John 2:13-17
13And the Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14And He found in the Temple the ones selling oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers sitting. 15And having made a whip out of small cords, He cast out all out of the Temple, both the sheep and the oxen. And He poured out the coins of the money changers, and He overturned the tables. 16And He said to the ones selling the doves, “Take these things from here! Stop making the house of my Father a house of trade!” 17Then His disciples remembered that it is written, “The zeal of Your house will consume Me.” (Psalm 69: 9)
Good Day Child of God! "Father? Your Will Be Done!" This group of verses is cut nearly in half for the purposes of a single lesson. It is interesting that this story actually takes up the rest of Chapter 2, but in it are three lessons, so we will take it slowly.
The scene above is likely familiar to any of you that have been going to church for any amount of time. For those of you that are new to Christianity, these verses are a staple among nearly every sect of Christianity. Too bad it doesn't seem to hit home.
Today's easy lesson: Have you ever seen the movie where the prison warden says to one of his most difficult prisoners, "What we got here is a failure to communicate!" That's exactly how I feel when I go into any church building that is supposedly hallowed ground. At least that is how many people treat their church buildings. Most will only whisper once inside, and there I find more than just a place of worship. I find a gift shop.
The bigger the church building, by the way, the bigger amount of goodies they have for sale. One church I was a member of in my youth had its own bookstore. I say book store, but it was more than Bibles, it had how-to books of every sort, trinkets, crucifixes, banners and on and on it goes. It all starts innocently enough, usually giving away the sermon on tape or CD, but then there is a small price put on to at least break even. Of course the Pastor becomes so popular a new building goes up, nice cameras are brought in with magnificent large HDTV screens. All of a sudden DVDs are sold, his book(s) are sold, and of course everyone needs to have access to so many different Bibles, and all those Christian self-help books. It's only right. Why not put in a restaurant and a small cafe'? Oh, they already do in more than the many mega-churches these days.
What is the message? If Jesus were to come down right now and see what people dress like, behave like, what the "book store" sells, and how much money it takes to run a local church with its grandiose building, because we have to have a nice place to worship, He would not be happy. Are you going to church to focus on the Love of God, or to learn how to look a Christian? People make a living selling books and trinkets. Why does a church have to get involved? Making it convenient is not a credible answer. Don't you think the people above were trying to tell Jesus that? God mentions somewhere in the Bible, oh yes, the Ten Commandments, that so many of you cannot do without, that you should make NO image of Him. Crosses, fish, infinity symbols, statues, decals. Do I need to go on? Are you there to learn about God and worship, or to shop? Listen closely to the sermon, worship with honesty and focus, and keep doing that. Lastly continue to study the Bible daily, with the Holy Spirit leading, and you will be ahead in every way. Have a Grace Day!
Brother Glenn
This blog link: http://askgodsword.blogspot.com/
Complete New Testament Grace Studies link: http://gracehouseministry.blogspot.com/
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