What is the church of the living God?

NORSK
Yesterday, I quoted Paul’s reason for his high expectations concerning the lifestyle of the leaders of the church:

I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.
1 Tim 3:15

In this verse Paul uses several images to illustrate the nature of a church

• The house of God

It strange how easy it is to associate the house of God with a physical building. I admit that a physical place to gather for worship can be useful for the church, but the core of the New Covenant is that the house of God, the Tabernacle of the Lord or the temple of the Spirit, is found where follower of Christ is found. Therefore, I always find myself in God’s household wherever I am on the planet.

• The foundation of truth

Paul used the image of a building and a temple in a letter to the church in Corinth. Also there he refers to the foundation, like he did in the letter to Timothy:

By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.
1 Cor 3:10-11

It is interesting that he wrote that foundation is Jesus Christ in this letter, while ‘the church of God’ is the foundation of truth in the letter he wrote to Timothy. I cannot see any contradiction in this. Because, if the church is Jesus in the world today, the church should also convey the truth in our time. But the church is not only the foundation of truth, it is also

• The pillar of truth

The function of a pillar is to support. I like the idea of the church being a support of truth. But in addition, pillars are often made beautiful because of their visibility. This was definitely true at time when Paul wrote this. The church should be ‘beautiful’ to make the truth even more visible. Remember that I still write about the church of the living God, not about a physical church-building. The challenge in our time is that the church tends to obscure the truth. If the truth is obscured by the church, it must be legitimate to ask whether it is still a church of the living God.

‘Manna’ for today:

The church of the living God is nothing less than a miracle!

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It is about the court of my 'Sanctuary'

NORSK
What I am doing these days could be compared to a "guided tour of a sanctuary". It started with my most holy place, and after also having been to the holy place, I continue to the court. My court is my physical body and represents my world-conciousness.

The narrative of “The Cleansing of the Temple”(1)  makes it clear that Jesus wants to see holiness even in the court where the cleansing took place. 

His action is a clear message that God wants holiness in the whole of his house. In this context this will include the whole of me, and the whole body of all believers. Such a thought is only possible with a holistic understanding of man and will even sound “offensive” in dualistic thinking.

There where only few restrictions with regard to access to the Court. In principle anybody had access in one form or the other to the whole or parts of the Court – including women, gentiles and lepers. Without stretching the illustration too far, the same can be said about my “Court”. The fact that I am visible makes the body the point of contact with the world.

Having come to “the point of contact” with the world we are also drawing close to the difficult theme of “Practical holiness” which will be dealt with in the course of the institute. But for now, let us for some moments ponder upon the concept of a “holy body”.

What is your immediate thought?

The fact that God could manifest himself in “flesh” was an incomprehensible thought for the main-stream thinkers at the time of Jesus (2). The body was held in such disregard, counted inferior to the mind, and just a “shell” we operate by. It is the dualistic and not the triune view of man that challenges the holistic view.

I know many Christians who will have no problem about holiness in soul and spirit, but struggle with the thought that a body can be holy – is it possible to live with such dualism?

If I challenge the thought that holiness is possible for the body – am I not also challenging the dogma of the divinity of Jesus Christ? 

'Manna' for today:

The body is part of the wholeness of holiness

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(1) I believe this is a very significant story and a prophetic act - that has many layers of interpretation. Its importance is supported by the fact that it is recorded in all four gospels: Matt 21:12-17; Mark 11:15-19; Luke 19:45-48 & John 2:13-16.
(2) “This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God” 1 John 4:2

It is about my 'Most Holy Place'

NORSK
It is already nine days since I wrote about the line starting with the Tabernacle leading to the Temple and from there to the living temple. After having spent time to reflect on the 'other' trinity, I now return to Paul's question:

Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?
1 Cor 6:19

"Yes, I know!" - Because I believe it!

A truth revealed to me by God, is something I know. It is not always possible for me to explain it, but faith gives assurance also in matters which remain mysteries. In the moment Jesus died, the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom (1). I believe this was a prophetic happening which should reveal to the world that through the death of Jesus all men (not just the elected High Priest) could receive access to God in His Most Holy Place. 

Let us use the method of “logic consequence” again or may be we should use the Brengle-term: “Sanctified Sanity”? If the Temple is an image of man, I believe the same happened in my “Sanctuary”. Even there the “curtain” was torn from top to bottom on Good Friday - Because of the wonderful work of salvation, I could now give God access to my Most Holy Place. 

In the very moment I accepted Christ into my life and received the miracle of salvation, The Holy Spirit took his dwelling in my Most Holy Place. That place is my spirit – or my “heart” which is a very common image used for the human spirit in the Scriptures.

You may think it is strange that I start the tour of my Sanctuary from the centre. But I am very consciously moving from within and outwards. Jesus said that “nothing that enters a man from the outside can make him 'unclean'” (2) only that which comes from within, out of men's hearts (3) can have such an effect.

It is my firm belief that this is argument is valid when we speak about personal holiness. None of my external activities can make my inner man holy, but what comes from the centre of my Sanctuary, from my heart, is holy if it is initiated by the Holy Spirit who lives there. The question is: Do I dare to invite Him from his “dwelling-place” to influence the whole Sanctuary?


'Manna' for today:

The Spirit lives in my most holy place. 

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(1) Mark 15:38
(2) Mark 7:18 in the context of a discourse of ”clean and unclean” vv 1-23
(3) Mark 7:21

It is about a line

NORSK
If you have been to Athens, you have seen ruins of a great number of ancient temples. It was in this city Paul said:

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 human hands.
Acts 17:24 

Yesterday I wrote that the Tabernacle eventually was substituted by the Temple. I believe this happened as a prophetic act which pointed ahead to the final act of salvation that was going to happen in Jerusalem through Jesus. When he died the curtain in holiest of holy was torn, it opened a way for all believers, as individuals and in unity to become a living temple. For, as Paul also said in Athens, and which I quote for myself almost every day:

For in him we live and move and have our being.
Acts 17:28

Jesus knew that this was the reason for his life and mission, and revealed it to the Samaritan woman:

“believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. … the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”
John 4:21-24

We can draw a line from the Tabernacle to the Temple and from there to every follower of Christ as a temple for the holy presence of God. It is made possible by the saving work of Jesus, and it saturates the world with his presence. 

‘Manna’ for today:

Where I am, is the Temple of the Lord!

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