Temples of Business

“And they came to Jerusalem. And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold and those who bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. And he would not allow anyone to carry anything through the temple. And he was teaching them and saying to them, ‘Is it not written, “My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations”? But you have made it a den of robbers.’ And the chief priests and the scribes heard it and were seeking a way to destroy him, for they feared him, because all the crowd was astonished at his teaching.” (Mark 11:15-18 ESV)

The temple of God today is no longer a physical building constructed with the hands of human beings. Jesus Christ is this temple, and all who follow him with their lives are his temple, the body of Christ, his church, in whom God/Christ dwells by his Spirit (the Holy Spirit). So the church is not a building called “church” nor is it a gathering of people called “church” if it is not under the authority of Christ, and if it is not abiding by the teachings of Christ and of his NT apostles, as taught in their appropriate context.

The church, thus, is also not a church denomination, which is of man, and not of God. It is not a social club nor a community or a civic center. And it is not a business incorporated under the state being run like any other worldly business with the full purpose of marketing “the church” to the people of the world using worldly means and methods to attract the world and to “draw in large crowds of people” from the world so that they will feel “at home,” and so that they will want to come back to these gatherings (businesses).

The church (the temple of God) is comprised of all who believe in Jesus Christ with genuine God-persuaded and God-gifted faith in the Lord, who have been crucified with Christ in death to sin, and raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer to live as slaves to sin but now as slaves to God and to his righteousness. This does not make us perfect people, but true Christians are those for whom righteousness and obedience to the Lord are their practice, and for whom sin is no longer their practice (habit).

And this is not to say that all true Christians will never fail the Lord (1 John 2:1-2), or that they will never fall back into sin and need to come to repentance and to renewed faith in the Lord Jesus, for we have multiple examples of this in the Scriptures, particularly in Revelation 2:1-29 and Revelation 3:1-22, but also in Galatians 6:1 and in James 5:19-20. But we must be aware that the Scriptures teach that if sin is our practice, and not righteousness and obedience to God, we do not have eternal life with God.

[Matt 7:21-23; Lu 9:23-26; John 1:12-13; John 6:44; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; Rom 12:1-2; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Co 10:1-22; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Gal 5:16-24; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:1-17; Titus 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; 1 Peter 1:15; 1 Pet 2:24; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15]

Okay, so back to the temple, the body of Christ, his church. God – Father, Son Jesus Christ, and Holy Spirit – feel the same way about the body of Christ, the temple of God today, as Jesus felt about the temple of God during the time in which he lived on this earth. For we are not to make the church (the temple of God), the people of God, into “houses of trade” and into “dens of robbers” and into “marketplaces” and into “places of business” (see John 2:16 in the ESV, NIV, NLT, and NASB).

For we must obey God, rather than man, if man requires that we disobey the Lord and that we operate in human flesh, instead. We are never to obey any government or church officials above our obedience to the Lord. So we are never to alter the meaning of “church” or the biblical practice of our church gatherings in order to attract the world to our gatherings. And we are not to alter (dilute) the message of the gospel so as not to offend the people of the world and human flesh. And we are not to change the character of God.

As well, we are not to be unequally yoked (partnered) with the ungodly, which includes those who profess faith in Jesus Christ who give lip service only to the Lord and who still are living according to the flesh and not according to the Spirit. And this also includes that we are not to be partnered in business with the government via incorporating as not-for-profit businesses under the state, which are now being largely marketed to the ungodly and to human flesh by means of diluting the truth of God.

So, the Lord is calling his people to come out from among these gatherings called “churches” which are just businesses of men being marketed to the people of the world, where they have compromised with the world and with the flesh in order to attract the ungodly to their gatherings, and so as not to offend them with the truth of the gospel. We are not to be partners with them lest we share in their sins and in their punishment, and so that God will welcome us, and he will be a Father to us, and we will be his people.

[Matthew 21:12-13; Mark 11:15-18; John 2:13-17; Acts 5:27-32; 2 Corinthians 6:14-18; Philippians 3:18-19; Revelation 13:5-8; Revelation 18:1-5]

And we are to gather together with the true body of Christ for mutual encouragement, for mutual edification, that we might use the gifts of the Spirit given to us by the Spirit in the areas of ministry to which God has assigned us and called us. And we are to speak the truth in love to one another so that none of us are led astray by those who practice human cunning and craftiness and deceitful scheming in order to lead people away from their pure devotion to Christ so that they will remain in the flesh.

And we are to speak the truth in love to one another, and exhort one another daily, so that none of us are taken captive by the deceitfulness of sin but rather we grow together to maturity of our walks of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. And we are to address one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, and we are to teach and admonish one another in all wisdom, and we are to stir up one another to love and good works, the works which God prepared in advance that we should walk in them.

[Romans 12:1-8; 1 Corinthians 12:1-31; Galatians 6:1; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:1-16; Ephesians 5:15-21; Ephesians 6:10-20; Philippians 2:1-8; Colossians 3:12-16; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:13; Hebrews 10:23-25; James 5:19-20]

In Harmony  

An Original Work / September 2, 2012

Based off Ro. 12:9-21; 1 Pet. 3:8-17

Love each other truly. 

Cling to what is good.

Hate all that is evil. 

Never lack in zeal.

Serve the Lord with fervor. 

Joyful in hope be;

Patient in affliction; 

Praying faithfully.

Honor one another. 

Live in harmony.

Share with all God’s people

Who are found in need.

Do not be conceited.

Sympathetic be.

Love, and show compassion

In humility.

Keep your tongue from evil.

Peaceful you must be.

Honor one another.

Live in harmony.

God sees who are righteous;

Listens to their prayers.

But He’s against evil – 

Is His to avenge.

Do not fear what they fear.

Suffer patiently.

In your hearts, make Christ Lord.

Serve Him faithfully.

Honor one another.

Live in harmony.

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