My Thoughts. . .

Thursday, March 14, 2019

“Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?  If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.”  1 Corinthians 3:16-17

“Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?  For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.”  1 Corinthians 6:19-20

If you are a Christian, you are “the temple of God” and/or “the temple of the Holy Spirit.”  You are a temple that has been bought by Jesus who is the one that paid your “price.”  You are the temple that God dwells in.  You are a “holy” temple.  You are a temple which glorifies God who dwells within you.  What does that mean?

  1. You are not required to be in a specific geographical location before you are in God’s presence. Since He dwells in you, His presence is always there. You may go to 1490 Campbell Street to assembly with others, but not because you had to do so in order to be in God’s presence.  Take a small test.  Stand up.  Move your right foot out about 6″.  Bring your left foot over close to your right foot.  Do this little exercise three times.  When you have moved your body 18″, God is right there with you.  He moved with you each time you moved 6″.  Run down the street.  Guess what?  God is still right there with you.  He moves with you.  He walks with you.  How?  He dwells in you.  You are His temple!  It is not vacant!  If you as the temple of God is vacant, may God have mercy upon your soul!  You’re lost!!
  2. Since God dwells in you and you are holy, that means you are God’s sanctuary. You don’t have to go to the church building and enter the assembly room or auditorium to be find His sanctuary. His presence has been with you since you became a Christian!  God’s sanctuary is not a building that has been erected by man.  If you believe putting on your Sunday best is how you show your respect to God, you have succumbed to a culture lie.  Didn’t you know God dwells in you before you stepped out of the shower?  Before you put on any clothing, God was dwelling in you.  If that Sunday clothing is how you show Him your respect, then you fail in that goal until you realize you are already His dwelling place.  If you weren’t showing Him respect before dressing, you’re not doing so when you put on your so-called respectful Sunday best.  That viewpoint would have you disrespecting God when you take it off.  That disrespect would continue until you put it on again.  No wonder we have so many problems in the home, at work, in school, in government, and in our local church memberships.  Our respect for God is limited to our presence one to four hours each week.  That makes us part-time Christians!  Such thinking would reduce God’s presence within us.  It would be parallel to an individual hanging a sign around his neck announcing, “Vacancy until Sunday.”  Satan looks for such signs.  Has he found yours?

3. Since God dwells 24/7 in the believer as His temple, wouldn’t our “worship,” “respect,” “adoration,” or “presenting our temple” before God coincide with that indwelling period?  Does He dwell in us just three to four hours each week?  Is He not dwelling within us on our way to the church building correcting the children?  Does He vacate when we lose our temper with the spouse?   Has he taken a vacation from us when we leave on our vacation?   When Sunday worship is started with the opening prayer, does He indwell us at the time that prayer is stated?  Does He depart from us when the “Amen” of the closing prayer is said?  If so, aren’t we a vacant temple during those periods?  If we realized that God was living within us when we lose our temper, think impure thoughts, fudge on the speed limit, harbor hard feelings, remain unforgiving, and put our Christian identity in jeopardy, wouldn’t we work harder to keep our lives cleaner?

CONCLUSION: You and I are walking, talking, and performing temples of God 24/7.  God dwells in us, puts up with us, is patient and long suffering with us each and every day.  He has been doing that since the day we died to the flesh, were buried and raised with Jesus, and He took up His dwelling in us.  Are you God’s sanctuary?   If not, why not?