How Do You Build a Temple? Follow the Blueprints.

In the Old Testament, we find that God took up residence in first, the Tabernacle, built under the supervision of Moses. Then later, in the Temple built this time, under the careful administration of Solomon. In both cases God took extreme care in providing the men chosen to build both these structures, careful and meticulous instructions in how they were to be built. The place where God chooses to take up residence is a holy place that commands reverence and respect.

When Jesus came to the earth, God walked once again amongst men. For the most part He was not revered, nor respected. The Jewish leaders led a campaign to not only malign His character, they plotted to kill Him. What they failed to understand, was that in His death would come resurrection. And through His death and resurrection, would come the means, by which sinful man could once again dwell in the presence of God. And though Jesus would return to sit at the right hand of the Father, He would not leave us alone. He explains in John 16:4-7 saying, “But I have said these things to you, that when their hour comes you may remember that I told them to you. “I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you. But now I am going to him who sent me, and none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.”

Since the day of Pentecost, as we see in the Book of Acts, all believers receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. It is the mark of our salvation as Romans 8:9-11 explains, “You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.”  

1 Corinthians 6:19
“Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own.”

So, Christian, you are now the Temple where God chooses to dwell upon this earth. This must lead us to look long and hard at how we are building up ourselves. Do you honestly think that God, who gave such intricate and detailed instructions on how Moses and later Solomon should build His residence, doesn’t demand the same building process and the same maintenance plan for the new Temple, the Temple which is us?

God expects us to be holy. He expects us to build ourselves up in the faith and to become more like Jesus, every day. And the amazing thing about His plan for us, as His Temple, is that he empowers us to build that temple, just as He provided everything Solomon needed.

If you think God has not provided the same detailed blueprints He did for Moses and Solomon, you are wrong. He has; it is called the Holy Bible. And if you will look at those plans, you will see it is all there. But you must read and follow the blueprints. All of them, every little detail, for our God is a God of perfect detail. He leaves nothing out. And He expects us to use what He has given us to build His temple and that temple is for His glory, not ours. We don’t get to make changes on what God has already designed, simply because we don’t like them.

There is a second aspect to this situation. We must consider the church, for it is the Body of Christ, and thus God’s Temple is also found in our brothers and sisters in Christ. We also have a responsibility as set out in scripture to help each other build ourselves up in the faith. 1 Thessalonians 5:11 tells us, “Therefore encourage one another and build one another up.” And please Christians, stop perpetuating this non-Biblical concept of “Don’t judge” for that is not our charge. Our charge is to admonish each other and to bring restoration to our brother when he falls into sinful behavior. This does require careful judgment. And It must be done under the strict methods of scripture and through the discernment of the Holy Spirit, which will define it as loving instruction.

We are the Temple of God. It’s time we got back to the blueprints God has given us and to build His temple. For His Glory. Read the prints. All of them and leave out no detail.

God Bless.