Stone by Stone

I stood at the base of the magnificent marble structure of the Parthenon in Athens, Greece. Even in its crumbled state it spoke of a time of splendor and awe. But, as with all human edifices, the passage of time eats away at its edges and it's once glorious appearance dims and fades. 

When the Israelites returned from their Babylonian captivity and eventually rebuilt the temple, those who had known the former glory of Solomon's temple wept. The glory was gone. Even King Herod's attempt to restore the temple's beauty has vanished in the rubble of Roman destruction. 

We like building our buildings bigger and better. Whether the Tower of Babel or the pyramids, the ancient temples or football stadiums, the Taj mahal or the Sears Tower (Willis Tower) they are monuments to the genius and ingenuity of man, and they will all crumble.

God is doing something different, something permanent, something everlasting. He is building a temple for himself that is untouched by human hands, crafted by the Spirit, paid for by the blood, and sealed with his promise. In Jesus the temple is held together through the indwelling Spirit. In Jesus we, the people of God, are His temple, and the more who come into the kingdom the larger the temple becomes.

Once the shekinah of God would descend on the Jewish temple and his glory would fill it and the people would tremble in awe and fear. Today that same shekinah indwells every believer, that same glory fills our souls. We stand in awe, but not in fear. We stand in worship and tremble at his gentle touch of mercy. 

We are part of something greater than ourselves, and as God adds our uniqueness to that of others, the total sum of our recreated parts stands as a witness, a guidepost, a city on a hill, a light to the world, calling them to come. Calling them to receive the free gift of life in Christ and be joined together as God's temple, by the Spirit. I'm just saying...

"Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit." Eph. 2:20-22