Please "dear" Churchianity
, don't build
another church.... and here's why....
Heb 9: 24 For
Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us:
Eph 2: 18-22 For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father. Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God; And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus
Christ himself being the chief corner stone;
In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: In whom
ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.
Acts 7: 48-50 Howbeit
the most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands; as saith the prophet, Heaven is my throne, and earth is my footstool:
what house will ye build me? saith the Lord: or what is the place of my rest?
Hath not my hand made all these things?
Acts 17: 24 God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth,
dwelleth not in temples made with hands;
1Cor 12: 13 For by one Spirit are
we all baptized into one body [the church body], whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.
THEN WHERE DOES GOD DWELL???
John 14: 23 Jesus answered and
said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and
WE WILL COME UNTO HIM,
AND MAKE OUR ABODE WITH HIM.
Eph 1: 22-23 And hath put all things under his feet, and gave
him to be the
head over all things to the church,
Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.
Eph 5: 30, 32 For
we are members of his body,
of his flesh,
and of his bones…… This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.
Col 1: 18 And
he is the head of the body,
the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence
Col 1: 24 I am now rejoicing in my sufferings for you, and am filling up in my flesh, in His stead, the deficiencies of the afflictions of
Christ, for
His body,
which is the ecclesia1Pet 2: 6-7 Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion
a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded.
Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed,
the same is made the head of the corner,
John 2: 19 Jesus answered and said unto them,
Destroy this temple,
and in three days I will raise it up.
Mark 14: 58 We heard him [Jesus] say, I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and within three days
I will build another made without hands.
Eph 5: 23b even as
Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body [of the church.]
1Pet 2: 4-5 Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious,
you also,
as living stones,
are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
[NKJV]1Cor 3: 9 For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry,
ye are God's building.
1Cor 3: 16-17 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God,
and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.
2Cor 6: 16-17a And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for
ye are the temple of the living God; as
God hath said,
I will dwell in them,
and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord,
1Tim 3: 15 But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in
the house of God,
which is the church [
church = Greek: “ecclesia” = “called out ones”]
of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.
1Cor 6: 19 Or
are you not aware that your body is a temple of the holy spirit in you,
which you have from God, and you are not your own?
[CLNT]John 4: 23 “But the hour cometh, and now is, when the
true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.”
2Thes 2: 4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, [note:
ourselves, not a physical temple] shewing himself that he is God.
Matt 18: 20 For
where two or three are gathered together in my name,
there am I in the midst of them.
Rom 12: 2 And
be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
1Cor 7: 23 Christ has paid the price for you.
Don't become slaves of human beings.
[NIrV]Col 3: 23 All, whatsoever you may be doing,
work from the soul,
as to the Lord and not to men,
[CLNT]1Kings 8: 27 But
will God indeed dwell on the earth? behold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee;
how much less this house that I have builded?
2Chron 2: 6 But
who is able to build him an house, seeing the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain him? who am I then, that I should build him an house, save only to burn sacrifice before him?
1Cor 1: 9 God is faithful, by whom
ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.
2Cor 13: 14 The
grace of the Lord Jesus Christ
and the love of God and the communion of the holy spirit be with you all! Amen!
[CLNT]2Cor 6: 14 Do not come into close association with unbelievers, like oxen yoked with asses. For what is there in common between righteousness and lawlessness? Or what partnership has light with darkness?
[Weymouth N.T.]1John 1: 3 That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and
truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.
2Thes 2: 15 Consequently, then, brethren, stand firm, and
hold to the traditions which you were taught by us [
the apostles], whether through word or our epistle.
[CLNT]Matt. 15:3, 7a But He answered and said unto them, Why do
you also transgress the commandments of God by your traditions?… You hypocrites…
Col 2: 20-22 Wherefore, if
ye are dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world,
why, as though living in the world,
are ye subject to ordinances, (Touch not; taste not; handle not; Which all are to perish with the using;)
according to the commandments and doctrines of men? [
Not God] Which things have indeed a show of wisdom in will-worship, and humility, and neglecting of the body; not in any honor to the satisfying of the flesh.
[The Webster Bible]Matt 15: 6b-9 “Thus have
ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition.
Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. But
in vain they do worship me,
teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.”
John 4: 23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when
the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
Heb 4:14 Having, then,
a great Chief Priest, Who has passed through the heavens,
Jesus, the Son of God, we may be holding to the avowal.
[CLNT]Heb 8: 1 Now this is the sum of what is being said: Such
a Chief Priest have we, Who is
seated at the right of the throne of the Majesty
in the heavens,
[CLNT]Heb 10: 21 And having
an high priest over the house of God;
1Tim 2: 5 For there is one God, and
one mediator between God and men, the man
Christ Jesus;
Matt 6: 6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door,
pray to thy Father which is
in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.
1Tim 6: 5 useless wranglings of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain.
From such withdraw yourself.
Acts 20: 29-30 Now I am aware that, after I am out of reach, burdensome
wolves will be entering among you, not sparing the flocklet. And
from among yourselves will arise men,
speaking perverse things to pull away disciples after themselves.
[CLNT]Rom 12: 5 So
we, being many,
are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.
1Cor 12: 12, 26 For even as
the body is one and has many members, yet
all the members of the one body, being many,
are one body, thus also is
the Christ.... And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it.
[CLNT]Rom 2: 28-29 For
he is not a Jew,
which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: But
he is a Jew,
which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter;
whose praise is not of men, but of God.
2Cor 4: 10 Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that
the life also
of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.
*********
Quote from L. Ray Smith:
“If there is no obedience (to His Word), there is no true worship."**********
From a bible study of Ray's:
Ironically, in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, "church" is mentioned in but two Scriptures. In Matt 18: 17 Jesus refers to "the church" and in Matt 16: 18 He refers to "My church" which He said HE would build. And the seven churches in Rev. 2 & 3 are representative of and the personification of the church that Jesus Christ built. It was THAT church that Jesus built that Paul, the Judaic Pharisee, persecuted. Jesus prophesied that the church would be persecuted and scattered:
"And Jesus said unto them, ALL YE shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, 'I will smite the Shepherd [the Christ], and the sheep shall be SCATTERED." [Mark 14: 27]
The church multiplied in numbers very quickly after the Resurrection, but persecution multiplied also:
"And Saul was consenting unto his [Stephen's] death. And at that time there was a GREAT PERSECUTION against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were ALL SCATTERED ABROAD throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, except the apostles." [Acts 8: 1]This post was last updated on 12/9/07