Are You Keeping The Temple Clean?

I was sitting with a colleague of mine and talking about the sideways views of those in churches across our region. We laughed about how so many people want to work on the church and make it the nicest place possible. Churches spend thousands of dollars a year on just making the sanctuary pretty. My colleague made the comment “Keep it nice for the Lord dwells here,” and I realized that we as the church universal must have forgotten what happened in the temple the night our Messiah was crucified.

And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; (Matthew 27:51 KJV)

In the temple were three stages of viewing: the First Stage or outermost stage was for the Gentiles and tourists; the Second Stage was for the Jews to worship in which was divided in three sections for women, laymen, then priests; then the Third and Center stage of the temple was the Holy of Holies where God dwelt. Around the Holy of Holies was this massive Veil that was supposed to be the dividing curtain from the rest of the world. Only certain people could enter into the Holy of Holies. This veil separated God from Humanity, and was the place where God dwelt among God’s people. Yet, when Christ died on the cross the veil was rent in twain or ripped in two. The Holy of Holies was no longer separated from Humanity, God dwelt among us.

I believe that the church today has decided to put up the veil again. We just not place it behind wooden, metal, or glass doors and tell people to come inside if they want to see God. The church has decided that God only dwells in the places that we call holy, but forget that it is not us who decides what is clean and unclean.

In another sense, Christians today act as though they only have Christ within them when they are in the church as if God only dwells within the church. We only act like Christ when we enter into His home. This all goes back to the fact that we have replaced the veil in our Christian lives, but do not realize that those who entered into the Holy of Holies unworthily were killed.

When Christ died on the cross, he removed the separation of God and Man. Sin no longer was the boundary that kept us separated. God wanted to be with us everywhere we go. We use the imagery of the heart being where God dwells. We do not leave our hearts at home, they constantly go with us. When we answer that door that Christ is standing and knocking at, we allow Christ to enter into us and be with us constantly. The church is a great place to worship, but when you remove the hearts that enter into the church it is just a building.

We can take care of the place God has given us to worship. God has blessed many congregations with beautiful buildings and we should be good stewards with what we have. However, if we are going to focus on making the place where God dwells nice, then we need to start working on us. I see too many people will clean the church and make it nice and beautiful but leave the church building cussing up a storm. I feel so heart-broken at the condition of Christians today who will talk about church and not two sentences later begin to gossip or insult someone. They turn their minds away from God and onto the world.

⁹ Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God.¹⁰ Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be.¹¹ Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter?¹² Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh. (James 3 KJV)

It has been going on for so long that even the Scriptures have a reference to it. The fruit of our hearts tend to come out of our mouths. If we have an unclean heart then the dwelling place of Christ is also unclean. If we are so worried about making sure the place God communes with us is perfect, then we need to begin to fix it. If the tongue cannot be controlled, then the heart needs to be changed so that the tongue only has praises to sing.