Today’s Temple

Yesterday I wrote about Haggai’s message to Israel about rebuilding God’s temple and how we should be interested in our church’s building. Those buildings are not God’s temple. There’s another location, according to:

Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? (1 Corinthians 3:16 KJV)

That’s a change from:

And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel. (Exodus 25:22 KJV)

The Ark did not contain God. It was simply a place where He communed with Moses. Hebrews chapter nine – much too long to post here – is a good explanation of the change from a high priest entering the Holy of Holies once a year. Christ’s death changed life. God is available in His temple at all hours of every day, within us.

People often use this example in applications for us to keep our bodies in good shape – a very good idea. However, how about feeding our faith, our spirit? How about communing with God in this temple? That’s immensely more important than upkeep on the container – especially a container we’ll be leaving behind. Oh, do take care of it while it is inhabited, but always remember the difference between temporal and spiritual.

This past week was both temporal and spiritual for the youth in our church. Sunday night’s service allowed their sponsors, youth minister and our young people to tell us about their church camp this year.

It began with 24 people in our new van – last year would have required two of our 15-passenger vans, so this was much better with everyone traveling together. The weekend was spent with a church planter in New Orleans, helping in his church as well as door-to-door invitations for blocks around inviting people to join them Sunday. Then it was on to the campus in Pensacola.

Each gave their own viewpoint.  They all mentioned the food – seven different stations with a wide variety of choices. A couple confessed they ate pizza for every meal except breakfast. Next, they all mentioned the preaching. Dr. Kenneth Baldwin is remarkable. You are welcome to hear some of his sermons on this site, sermonaudio.com.

Each of the speakers gave a specific example of a message they took to heart. As I’ve seen before, different messages went to different people from the very same sermon – just as specific verses speak to me with different messages when I have different needs. God provides what we need.

If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him? (Luke 11:13 KJV)

So, consider yourself a temple – God does:

What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's. (1 Corinthians 6:19-20 KJV)