THE CHURCH OF CHRIST CANNOT BE LOCKED DOWN

“And I say also unto thee, that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” Matthew 16:18 (KJV)

 

Two years ago, the world witnessed a shutdown of church buildings across the nations of the world. And so, there was this argument that the church was locked down and I beg to differ. The church cannot be locked down. It was the church building that was locked down, not the church. It is this erroneous belief that the church is the church building that had made a lot of people live anyhow when they leave the four walls of the church building.

 

The church of Jesus Christ is bigger than a big building! Yes, we build buildings where we gather to be instructed. We have buildings where we gather to be edified but the building does not make the church. When the church gathers in the building, that is what makes the building the church. But when there are no people and the church does not gather, there is an ordinary building. So, the believer needs to understand that and have that mentality.

 

If you have this understanding of the church, it will help you to have a complete re-orientation in the way you see yourself. You are the church! What does the scripture say? “For we are laborers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building.” 1 Corinthians 3:9. Notice that the scripture doesn’t say the buildings of mortar, bricks, and iron are God’s buildings. It says God’s people are God’s building.

 

Let’s consider more scriptures “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defiles the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are” 1 Corinthians 3:16-17 KJV. 1 Corinthians 6:19 puts it this way:  “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost, which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?”.

 

Further Reading Corinthians 6:15-20, Ephesians 3: 17-32

Daily Bible Reading: Morning- 1 Chronicles 22-24; Evening- John 8:28-59