Acts 7: 37-50

My thoughts on this set of verses comes not from what the text directly is saying but more so from the Old Testament context.

Acts 7:49-50 "Heaven is My throne, and earth is My fotstool. What house will you build for Me? Says the Lord, Or what is the place of My rest? Has my hand not made all these things?"

For some reason this is really striking me right now how much church really isn't about the building. But not in the way that the people are the church. That is obvious, but it's more the perspective of the point of the building in Church is to be used for a tool that brings people and engages people in who God is. No building can adequately portray God or show who he is. In fact that's not even close to the point. Nothing can contain God. The building of the church is simply a tool to bring people closer to God. I feel like we are so concerned with the building and how it has always and all the things it has to have in it. This is weird to write about the focus of a church building but it should really just be to engage the people the church is trying to reach. The tradition should be carried out through it's believers and not necciesarily the way the church is designed or maintained. If Jesus had a church would it have felt banners? Would it have sick lights? Would it have an awesome sound system? I think the answer is that he would have whichever of those things would bring glory to God through bringing His people back to Himself.

If that's through felt banners and a choir or through electric guitar with 30 effects pedals. The setup isn't the point because the building isn't the point. It's a tool, not an institution, it's an avenue not the destination. I pray that as I grow older I will not fall into temptation to be obsessed with the building, but to be willing to do whatever God wants with the building in order to reach His people.