Haggai 1:2-4
2"The LORD of Hosts says this: These people say: The time has not come for the house of the LORD to be rebuilt."
3The word of the LORD came through Haggai the prophet: 4"Is it a time for you yourselves to live in your paneled houses, while this house lies in ruins?"
I have heard it said, “The Lord’s house should be the nicest house in town.”
Would you agree or disagree with that statement?
Suppose you drove into a strange town and the thing that struck you was the condition of the Lord’s house. Every house in town was beautiful, but the Lords’ house was a warehouse.
Suppose you drove into the next town and the same thing struck you, only this time it was the opposite. In this town the nicest building in town was the Lord’s house.
Would not the condition of the Lord’s house say something to you about the condition of the people’s hearts who lived in those towns? You can tell what people value in a place by just looking at the condition of their buildings. If the Lord’s house is conspicuously the nicest house in town you would get the impression the people placed a high value on worship and had great respect for the Lord.
And let me add this: the condition of the Lord’s house will determine the condition of everything else in town! Where people fear the Lord there the Lord will bless. Where people care more for their own things, and economize on the things of God, there the rain will refuse to fall and the fields will be barren.
This is interesting to think about. However, do you think that the condition of the temple in Haggai is really analogous to the condition of a church building today? The temple was "God's house" then; but now, when we talk about the condition of God's house, wouldn't that be the church - that is, the people, not the buildings? We are the temple now. In Ephesians 2:19-22 I read, "So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God's household, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit."
ReplyDeleteThe reason I bring this up is that with some frequency I hear the church criticized for spending so much money on buildings. I've known congregations that were proud that their structures were simple and frugal - claiming that the money was better spent on missions than on themselves. And I've seen some really beautiful cathedrals that were empty inside.
Still, I do think you have a point that the condition of the church (building) does reflect the church's (people's) attitude toward God. There must be some kind of balance.
Anyway, I ask because I'm not really sure what I think about this issue - about buildings. What I am sure about is that it is important to pour our resources into building up God's dwelling place - in the hearts of His people.