Ephesians 2:21
“in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord”.
What a feet. The church is being fitted together to be a temple. God has the plans and is piecing it together generation by generation. It all is based on and revolves around Jesus, the chief cornerstone. His time on earth corrected the focus on the law and turned it into love, sincerity and truth. Miracles validated His words and ministry. It put a bang into the transition of old testament to new testament.
The horrific crucifixion seamed like the end of Him, but as quick as He was gone, He rose. This was a new beginning. The veil in the temple was torn in two. Access to God has been purchased. All of it based Jesus.
The birth of the church at Pentecost came the next layer of temple building. The frightened disciples turned into bold messengers. The people loved Jesus and His message. They responded in droves to accept the gospel. The pharisees who thought their problems were resolved stood their ground.
The church was at an exciting time. Miracles were still present and peoples lives were turned around. Their generosity was evident as they were sharing much of what they had. They were meeting from house to house learning about the Lord.
Paul came on the scene and he and his team went on several journeys to spread the word. He was arrested which gave him time to write the epistles. He ended up writing nearly a third of the New Testament.
After 70 years the temple was torn down by the romans and there was a great dispersion. They were sent all over the inhabited earth. The new temple, the church was well along in its development.
The bible was put together around 400 AD. The doctrines of the faith guided the selection of the books. Many heresies arose and the church would meet as a counsel. A creed would come out of the counsels to verify what was discussed to explain the accepted doctrine. The Apostles Creed and the Nicene Creed are two of them.
The printing press was made which allowed for people to have their own bibles. This caused God's Word to go into the hands of the commoners. Shortly thereafter came the Reformation and the Renaissance. I would say the Word of God brought on this enlightenment.
The church experienced corruption with its indulgences and such. The reformation had a cleansing effect. The phrase sola scriptura brought about an era when the church followed the bible. That is present today.
Like all times, the church is influenced by culture. Many denominations are wrestling with these issues. These denominations are splitting based on culture and how much the bible is accepted verses cultural values. This is a dangerous time.
The book of Revelation speaks of the seven churches. Our time reflects some of those churches that are putting culture ahead of the bible. Jesus used some scary comparisons, the synagogue of satan, and you are dead and so on. The bible is our standard. We are to love everyone, but need to do so as we adhere to scripture.
The church is a dam that is holding back the tide of evil. 2 Thessalonians 2:7 says, "For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work, but the one who now restrains it will continue until he is taken out of the way." Many think the removing of the church is the rapture. With the church gone, the antichrist, the world and the devil will have their way.
We've been discussing the church as a whole. We as individuals make up the church. I Peter 2:5 says, "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 Corinthians 12:18 refers to the church as a body and we as the individual parts, "But now God has arranged the parts, each one of them in the body, just as He desired."
The Lord has given each of us gifts to function according to His will. Some are the face which have a public role. Others are internal organs which aren't visible, but whose contributions are important for life.
The Lord is great enough to give each of us the attention we need to feel loved and the amount of tutoring to instruct us how to use our gifts. He blesses us with success and favor. This develops the healthy self concept the psychologists talk about.
Our contributions help the church. It's perpetuated and others come to Christ who in turn become living stones further constructing the temple.
Next comes the grand purpose of the temple, to house our God. He lives in and through us. What a privilege. The great creator and sustainer of the world, the universe as well as all living things lives in us. Who would have thought. Jesus shocked all by being poor as well as being raised in a low class place with a bad reputation. He came for the lowly. He follow that pattern as He now chooses to dwell in us. He continues to live with the lowly.
Thank You God for the church, Your temple. Your brilliance in forming it through the centuries is great. Thank You for the work You do in us as individual stones. Thank You for using us to bring others to You, thus growing the church. Your temple is beautiful to look upon.