Joh
2:16 And said unto them that sold doves, Take
these things hence; make not my Father's house an house of merchandise.
Jesus
saw that the merchants had turned the temple of God into a place of commerce.
He drove them out from the temple and said: “Make not my Father's house an
house of merchandise.”
What
is the house of God to you? Is it a house for worship and spiritual uplifting
or it is something else? Indeed, the church of God is not a building. The
church building is not important but saints assemble in a building to worship
God. Paul called it the house of God: “But if I tarry long, that thou mayest
know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the
church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth” (1 Timothy
3:15).
Each
member is a living stone and when all the stones come together, it forms the
house of God: “Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an
holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus
Christ” (1 Peter 2:5).
Note
Paul’s command in 1 Timothy 3:15: “that thou mayest know how thou oughtest
to behave thyself in the house of God.” It implies that there are certain
behaviours in the house of God which are right and others which are wrong.
What
constitute right behaviour in the church? They are those which are commanded by
God. They are those which are pleasing to God. They are those which conforms to
the purpose of the gathering. So, what is the right behaviour in the house of
God? It can be summarised in one word: Spiritual - “to offer up spiritual
sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 2:5). A worship is
acceptable only when it is offered in spirit and in truth (John 4:24). “In
spirit” refers to the attitude at worship and “in truth” refers to the manner
of worship.
Hence,
how can you make the Father’s house a house of merchandise? When it is not to
you a house of prayer (Matthew 21:13).
The
following are how some pervert the house of prayer:
1.
When it becomes a place to catch up with one another.
2.
When it becomes a place of entertainment.
3.
When it becomes a place for business contacts.
4.
When your presence is not for worship.
5.
When you are a spectator and not a worshipper.
When
we fail to worship God in spirit and in truth while we are in the house of God,
we have turned the Father’s house into something else.
Worship
is a serious and solemn act. It is not an act to be done to any man, not even
to angels, but only to God (Revelations 19:10). The word “worship” comes from
the Greek word “proskuneō” which means “to kiss, (like a dog licking his
master’s hand); to fawn or crouch to, that is, (literally or figuratively)
prostrate oneself in homage (do reverence to, adore); worship” (Strong’s
Definition, e-sword).
Solomon
warns: “Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God, and be more ready
to hear, than to give the sacrifice of fools: for they consider not that they
do evil” (Ecclesiastes 5:1).
There are sacrifices to be offered
unto God in his house, which are acceptable to Him. Peter calls it
“spiritual sacrifice” (1 Peter 2:5). Other kinds of “sacrifice” are sacrifice
of fools and are considered evil in the sight of God and they happen when men
turn the Father’s house into a house of merchandise. Mark 11:17 says: “My
house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? but ye have made it a
den of thieves.” Some versions translated it as “a den of robbers”.
One becomes a thief or a robber when he fails to worship God in spirit and in
truth because he is robbing God of the hour which is due to Him. That hour
belongs to God but he stole from Him and engages in doing something else.
What
were you doing when you were in the house of God?
Jimmy Lau
Psa
119:97 Oh how love I thy law! It is my meditation all the day.
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