The Facebook Effect vs. The House and the City (1 picture + 1 experience with the Lord) 30-day challenge

Today was one of those days in which I made it to the gym :) so when I got there, I wanted to listen to this book - actually, I wanted to continue listening to this audiobook - called, The Facebook Effect. I think the book has about 16 hours, so you listen to it little by little as you have some spare time... First of all, you can BUY the physical book, or you can buy the electronical book. Or even better: buy the audio book, which actually means that someone reads the book for you! You just listen to it and "take it in"...

1 Picture Today - Houses in North London

In North London - that's where I kind of live for the moment - there are a lot of fancy houses, a lot of old-style buildings, a lot of manor houses, and also - a lot of council houses. I happen to live in a studio that is in a building very similar to the one above. The style of the building - I don't know, Victorian, Georgian, Edwardian... ? What's for sure is that these buildings look nice especially in the sunlight... Most of such homes everywhere in London are for rent - not many people here own their homes...

1 Experience with the Lord - The Facebook Effect vs The House and the City of God

I love listening to audio books, and I wish I would find some books that are worth the time to listen to. The best book to read or to listen to - which I can recommend wholeheartedly - is the New Testament, or the whole Bible! Whatever you do, whether you're travelling or doing some housework, working out at the gym or walking - you can plug in the audiobook and listen to the Bible being read in your ears! Of course, you need to focus in this time to what you hear, but you will find it very handy to "noise out" what the world is doing and "plug in" the Word of God!

So, anyways, as I was at the gym today I tried to listen to this particular book, The Facebook Effect, but I realized again what I already knew - it's better to EAT GOOD FOOD than have junk food or "rubbish food"! I can't feed on "facebook" or "facebook effect"! I need the Word of God, I need the ministry which imparts life into me! So I "switched" the track to the message for this week, The House of God and the City of God, and oh, the light and the life that flowed! The Light was shining, and I got exposed! It's not an "effect" anymore, it's not something that uplifts your soul or gives you more mental knowledge - it's something you can drink of, something that gets you closer to the Lord whom you love, and even opens up God's heart....

God desires to have a house on the earth - and we as members of the Body of Christ need to enjoy and experience God not only individually but also corporately, even to know God as the God of the House of God! We need to be built up and built into the house of God, the church! It's here, in the church, that God is the rich fatness, there's a river of God's pleasures, and in His light we see light - the entire Triune God becomes our enjoyment in an immeasurable way in His house! The Psalmists loved God's house, and whenever we meet with the saints in the church life and we are in our spirit, we have a foretaste of what God can be to us in His house...

God today can be located - He is in Christ, and He is in Christ's enlargement, the church! The church as the house of God is where God is located today! But this is not all - God wants to have a city, a fortified and strong place, through which He can bring in His kingdom on the earth and rule over the whole earth! We are the house of God today, but we need to be brought under God's government so that we may be in reality in the kingdom of God, even the city of God, for God's dominion! After the temple / the house of God is built, there needs to be a wall around it to protect God's interests and bring in God's kingdom on the earth - we need to go on from enjoying God in the house to enjoying God in the city!

I was so exposed - here I am, kind of wondering around, not really having an aim... when God has a heart's desire to gain the house of God and the city of God! The New Testament starts not with the gospel of the house(John) but with the gospel of the Kingdom(Matthew). But today, can we see the city of God in the local churches? Am I under God's direct rule and in the reality of the kingdom? There are so many practical things in which I need to be headed up, built into the wall, to become the city of God!

God needs the city: the house of God MUST be enlarged to become the city of God! I found myself opening to the Lord as I was listening to the message and praying back to Him this heart's desire of His, even asking Him to make me one of those who knows Him and experiences Him as the God of the House of God but the God of the City of God! I want to be brought under His headship little by little in all the things and aspects of my life, my being, and my living! This is His desire, and we can pray His desire back to Him that He may do it in our life!

Lord, what about my blog here online? What about my sharing? Lord, am I in the city when I share every day something here? Lord, is my being in the kingdom? Do I forgive others when they offend me? Lord, do I have a hidden life with You? Do I serve You and love You more than I love mammon? O, Lord, am I active in my function with the talant You gave me? Lord, do I seek Your kingdom First? O, Lord... bring me and bring all the saints in the churches into the reality of the kingdom of God, the city!

... in conclusion, there's no comparison between, The Facebook Effect (what is that?!?) and a sharing from God's heart concerning His economy, The House of God and the City of God. The more I read / listen to the things that happened with facebook, how it evolved, how it got improved, the controversies around it, the people that Zuckerberg stepped on / put aside to get where he is now, the money involved, the lifestyle of the people working there, etc - the more I get distracted from the real thing going on right now! What's really going on today is God's House and God's city in the local church! This doesn't mean I won't read the book; but it means that right now, I choose God's house and God's kingdom!