Church Buildings....extended version (Part 3)

Another argument is that the church needs space. It actually is a valid reason but a simple upgrade or a simple extension will not run into the hundred thousands or the millions. They just take that reason and turn it into an excuse to build a larger and grander building. In my opinion, this lack of space issue has been overused. Sometimes, all it needs is to hold more services if services seem to be getting crowded. They will then say it’s not convenient. May I ask since when worshipping God was ever a convenience? If it were, honestly, I would rather sleep in on a Sunday morning and relax on a Sunday evening (evening service). We sing about surrendering everything to God when we can’t even sacrifice about 2 hours maximum of a Sunday to worship God? How hypocritical! Some might say, “But that time I have to go hang out with friends” or “I have to spend time with my family”. So, are you saying friends and family are more important than God? Didn’t Jesus say that anyone who doesn’t hate his family is not worthy of Him? Am I saying we should literally hate our family? Of course not! Jesus is saying that our love for God should be so great that our love for family and friends seem pale in comparison; so pale that it seems like hate.

I have quoted quite a lot of verses from Hebrews 10 and 11. As I was reading, I realized one thing odd. When the writer compares copy and the reality, he compares it with the tabernacle NOT the temple! I find this odd because the temple was already built and it was grander; a sort of and upgrade of the tabernacle. The tabernacle was just a large tent sewn together and could be repacked. Then I realized a possible reason. As stated earlier, the temple was not God’s idea but King David’s. But, the tabernacle was God’s idea! He was the one who gave such detailed instructions to the Israelites on how to build it and what materials to use (Exodus 25 focus on verse 8). When God revealed to David through Nathan, God did not give any instructions or talk much about the temple (2 Samuel 7).

There is a hymn in the United Methodist Hymnal titled “Rise Up, O Men of God”. The first verse goes like this:

Rise up, O men of God,
Have done with lesser things.
Give heart and mind and soul and strength,
To serve the King of Kings.

Let us have done with lesser things. Let us give our all to serve and love God. Let us strive to conform to the image of Christ which is God’s will for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. Let us not focus on relatively trivial things like a bigger and grander church building. It is not Scriptural nor is it necessary.

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Since this appears as the top post, refer first to "Church Buildings....extended version (Part 1)"
Have any comments or if I made a mistake anywhere, please post yah...I know its kinda long. Sorry...>.< I used word count and got about 1800 words. :P

Church Buildings....extended version (Part 2)

Then the speakers will say, “That’s the point! A grander and bigger church will reflect our dedication to God!” Wrong. It will rather reflect your obsession with the physical rather than the spiritual. In the New Testament, the Israelites, especially the Pharisees and Sadducees were obsessed about the rituals, the laws and the temple but in their hearts, they were corrupt and vile to the core. Jesus then foretold the destruction of the temple (Mark 13:1-2) because the temple and all the rituals and additional laws had so blinded them that they couldn’t see he was the foretold Messiah (Matthew 23:37-39). They were looking for a ‘physical’ Messiah; a conqueror to liberate them from the Romans, not a ‘spiritual’ Messiah to liberate them from their sins. Until today, the temple is nowhere to be found.

On the other hand, what does Scripture in the New Testament say about the temple? It says that the Old Testament temple was a shadow of what is to come (Hebrews 9:24). Furthermore, it also says that our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. “19Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?” (1 Corinthians 6:19). In the past, the Presence of God dwelt in the Holy of Holies, that is, the innermost part of the temple where the High Priest could only go in once a year. Today, the Holy Spirit, God’s very Presence, dwells within us! (1 Corinthians 6:19) Do you see the connection? In the past, men had limited communication with God and they had to go through the priest and high priest. Today, Jesus is our High Priest (Hebrews 3:1) and he brings us into such a personal communion with God that we can call Him ‘Abba, Father’(Romans 8:15). The Holy Spirit also intercedes for us, like a priest, testifying together with our own spirit that we belong to God (Romans 8:16). Wow! Truly the temple was only a shadow. When we look at a shadow, we only see an outline. But when we see the actual thing, it is so totally different! But one might say, “It says it’s a copy of the original therefore we can say exactly the same”. Wrong. Which is more valuable and nicer: a photocopied book or the original of the same book? Case closed.

From the Old Testament right up to the New Testament, the focus of God has always been the same: the condition of our hearts and our attitude towards him. He now commands men everywhere to repent of their sins and bear fruits that befit repentance (Acts 2:38, Matthew 3:8). What are those fruits? The fruit of the Spirit is one of them. Also, a continuous repenting and turning away from sin which you now hate. God’s focus was never on the physical as the speakers claim. If it were, Israel would be the size of Russia and have the economic strength of China and USA combined. The Temple would be the size of a small island and overlaid with so much gold that the ground beneath it would sink from the weight. But Israel has been, and still is, small. And the temple is still gone. Can God accomplish what I described above? Of course! But that is not His intention nor is it His focus.


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Church Buildings....extended version (Part 1)

BEWARE: Very very long post. Bear the wordiness.
Note: There are many verses referenced here. Please look it up yourselves. :P Exercise a bit. :P

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I have had the privilege to listen to sermon or heard of sermons teaching that building a big and grand church building is scriptural. As I search and think about the Scriptures, I realize that there is no such biblical support. You may be saying, “But there is so many…” I beg to differ on that.

A lot of speakers usually quote from the Old Testament about the building of the temple. The quotations usually come from books like 1 Kings, 1 & 2 Chronicles, Ezra, etc. They are unable to quote any sustainable verses from the New Testament because there simply isn’t anything to support big church buildings there! By doing this, they are taking Scripture out of context and interpreting it to think it is God’s will.

I realized something quite interesting on how the temple came about. It is good to note that God never commanded the building of the temple. It was King David’s idea ( 2 Samuel 7). He wanted to honor God by building a more permanent place of worship for the Isrealites. Before the temple, they worship in the tent-like tabernacle. It was this same tabernacle that God commanded the Isrealites to build while in the wilderness. God, in His grace, honored David’s request but told David that Solomon would do the building instead.

But the temple would prove to be Israel’s downfall. They trusted in the temple rituals, the obeying of the letter of the law but not the spirit of the law, the gold furnishings and the grandeur of the temple rather than the Person whose Presence rested in the temple. Not long after Solomon died, the nation split and 10 of the 12 tribes (the southern kingdom) turned to persistent idolatry. The northern kingdom of Judah was wavering between God and Baal even though they had the temple in their area. Read what Jeroboam, king of the southern kingdom did which lead the people into persistent idolatry, “27 If these people go up to offer sacrifices at the temple of the LORD in Jerusalem, they will again give their allegiance to their lord, Rehoboam king of Judah. They will kill me and return to King Rehoboam." 28 After seeking advice, the king made two golden calves. He said to the people, "It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem. Here are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt." 29 One he set up in Bethel, and the other in Dan.” ( 1 Kings 12:27-29)
What caused the southern kingdom to build the two calves? The temple.

The speakers also quote books like Haggai that speak about the rebuilding of the temple and how God rebuked the Israelites for neglecting the rebuilding but they themselves were staying in paneled houses (Haggai 1 focus on verse 2-4). Therefore, we should build expensive and big church buildings. This is pulling Scripture out of context. The temple was an outward sign of their attitude towards God. Notice in the old days, when the people fell into idolatry, the temple was neglected but when they returned to God, they restored the temple. So, God rebuked them for focusing on their own houses first instead of the temple because this revealed what was in their heart. They were falling into materialism and lukewarm-ness in their worship with God. Therefore, God had to warn them sharply through his prophets. It was not because God wanted a nicer temple. Heck, the whole universe is his. Why would he want a nicer temple on earth when he has the whole heaven? He was dealing with the heart of the matter; their heart condition. Also note that the temple was built at minimal cost and it didn’t look as grand as the former temple. How do we know that? We read in the bible that some mourned instead of rejoicing when the temple was dedicated because they had seen the former temple and the current one was nowhere near in comparison (Ezra 3:12-13). The temple was also necessary because the Jews have lost their one and only place of worship. Note that the tabernacle was also long gone. The temple was also a national identity for them; the symbol of the nation. (Interestingly, even today, the Jews want to rebuild the temple. Why? It’s their national identity). Without the temple, they have no identity as the chosen people of the LORD.

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Together We Stand

I like playing this strategy game called “Battle for Middle Earth”. Its based on JRR Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings trilogy. “Battle for Middle Earth 2” has been out quite some time ago so the one I am playing would seem to some kind of old but its still fun to play.

This is not a game post. So, if you are reading this second paragraph, thank you! Lolz. Bear with me a bit. Below is a picture of a unit in the game from the Gondor faction called Tower Guards. These are the elite infantry of Gondor. (Note: This unit appears in the actual movies though you have to look carefully to spot them. Can’t miss those winged helmets. :P)

The second picture below depicts them in a defensive formation. This formation adds their defense considerably ( 80%..for those who want to know) but greatly reduces their movement speed (70%..again for those who want to know). In this formation, they are considerably difficult to take down. I usually use these guys to hold ground I have taken from the opponent (coupled with other buffs, these guys are near invincible).

So, after all that, what am I driving at? As I was thinking, I realize that our Christian life is something like those Tower Guards. We need to support one another in each other’s walk with God. Isn’t that what the Christian family is all about? If we walk alone, we will be an easier target for temptations which lead to sin. If we pray for one another, helping each other in times of need or just being there, wouldn’t we be stronger in times of trial? Together, with God, we can stand strong against the evil one and our sinful desires. The Teacher in Ecclesiastes 4:12 wrote, “Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.”

The apostle Paul wrote, “Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in one spirit, contending as one man for the faith of the gospel” (Phillipians 1:27). The word “contend” sounds like a fighting term. We are to fight for the sake of the Gospel, that is, to spread it far and wide and to defend it. He even wrote to the church in Ephesus to pray for him; “Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.” (Ephesians 6:19-20).

Often than not, we hear about advancing God’s kingdom here on earth, thinking it is God’s will for us. But hasn’t anyone considered that perhaps our job is just to stand and defend turf that is already taken? True, everyone has a purpose. Like in the game, some units are good if used on the offense and some are good on defense. The Tower Guards can be used as both but I usually use it for defensive purposes. Some are called to go into new areas to preach the Gospel. When an area accepts the Gospel, some are called to that area to teach the people. The missionary can then move on to other territories. The Bible also says, “It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up” (Ephesians 4:11-12). If there is no solid teaching in the Word of God, the people in that area can easily fall away and can’t grow in spiritual maturity. The turf is slowly being retaken by the enemy because of lack of defenders.

Something that is more of the real world but same concept as the Tower Guards is the Roman Legions of ancient Rome. They have this unique formation called the ‘Tortoise’ or “Box Formation”. It looks something like the picture below.

This formation makes the Roman Legions much more resilient to arrows from the enemy. As you can see, they protect each other with their shields. The only way for an enemy archer to take them down is to shoot through those tiny holes which would be near impossible at long distance. Using this method, they can advance nearly unscathed to an enemy wall and scale it even though arrows are falling like rain on them. This formation won’t work if the soldiers don’t coordinate and work together. Interestingly, Paul writes in Ephesians 6:16, “In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.” Maybe he had this in mind because those arrows are not going to burn on iron shields.

So, we who call ourselves brothers and sisters in Christ have to uphold and help one another. We are called to fight together for the Gospel. As the Tower Guards say, “We guard the White Tower”.