“The tabernacle was built with threads,
The temple was built with stones,
The Church is being built with living stones of human souls.”

Review the Sermon:
Read Exodus 40:33-38 and 1 Peter 2:4-10

• What is the difference between the tabernacle, the temple, and a synagogue?
• Read Revelation 21:3. How does the church reflect the tabernacle of God with men in this passage?
• How does the church become a construction site for eternity?

Dig into Scripture:
This week we will be stepping away from Exodus in order to study the 1 Peter passage, which talks about our identity as living stones in God’s Holy Temple.

• What does it mean that we are like “living stones [who are] being built into a spiritual house…” (vs. 5)?
• What are some examples of “spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (vs. 5)? (Option—check out Romans 12:1-2 for more on “sacrifice.”)
• Take a moment to break down how believers are described in verse 9. What does it mean to be a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession? What implications does this have on our daily life and our relationships with other Christians?

Live it Out:

• How is God shaping, chiseling, hammering, and molding you as one of his “living stones”?
• In Ephesians 2:19-22, Paul uses the same metaphor that Peter used for the church, saying that we are being built together to become a holy temple in the Lord. Then in Ephesians 4:1-6, Paul gives the implications of what that means. Take a moment to read Eph 4:1-6 and talk about how we can live it out this week.