The Messenger 5
Introduction
How the Gospel affects each of us personally is very much to the fore in chapter one and the first half of chapter two. But, as we have begun to see, the emphasis has shifted in the second half of chapter two from the personal to the corporate dimension of God’s purpose for the Church. Gentile believers and Jewish believers have been brought together in Christ through the cross, both ‘having access to the Father by one Spirit’ (v 18). Out of the two God is building His Church.
Holding in tension both the personal and the corporate dimensions of salvation is essential for a balanced and truly biblical expression of the Gospel. Emphasising only the personal dimensions of its message diminishes and undermines the purpose of the Gospel. It portrays the Gospel as something that serves our personal interests only and not God’s.
Yes, we need always to hold on to that great truth that God loves the individual and has a unique plan for each of us. It is out of that great love for us even while we were sinners that the Father has reached out to us in Jesus to address the deepest needs within the human soul. But it is also the purpose of the Father to take us on a journey of faith into the broader dimensions of His plan for the Church. This, too, is an expression of His infinite love for He is inviting us to become an integral part of what He is building. And what He is building is not made from bricks and mortar but, as Peter reminds us, from living stones – men and women who are in Christ, in union with Christ, and who are filled with the Holy Spirit.
God is building a house
Paul uses three fascinating images to express what God is building. In verses 19-22 he speaks of it as God’s household (v 19), as a holy temple in the Lord (v 21) and as a dwelling in which God lives by His Spirit (v 22). It is clear that in each of those expressions of what He is building, God is not only the builder but also the architect with believers as the living stones out of which the building is being put together
Think about those images for a moment. What do they have in common? What thoughts does God want to convey in those images?
The presence of God and unity among believers are two thoughts that stand out. Let’s spend a while reflecting on that because it is going to impact on how we meet for worship, where we meet for worship and our attitude to other believers who meet separately from us.
Special buildings dedicated to worship have long played a role in Christianity, some extremely elaborate in their design. The world, unbelievers among them, may admire beautiful places of worship – cathedrals. temples and churches. Some of these beautiful buildings have stood for centuries. People may marvel at their architecture, at their intricacy and aesthetic beauty. It requires no faith on their part to do so. But however aesthetically pleasing the building may be to the human eye God, as the martyr Stephen reminds us in the Book of Acts, does not dwell in buildings made by human hands:
“The Most High does not live in houses made by human hands. As the prophet says: ‘Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. What kind of house will you build for me?’” says the Lord (Acts 7:48-49).
I am not suggesting that church buildings are wrong or that we abandon them because of what Stephen’s words bring to our attention. What I do want to emphasise, however, is that it is not the building but the presence of the Lord that defines the real place of worship. Beautiful buildings are no guarantee of the presence of God. It is what God is doing in the hearts of the people who gather there that ensures His presence. Without that presence even the most beautiful of church buildings loses its meaning and purpose and becomes as lifeless as a mausoleum.
To bring this point home I want to refer to something that took place in the beginning of the 20th century at a singularly insignificant building in Azusa Street, Los Angeles, California.
“The group from Bonnie Brae Street eventually discovered an available building at 312 Azusa Street in downtown Los Angeles, which had originally been constructed as an African Methodist Episcopal Church in what was then a black ghetto part of town. The rent was $8.00 per month. A newspaper referred to the downtown Los Angeles building as a ‘tumble down shack’. Since the church had moved out, the building had served as a wholesale house, a warehouse, a lumberyard, stockyards, a tombstone shop, and had most recently been used as a stable with rooms for rent upstairs. It was a small, rectangular, flat-roofed building, approximately 60 feet (18 m) long and 40 feet (12 m) wide, totalling 2,400 square feet (220 m2), sided with weathered whitewashed clapboards. The only sign that it had once been a house of God was a single Gothic-style window over the main entrance.
“Discarded lumber and plaster littered the large, barn-like room on the ground floor. Nonetheless, it was secured and cleaned in preparation for services. They held their first meeting on April 14, 1906. Church services were held on the first floor where the benches were placed in a rectangular pattern. Some of the benches were simply planks put on top of empty nail kegs. There was no elevated platform, as the ceiling was only eight feet high. Initially there was no pulpit. Frank Bartleman, an early participant in the revival, recalled that ‘Brother Seymour generally sat behind two empty shoe boxes, one on top of the other. He usually kept his head inside the top one during the meeting, in prayer. There was no pride there…. In that old building, with its low rafters and bare floors…’
“By mid-May 1906, anywhere from 300 to 1,500 people would attempt to fit into the building. Since horses had very recently been the residents of the building, flies constantly bothered the attendees. People from a diversity of backgrounds came together to worship: men, women, children, black, white, Hispanic, Asian, rich, poor, illiterate, and educated. People of all ages flocked to Los Angeles with both scepticism and a desire to participate. The intermingling of races and the group’s encouragement of women in leadership was remarkable, as 1906 was the height of the ‘Jim Crow’ era of racial segregation, and fourteen years prior to women receiving suffrage in the United States.
“Worship at 312 Azusa Street was frequent and spontaneous with services going almost around the clock. Among those attracted to the revival were not only members of the Holiness Movement, but also Baptists, Mennonites, Quakers, and Presbyterians. An observer at one of the services wrote these words: No instruments of music are used. None are needed. No choir- the angels have been heard by some in the spirit. No collections are taken. No bills have been posted to advertise the meetings. No church organization is back of it. All who are in touch with God realise as soon as they enter the meetings that the Holy Ghost is the leader” (Taken from an article in Wikipedia).
What took place at Azusa Street was an exceptional event and is certainly not something we can imitate although some people try. The point I am making, however, is that it is not where we meet but how we meet and whether God presence is there that defines what God is building. Things happen when God is manifestly present amongst His people. People get convicted of sin, lives change, healings take place, the captives are set free and people worship freely.
“And in Him (Jesus) you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by His Spirit.”
In our next reflection we shall be looking at how God is able to take a disparate group of people and bring about an amazing unity as He fits the living stones together.
If you have a question or a comment about this series please feel free to write to me, Brian, at
Click on next page to continue