The House of God

The House of God?

   Almost every time you attend Church, some of the very first words that you will hear from the Pastor, or the Worship Leader, or a Greeter, are “Aren’t you glad to be in the House of God today?” This is a very common practice, but is this statement true?  Does God live in the building that you have built?  Is He waiting for you to show up and visit with Him?

   You will see from the scriptures below that this statement does not reflect the message of the Bible.  The greeting that better reflects Biblical truth is “Aren’t you glad to BE the House of God today?”  That is the message of this paper.

    I have talked to a number of Christians about this subject and they were very surprised to hear what I had to say… and they were very doubtful that their Church leaders were getting the message wrong.  So, maybe at this point, it would be best to ask you to read the following verses from the Bible before we go any further.  All scripture quotations are from the Good News Bible.

 

(1Corinthians 3:9)  For we are partners working together for God, and you are God's field. You are also God's building.

 

(Hebrews 9:11)  But Christ has already come as the High Priest of the good things that are already here. The tent in which he serves is greater and more perfect; it is not a tent made by human hands, that is, it is not a part of this created world.

 

(Acts 17:24)  God, who made the world and everything in it, is Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples made by human hands.

 

(2Corinthians 5:1)  For we know that when this tent we live in---our body here on earth---is torn down, God will have a house in heaven for us to live in, a home he himself has made, which will last forever.

 

(Acts 7:48) "But the Most High God does not live in houses built by human hands as the prophet says,

 

(Mark 15:38) The curtain hanging in the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. (This was a physical demonstration of how God was now changing the way that He would interact with man).

 

(John 2:21)  But the temple Jesus was speaking about was his body.

 

 (1Corinthians 3:16)  Surely you know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you!

 

(1Corinthians 3:17)  God will destroy anyone who destroys God's temple.  For God's temple is holy, and you yourselves are his temple.

 

(1Corinthians 6:19)  Don't you know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and who was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourselves but to God;

 

   I was talking to a co-worker one day at work about the Christian life and the Bible and I suggested that we go together to his Church one week and the Church that I was attending the next.  He attended a Catholic Church and I met him there.  During the service, a lot of things were done.  The Priest walked around and sprinkled water on everybody,  the Priest and some young boys walked up and down the aisles with an incense bowl and pronounced a blessing on the congregation, and he gave out the wafers and the wine, and the congregation recited prayers and sang songs.  After it was over, I asked him a probing question “How did he know that all that was done was acceptable and approved by God?”  He let me know that he didn’t know how he would determine that, nor did he seem to care.  When we attended my Church the next week, I remember thinking the same question “Was what we were doing accurately reflecting what God would want?”  I think that it would be very good, if no matter what Church you attended, you would ask the same question.  The most important factor in all of this is that we use the Bible to determine what God would think.  The basis for our lives and the basis for how we conduct ourselves in public should be determined by what the Bible says.  This is the ONLY way to find out what is acceptable and pleasing to God.

   There is a statement that is made time after time in many Churches across America that does not reflect the biblical principles mentioned in the Bible verses above.  The statement is “Aren’t you glad to be in the house of God today?”  Since this statement is made in Churches that generally DO care whether or not they are following the Bible – I think it is important to look at what the Bible says.  You may think that this statement is not that serious, or just a problem with semantics; but the message is much deeper than that.  I am not sure of the reasons why the Church leaders began making these statements.  I think that it is because they are trying to reproduce the environment of the Old Testament instead of the new.  I am not sure why a group would want to do this – for we have a far better relationship with God with the New Testament, than with the old.

   If they are not careful, a Church may come across as self-serving.  When a Church group implies that God lives in their building, or that there is a special presence of God at their particular building – then they may appear to be trying to create loyalty to a location instead of loyalty to a person.

   I think that it is a good idea for Christians to get connected with a group of believers and not jump from Church to Church, but I do not believe that this is the way to go about doing that!  There is a need for Christians to honor God with their finances and be obedient to God to give their tithes and offerings, but to use the idea that the building that they have erected is somehow the “House of God” and deserves their support may be the wrong way to go about motivating Christians to give.  They are many, many valuable reasons to plug in with the local body of Christ. Going to a local assembly can help you to see outside yourself, help you to grow in your Christian life, provide opportunities for Christian service and outreach, and many more benefits.  We need to encourage people to meet with other Christians, but let’s find other ways to do it, rather than base it on it being “God’s House”.

   The Bible teaches that throughout history God has dealt with man in three distinctive ways.  I have used three prepositions to describe these three ways.  God was “for” mankind in the Old Testament, He was “with” man during the time of Christ, and now God wants to be “in” man!      

   Throughout the Old Testament, God was “for” man.  God’s presence left Adam and Eve when they sinned and until Christ could come to the world and die in our place – God in His holiness could not live in man.  God would come “upon” people, God would “descend” on people and they would “feel” His presence and oftentimes perform wonderful works for God.  God was “for” mankind and tried to direct them to a better life and to have them offer sacrifices so that they could be accepted and fellowship with Him.

   When Jesus came to earth, God’s presence went from just being “for” man, to being “with” man.  As a baby, Jesus was called “Immanuel, that is God with us”.  Jesus was “with” man showing Him what it was like to live with God’s presence and power and He also came to die on a cross… so that we could experience a new dimension to life!

   God now wants to be “in” man.  After Jesus was resurrected, He told His disciples that He was going back to heaven.  They did not want Him to go.  He told them that He had to go away so that the Spirit of God could come and usher in God’s ultimate plan… to once again live “within” man and restore the deep fellowship that He had with Adam and Eve!  Listen to the words of Paul in (Colossians 1:27) “To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory”.  He also makes the statement in (2 Corinthians 4:7) “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.”  The treasure that he spoke of was Christ… of course.

   I have often felt that modern-day Churches are trying to take us back to the past when people could NOT experience the indwelling presence of God and had to rely on arks, and buildings, and temples, in order to “feel” the external presence of God.  We are now living in the age of God’s purpose when He deeply desires us to not just “feel” His presence but to literally “have” His presence in our lives.  Listen to the serious, eternal message of (1 John 5:12) “He that has the Son has life.  He who does not have the Son does not have life.

   We have clearly established the dispensation that God is wanting to establish - from “for” man, to “with” man, to now wanting to be “in” man.  It would now be a good time to look at a verse that is used VERY often to induce loyalty to a building.  (Matthew 18:20) states “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”  This verse definitely implies a special presence of Christ to not only be in the “midst” of a person but if they are gathered together for His purposes… the Spirit will be in the “midst” of the conversation.  This is a great motivation for Christians to get together!  I think though, that it is very important to point out that the verse says that all it takes is “two or three”.  He could have very easily said “twenty or thirty”, or He could have said “two or three hundred”, or “two or three thousand”, but He did not.  He said that it only takes two or three.

   He made it possible for two Christians, who are in the middle of a horrible day to get together and encourage each other and feel His special help.  He gave authorization (with this verse) for a married couple, if they can find enough agreement to sit down “in His name”, they can experience the dynamic power of God to strengthen their marriage and help them work through their difficulties.  Jesus was making it possible for Christians; in a persecuted environment where they may even be able to have a building, to discover a hope that is powerful enough to lift the weary heart and all they have to do is find just one or two other believers who are of the same mind.

   I once heard of a Church that had the name “Sheep Shed”.  I think that at best – our expensive, fancy, elaborate, massive, edifices of our modern times are just a place where sheep; the people of God, get together as sheep would in any shed. 

   Years ago, I was at work and having a difficult day.  I thought to myself that it was so great that I did not have to wait till a Church day to experience the presence of God.  I called on Him right in the middle of my day and enjoyed His encouragement and help.  There are a number of good things that Christians can do when they meet together in a public setting, but when we meet – we should aspire to conduct ourselves in public, just like we should be doing in our private life, in our goal of following God’s Word as closely as we can.

   In the Old Testament is says that God inhabited the praises of His people.  Now, God inhabits… the PEOPLE of His praise.  The awesome, loving, magnificent God of the Universe now lives in us!

Aren’t you glad to BE the House of God today?

Written by Lee Malden  2014

For more information: email lmalden@hotmail.com

These are my thoughts today, what do you think?  Please leave me a response, or email me and I would be happy to hear your thoughts.