Sacred

1 Corinthians 3:16-17 “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person; for God’s temple is sacred, and you together are that temple.”

 

The week, our Bible Study continued in the Frances Chan video series “Letters To The Church” on the session titled “Sacred”. Pastor Chan points out that our secular culture today teaches us to push back and be quick to question authority because we are the captains of our own ship and destiny. But, it is completely inappropriate when we bring this attitude into our relationship with God. 

 

The Bible gives many examples of the improper and disrespectful treatment of God’s holy Word, Will and Ways. Is God treated as sacred today? The word “sacred” is defined as (1) holy; pertaining to God or to His worship; separated from common secular uses and consecrated to God and His service; as a sacred place; a sacred day; a sacred feast; sacred service; sacred orders. (2) Proceeding from God and containing religious precepts; as the sacred books of the Old and New Testament. (3) Relating to religion or the worship of God; used for religious purposes; as sacred songs; sacred music; sacred history. (4) Consecrated; dedicated; devoted to the Supreme Being, Creator of Heaven, Earth and all that is.  

 

In Matthew 16:15-18 Jesus said to His Disciples, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.” When we truly understand the sacredness of God, we cannot help but marvel at the mystery of the Church, which is the collective body of Christians, or of those who profess to believe in Christ, and acknowledge Him to be the Savior of mankind; the disciples of Christ (repentant, believing, obedient followers around the world assembled for worship and serving of the Lord, their God). In this sense, the church is sometimes called the Universal Church. 

 

John 1:12-14 “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” The idea that we can commune intimately with the Creator of the universe and He desires us should cause us to fall on our faces in awe, in praise, in honor and in glory of His love, mercy and grace towards us. America’s National Motto is “In God We Trust”, yet many today have come to treat God, Christ and His Church as common; not sacred. Pastor Chan proclaims that If you find yourself vainly losing the sacredness of the Church, the body of Christ with Christ as its head by the grace of God, you need to reevaluate your understanding of these realities. Secular society conditions everyone to be self-centered, but there is no room for this in the Church. God’s glory is too sacred’ we cannot afford to compromise on this. 

 

1 Corinthians 6:19 asks, “do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?” The born-again Believer is has their spirit regenerated and their heart transformed, forgiven and redeemed unto salvation through faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. We need to rediscover to beauty of the of the simple truths of the gospel and allow them to permeate every part of our lives. The Universal Christian church is a living temple of God. Each Believer is a member of the Body of Christ and a block of the temple, each essential for the temple to function most effectively. We need to regain a heavenly perspective, value one another, love and encourage each other faithfully. Ephesians 5:29-30 explains, “After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church—for we are members of his body.”

 

In Christ, Brian