God’s Church Is Sacred In This Earth

If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person; for God’s temple is sacred, and you together are that temple. ”“ 1 Corinthians 3:17

There are many things that are considered sacred in this earth. Certain old artefacts, museum pieces are considered irreplaceable and are reverenced as a very special thing. There are certain buildings in our culture that represent special purposes such as court houses, parliament buildings and other government buildings of authority. And such things are important and if someone would harm or ruin these things there are severe consequences. A jewish person would think immediately of Solomon’s temple, something that was considered the holiest site in Israel. Yet above all these sacred things the most sacred thing in the world to the Lord is His Church that he is building. Jesus said he would build His Church (Matthew 16:18) and to this day he is still building this temple. Paul the Apostle shares that the temple is God’s people who are assembled together as the Church. God has a called out people that are holy towards his purposes in the earth and who are doing good, loving the poor, preaching the Good News in the earth. We read the very sober words that warns us that this work of the Church, if someone seeks to destroy or hurt this work, the Lord will defend it. Gamaliel gave the sound counsel that if we oppose Gods work we "find yourselves fighting against God” (Acts 5:39).

Many people in our day do not have a sense of the holy things of God, they do not consider things sacred. Sadly such people oppose God’s work without fear, speak evil of things they do not understand. Jude speaks of such people who "reject authority and heap abuse on celestial beings” (Jude 1:8). No one is holy to them and they do not want to submit to authority but feel themselves above all authority. They speak against things that are holy and end up even destroying themselves. God treats his work as a very holy thing, when we oppose his work we set ourselves against God Himself. It seems extreme to say but our passage even says that "God will destroy them.” When someone would neglect the holiness of solomon’s temple and walk into the holiest of all they would be destroyed. Likewise in the days of the prophet Samuel when people who lacked reverence for the sacred, "God struck down some of the inhabitants of Beth Shemesh, putting seventy of them to death because they looked into the ark of the Lord. The people mourned because of the heavy blow the Lord had dealt them” (1 Samuel 6:19). Likewise Ananias and Sapphira spoke with holy Apostles without the fear of the Lord (Acts 5:1-11). God is still at work, although the Church is not perfect it is what God is doing in this earth. May we see what he is doing as holy and have reverence for what is sacred.

from: https://greggordon.home.blog/2018/11/18/gods-church-is-sacred-in-this-earth/

This article is a rehash of Francis Chan's recent sermon. https://youtu.be/UHuue9ZXzmM ...........bro Frank

Danger of plagirism there Greg, is that why you put up Chan's sermon? ............bro Frank

Danger of plagirism there Greg, is that why you put up Chan's sermon? ............bro Frank

I wrote this devotional just about 2 years ago. I am just re-publishing it as its very much the same thing the Lord showed Francis Chan so I thought it would be good to share again. Just an fyi!

Where did you publish it brother, just for clarity sake? Would not like to think you would take another man's thoughts and present them as your own. Just wanted to add that we must be careful in this regard and I do not expect you would do this............bro Frank

brother,

Just to set your heart at ease. Here it is shown published date on May 26, 2015:
https://www.sermoncentral.com/sermons/god-s-church-is-sacred-in-this-earth-greg-gordon-sermon-on-temple-193965

Well bro, you guys definately seem to be playing from the same play book no doubt. Dont forget the advice you got that the application of Chan's video was wrong, from an older brother we both respect...........bro Frank

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. (Galatians 5:1 NIV)

There is another word, which just means that which has escaped from slavery and is breathing free air. That is a fine picture, a fine portrait for Overcomers ”“ that which has escaped from slavery and is breathing free air. I dare not stay to interpret that. Some of us, even in our Christian lives and histories, know what it is to escape from slavery. Oh, the old bondage of the Christian system and order, expectation and demand, all the old rota and legality! ”“ to be free of it all! Not only to be raised with Christ, but to have the grave clothes taken off and to be breathing the free air of the spiritually emancipated! That is what this word calls a "remnant,” and that is not something extra to Christianity. It is exactly what you find at the beginning with the Church.

The Lord had cried in the midst of a burdened, tyrannized, religious nation ”“ "Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light” (Matt. 11:28-30). What is the old yoke, the old burden, which has harassed and worn these people so that they are weary to death, drawing out His compassionate appeal ”“ "Come unto Me, and I will give you rest”? It is the old yoke and burden of legalistic religion, ‘thou shalt’ and ‘thou shalt not’: ‘you must’ and ‘you must not’ ”“ the whole system built up like that; a great burden.

"They bind heavy burdens,” He said, "and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves will not move them with their finger” (Matt. 23:4). And this word for "remnant” means such as have escaped slavery and are breathing the free air. You find them in the beginning of the book of the Acts. Overcomers are those who go back to the beginning in experience. They do not take up something further which is deeper teaching or fuller light. It is the primal freshness and fullness of Christ that Overcomers represent ”“ unfortunately, in contrast to the general situation.

By T. Austin-Sparks from: Overcomer Testimony ”“ Chapter 2

Anton Bosch, in reply to Greg on another medium (facebook) writes......

"Chan's exegesis is correct, but his application is way off. Pointing out heresy as taught by Bethel, Bickle, Warren et al is not what is defiling the body but it is these men's heresy that is defiling and dividing. Chan should be warning them and should have nothing to do with them instead of defending them and threatening any who would dare to warn against their errors."

The notion that people's life are in danger if they challenge leadership is a well known cultish practice, typically in Charismatic circles, to nullify ant criticism, kindal like "touch not the Lord's anointed." The threat from Chan in his application is that if you were to challenge, say, Mike Bickle in any of his teachings, you would be in danger of being killed by God. We could extend this to folks like Todd Bentley and so on. And in fact, by application, this could have been used to silence Paul when he criticized Peter, publickly. We see a further misapplication in many of those circles, circles such as the prosperity gospels and so on, who use the mis-aplication of well known scriptures to feather their won nests and to silence any challenges to them.................bro Frank

http://www.piratechristian.com/messedupchurch/2018/4/francis-chan-god-might-kill-you-if-you-criticize-church-leaders?format=amp&fbclid=IwAR1PFXaR023OX-ak4XVI1IHjpbn1uCOYGkX8aXeaH8nUEI2tnQA47MNVUJI

I replied:

Frank Mceleny Anton Bosch thanks Anton for sharing. I do believe we are in a place in the western christianity where we feel we have a right for any reason to accuse or speak against a brother in christ who even is in error in some way. This freedom has allowed for much damage and disunity to form. I believe that is Francis's heart. Of course if a leader is in previous errors especially other leaders of the church should speak with them but not via blogging rather in person with fasting and prayer.

Just fyi saints.

"We feel we have a right for any reason to accuse or speak against a brother in christ "

No one has said that or even intimated that, simply a straw man by yourself Greg. Gross error is what we are talking about, examples being of the ones Anton mentioned, the very ones Chan said not to criticize. The good thing is that those baptized in the Holy Spirit have a particular gift from God, the love of the truth. The opposite of that would be men who promote themselves to other men and in fact have a fear of man. Better to offend men than to offend the living God, this is even why we had a reformation, for given your own stance and Chan's, criticizing the Catholic church would have meant death. It did indeed mean death for so many, but not by God, but by foolish deceived men thinking they were doing God a service............Bro Frank

Robert writes ...........

"You would have to excise major portions of Scripture warning the churches of errant and destructive practices and paths to follow the arguments being posited. I think the application of the text is overly and unnecessarily broad."

This of course is true and indeed was Anton's point. Unscrupulous men have used various applications of this down through the ages to assert their authority and to shield themselves from criticism............bro Frank

This of course is true and indeed was Anton's point. Unscrupulous men have used various applications of this down through the ages to assert their authority and to shield themselves from criticism............bro Frank

Unfortunately this is not true as there is first nothing wrong with Church authority and leadership. Submission to leadership in the Church is very important and those who do not want to submit are also those who feel free to say anything they want at anytime against anyone they feel they want to.

Essentially if we are not willing to follow God's pattern of Church then we are a church unto ourselves. That is part of the premise of what Chan is saying also. In another message I quote him speaking on handing over to satan:

"There is this terrifying verse in 1 Timothy where Paul talked about two men who rejected the faith. Paul said that he had handed them over to Satan, by which he meant that he'd put them outside of the church (1:20). Basically, these men were actively opposing the works of God, so rather than pretending everything was fine, Paul removed them from the safety and blessings of the fellowship of believers. He was hoping that the misery of being separated from the church would lead them to repent. Are you catching the weight of this? Paul equated removal from the church with being handed over to Satan! It is crazy to me that we live in a time when people are voluntarily doing this to themselves! No church has placed them outside of the fellowship; instead, they've handed themselves over to Satan!" from: https://www.charismanews.com/opinion/74157-francis-chan-are-you-destroying-the-church

His conclusion is powerful. Those in the ancient Church were excluded as a last resort of discipline, but people in our day in America choose to leave churches on their own because in their own minds they are right and most others wrong.

Correction in the New Testament was done via leaders to leaders not anyone just hurling a stone. It was always done in wisdom and through the proper channels of Church leadership. I wrote a series of articles on this very topic as many use Matthew 18 to declare they can start a blog to a brother who will not reply to their email and then slander that leader in the Church with many accusations and condemnations.

Greg writes..........

"nothing wrong with Church authority and leadership."

Another straw man and a deflection, biblical leadership is a beautiful thing. Greg further writes......

Essentially if we are not willing to follow God's pattern of Church then we are a church unto ourselves."

Now this I agree with, we only have to look at the vast majority of churches and denominations and leaders to see folks who are a church unit themselves, unless you can give examples among them of 1 Cor 14 churches. This is God's pattern............bro Frank