My church, CLC, is beginning a renovation project in our youth worship center, which is the oldest part of our church building. That is badly needed to provide our young people with a comfortable, modern facility. It sort of reminds me of Haggai 1:4-6, “Why are you living in luxurious houses while my house lies in ruins? This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says, ‘Look at what’s happening to you! You have planted much but harvest little. You eat but are not satisfied. You drink but are still thirsty. You put on clothes but cannot keep warm. Your wages disappear as though you were putting them in pockets filled with holes!’’ Sounds familiar doesn’t it? I think all of us have gone through seasons of our lives that fit that description. Is it because we have not been paying close enough attention to the condition of God’s house?
When God met Moses on the mountain top, He gave him instructions for His tabernacle that would become His portable house traveling with His chosen people through the wilderness. Then He gave King David the plans for His more permanent temple in Jerusalem, which Solomon built to His specifications. When Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead, He made the heart of every believer the dwelling place of God’s Holy Spirit. “Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself.” (1 Corinthians 6:19)
God bless those faithful souls who keep our churches maintained and clean, but that is a building; a meeting place; it is not where God dwells. We meet other Christians there to pray, to fellowship and to worship together. It is important that we do that on a regular basis, but we are no longer limited to a specific place to worship God. We are His house and His church wherever we are. I felt the presence of God in the Cracker Barrel restaurant this morning (Saturday) as strong as I have felt it in a church service because five Christian men and two young boys came together there for fellowship. Jesus always keeps His promise and shows up to join us. (Matthew 18:20) As we break bread together and share our concerns, prayer requests and praise reports, Jesus communes with us, bringing God’s presence to our table. CLC encourages small life groups like ours that meet in a home or other location to share our faith and encourage other Christians. God will always be present when we meet for that purpose.
The question is, are we keeping ourselves in fit condition as God’s house? We must love and welcome God with all that we are; our heart, mind, spirit and body. We must constantly clean and renovate ourselves by removing all the dirt and clutter the world has tracked into us, to make sure His house is comfortable. Then, we will love others as He loves us; follow His instruction and prompting; and worship Him in spirit and in truth wherever we are (John 4:23). That is what the Christian life is all about.