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The history of the Children of Israel in the Old Testament, both in what God called them to and in the manner in which they failed and turned away from God, has many lessons to teach us about the genuine worship God desires from us as the believers in Christ. Of course, as Paul tells us,

…these things happened to them as a pattern for us, and they were written for our admonition, unto whom the ends of the ages have come.
— 1 Corinthians 10:11; cf. v. 6, Romans 15:4

And when we consider that history, we see that, just as the Israelites were called by God to bring all of their offerings and sacrifices to Jerusalem, so today God has called us into the unique New Testament fellowship of the believers in Christ, namely, “the fellowship of His Son”:

God is faithful, through whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
— 1 Corinthians 1:9; cf. 1 Corinthians 1:2, 9, Revelation 1:11

But just as the Israelites were turned away from God by the “high places” and “the sin of Jeroboam,” so we too must be careful to deal with anything that would turn us away from the unique ground of worship God has chosen for His New Testament believers.

To download the pamphlet we use as
the basis for this study, go to this page:
“What Is God’s Purpose for the Church?”
To view the pamphlet online,
go to the “Look Inside” page.

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RESOURCES
Pamphlet: “What Is God’s Purpose for the Church?”
Look Inside: “What Is God’s Purpose for the Church?”
Previous Episodes in this Series:
Podcast Series: “What Is the Church?”
Video: “How I Found the New Testament Fellowship.”

Books
E.H. Broadbent, The Pilgrim Church
Witness Lee, The Genuine Ground of Oneness
Witness Lee, The Life and Way for the Practice of the Church Life
Watchman Nee, The Normal Christian Church Life
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BIBLE VERSES REFERENCED…

In this Series:
Ephesians 1:22-23: The Body, the fullness of Christ.
Romans 12:4-5, 1 Corinthians 12:12-13: The many members of Christ.
John 1:12-13, 3:3-8, 2 Peter 1:4: Born anew with the divine life and nature.
Ephesians 2:19, 1 Corinthians 1:9: God’s family and the fellowship of God’s Son.
Revelation 1:10-13: The seven churches as the golden lampstands.

In this Episode:Psalm 133: The blessing on the oneness.
1 Corinthians 3:1: Infants in Christ.
2 Corinthians 10:3-5: Casting down the high things among the believers.
1 Kings 15:11-14, 22:41-43, 2 Kings 12:1-3, 14:1-4, 15:32-25, 2 Chron. 14:1-5, 15:17, 17:6, 20:33: The High Places were not taken away, even by the good kings:
1 Kings 12:25-33: The sin of Jeroboam.
1 Kings 13:2, 2 Kings 17:20-23: The judgment on Jeroboam and Israel for his sin.

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Recorded…
in Chicago, Illinois on Thursday, 19 June 2025