6 Minute Read

Prepare Your Heart

To the best of your ability, get rid of all distractions. Take a few minutes to breathe deeply and quiet yourself in the Lord’s presence. Then, ask the Lord to speak to you in this time. Let Him know that you will listen and make whatever adjustments He will reveal to you.

Read God’s Word

1 Chronicles 28-29
Acts 2:14-36

A Verse for Today

Slowly and reflectively read the following verse(s) and listen to what God will say to you through His written Word. Consider writing down any insights He reveals to you.

1 Chronicles 28:2 (CSB): “Then King David rose to his feet and said, ‘Listen to me, my brothers and my people. It was in my heart to build a house as a resting place for the ark of the LORD’s covenant and as a footstool for our God. I had made preparations to build,’”

Reflecting on God’s Word

In the verse I chose for today, King David had assembled a large group of people to give them a briefing and cast a vision. He wanted to build a house for the Lord (Temple), but the Lord had made it clear that he wasn’t the one to do it. The Lord told David that he could collect everything needed to build the Temple, but his son would begin and complete the project.

Kim and I visited Jerusalem seven years ago. I’ll never forget visiting the Temple Mount. While I believe the original Temple was built in an area adjacent to the Temple Mount, it was in that same general location that the magnificent Temple was built for the God of Israel.

For about 400 years, that Temple was the place where people would go to worship their God. It was in that place that the Holy of Holies was located (in the back 1/3 of the Temple), where God would come down and dwell among His people. The Old Testament saints could talk to God wherever they were, but if they wanted to experience God in close proximity, they went to the Temple.

Unfortunately, New Testament Christians have taken that theology and mindset and incorporated it into Christianity. In doing so, they develop a flawed theology.

What do I mean by that? Simply put, many New Testament Christians equate their church building with the Old Testament Temple. You can periodically hear them say things like: “Lord, we have come into Your house to worship You this morning.” In saying such things, they demonstrate that they believe God camps out in the church building as He did in the Old Testament Temple. To experience the Lord’s presence in all its glory, they believe they need to be in the church building.

Now, let’s be abundantly clear that the church is a VERY prominent truth in the New Testament. Jesus died for His Church, His Church is His Bride, and we are given quite a few instructions regarding life in the church.

But – and this is VERY important – the church is not the building.

I pastor White Hall Baptist Church. But that doesn’t mean I pastor a building. Sure, we meet in a beautiful building, but the church would exist even if the building was destroyed in a tornado or fire.

The church is not a building; it’s a gathered group of believers whose intent is to work together to do what Jesus has told us to do. And gathering together as a church isn’t an option; it’s a command.

Hebrews 10:24-25 (CSB): “And let us consider one another in order to provoke love and good works, not neglecting to gather together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging each other, and all the more as you see the day approaching.”

So, the New Testament church is incredibly important, but it isn’t the Old Testament Temple. The church is not and never has been a building. It’s a gathered body of believers (and a few other things). And yet some erroneously treat the building like the Old Testament Temple. It’s not!

So, is there an equivalent to the Old Testament Temple? Is there a place in Christendom where the temple still exists? Is there a place that a Jesus-follower can go to experience the Lord in all His glory?

Yes! A thousand times, Yes!

1 Corinthians 6:19 (CSB): “Don’t you know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God? …”

You don’t have to go to a location to experience the presence of God. He lives within every believer in the person of the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:9). You should strive to live in the joy of the Lord’s presence every moment of every day, whether you are in the church building or not.

So, what should we think about our church buildings?

First, we should be so thankful to the Lord that we have a location where the gathered body of believers can get together to worship, be equipped, and be sent out to obey the Lord and serve Him and others. It’s an added bonus if the seats are comfortable and there is climate control (heat and air).

Second, we should follow the command of Hebrews 10:24-25 and gather regularly for church services (in our buildings) for the stated purpose in the previous verses.

Third, we should realize that we are taking our Temple (our body in which the Holy Spirit dwells) into a church building and a church service each Sunday (and Wednesday). We don’t go there in order to worship the Lord. Instead, we take our worshipful hearts into those places so that we can all enjoy and worship our great God together.

Finally, knowing that we don’t go to the Temple (“God’s house”) but actually live in the Temple should radically transform how we see our lives. We cannot and should not delegate merely one or two hours a week to worship. We should worship in God’s house (our body) all day long, every day of the week!

1 Corinthians 10:31 (CSB): “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God.”

Spend Time in Prayer

  • Ask God to help you cultivate a greater biblical understanding of what it means that your body is God’s Temple.
  • Ask God to help you live every moment of each day like you’re in His Temple … because you are!

Going Deeper

If you want to dig a little deeper into what it means that our body is God’s Temple, consider reading the following GotQuestions article:

“What does it mean that the body is the temple of the Holy Spirit?”

Sharing

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Matt Ellis is the pastor of White Hall Baptist Church in Richmond, Kentucky (whitehallbaptistchurch.org)