Covering Study

GOD’S HOUSE IS NOT A BUILDING

by: Ruby Potter

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God is in the process of restoring truth to His body. KNOWING truth is not merely having head knowledge of it, but it is having revelation of it. Revelation is a spirit thing, not a head thing. One fundamental revelatory truth that the Lord is restoring to His body is the truth that His people are His temple.

GOING OR BEING?

Probably everyone would agree with the statement that we are now God’s temple. We say we believe that when we are saved, Jesus comes and “lives in our heart.” Although we say we believe this, God’s people, as a whole, do not yet have a revelation of this truth. This is evident, because we contradict this truth by our words and our actions. Out of one side of our mouth we say that we are God’s temple and that He lives in us. Yet, out of the other side of our mouth, we continually speak and believe the opposite. The mindset of the majority of the church today is that the building is actually the temple, or the house of God. For instance, we say things like, “Isn’t it wonderful to be in the house of God today,” and “God is in the house tonight!” In each of these instances, we are talking about the building.

When I taught Sunday School several years ago, I remember we taught the children not to color on the walls or run through the halls, because we needed to take care of “God’s house.” Sure, we should teach proper respect of property. But we were actually teaching that the building was God’s house. And this teaching came straight from the denomination’s Sunday School curriculum that we were using at the time. But the house of God is not a building. The house of God is the people!

We also call the special room at the church building in which we “meet with God” the “sanctuary.” But under New Covenant, WE are to be the sanctuary!

The overall mentality of the church today is that we GO to church [the house of God]; not that we ARE the church. We might agree that “church” consists of the people, but we only believe this to a degree ~ we don’t yet have a revelation of this New Covenant reality. For example, we make statements like, “We are GOING to church on Sunday,” or “What church do you GO to?” But we, the people, are the church, not the building.

The “church building mentality” believes that the building is the church [God’s house/temple/sanctuary]. It believes that you GO to church, and that when you GO to church, you then “HAVE church.” It also assumes that if a professing Christian isn’t GOING to church [building], then that person must be either “backslidden,” offended and bitter, or in rebellion. But over the past several years, the Lord has been speaking things to me and setting me free from this false mindset. He has said, “The church is not a building.” “You don’t GO to church, you ARE the church.” “Church is not something you HAVE, something you DO, or someplace that you GO, it’s who you ARE.” Even when the church is gathering together, they aren’t HAVING church, because how can you HAVE something that you ARE? These times are simply the church (which is the people) gathering together. The Lord told a friend of mine, “BE church.” He has been speaking many similar things like this to many people.

Let’s look at some New Testament Scriptures:

“Don’t you know that YOU YOURSELVES ARE GOD’S TEMPLE and that God’s Spirit lives IN YOU?” (I Cor. 3:16) “…For WE ARE THE TEMPLE of the Living God…” (2 Cor. 6:16) “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and DOES NOT LIVE IN TEMPLES BUILT BY HANDS.” (Acts 17:24) “However, the Most High DOES NOT LIVE IN HOUSES MADE BY MEN…” (Acts 7:48) “…the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the saints. To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is CHRIST IN YOU, the hope of glory.” (Col. 1:26-27) “As you come to him, the living Stone – rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him – YOU also, like living stones, ARE BEING BUILT INTO A SPIRITUAL HOUSE to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” (I Peter 2:4-5) “In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy TEMPLE in the Lord. And in him YOU too are being built together to BECOME A DWELLING IN WHICH GOD LIVES by his Spirit.” (Eph. 2:21-22) When we read John, chapters 14 through 17, we find numerous times Jesus telling us that He is going to make His home in us, not in a building. (I.e., John 14:17; 14:20; 15:4; 17:23) THE SPIRITUAL HOUSE

Church is not a building, and it’s not an institution. It’s who we ARE ! Under the New Covenant, WE are the house of God! WE are the temple! WE are the church! WE are the sanctuary! This is the good news (gospel) that our Lord proclaims to us! We must remember that our Lord’s kingdom is not of this world (John 18:36), and His ways are very different than man’s (Is. 55:8-9). His house is a SPIRITUAL house, built out of us, the living stones (I Peter 2:4-6). This revelation is so simple that it’s hard for our carnal minds to grasp it! It causes the carnal mind to stumble, for the carnal mind cannot “see” this spiritual house! “…The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone, and a stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall…” (I Peter 2:7-8)

He and His way is a stumbling block to the “church building mentality,” for all this carnal mind sees are buildings and institutions. Our Lord is coming though to renew our minds and set us free from this false mindset. The enemy has kept God’s people bound and veiled in their minds and understanding. He has taken us captive back to Old Covenant. This happened centuries ago, when some of our apostate spiritual forefathers led the church, in many ways, back in to Old Covenant. But our Lord is coming to remove the veil (the carnal mindset) & reveal truth to set His people free! Revelation will set us free from our Old Covenant and carnal mindsets and practices (ways).

God’s house is a HUMAN temple, but not a MAN-MADE temple! It is a LIVING temple for a LIVING God; not a DEAD (wood & brick) temple for a DEAD god! It is a SPIRITUAL house that He is building and inhabiting! It is not a house built by “hands of men.” It is a spiritual, heavenly temple, because we, the temple, are to be “seated with Him in heavenly places (Eph. 2:6).” It’s the temple not of this world (John 18:36), so “moth and rust” can’t destroy it (Mat. 6:19-21)! Unfortunately, at present, much of the corporate body of Christ is bound, because she is not walking in her God-given heritage; she is not ruling and reigning from heavenly places. She has been taken captive, in many ways, to the mindsets and practices of this world.

WHAT JESUS HAD TO SAY ABOUT THE BUILDINGS

Under the Old Covenant, God inhabited a man-made temple/building. But under the New Covenant, we are the temple! When Jesus came on the scene, He prepared His disciples for this radical new way!

Mark 13:1-2 says, “As he was leaving the temple, one of his disciples said to him, ‘Look, Teacher! What massive stones! WHAT MAGNIFICENT BUILDINGS!’ ‘DO YOU SEE ALL THESE GREAT BUILDINGS?’ replied Jesus. ‘NOT ONE STONE HERE WILL BE LEFT ON ANOTHER; EVERY ONE WILL BE THROWN DOWN.’” Luke 21:5-6 says this: “Some of his disciples were remarking about how THE TEMPLE WAS ADORNED WITH BEAUTIFUL STONES AND WITH GIFTS DEDICATED TO GOD. But Jesus said, ‘AS FOR WHAT YOU SEE HERE, THE TIME WILL COME WHEN NOT ONE STONE WILL BE LEFT ON ANOTHER; EVERY ONE OF THEM WILL BE THROWN DOWN.’”

Of course, that literal temple would one day be destroyed. But Jesus is speaking something much deeper here. The disciples were still looking at the natural, the buildings. But Jesus was showing them that it’s not about the literal man-made building! The New Covenant that He was coming to establish was going to make THEM the building! He was basically telling them, “Look guys! It’s not about the buildings! You keep looking at the buildings, but that is not what my kingdom is about at all!”

And just as He spoke this to His disciples, He is speaking this to His church today as well! But, just like the disciples, we keep looking at the buildings; looking at the natural things of this world…things that moth and rust can destroy. But the natural, man-made temple/building was only a SHADOW of what was to come! (I.e., Col. 2:17; Heb. 8:5; Heb. 10:1)

Again, His kingdom is not of this world, it is a heavenly one. And we are to be living with Him in that same place ~ we are to be “not of this world” (John 17:14), but rather “seated with Him in heavenly places” (Eph. 2:6). This is truly living in the REALITY instead of the SHADOW. (The spiritual is the reality; the natural is the shadow. Spirit living is faith living, for it is seen with spiritual eyes; natural living requires no faith, for it is seen with natural eyes. Old Covenant is the shadow; New Covenant is the reality.) Again, I Peter tells us that it is a SPIRITUAL house that He is building, out of us, the living stones; it is not a NATURAL house of this world made with brick and wood.

Through Jesus, this Old Covenant “BUILDING mindset” has been “THROWN DOWN.” So why did the church pick it up again? We must allow Him to, once again, “throw it down” and restore us to New Covenant! WE are now the temple, the spiritual temple being built by God! And He is the Cornerstone of that temple…the Cornerstone being laid in Zion, the temple HE is building; the heavenly Jerusalem ~ the city of the Living God! (I Peter 2:4-10; Heb. 12:22; Rev. 21:2)

Jesus even told the woman at the well in John 4:21-24, “Believe me, woman, a time is coming when YOU WILL WORSHIP THE FATHER NEITHER on this mountain NOR in Jerusalem…Yet a time is coming and has now come when the TRUE WORSHIPERS will worship the Father in SPIRIT and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father SEEKS. God is spirit, and his worshipers MUST worship in spirit and in truth.” Jesus was telling the woman that a time was coming when it would not be about GOING HERE (on this mountain) to worship, or GOING THERE (in Jerusalem) to worship, but that WE were going to BECOME the house of worship! These were the TRUE worshipers who would worship the Father in SPIRIT and in truth, and these are the kind of worshipers that the Father SEEKS! (Again, we are being built into a SPIRITUAL house of worship! I Peter 2)

It’s not about GOING to “First United Church in Christ” (this mountain) to worship, or “Riverside Assembly Church” (in Jerusalem) to worship, but it’s about BECOMING the house of worship unto Him! TRUE WORSHIP is no longer about GOING to a special place, or a special building to meet with God and worship Him, as WE have BECOME the special place! He inhabits US, not man-made buildings or places. If we are going to live in New Covenant, then it is IMPOSSIBLE to worship any longer by going; we can only worship by becoming!

Jesus says in John 2:19-21, “…’DESTROY THIS TEMPLE, and I will RAISE IT AGAIN in THREE DAYS.’ The Jews replied, ‘It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?’ BUT THE TEMPLE HE HAD SPOKEN OF WAS HIS BODY.” The Pharisees had the “church building mentality” also. They saw the temple as being the building. But Jesus wasn’t talking about the literal building.

Remember, He said that the literal building was GOING to be destroyed (Mark 13:1-2). Prophetically speaking, this Old Covenant mindset and way of a “wood and brick” building being the house of God would be thrown down. Jesus wasn’t talking about the shadow (the literal man-made temple) here in John 2; He was talking about the reality. This is why it was hard for those who were still living in the shadow to understand what He was saying! The same is true today! However, through Jesus’ death on the cross, He “unveiled the temple” [us] so that we might have revelation and SEE…so that we might be able to live in the reality instead of blindly living in the darkness of the shadow. 1

The temple he was speaking of here in John 2 was His body. Sure, His natural body was destroyed and raised again on the third day. But Scripture also tells us that WE are His body (Eph. 1:22-23; Col. 1:24). It has been approximately 2,000 years since Jesus physically walked this earth, and 2 Peter tells us that “with the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.” We are therefore entering that “3rd DAY” when the Lord is going to “RAISE HIS TEMPLE” once again! He is coming to “THROW DOWN” this Old Covenant “church building mindset” that has DESTROYED HIS TEMPLE (us). And in doing this He is “RAISING HIS TEMPLE”…His TRUE temple, His people!

In John 2, when Jesus spoke of raising the destroyed temple, He had just finished cleansing the temple of practices in the house of God that the Lord had NOT instituted. He had just finished driving out the system (way/practice) of man! Jesus is once again “cleansing the temple” from practices and ways that have destroyed the Father’s house. However, this temple is no longer a building, and it’s not an institution; rather, it’s a people. He is cleansing His temple of mindsets and practices (ways) that are not HIS mindset and way!

Our flesh nature likes our (man’s) ways. We don’t like change, and we don’t want to let go of our ways. We want to hold on to our practices and traditions of men. We must realize though that God’s way is always the best way. In not letting go of man’s ways, we are forfeiting God’s best and perfect way for “good enough.”

We must stop looking at the “magnificent buildings” and supposed “gifts dedicated to God” and adoring them (Mark 13:1-2; Luke 21:5-6). The “church building mentality” must go so that we can BE the temple that He has created us and called us to be!

As Jesus was spending His last few hours of His life with His disciples, He unfolded this awesome revelation to them even further. He said things to them like, “…you are in me, and I am IN YOU (John 14:20)…Remain in me, and I will remain IN YOU (John 15:4)…I IN THEM and you in me (John 17:23)…” The God of the universe would no longer inhabit a man-made building, but would inhabit a PEOPLE!

This is the mystery that He wants to make known to us! “…Christ IN YOU, the hope of glory.” BEING the church is basic New Covenant Christianity. But for most of the body of Christ, our minds have still been veiled from truly having this revelation. We have still been living in the shadow, under Old Covenant (2 Cor. 3:14-18).

HISTORY OF THE CHURCH BUILDING

So, where did the “church building mentality” come from? In Frank Viola’s book, Pagan Christianity (the history of church traditions), he writes, “Strikingly, nowhere in the NT do we find the terms ‘church’ (ekklesia), ‘temple,’ or ‘house of God’ used to refer to a building…The first recorded use of the word ekklesia (church) to refer to a Christian meeting place was penned around A.D. 190 by Clement of Alexander (150-215). Clement is the first person to use the phrase “go to church” – which was a foreign thought to the first-century believers. (You cannot go to something you are! Throughout the NT, ekklesia always refers to an assembly of people, not a place.) Even so, Clement’s reference to ‘going to church’ is not a reference to attending a special building for worship. It rather refers to a private home that the second-century Christians used for their meetings. Christians did not erect special buildings for worship until the Constantinian era in the fourth century.”

He goes on to say, “The story of Constantine (285-337) fills a dark page in the history of Christianity.” (Much of the apostasy in the church has its roots in the Constantine era.) “Church buildings began with him. By the time Constantine emerged on the scene, the atmosphere was ripe for Christians to escape their despised, minority status. The temptation to be accepted was just too great to resist and the Constantinian snowball began to roll…By 324, he became Emperor of the entire Roman Empire. Shortly afterward, he began ordering the construction of church buildings. He did so to promote the popularity and acceptance of Christianity. If the Christians had their own sacred buildings – as did the Jews and the pagans – their faith would be regarded as legitimate…Constantine began erecting the first church buildings throughout the Roman Empire. In so doing, he followed the path of the pagans in constructing temples to honor God. Interestingly, he named his church buildings after saints – just as the pagans named their temples after gods.”

Did you catch that? The church building basically helped to legitimize Christianity in the eyes of man! The Jews and the pagans had their sacred buildings, so Christianity needed her own (so it was thought). But this totally goes against the New Covenant ~ that WE are the sacred building! Again, God’s ways are higher than ours! Man’s way is that we need a special building/temple. God’s way is that WE are His special temple! According to Romans 12, we are NOT to be conformed to the patterns of this world, but we are to have our minds renewed into God’s will and ways. But the church took on the patterns of this world when she began to erect special buildings as God’s temple (church) instead of BEING His temple! She allowed herself to come under a “yoke of slavery” again (Gal. 5:1). She allowed herself to be “taken captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.” (Col. 2:6-7)

Frank Viola also explains in his book, “Ancient Judaism was centered on three elements: The temple, the priesthood, and the sacrifice. When Jesus came, He ended all three, fulfilling them in Himself. He is the Temple who embodies a new and living house made of living stones – ‘without hands.’ He is the Priest who has established a new priesthood. And He is the perfect and finished Sacrifice. Consequently, the temple, the priesthood, and the sacrifice of Judaism all passed away with the coming of Jesus Christ. Christ is the fulfillment and the reality of it all. In Greco-Roman paganism, these three elements were also present: Pagans had their temples, their priests, and their sacrifices. It was only the Christians who did away with all of these elements. It can be rightly said that Christianity was the first non-temple based religion ever to emerge. In the minds of the early Christians, it is the people that constitute a sacred space, not the architecture. The early Christians understood that they themselves – corporately – were the temple of God and the house of God…Christians did not erect special buildings for worship until the Constantinian era in the fourth century. Neither did they have a special priestly caste that was set apart to serve God. Instead, every believer recognized that he or she was a priest unto God…When Roman Catholicism evolved in the fourth to the sixth centuries, it absorbed the religious practices of both paganism and Judaism. It set up a professional priestcraft. It erected sacred buildings. And it turned the Lord’s Supper into a mysterious sacrifice.” Following the tradition of the Catholics, the Protestants have retained the sacred building.

Christianity is supposed to be different than all the other religions. Instead, we have become like all the other religions of the world by having man-made temples. We have allowed ourselves to be conformed to the patterns of this world (Rom. 12:1-2; 2 Cor. 10:2; I John 2:15-17).

According to Frank Viola’s book, the Constantine era also brought about the thinking that church buildings were sacred, special places. This is probably why we refer to them as “sanctuaries.” But again, the Lord tells us that He “does not live in temples built by hands.” (Acts 17:24) But this mindset is still in the church today. We think that the church building is where God is; where He dwells and where His presence is found. God’s presence does not dwell in a man-made building any longer, like He did under Old Covenant, but rather He dwells in a PEOPLE! WE are the special place in which He dwells! It’s “Christ in us” (Col. 1:27), not “Christ in the building.” We, the people, are the earthen vessels, the carriers of His glory, not the building.

WHERE DID THE CHURCH GATHER?

The early church understood that God’s ways are so very different than man’s. They did not build church buildings so that they could “go and meet with God.” They did not “go” to church; they understood that THEY were the church! If church buildings were important to the early church, then they would have built them. But the building was not their focus.

So, where did the early church gather together? According to the Scriptures, we find that the majority of the time they met together in homes. (I.e., Acts 2:2; 8:3; 12:12; 16:40; 20:20; Philemon 2, I Cor. 16:19; Rom. 16:5; Col. 4:15; 2 John 10) Frank Viola says in his book, Rethinking the Wineskin, “Modern scholarship agrees that the early church was essentially a network of home-based meetings.”

Some may assume that the early church did not construct church buildings, because they were hiding out in their homes for fear of persecution. The Christians were not hiding out in their homes, because we see that Saul knew exactly where to go and find them (Acts 8:3). Frank Viola explains in his book that historical evidence does not support the theory at all that Christians were meeting in homes to hide from their persecutors.

Frank Viola states in his book, Rethinking the Wineskin, “In Judaism the temple is the sanctified meeting place. In Christianity the believing community is the temple. In this way, the spatial location of the early Christian gathering cut directly against the religious customs of the first century. Both Judaism and paganism teach that there must be a sanctified place for Divine worship. Consequently, the Jews erected special buildings for their corporate worship (synagogues). So did the pagans (shrines). Not so with Christianity. The early believers understood that God sanctifies people, not objects. Interestingly, the early church was the only religious group in the first century that met exclusively in homes. It would have been quite natural for them to pursue their Jewish heritage and erect buildings to suit their needs. But they intentionally kept from doing so. Perhaps the early believers knew the confusion that sanctified buildings would produce. Hence, they kept from erecting them to preserve the testimony that the people comprised the living stones of God’s habitation.”

Some may also assume that the early Jewish Christians did not continue to go to temple/synagogue (a “building”) like all the other Jews because they had been thrown out and were not welcome to attend. Therefore, they had no choice but to meet in homes. However, this is clearly not the case, as we see the church’s apostles often going to the temple or synagogues in order to preach the gospel to the unbelieving Jews (I.e. Acts 3-4; Acts 5:20-21; Acts 9:20; Acts 13:5; 13:14-15; 14:1; Acts 18:4). If the apostles were allowed to evangelize in the synagogue, then certainly the rest of the Jewish Christians were not forbidden from attending. It appears the Christians did not go to the temple/synagogue like the Old Covenant Jews because they were no longer Old Covenant Jews, but were rather New Covenant Jews.

In Michael Brown’s book, Revolution in the Church, he states, “Does it jar us to think about ‘the church’ that meets in someone’s house? Is this in keeping with our definition of church, or do we immediately say to ourselves, ‘The reason they meet in a home is because they just started that church. When the group gets bigger and more official, it will need to get its own building and put up a sign. Then it will be a church.’ Is this how we think? If so, we are not thinking Biblically.”

And in Frank Viola’s book, Pagan Christianity, he states, “The modern Christian has a love affair with brick and mortar. The edifice complex is so ingrained in our thinking that if a group of believers begins to meet together, their first thoughts are toward securing a building. For how can a group of Christians rightfully claim to be a church without a building? (So the thinking goes.) The ‘church’ building is so connected with the idea of church that we unconsciously equate the two.” It is so important for us to have a building because, in our worldly mindset, we are really only “legitimate” if we have one. But our Lord tell us in Luke 16:15, “…What is highly valued among men is detestable in God’s sight.” This “legitimacy” is only for the eyes of man, for it does not make us legitimate in God’s sight! Oh, brothers & sisters in Christ, may we forsake the patterns of this world for the will and way of God! (Rom. 12:1-2) “…You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions!” (Mark 7:9) May we abandon the mind of man to truly embrace the mind of Christ!

THE CHURCH GATHERING TOGETHER

Over the past couple of years, I have driven past three different billboards in front of three different church buildings from three different denominations. Sadly, these billboards reflect the mindset of much of the church.

The first billboard read, “If your Christianity will not take you to church, it will not take you to heaven.” But how can our Christianity take us to church, when our Christianity makes us the church?!

The second one read, “If you don’t go to God’s house, why should He come to yours?” But how can we go to God’s house, when we are God’s house?!

The last sign read, “If your faith won’t get you to church, then it probably won’t get you to heaven.” The New Covenant is an internal covenant, and it is available to us by grace through faith. The Old Covenant is an external covenant, and consists of adhering to rules and regulations. Seeing that the New Covenant is an internal covenant, we come to understand that our faith doesn’t get us to church, it makes us the church.

In all of the above statements, church (God’s house) implies a special place that you go to; the building in which you meet. It also insinuates that somehow faith is tied in with going to this special building, and if you aren’t going, then your spirituality is in jeopardy. However, this belief is not found anywhere in the New Testament Scriptures, and it contradicts New Covenant Christianity.

Although the desire in making statements like these may be to get the unsaved to “come to church” and get saved, in reality we are proclaiming a false gospel. We have left the truth of the gospel and are holding on to “rules taught by men” (Mat. 15:9). When we make false statements like this, we have to wonder, what gospel are we really proclaiming? It is not the same gospel that our Lord Jesus proclaimed, as it contradicts His words and the heart and spirit of the New Covenant. These statements are doctrines and traditions of men. May we begin to proclaim the true gospel so that the world may know the true Jesus, and therefore be born into the true kingdom!

Hebrews 10:25 is the passage always quoted to inform people that they must “GO to church.” “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.” But I am afraid we have taken Hebrews 10:25 and tried to make it fit our “church building mentality.” We have added to the Word of God when we attach this Scripture with having to go to a church building. Sure, it is important for the church to gather together, as Hebrews 10:25 tells us. But this passage is just exhorting us to assemble ourselves for the purpose of encouraging one another, plain and simple. It doesn’t say that it has to be in a special building called a church. And it doesn’t say anything about us not going to heaven if we don’t assemble ourselves!

Jesus tells us in Mat. 18:20 that “For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.” Neither Matthew 18:20 nor Hebrews 10:25 specify that we must gather together in a special building called “God’s house,” or a “church.” For wherever we come together in His name, He is there in the midst of us. And it only takes a few gathered together to fulfill Hebrews 10:25, for Jesus says that when just two or three come together in His name, He is there.

Many think that “honoring the Sabbath” means “going to church.” But Scripture does not say this at all. God’s original design for honoring the Sabbath involved ceasing from our own works and coming into that place of rest. “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work…For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the seas, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.” (Ex. 20:8-11) (And we see that, according to Hebrews 3 & 4, as well as Colossians 2:16-17, the Sabbath is really no longer about a literal day. It is about entering that spiritual rest and ceasing from those works done in the “flesh.” The literal day is the shadow; the spiritual rest is the reality.)

For those of you who forsake the “church building” mentality and practice (way), many will accuse you of “leaving the church.” But I want to encourage you that you can’t leave something that you are. You are simply leaving the man-made institution, NOT the church, for the PEOPLE of God are the church.

HOW THE “CHURCH BUILDING”MINDSET HARMS US

There is nothing inherently wrong with a “church building.” A building is an inanimate object, incapable of sinning. We sin in our mindsets and ways (practices), because the “church building” is a mindset and way of man; it is not God’s mindset and way. The Lord is opening our eyes to this sin that has been hidden from us and is calling us to repent and turn back to His way, because He loves us. The “church building” mentality and practice harms the body of Christ in many ways:

It keeps us in the Old Covenant mindset and way of GOING to the house of God [church] instead of BEING the house of God [church]. We look at a BUILDING as being sacred instead of looking at OURSELVES as being sacred. This cuts directly against the heart and spirit of the New Covenant. We are doing something that Jesus and the early church never instituted. The church building did not originate in them, but rather has its roots in paganism and Old Covenant Judaism. It was not birthed of the Spirit, but was rather birthed of the “flesh.” “Church” is viewed as something separate from our daily lives. It’s not really a part of who we ARE. Large amounts of money are spent to build and upkeep church buildings (even though so many of them sit empty most of the week). But all of this money being spent is actually ROBBING the TRUE church, which is the believers in need. The early church did not collect money to build church buildings. They collected money to help God’s people who were in need (See James 1:27; Acts 2:45, 4:34-35, 11:28-30; I Cor. 16:1; 2 Cor. 9:12). You could say that they “collected money to build the [true] church”…they put the money in to the living stones, not in to dead ones (buildings). It keeps us LIKE all the other religions of the world instead of being DIFFERENT than all the other religions of the world, because it keeps us going to a sacred building to worship and meet with our God. This is a pattern of this world; it is man’s way. It doesn’t set us apart from the world and all the other world religions. I Corinthians 12 & 14 speaks of God’s people functioning as a body when they come together. Each member of that body has a specific function. As a member of the body we each have something to contribute, and we are all encouraged to bring our “portion” so that the body of Christ may be edified, encouraged, and strengthened. “When you come together, EVERYONE has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. ALL of these MUST BE DONE for the STRENGTHENING of the church.” (I Cor. 14:26) This all ties in with being a corporate priesthood. Under Old Covenant, only certain men were priests. But under New Covenant, we are all priests unto God (Eph. 4:12; I Peter 2:5; Rev. 1:6, 5:10), and we are all called to function as priests corporately as we gather together. But the very structural design of the church building actually stifles every believer from bringing their “portion.” It hinders the priesthood of believers…the corporate work of the ministry.

The church building is set up like a theatre. There is a stage, and all the chairs point toward the stage. It is laid out to support the “one man priest” (the pastor, who does the majority of the talking, instead of every believer bringing their portion), instead of being set up to support the functioning of the corporate priesthood. Ephesians 4:12-13 tells us that the body of Christ will be built up and come in to maturity when God’s people are doing the work of the ministry. The work of the ministry is not cleaning toilets and mowing the grass at the church building, working the sound system, etc. This is in no way to condemn those who are doing these things, because they are doing them with a sincere and giving heart. However, these things are not what Scripture is speaking of when it speaks of the work of the ministry.

The work of the ministry is each member of the body, by the Spirit of God, bringing their portion…bringing their hymn, word of instruction, revelation, etc. Obviously, the very way the church building is laid out impedes this from happening. (The “clergy/laity” mindset and practice also hinders the body from doing the work of the ministry in the corporate gathering. It suffocates the corporate priesthood and functioning body. Scripturally, we see that the pattern we have today is not a part of New Covenant Christianity. But that is another subject for another time.) As we can see, the body of Christ meeting in this way detracts from what we are supposed to be to each other. Therefore, it suppresses the body from growing up in the Lord.

As mentioned earlier, the early church primarily met in homes. A home provides a very intimate, relaxed, family environment. A church building just does not compare to this type of environment. In fact, some church buildings are very cold, sterile environments. “Being” the house of God as opposed to “going” fosters a much deeper, intimate relationship with our Lord. The intimacy of the sacred marriage relationship prophetically parallels this intimate relationship we can have under New Covenant with our Lord, for it is “us in Him” and “Him in us” (John 14:20; 15:4; 17:21-23). He’s not in a man-made church building, He is actually in us! One of the main focuses of the “church building mentality” is church GROWTH. “How big can we get, and how many people can we keep.” With this comes bigger and bigger church buildings to hold more and more people. But God’s way isn’t growth; God’s way is multiplying! You see, growing requires “feeding ourselves.” But multiplying requires intimacy…intimacy with our Lord and with others.

As we have already learned, the early church primarily met in homes. Frank Viola says in his book, Rethinking the Wineskin, “What did the church do when it grew too large to assemble in a single house? It certainly did not erect a building. It simply multiplied and met in several other homes following the ‘house to house principle’ (Acts 2:46; 20:20).”

Do you see the vision of this multiplication?! Can you see how the church of Christ is supposed to multiply and fill the city, becoming the church in that particular city?! “To the church of God in Corinth…To the saints in Ephesus…” Christ’s way is totally different than our man-made system of denominations (“division of nations”) that fill our cities. We have had the counterfeit. Let’s cry out to God to bring us in to the real thing!

The Lord told us in Genesis 1:28, “…Be fruitful, and MULTIPLY…” The tower of Babel was growing. “…Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth.” (Gen. 11:4) But Pentecost was multiplying! See this with spiritual eyes! The church is not supposed to be growing bigger and bigger; rather, she is supposed to be multiplying (spreading out ~ also see Is. 54)!

The modern “church building” mindset can be likened to the mindset of the man in the parable in Luke 12:16-20: “…The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’ Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and BUILD BIGGER ONES, AND THERE I WILL STORE ALL MY GRAIN AND MY GOODS. And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.” “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have PREPARED FOR YOURSELF?’”

Can you see the selfish ambition and self preservation in the tower of Babel, as well as in the man in Luke 12? Oh, church, may we have eyes to see what the Spirit is trying to show us! One of the things that is at the heart of this “church growth” mindset is selfish ambition and self-preservation. But we have not had eyes to see this, because it is all done in God’s name, so we have deceived ourselves!

Something else that Scripture specifies concerning the tower of Babel is that it was made of brick, NOT [living] stones!

Please understand, what the Lord is speaking is not about some legalistic formula. It’s not simply about gathering together in homes instead of “church buildings.” What God is speaking goes much further than simply where the church comes together…it is much more than just changing the location. It’s about hearing what the Spirit is saying to the church! It’s about forsaking and repenting of Old Covenant and pagan mindsets and ways (practices), and returning once again to a New Covenant mindset and way!

Cheryl McGrath comments in her article, “The Terrain Has Changed,” “Let us understand this time of transitioning is NOT simply about whether to hold meetings in church buildings or in houses. To argue in such terms is to diminish the immensity of the Spirit’s present work in the church as the Bride is being called out and prepared for the final stages of this current age. It is about the Spirit and the flesh, who are at war…It is about whether to continue compromising with a flesh-dominated religious system, or abandoning compromise for the spiritual house of living stones, at any cost.”

When the church is truly “in Him,” then she will be in His will and way, for His will and ways are not separate from Him. She cannot say that she is truly “in Him” when she is not truly in His will and ways. God’s ways are HIM, for He is the WAY, the TRUTH, and the Life (John 14:6)!

The past several years, many in the church have been hearing God’s voice and have been speaking about God setting His church free from [man’s] religion and tradition. We must understand that the “church building” is all a part of this. The church building was conceived and birthed from [man’s] religion and tradition, and God wants to free us from this “religious” mindset and practice.

COMING OUT OF THE “FOUR WALLS MENTALITY”

The mentality of “going” to church and a building being called “the church” has kept us, in many ways, from going forth with “Christ in us” (THE church) to our world. We are trapped behind our “four walls” of the church building, and the world can’t see Christ in us, His earthen vessels. Sure, we may come out on occasions to “evangelize” them, but then we bring them back into our four walls and teach them the same false doctrine; that the house of God (the church) is a place that we go to instead of being who we are.

The Lord tells us in Luke 14:21-23, “…’Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.’ ‘Sir,’ the servant said, ‘What you ordered has been done, but there is still room.’ Then the master told his servant, ‘Go out to the roads and country lanes and make them come in, so that my house will be full.’” The KJV says to “compel them” to come in to the Father’s house. I am afraid that, in many ways, we have tried to compel them to come in to our OWN houses, those built by “hands of men.” And we have done this through great programs, slick marketing campaigns, etc. (through the patterns of this world). But we are to compel them to come in to the FATHER’S HOUSE. Again, His house is a SPIRITUAL house, a house not built by “hands of men.” It is made up of those living stones who are being built together to become a spiritual house in which God lives. And I believe that they will be compelled to come in to this “house” when they see Christ Himself truly emanating from this “house!”

The book of Haggai was written to encourage the returned exiles to rebuild the temple. This book spiritually/prophetically speaks of the day in which we are living. Haggai 1:4-11 says, “…Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while this house remains a ruin?...Give careful thought to your ways. You have planted much, but have harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it…You expected much, but see, it turned out to be little. What you brought home, I blew away. Why?...BECAUSE OF MY HOUSE, WHICH REMAINS A RUIN, WHILE EACH OF YOU IS BUSY WITH HIS OWN HOUSE. Therefore, because of you the heavens have withheld their dew and the earth its crops. I called for a drought on the fields and the mountains, on the grain, the new wine, the oil and whatever the ground produces, on men and cattle, and on the labor of your hands.”

See this passage with spiritual eyes! The rain has been withheld. There has been a drought in the land. We have harvested little, and we are ever hungry and thirsty. Why? Because, in many ways, we have been busy building our OWN houses, while the FATHER’S house lies in ruin. (The Father’s house lies in ruin. But remember, we are entering that “3rd day” when He is coming to “raise” His “destroyed temple!” John 2:19-21)

Our treasure is where our heart is. Look at how much money we spend on “magnificent buildings,” because we think that they are “God’s house.” We have stored up for ourselves treasures on earth (Math. 6:19-21). Yet, in many ways, His true house lies in ruin. We have been like the Laodicean church who thinks she is rich and has acquired wealth and does not need a thing. Yet, she is poor, blind and naked. Our Lord counsels her to be earnest and repent!

Repentance means, “to think differently.” It is to cast off the carnal mind of man and take on the mind of Christ. This ungodly “church building” mindset & practice has been passed down to us generation after generation. We have not known any better though; it has been a hidden sin ~ an iniquity that has been passed down throughout the generations. (I have been told that iniquities are hidden sins.) But our Lord is coming to reveal truth to us to set us free! We must repent of this false mindset, and come back to the way of the Lord. “If MY people, who are called by MY name, will…TURN FROM THEIR WICKED WAYS, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” (2 Chron. 7:14) Often in Scripture, the Lord calls His OWN people to repent.

As our Lord is bringing the truth that WE are the church (the temple; the house of God), are we going to walk forward in this truth that will set us free, or stick to our traditions of men? Jesus told the Pharisees & teachers of the law in Mark 7:8, “You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men.” May we not be guilty of the same sin that the Pharisees and teachers of the law were guilty of, but rather learn from their mistakes! (Heb. 4:11)

Jesus came, died, and rose again that we might live in light, truth, and freedom. He paid such a high price so that WE could BE the temple. This is His desire! May what He accomplished not be in vain! The “church building” mentality and way is an enemy to the cross of Christ. May we all choose to come in to the light and the truth and forsake this Old Covenant mentality and way.

For those who do, God spoke a great promise! Haggai 2:6-9 tells us, “…In a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the seas and the dry land. I will shake all nations, and the desired of all nations will come, and I WILL FILL THIS HOUSE WITH GLORY…THE GLORY OF THIS PRESENT HOUSE WILL BE GREATER THAN THE GLORY OF THE FORMER HOUSE…” The glory of this “present house,” the house of living stones that He is building and inhabiting, the house of the New Covenant, will be even greater than the “former house,” the house of brick and mortar, the house of the Old Covenant! (See also 2 Cor. 3:7-11) Remember, our hope of GLORY is Christ in US, His present house! (Col. 1:27) He fills the house that HE builds with His glory, the house not built by “hands of men.”

Zion [God’s city – us – the bride] is supposed to be a “city without walls,” for the LORD is her walls! “…’Jerusalem will be a CITY WITHOUT WALLS…And I myself will be a wall of fire around it,’ declares the LORD, ‘and I WILL BE ITS GLORY WITHIN.’” (Zech. 2:4-5) In this vision, the prophet saw a man go and try to measure the city. He went to measure it (define it). But how can you define this heavenly city by worldly standards and measurements? It cannot be defined by buildings or institutions…by man’s thinking & understanding & ways…for the SPIRIT OF THE LORD defines it! HE is her walls! And HE is her GLORY WITHIN!

Our Lord cannot be defined (measured – boxed in) by man’s standards, mindsets, traditions, practices, and ways. We are to FLEE from the standards and principles of this world. We are to flee Babylon! “Come, O Zion! Escape, you who live in the Daughter of Babylon!” (Zech. 2:7)

The church is not a building. It’s also not an institution. WE are the church! WE are the house of God! WE are the temple! This is the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ! My prayer is that we would all have a greater and greater revelation of this awesome mystery! What an incredible thing it is ~ to be the temple of the Living God!

1 When the temple veil which separated the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies was torn in two at Jesus’ death on the cross, this signified God’s true temple – us – being unveiled from the carnal mindset [the flesh], so that we might once again have access to the Holy of Holies…the place of the Spirit. We can now walk in the spirit instead of the flesh. The “veil” came at the fall of man in the garden when Adam ate from the Tree of Knowledge, but our “Second Adam” came to restore what was lost with the first Adam. Revelation speaks of “unveiling.” Revelation comes by the Spirit.

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Coming Soon!!

God has given us so many gracious and wonderful gifts. This website has expanded beyond our original vision and has become a blessing to many. We will be adding study articles every month and our discussions will continue to change. We will be adding photos soon, if you would like to include a few. This website is an outreach to our family of believers around the world. We look forward to getting to know all of you. May God continue to bless you and keep you. I will be taking a break from major updates for the month. There will not be as much updates next month. I encourage you to read over and study the articles that are currently available.

Our Current Meeting Schedule

Person to Person= Sunday 10 Am, Smiley Park, look for flags(may vary)
Online Meetings in Meeting Room= Sunday Afternoon 1 PM
If you would like to meet online at another time, please notify us and we will try to adapt to you schedule.