Through the years, numerous people have asked why we use the “sanctuary” for so many different activities. We’ve used it for Vacation Bible School, banquets, graduations, movies, parties, and numerous other events. Why? Because it’s a great room!
In the Old Testament, the sanctuary (i.e., Temple, holy place, etc.) was the place where God resided, where his people went to meet him (Psalm 122:1).
In the New Testament, the sanctuary (i.e., Church) is defined as the people of God, individually and corporately. The New Testament tells us that God does not live in temples built by human hands (Acts 17:24), but that individuals who come to Jesus are joined with other believers and become a “spiritual house” (1 Peter 2:5). How is this possible?
The separation caused by the fall meant that man could not come back into the presence of God without death. This was why an angel was placed at the gate of the Garden of Eden with a flaming sword (Gen. 3:24). This separation was seen even further in the Old Testament with the Tabernacle and the sacrificial system. Priests could only enter into God’s presence by the blood of a lamb (Heb. 9:22). The point: to enter into the presence of God required death; there was no other way.
Yet when Jesus, the perfect lamb (1 Pet. 1:18-19), died for our sins—the separation between God and man was done away with. Why? Because only the blood of one who was perfect could free us from our sins and make it possible for us to enter into God’s presence (Rev. 1:5, Heb. 9:11-28). What’s the result? The result is that we don’t go to a place to be with God anymore; he resides in people individually and corporately.
How does this affect how we do life? It means ordinary things become ways we can live our lives before God. Whether it’s eating or drinking (1 Cor. 10:31) or whatever we do—God wants to be able to accept our lives as an act of worship (Romans 12:1-2). This frees us to use whatever means necessary to reach people and develop relationships with humanity (1 Cor. 9:22).
The beauty of it all is that God has always been using ordinary things like idols (Dan. 2), stars (Matt. 2:7), and culture (Acts 17:16-32) to communicate with humanity. If God is like this wherever He is; we are like this wherever we are. The result: life is restored, and things once used for the glory of man become used for the glory of God (even Superbowl parties).
So why use our worship center for so many things? Because it’s a great place to bring glory to Jesus.
Andy McDonald, Jeff Cinquemani & David Achata
Hey, I had never thought about the angel at the Garden of Eden in that way before.
ReplyDeleteI always appreciate how you guys stretch my mind.