Church… We have become too comfortable in what we are calling worship/church and while I am ALL about breaking down the status quo of what “church” is as we have been “taught” to know it.
There most certainly is an ORDER to it and a reverence that SHOULD be given when we come into the house of GOD…
First let’s talk about WHAT defines HIS house or rather WHO? Is it the “building” itself? No… The Bible teaches in 1 Corinthians 3:9 that YOU, ME, WE are God’s building. WE are the temple of God. (1 Corinthians 3:16) but how can respect our physical temple and allow him to abide FULLY in us when we DO NOT abide IN him nor respect or show ANY reverence to the place we choose to call his house of WORSHIP?
Perhaps the reason TRUE repentance and biblical salvation is NOT taking place like it should is because much like in the passage of the money changers where Jesus overthrew the tables and WHIPPED them we have forgotten what his house should be called…
Did he not tell us? As a matter of fact HE DID…
“And he taught, saying unto them, Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? but ye have made it a den of thieves.”
– Mark 11:17 KJV
I’m reminded of the song by the contemporary Christian band “Casting Crowns” that is simple called…
“Start Right Here”
We want our coffee in the lobby
– Casting Crowns “Start Right Here”
We watch our worship on a screen
We got a rockstar preacher
Who won′t wake us from our dreams
We want our blessings in our pocket
We keep our missions overseas
But for the hurting in our city
Would we even cross the street?
But we wanna see the heart set free and the tyrants kneel
The walls fall down and our land be healed
But church if we want to see a change in the world out there
It’s got to start right here
It′s got to start right now
Lord, I’m starting right here
Lord, I’m starting right now
The lyrics are certainly powerful enough. I believe that when Jesus said his church should be a house of PRAYER he MEANT it… Does it not say to….
“Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, And into his courts with praise: Be thankful unto him, and BLESS his name.”
– Psalm 100:4
I was recently reminded of this verse when we were singing at one of the nursing homes we visit. As we began to sing the songs an old man in his wheelchair rolled himself in and stopped halfway through and cupped his hands to his mouth and shouted “HALLELUJAH”
THAT is how we should enter his house.
With thanksgiving and PRAISE, blessing HIS NAME!
WHY?
WHAT happens when we praise him? Firstly the BIBLE tells us that he INHABITS the PRAISES of his people! (Psalm 22:3) Secondly I am reminded of the passage of Paul and Silas how IN PRISON, though they were BOUND by the confinements of MAN they WORSHIPPED and PRAISED JESUS and just LOOK what happened.
25 And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.
Acts 16:25-34 KJV
26 And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one’s bands were loosed.
27 And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled.
28 But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm: for we are all here.
29 Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas,
30 And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?
31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.
32 And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house.
33 And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway.
34 And when he had brought them into his house, he set meat before them, and rejoiced, believing in God with all his house.
So you see, just like the song I have shared above we are wanting CHANGE to take place in our lives, our homes, our children’s lives, our cities and work places and the lives of those around us and we WANT these GREAT things to take place in our church but how? How can we even begin to expect these things to take place and why are we not surprised that these things are NOT taking place when we have made his house a den of THIEVES? But what are we stealing? We are ROBBING the lost sinner their chance to FREEDOM in THIS day and hour! How can we expect to even plant a garden without first breaking up the ground?
Therefore HOW can we expect to have CHURCH without first falling before our faces and crying out to God in PRAYER and TRUE WORSHIP… How dare we become so comfortable in the church to make it anything other than what it should be, a house of PRAYER…
Instead of sitting and standing around with our coffee and donuts talking to one another with no regard or reverence for the place we are SUPPOSED to consider the SANCTUARY why aren’t we PRAYING before the services? Also, that word “sanctuary” is something we should not ever take so lightly as it literally is defined as a SACRED place SET APART for what? GODS PRESENCE…
SHAKE EM’ JESUS!
Rather we have made it a social club, a place to gather and drink coffee and talk about frivolous matters that do no benefit or edification for our souls, church or community around us. Don’t get me wrong, fellowship and communicating with each other as the family of GOD is a VITAL and BEAUTIFUL thing… But when we come to church we SHOULD mean business, we should be ready to go to BAT for the SOULS of our loved ones and the community around us because they NEED IT…
This world is DYING! YOU are DYING! I am DYING! We NEED a SAVIOUR! We NEED JESUS! SHAKE EM’ JESUS! The most powerful thing to take from the account of Paul and Silas praying in the prison is how when they PRAYED and WORSHIPPED GOD their PRAYERS and PRAISES not only set THEM free but it set ALL those around them free, something so supernatural and divine took place that the literal ground SHOOK, CHAINS were broken and the CAPTIVES were set FREE and the guard would have killed himself thinking that they had all escaped but Paul called out to him to do no harm to himself for they were all there.
And the guard and ALL his house were SAVED!
We need to do more praying because prayer truly does changes things, the bible tells us that the prayers of a RIGHTEOUS man availeth MUCH! (James 5:16) peoples SOULS are at stake, so it’s high time for these hip social clubs in the name of God come to an end it’s time we get the coffee and donuts out of HIS house as if it’s some type of downtown coffee shop and it is TIME we HUMBLE ourselves and PRAY!
WHY?
The BIBLE SAYS…
If MY people, which are called by MY NAME, shall HUMBLE themselves, and PRAY, and seek MY face, and TURN from their wicked ways; THEN will I HEAR from heaven, and WILL forgive their sin, and will HEAL their LAND.
2 Chronicles 7:14 KJV
As always this has been Nathan Tune, coming to you from these PineyWoods of East Texas, until next time, God Bless and…