A HOUSE OF PRAYER

 

A HOUSE OF PRAYER

Matt.21:12 Jesus entered the Temple and began to drive out the merchants and their customers. He knocked over the tables of the money changes and the stalls of those selling doves.” NLT

The Temple was the place of worship. It was the most important building in town. People gathered to meet with God. At the time in which Jesus lived, people still offered animal sacrifices to atone for their sins. In the Temple, people gathered to listen to the Word of God being read and taught.

It is always a good thing for people to gather together to meet with God and be feed from the Word. It is good when God is the reason why people gather for worship. In fact, it is essential for the well-being of the soul. It is essential that we are around other like-minded believers. It is essential that the Word of God is taught and preached. It is essential that people sing God’s praises together. It is essential for our well-being to know that we are not alone in our faith walk and the struggles of life.

When Jesus entered the Temple, He took note of what was going on there, and He did not like what He saw. Instead of the Temple being treated as a sacred place, people had turned it into a place of commerce. There were those who were selling animals and birds to worshipers for profit. They treated God’s house as a common and ordinary place to do business.

We need to consider what we do in God’s house. Are we careful to keep it as a sacred pleace, or do we allow it to be used for secular purposes? To what extent should we allow our church buildings to be used for non-worship activities? And if we are okay with letting our buildings be used, do we do it for profit? Do we allow people to sell merchandise to be sold in God’s house? If so, where and when do we allow it?

I believe we ought to give careful thought to how we look at God’s house. It is a sacred place, a place where people come to meet with God. What we do and don’t do affects whether or not we are able to draw near to the heart of God. God’s house should not be like any other building where people gather. We should consider our worship gatherings as being on holy ground, a place where God is at. When we gather for worship, we are approaching the Lord of life, He whom we will stand one day to give an account for our lives. Let us be careful that we do not desecrate our meeting place with God.