During the Spaces series, Beyond the Weekend will preview the coming weekend’s message rather than looking back at the previous one—mirroring our group curriculum and helping prepare our hearts for the upcoming sermon. This week, that means looking ahead to The Temple.

Read: 1 Peter 1:13–2:5| Listen: 1 Peter 1

You also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 2:5

With deep care and sensitivity, Peter writes a letter to the scattered and persecuted church. He knows his words bring encouragement. These believers face deep persecution for their faith in Jesus, and hearing from one of Jesus’s closest friends means so much. In this letter, Peter reveals how Jesus gives new meaning to the temple. Because of what Jesus has done through his death, resurrection, and ascension, he is building a new spiritual house for God to dwell in. Jesus is the cornerstone. They are stones placed in God’s house. Together they form a spiritual community, and God now dwells with them. Through sacrificial lives, they can find hope in the nearness of God and his promises.

We, too, are being built into the spiritual house of God. As modern people, we can easily think of faith as an individual thing. However, we need each other. God’s intention has always been that we would grow in our faith with others. It is in the soil of the gathered community that the roots of our faith grow deep and mature. As we live in Jesus together, we show the world what he is like. We spur one another on toward love and good deeds. We encourage and remind each other of the mission that God has invited us into.

TODAY: Identify one step you can take toward deeper involvement in your church. Want to learn more? Explore Groups begin on October 17. In this four-week class, you will unpack foundational beliefs of the Christian faith and get a taste of group life at Ada Bible.