A couple of weeks ago, I proposed to my readers that the Lord might just be focusing our attention (and therefore, prayer) on the three structures that Israel rebuilt after they returned from exile: the altar, the temple, and the wall around the city. But of course, as we think about these in our new covenant times, we understand them to be spiritual rather than tangible structures, even though they’d still be serving the same basic purposes.
Is there a re-building going on in the Church in these post-Covid days?
Could it be that the Spirit of God is leading the Church, in a wide variety of ways, to build and rebuild these same spiritual structures to host His presence in a more powerful, intensified, and noticeable way?
We looked at the altar and thought about how that is represented in the Church last time. I’d recommend you give that article a read before you jump into this one so you can catch the flow of where I’m going. We’ll now pick up those thoughts and, in this installment, explore the idea of the temple.
AN OVERLOOKED REVELATION
Over the last number of months, I’ve been pondering and processing with other leaders, the realization that in our Charismatic and Evangelical circles, the important New Testament metaphor for the Church —the temple— has been greatly under-emphasized. This has meant we’ve overlooked some important revelation. It’s been easy to think about the Church as the Bride of Christ, the Family of God, or as a missions movement (which are all true and important) but the revelation that the Church is the temple of God has often been skipped over. Yet, the concept of temple was massive in the lives of the early believers.
The temple wasn’t just a scenic backdrop, it was the “heaven and earth place” before Jesus came (to use Tim Mackie’s language1). It was the building that facilitated Israel’s continual cleansing from sin, it was the portal to encounter God, and the structure that made it possible for the Lord to dwell in the midst of Israel. The temple was the epicentre of the shekinah glory, which set Israel apart from every other nation and gave definition to the identity of every Israelite.
And it wasn’t just that the temple loomed large as a presence in the spiritual lives of Israel, think about the canon of scripture for a moment. How many chapters of the Old Testament are taken up with instructions for the tabernacle, or the temple— then its building, rebuilding, maintaining, renewing, and cleansing? The greatest kings, David and Solomon, were focused on the temple, the greatest prophet, Moses, received the blueprint in his extraordinary Sinai encounter with God, along with the details of its colors, furnishings, and the all-important ways to keep it holy. An entire tribe, the Levites, were enlisted to be those who would serve the tabernacle and temple to “work and keep” it, just as the first priest, Adam, was also instructed to do with Eden, the first temple (Gen 2:15).
JESUS, THE NEW TEMPLE
Now Jesus comes on the scene and announces that He’s in fact, the true temple of God. He is the ultimate “heaven and earth place”, the portal (the Door, the Gate, the Ladder, the Way) to the heavenly realm and to reconciliation with God Himself. Jesus is both God and man, and eternally will be so, the singular linchpin that holds heaven and earth together in union. The heaven and earth place is no longer a building made with human hands, but a cosmic, spiritual building — it is Jesus Christ and then all those who will be united with Him.
This idea of temple was absolutely dominant in scripture, as well as in the experience of Jesus and his first followers. Temple matters. It is the place of encounter and strengthening union, it is a place that God has given great care and attention to.
Jesus is the temple of God, and at the same time, the Church is also the temple of God, as are its individual members (Jn 2:19,21, Eph 2:19-21, 1Cor 3:19). Think of this like the metaphor of the church being the body of Christ, with Jesus the head. There can be no separation. Let’s then go back to our original question, is the Lord leading his Church to a focused building up of the altar, the temple, and the wall? If this is the case, what would that actually mean when it comes to the temple?
Does it mean, just generally building up the Church? Sure, but that’s pretty broad. Is there something more tangible and focused in how this building up is to happen? Let’s look at scripture.
Consider Ephesians 2:19-21
So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.
Also 1 Peter 2:4,5
As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
The action words are: “being built up or being joined together or growing into”. Here’s where we want to really pay attention. We want to understand how this building up actually happens. The key is found in Eph 4, where Paul switches to the metaphor of the body and says: “[Jesus] from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.” Eph 4:16
Mic drop.
BUILT UP IN LOVE
The building up of the temple of God happens through love— deep, selfless, love— you know, the Jesus kind. This is not mere niceness or agreeableness, but radical, loving-each-other-as-ourselves type of love. Love that pulls us toward union in deep, heart-level koinonia, regardless of the cost.
However, instead of radical Jesus love, the Western Church has so often mirrored the world’s relationships. Listen to Jesus’s words on this: “For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?.” (Mt 5:46)
The early church was deeply devoted to gathering, but we have dramatically lowered that bar. We have settled for a much milder, and frankly, more worldly, version of relationships. It’s a version that requires little commitment or vulnerability so in the end, the spiritual stones which are meant to be tucked in tight together, supporting and holding each other up, to build an easily seen spiritual house, are so loosely connected that the building is shapeless and at times unrecognizable.
In so many ways, our culture has discipled our relationships resulting in an erosion of the cohesion of the Church. Let me give you some examples:
Radical individualism: This cultural trend holds personal freedom, comfort, choice, and independence as paramount. Radical individualism is motivated by the love of self, rather than the love of others. When this trend is accommodated in the local church we only engage as much as convenient, we protect ourselves with relational walls, and we ensure relationships stay on our terms. Individualism sabotages the massively important ministry of generous hospitality, which is so vital in demonstrating the heart of God and his welcome.
Consumerism and the Pursuit of Experience: This trend encourages us to participate in the life of the local church because of how it benefits us rather than our love for the people of God. We end up attending meetings to have an experience— either in the worship or by being wowed by the preacher’s word— all the while oblivious and indifferent to who else is in the room. Or we primarily attend our church because of its high-quality programs that will help us be more successful in life.
Of course, God wants us to be hungry for Him and to come to meetings expecting to encounter Him, however when the priority becomes seeking the best experience, or the greatest benefit, we are missing the point. Jesus adds us to a community where we naturally and generously give and receive. But it’s not a transactional relationship like one where we tithe or volunteer, in order to “pay” for the benefits of the church, but rather it’s a family of intertwined, loving relationships where everyone contributes their gifts and abilities, out of love— not duty or works.Self- Actualization: Another cultural value that is manifesting in the local church is the pursuit of self-actualization. Of course, we generally frame it in spiritual language, talking about being promoted spiritually, gaining anointings and giftings, or being launched into callings. While these can all be good things, if they are what’s driving us, rather than loving and serving God and others, again, it’s ultimately centred on us. It’s us finding that perfect convergence of success, honour, and personal fulfillment. We coach each other to “find the ones who celebrate you, and run with those ones!”
Contrast that with Jesus’s ministry who, when we were still his enemies, came and served us. The stark contrast between this trend and how Jesus lived reveals to us what’s actually an “anti-Christ” spirit at work— something so self-centred that it’s diametrically opposed to the ways of Jesus.
If we love our lives we will indeed lose them, but if we lay them down for Him and His Church - we will find them overflowing with the Spirit’s life, joy, and fruitfulness.The Culture of Therapy: Lastly, the cultural trend of everything being oriented towards our feelings being soothed has also made great inroads in the local church. This trend has nurtured self-pity, self-centeredness, and emotional fragility. We have become so in touch with our emotional needs and so focused on the mission to get them met that we have lost our awareness of others around us. We just don’t have enough bandwidth to love others sacrificially, because our commitment to self-care and maintaining our “boundaries”, are such high priorities.
Paul reminds us that we need to, instead of coddling ourselves— endure hardship as good soldiers (2 Tim 2:3). Now I am well aware that historically the Church has pushed this idea of “good soldier” waaay too far, resulting in burnout and broken families, but the pendulum has now swung in the other direction and been energized by the societal trend of everything being about self-care, leading to what many are calling, the error of the therapeutic gospel.
Perhaps these trends and more, are the underlying reasons that we have overlooked emphasizing that the Church is God’s temple. That revelation unavoidably points directly to the idea of union, which calls us to love deeply, from the heart. It’s costly and cuts across the grain of our culture— but then, the gospel always does.
Friends, God’s love flowing through us is the glue, the mortar if you like, that holds the stones together in union, forming us into a visible temple that the world can see and marvel at. And it’s by love that new stones, which were formerly scattered and isolated, get restored and set into their place.
Could we pray for a sweeping revival of sacrificial, Spirit-empowered love in the local church, and watch how God wonderfully builds, re-builds, and inhabits His temple in our day.
Enjoy Tim Mackie’s teaching on the temple at bibleproject.com
Great and important truths Sara. Yes, sadly much of the body/temple is focused on a therapeutic gospel at odds with His purpose. I found your comment about the anti-Christ spirit at work in us interesting as my view of 2 Thess. 2 is exactly that the restrainer in the church is not a good thing. http://wisdomfromtheword.ca/the-restrainer-removed/