God's House

“Our ancestors had the tabernacle of the covenant law with them in the wilderness. It had been made as God directed Moses, according to the pattern he had seen. After receiving the tabernacle, our ancestors under Joshua brought it with them when they took the land from the nations God drove out before them. It remained in the land until the time of David, who enjoyed God’s favor and asked that he might provide a dwelling place for the God of Jacob. But it was Solomon who built a house for him.  However, the Most High does not live in houses made by human hands. As the prophet says:

‘Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. 
What kind of house will you build for me? 
says the Lord. 
Or where will my resting place be?  Has not my hand made all these things?’

“You stiff-necked people! Your hearts and ears are still uncircumcised. You are just like your ancestors: You always resist the Holy Spirit!” (Acts 7:44-51 NIV)

Chances are you were in a church service yesterday where a church leader referred to the building in which you were sitting as “God’s house.”  If not, no doubt you have heard often the church building called this. It is a misconception that has been around for a long time.  

It may sound rather picky to focus on such a distinction, but it has had major ramifications for the Church, just as it did in Stephen’s day, when the Church began.  The focus of the Jews was on the Temple. Everything revolved around it.  And that continued even after Jesus, the Messiah, came into the world, even after the curtain of the Holy of Holies was ripped down the middle upon His death (Matthew 27:51), and even after the Holy Spirit was poured out onto the apostles and onto those who believed their message (Acts 2:1-4).  They wanted to hang onto the Temple; God wanted them to hang onto Him.

The great temptation for we humans is to cling to that which we have made and to fit God into it.  Stephen is saying here that the Lord of the universe is far too big and awesome to be contained by bricks and mortar.   In trying to reduce God to fit into what we have made, we actually resist what the Lord is trying to do.  And that is to become a personal God.

When the curtain of the Holy of Holies was torn in two, it symbolized that people, not just the High Priest, could access God’s Presence, and not just once a year, but continually.  In fact, as Paul writes in I Corinthians 3:16, those who believe in Jesus become the temple of God, the place where He resides.  The temple is no longer one of bricks and mortar, but of flesh and blood.  Thus, the charge of Stephen against the Sanhedrin (a Jewish tribunal) that they always resist the Holy Spirit makes more sense.  They wanted to keep God contained and access to Him limited.  And instead of God going with them, they wanted to leave Him behind in the place they built for Him.  We are tempted to do the same thing as well.

Today, recognize that God’s house is not a church building, but you, if indeed you are a follower of Jesus.  And when you enter that church building on Sunday mornings, instead of entering into God’s presence, you are entering into His neighborhood, which consists of hundreds of houses where in each the Lord resides.  

© Jim Musser 2016