No Building Required

“[Then] what prayer [or] what supplication soever shall be made of any man, or of all thy people Israel, when every one shall know his own sore and his own grief, and shall spread forth his hands in this house:” (2Ch 6:29 AV)

It occurred to me, by the work of the Spirit, that we are very fortunate to live in the dispensation of the church.  Solomon built a temple to the name of the LORD.  The above verse is from his declaration and prayer before the people.  The temple meant a great deal to the people of Israel.  Upon completion, the glory of God descended on the temple.  The temple was the place of sacrifice and worship.  The high places were never intended to be used as a replacement for the Temple.  The Temple was where the penitent could meet with God in the most intimate of ways.  Not that the Old Testament saint was refused private prayer or bible study at home.  He certainly could.  We see many people meet with God in many places.  Moses met with God on a mountain.  David met with God while herding sheep.  It wasn’t that the Old Testament saint was refused an audience with God outside the Temple, it is just that the tabernacle and Temple held a special place where God was much more evident to the one who wished to meet with Him.  In our dispensation, we are commanded to assemble as a way to encourage one another.  What is different is that we can meet with God in a more intimate way without the need of a building.  Of this I am very familiar.

I was raised in a religion that stressed the temporal and visual.  Cathedrals, Basilicas, and the local church building are built to impress the senses.  Add to the visual a sensory experience with fragrance and quiet music, one can be easily convinced that the presence of God is there.  The ambience of the experience exudes the mystic.  As we were visiting my family that serves on a foreign mission field, we went to one of these churches.  It was exactly like many of the churches I had visited many years ago.  It brought back memories of my childhood.  I had to explain to my family the customs expected in the while in the building.  I had to teach them what things were are for what they were used.  There were confessional booths.  There was a pool water in a small bath that looked like a birdbath.  There were statues, symbols, and venerable objects.  Since my family was never raised in such a place, their behavior (although acceptable in a place like a museum) was a bit more common than the place required.  There was constant correction, especially of the children, to adapt to the expectations the building and people required.  It didn’t take long before security took notice of us and headed our way.  It was time to leave.  The lesson I would hope my family learned is that many are blinded to the true nature of our relationship with the Creator.  Many who still ignorantly worship God in this manner do not understand that the place and use of the Temple have been replaced by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and the availability of the written word of God.

We no longer have to meet God in a specific place.  Whether we are falling fast into sleep, driving down the road, or enjoying an afternoon casting a line, God is just as much there as He is in the church house.  Perhaps even more so.  Public worship is commanded and necessary.  We need to gather together for instruction, preaching, and mutual care, one toward another.  We need to be encouraged as we see that day approaching.  We need the blessed presence of the saints.  When God meets with us and the Spirit is active, corporate worship is certainly a very special experience.  Yet, we must also be grateful that when we are parted, God is just as real.  His glory is still present.  His still small voice is still active.  The Comforter dwells within and bears witness with our spirit that we are the children of God.  His Spirit assists us with words that cannot be spoken when struggling in our season of prayer.  It is the Spirit that brings things to remembrance.  It is often His voice that resonates in our minds and hearts when in need of guidance or comfort.  God is just as real outside a building as He is within.  We are so blessed that God’s presence in the person of the Holy Spirit is not found in a building.  Rather, we are the temple of the Holy God.  His Spirit resides within and He is ever present.  He is ever intimate!