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Ecclesiastical ecstasy or thrown down stones?

by Jerry Ousley  
3/07/2014 / Christian Living

There are so many beautiful and elaborate buildings dedicated to God. They are truly exquisite. In most cases I've often heard that those building the structures want to give their best to the Lord. I understand that. Of course we want the best for God. In the Book of Haggai the Jews were reprimanded by God through the prophet for neglecting the Temple. We read a couple more instances in the historical books of the Bible where they had let the Temple go. It needed a good cleaning and a face lift. But we have to remember that those were different times. During those days God's presence did actually inhabit the Temple.

A new day dawned after Jesus was crucified and resurrected. He had become the final sacrifice that was to do away with all temporary sacrifices. He had paid the penalty for sin once and for all. From that day forward the Temple was not actually needed. The entire purpose of the Temple was to allow the Jewish people to worship and praise God, and make atonement for their sins. But with sin finally paid for, it became a mere symbolic rite.

True redemption now came through repentance of sin, acceptance of Christ as our one and only sacrificial lamb, and dedication to Him. The teaching of scripture through the Apostles switched from an emphasis on the Temple to the indwelling of God in the temples of our bodies and souls.

Now don't take it that I'm standing in judgment of others by what I'm going to say, I'm not. Each of us must be obedient to God for himself. I know what God has spoken to me but that doesn't necessarily make it true for everyone else. You obey the Lord in what He is telling you and I'll be obedient to the Lord in what He is telling me. But years ago it was put in my heart to concentrate expenditures for Christ to be limited to the furtherance of the Gospel. While we were pastors we spent only what was necessary on our building. Of course we wanted it to be clean and comfortable. But elaborate decorations, furnishings and so forth were kept to the meager side. Instead we used the offerings as much as possible for outreach programs that would help win the lost to Christ. That was our conviction.

In the early days of the Church property ownership was next to nothing. People met in homes or remote areas. I realize that one of the reasons for this was to meet in secret to escape persecution. But also, despite the hatred and persecution, times were easier. The emphasis was on Christian growth and winning more into the Kingdom. The main administrative functions were limited to distributions to the poor, the orphans and the widows.

In Luke 21:6 Jesus, speaking in regard to the Temple, said, "These things which you see the days will come in which not one stone shall be left upon another that shall not be thrown down." He had looked into the future to the day when the Roman Empire would destroy the Temple, also realizing that nothing made by the hands of men would last forever. We can build large and elaborate buildings in the name of Christ but all it takes is one momentary earthquake, one five minute interval in an encounter with a tornado, a devastating flood, an electrical short sparking a fire, or one of a host of other forms of disaster, and the building along with all the cost and expenditure, is gone. What would the Church of today be like if we didn't have to worry about building payments, utility bills, so on and so forth? I believe Christian life would be much easier and more effective. That's my opinion.

Now I'm not suggesting that we tear down our buildings, sell them off to the highest bidder and redo church. But what if we stopped making all those elaborate expenditures and instead began funneling those funds into winning souls and teaching believers? We all have to be obedient to God for ourselves. But I believe we should all ask ourselves one question then stop and listen to God for the answer. That question is, "Ecclesiastical ecstasy or thrown down stones?"

Jerry D. Ousley is the author of ?Soul Challenge?, ?Soul Journey?, ?Ordeal?, ?The Spirit Bread Daily Devotional and his first novel ?The Shoe Tree.? Visit our website at spiritbread.com to download these and more completely free of charge.

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