CHURCH – MORE THAN A BUILDING
When we began this series of messages about the church, we used this verse as a springboard.
(Eph 5:25 NKJV) Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her,
The church is the most important thing on earth.
The Greek word for church is ecclesia, meaning assembly in its simplest form. This combined body makes up the church. There are issues of membership, which we have touched on before and I’m sure will again. The main point is the church is not the building.
(Eph 2:19-22 NKJV) Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, {20} having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner stone, {21} in whom the whole building, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, {22} in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.
Paul used 4 phrases in these verses that I want to bring to your attention .
“household of God”
“building”
“holy temple”
“dwelling place of God”
I would like to draw some ideas from these words.
· First, since each of these implies some sort of structure, lets look at what Paul means by these phrases.
“household” not the house, but the household - a family, Gods family
(Rom 8:16 NKJV) The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,
(Gal 6:10 NKJV) Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.
How do you get into the family of God? By baptism? By church membership? By keeping the Ten Commandments? By tithing? No, by faith in Jesus Christ as Savior!
(Eph 2:8-9 NKJV) For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, {9} not of works, lest anyone should boast.
We are the family of God, and God does live among His family.
· Next, “building” not a literal building, but he uses the idea that God is putting something together.
Once you are saved, God begins a work in you. Actually, it starts prior to salvation.
God is still building His church. He hasn’t finished with it yet. Not until every last soul is saved that will be saved, will He bring this world to an end.
We already read Ephesians 2:8,9.
(Eph 2:10 NKJV) For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
If we are like a building that God is putting together, what is it that God is building?
(Eph 5:25-27 NKJV) Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, {26} that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, {27} that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.
How are we made clean? The Word makes us clean. The Word cleanses us as if we were washed in water. Water or baptism, neither cleanses nor saves anyone.
God is building a “glorious church” that will be presented to Jesus as a pure and holy bride.
That is the building that we are a part of.
· Next, Paul uses the words “holy temple”. We as the church are a holy temple of God.
Now what takes place at a temple?
Since we don’t really have many temples around to take note of, we must look to the Old Testament or other cultures to identify what we are to do as a temple.
The main purpose of the Temple was a place to make sacrifice to God.
(2 Chr 2:5-6 NKJV) And the temple which I build will be great, for our God is greater than all gods. {6} But who is able to build Him a temple, since heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain Him? Who am I then, that I should build Him a temple, except to burn sacrifice before Him?
Now, there are numerous types of sacrifices.
1. Monetary: (Deu 12:5-6 NKJV) "But you shall seek the place where the LORD your God chooses, out of all your tribes, to put His name for His dwelling place; and there you shall go. {6} "There you shall take your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, your tithes, the heave offerings of your hand, your vowed offerings, your freewill offerings, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks.
Tithes, love offering, building offerings, benevolence offerings, missions giving, special gifts, etc.
2. Praise, worship, and thanksgiving: (Heb 13:15 NKJV) Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.
Everything we do in church is a part of worship, whether singing, giving, or preaching.
3. Ourselves: (Rom 12:1 NKJV) I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.
If God doesn’t have you first, nothing you offer will do.
(Psa 51:15-17 NKJV) O Lord, open my lips, And my mouth shall show forth Your praise. {16} For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it; You do not delight in burnt offering. {17} The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken and a contrite heart; These, O God, You will not despise.
· The last phrase Paul uses is “dwelling place of God.”
The church is a dwelling place of God. Certainly, God is in heaven, but He is present in the church as well.
(Mat 18:20 NKJV) "For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them."
I ask you, are we gathered together in the name of Christ today? Then God is present.
INDIVIDUALLY
(John 14:17 NKJV) "the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.
(1 Cor 3:16 NKJV) Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?
· YOU SEE, THE CHURCH IS MORE THAN JUST A BUILDING. YOU ARE THE CHURCH.
· YOU ARE THE “HOUSEHOLD OR FAMILY OF GOD.”
· YOU ARE A BUILDING OF GOD, HIS CONSTRUCTION PROJECT.
· YOU ARE A TEMPLE OF GOD; THEREFORE, YOU ARE TO OFFER SACRIFICES OF YOUR POSSESSIONS, YOUR PRAISE, AND YOU SELF.
· YOU ARE A DWELLING PLACE FOR GOD. HIS SPIRIT LIVES IN YOU.
ALL OF THIS IS TRUE IF YOU ARE SAVED.
