Teachings from Unionville Alliance

In a world full of billions of people, multiple social media apps, hundreds of online “friends” and a global village of commerce and interaction, we are lonelier than ever before. Loneliness takes a toll on our emotional, physical, and spiritual wellbeing. But we were never meant to journey through life alone. From the dawn of creation, God desired to dwell with us, but sin separated us from Him....

“The cross represents the universes’ greatest reversal. What seemed to be the greatest defeat was actually the greatest victory. This great gift, originated from the heart of a loving God and offered to all humanity, not only deserves a response—it demands one. Witnesses of the crucifixion found themselves divided into different categories by their reactions. 2000 years later, the same categories...

Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem and the subsequent temple cleansing was a deliberate act to fulfill the true purpose of the temple: to provide a dwelling place for God among His people. His upcoming sacrificial death would serve as the ultimate cleansing of all people there by paving a way for God to dwell among His people. Jesus has, through his death, opened the way for all people to share...

The Ark of the Covenant is the central and most significant item in the Tabernacle as a powerful symbol of God's presence with his people. The annual Day of Atonement foreshadows Christ's ultimate sacrifice, highlighting Jesus as the High Priest who entered the Most Holy Place with His own blood, establishing a New Covenant for everyone once and for all. The items within the Ark—manna, Aaron's rod...

The Altar of Incense is a symbol of prayer, located just before the veil before you enter the Most Holy Place. The burning of incense represents the prayers of the people, with the variety of spices symbolizing the different ways we can approach God in prayer. Jesus, our High Priest, models prayer in a beautiful way and continues to intercede for us so that we can deepen our relationship with God....

The Bread of the Presence was twelve freshly made pieces bread that was laid out every Sabbath day on the table in the Holy Place. This bread represented God’s provision for Israel during the forty years in the wilderness and beyond, while pointing forward to Christ who is the true bread that came down from heaven. It reveals to us the importance of the word of God in our lives that takes us from...

The Candlestick gave light to the Holy Place in the Tabernacle. Likewise, Jesus is the light of the world, shining the glory of God into our hearts. Similarly, we are called to be a light in the darkness, making the way of Jesus known to all humanity. The Candlestick symbolizes the church's formation through trials, our need to abide in Christ, the Holy Spirit's role in empowering the church, and...

The Washbasin was the second item you would encounter as you entered the Tabernacle. The priests would wash their hands and feet in this basin to cleanse themselves after offering sacrifices at the altar and before entering the Holy Place. This washbasin speaks to us of the work of sanctification because of Christ’s finished work on Calvary and through the power of the Holy Spirit to make us more...

As you enter the tabernacle, the first item that you see is the altar of burnt offering. It is there that the various sacrifices were offered, killed, and burned before the Lord. When Israel sinned, they needed to bring an animal to atone for their failure. This altar reminds us of what happened in the Garden of Eden and the experience of Abraham in offering his son Isaac as a sacrifice to the Lor...

Throughout the life of Moses we see the fingerprints of the presence of God in the midst of his trials. From his birth during a chaotic time, the lonely wilderness years, his return to Egypt to liberate Israel, his leadership of God’s people to Canaan, the building of the tabernacle, and to his appearance with Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration. As one of the greatest prophets and leaders in Is...

As we look at the life of Abraham, the common patriarch of the Abrahamic faiths—Judaism, Christianity, and Islam—we observe a journey that was far from smooth. Abraham experienced both remarkable encounters with God and significant disappointments. Despite making mistakes and facing moments where he needed rescue, the New Testament portrays him as a man of unwavering faith, fully convinced in God'...

In the Noah story as the flood progresses God becomes strangely absent. All God’s words to Noah stopped once God shut the door behind those who have entered the ark. Noah in his circumstances has no idea how long he will be in the ark. And in this moment, we’re all in the story. This story intersects with our story. We have all, at some level, been there-asking where was God? We are going to disco...

From the very first chapter of the Bible, we see the presence of Emmanuel speaking creation into existence and ultimately placing the crown of creation, Adam & Eve, in a beautiful garden with the tree of life so that they could experience the abundant life of God. They had fellowship with God and experienced the beauty of his presence. Then sin entered through their disobedience and they were...

Enduring through times of sickness is difficult, but the Lord gives us hope because of the presence of Emmanuel. Jesus was rejected, despised, beaten, and suffered so that we might be accepted, comforted, made whole, and healed. The healing he brings is holistic as he cares not just for our body, but also for our soul and spirit. Healing is part of the atonement and one of the blessings of the inc...

The wonder of Christmas is the incarnation of Emmanuel, God with us. The birth of a baby can radically change a person’s life, but the birth of this child Jesus changed the course of humanity forever. In a broken and dark world, the light of eternity shined through to enlighten our lives to the power of God’s love. Even till today, we can experience and know the grace, beauty, and kindness of Jesu...

The incarnation is a seminal moment in history that marks an extraordinary event of God becoming man in order to be with us. With deep desire for relationship with humanity, Jesus came to this earth not as a conquering king, but as a baby in order to experience and feel what we go through so that he can relate to us. The incarnation transforms our view of God, suffering, his kingdom, and relations...

It's the season of celebrating the coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. As we quickly approach the end of 2023, it’s also the perfect season for reflecting on all the things that happened throughout the year. Can you recall all the moments that brought a big smile, or an unstoppable laugh? How about all the moments when you felt like the world was coming down around you? In the unconditiona...

Unseen realities are all around us. Undetected by our physical senses, they exist around us profoundly affecting our lives. The Christmas story points to that reality. The ordinary simple shepherds were gifted with a magnificent vision of heaven. The experience left them trembling in fear. This vision emphasized God’s greatness, our smallness, and his immense love. Possessing the power to oblitera...

Throughout the Word of God, we see the generosity of God modelled and exemplified from creation to the coming of Jesus. The heart of God to freely give, sacrifice, and bless humanity is indicative of God’s selfless character revealing the power of generosity. He has set an example for us to follow not because he needs our generosity but because in developing the character of generosity we become m...

We might be willing to give of our time and talents for God’s Kingdom, but sometimes when it comes to our treasures or our finances, giving becomes difficult. Approximately twenty percent of Jesus’ teachings dealt with money and possessions. Why? Because there is a profound connection between our heart and our treasures. Everything we do in our spiritual journey is part of an act of faith and our...

Generosity starts with heart transformation through the redeeming love of Christ. The overflow of joy results is generous living and a generous posture. Greed and self-centredness are rooted in our sinful nature that robs us of the opportunity of experiencing the grace to give of our time, talents, and treasures. Where our treasure is, there are heart will also be. The ways in which we invest our...

A Gospel Patron is a disciple of Jesus who has developed a posture of generosity for the proclamation of the gospel through their time, talents, and treasures. If we are to be, grow, and make disciples, one of the critical character qualities that define our discipleship is generosity. Throughout the word of God we see Gospel Patrons who have lived sacrificially to see the Kingdom of God come here...

Having courage to do what God is calling/leading us to do, namely to share the story of Jesus with others who have less access or opportunity to hear.

When Jesus called people to follow him and be his disciples, they did so in a close knit community. There they found fellowship, support, teaching, and encouragement to continue in the way of Jesus. We were never meant to be solo disciples or journey on this pathway alone. We are members of the body of Christ who work together to be disciples, grow as disciples, and make disciples. When Jesus call...

Jesus led by example by calling and forming disciple-making disciples. In obedience to the Great Commission, we are all called to make disciples in the way of Jesus. As we are transformed through apprenticeship with Jesus, we invite others into a similar relationship and help them to become disciples of Jesus. Through mentorship and one-on-one discipleship, we can help others understand and be tra...