Heart Meditations

Scripture – Acts 5:12-16

Observation – What jumped out to me today was the words ‘Solomon’s Porch’. The temple precinct in Jesus’ day was made up of three courts.  There was the court of the gentiles, the court of the women and the court of Israel.  The court of Israel was located as close to the alter as it was possible for a non priest to go and it was reserved for Israelite men.  The court of the women was still in the temple but a further away from the alter than the court of Israel. The court of the gentiles was outside the temple proper and it was a space in which anyone could congregate. The clear implication of this arrgangement was that Israelite men were closer to God than Israelite women and that gentiles were the furthest.  Surrounding the court of the gentiles ware covered walk ways or porches.  These porches or colonnades served as protection from the heat and the weather and would often be a place where people would discuss and debate matters with the Doctor’s of the Law.

On the eastern side of the court of the gentiles was located ‘Solomon’s porch’.  It was named thus because it was believed that this part of the wall had remained from the time of Solomon.  This is the place in the temple precinct where Jesus did a lot of His teaching.  Jesus the son of David choose to locate this temple ministry in a place where everyone could access Him in a porch named after David’s son.  This porch just so happens to be on the eastern side of the temple.  So it is that literally the “Sun of Righteousness” dawns from the east!

So it was the after His ascension his disciples now apostles when back to their old haunts.  The growing Christian movement spent much time in Solomon’s porch, retelling the stories that Jesus had told.  Teaching and preaching the resurrection of Jesus to which they had been witness.  In the place where Jesus had taught them they taught of others.

Application – Where is the ‘Solomon’s porch’ in your experience?  Where did you encounter the Saviour in your life?It is often in the places and circumstances where we encounter God’s grace and power that we are called to testify of Him.  Did you encounter God as a student?  You are uniquely positioned to share God with other students.  You know what they are going through what their challenges to the gospel will be.   Did Christ meet you when you lost in a life drug highs and reality lows then you are able to share God with those who are still stuck trying to medicate their pain.  Did God birth faith in the midst of your intellectual doubt, then you may be best equipped to reach other who have intellectual objections to the gospel.  Did you encounter Christ as an ‘empty nester‘?  You have a unique ability to show God’s grace to others who are going through the same situation.

My Solomon’s porch, the place where I encountered Jesus, is in my struggle with legalism and my struggle with pornography.  Perhaps the two go hand in hand, self love and self righteousness.  I grew up in a church intoxicated with its sense of end time importance.  Not everybody, not everywhere, but many people in many places in the church that I love believe that they are a little closer to God because they are Adventist.  I heard often that we ‘had the truth’ that we were ‘people of the book’  that we were the ‘remnant of God’.  While I believe these things are and ought to be true about is it created a great deal of pressure for me. I believed that the eyes of the world were on me and so it was important that I did not let the side down.  Outward conformity seemed to be of greater importance that inward transformation.  I strove (at times) for perfection of outward behaviour.  I certainly prayed for it.  I had limited success there were a few bad habits that I was able to give up in my own strength. However God in His mercy would not let me escape the clutches or porn until He blessed me with a true understanding of His grace.  I my experience it was finding a cure to my legalism, to my thinking I had to work for God’s favour, that help the key to freedom from sexual sin.

I find myself drawn to ministering to young people who like me have grown up in the church and who more often then not have confused ideas about salvation and more often than not struggle with some kind sexual/relationship sin.  I am blessed to be able to speak others the words that brought life to me.  I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ to me.  I am not ashamed to talk about my short coming and mistakes, my addictions and sins.  It is my Solomon’s porch, it is where my eyes were open, my ears were unstopped, my lameness was made to walk.  It is where Jesus became both Christ and Lord to me.  Woe be unto me if I do not preach the gospel.

Prayer– Father thank you for the experiences in my life that have made you real to me.  Thank you for the sin that has drawn me to you. Thank you for your redeeming grace and your steadfast love.  Thank you for the opportunity to speak to others in the place you spoke to me.  May you set many more captives free.  Amen