Our scripture this morning is 1 Corinthians 3:16 (NLT).
Don’t you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you?
When God led His people out of Egypt He met them at Mount Sinai. In Exodus 25-31 He gives them instructions for building the Tabernacle, a place for them to meet Him. In 1 Chronicles 28 we read about the plans for the Temple in Jerusalem. All of these were to meet our needs, not His.
God certainly doesn’t need a building or a particular place to be with us. Jesus warned us “Do you see all these buildings? I tell you the truth, they will be completely demolished. Not one stone will be left on top of another!” (Matthew 24:2). It’s not about the structure, it’s about us.
Paul tells us that we are God’s temple because His spirit lives in us. We are the church quite literally. While we may have a place to gather with our brothers and sisters to praise God, it’s only a church because we are there to meet the Lord. When we leave that building, God’s church goes into the world to spread His love.
Gracious God, thank You for Your love and presence with us through Your spirit. May we share the Gospel with the world and help others reconnect to You. Amen.
