Focus

Recently 1 John 5 and Jesus' words of him rebuilding the temple after 3 days have been very encouraging to me.

People have told me before that the church is not a building but people, I've never truly grasped this until recently, it happened when I was preparing for sunday school, there was this activity with a maze, where you are supposed to find a path to the church.

I tried to find the path to the building, which was super complex. Then I read the words at the bottom, which said that the church is not a building, but people! And voila, I see a group of people in the lower right hand side with a very simple path that led to them!

It was cool because Jesus and the apostles thought this way too, what was precious to them wasn't a physical building, but people redeemed by the blood of Christ.

When Jesus told the Jewish leaders he would destroy the temple and raise it up again, they thought it was a physical temple, but he was refering to his body. When Paul warns against sexual sin, he tells us that our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, and God will take vengeance upon everyone who destroys the temple.

What is amazing is that through faith we are united to Christ's resurrection, so that as he is risen, we have are also risen and have newness of life, and will receive a new body in the age to come.

This leads to 1 John 5, which says that the testimony of God is life in Christ, and that all believers have this testimony in them. That's why the focus of church is not buildings or programs, but the people, our relationship with God and with one another.

With God, our hatred is turned to love, commandments shouldn't be burdensome, but should be a delight to obey. With other believers, bitterness and grudge holding, malicious and suspicious thoughts should be turned into understanding, kindness, and forgiveness. Yet we are still a work in progress, may the Lord help us to grow in grace.