel, the place where God lives…”