Stephen continued defending himself against the charge of blasphemy against Moses and God.  He came to the point of his defense concerning the Tabernacle of Testimony which the children of Israel built from a pattern given to Moses by God.
  The Tabernacle was the center of the wilderness camp.  It would be the first thing to be set up and taken down in an orderly manner. 
  That Tabernacle of Testimony was a “picture” or pattern of Messiah.  That tent testified of the living God and His Anointed One, Messiah.  The whole pattern, both inside and out, pointed toward the Lord Jesus Christ.  In fact, books have been written about the significance, the grand significance of that Tabernacle in the wilderness. 

 (NASB) Acts 7:44 “Our fathers had the tabernacle of testimony in the wilderness, just as He who spoke to Moses directed him to make it according to the pattern which he had seen.” 

  God’s presence was at the Mercy Seat in the Most Holy Place…and Jesus is called “Immanuel” – “God with us”.
(Matthew 1:23) 

  Followers of Christ – our lives are to be a testimony of our Savior and God.  We are to be witnesses to the reality of God in our lives.  Immanuel – God with us.
  Not only on Sunday, but throughout the week, we can know that our God is with us.  The big events and the every day happenings…our God is still God and He is still with us. 

Let us go forward into this day, into these hours with confidence because God is with us!