Church?

[Acts 7:44-50]

The article from the Korean-American Gospel Newspaper (June 11, 2006) titled ‘Alternative Churches: Home Churches Without Pastors, Choosing Worship Freely, Trend of Increase’ describes that in the 21st century, global churches can be divided into seven categories: (1) Mega-Churches: These are churches with over 2,000 attendees at Sunday worship services. Mega-churches are characterized by diverse auxiliary activities, including operating shops, hosting paid seminars, and running recreational facilities, which serve as significant sources of revenue. Hiring experts with MBA backgrounds to create various business opportunities is considered standard practice. (2) Meta-Churches: The term "meta" here signifies change. Meta-churches refer to churches in transition or turning, indicating that churches of the future are inevitably bound to change. Pastors of meta-churches need to possess a fundamental spirituality while understanding the structural renewal of churches that can adapt to future society. Meta-churches seek change while maintaining the quality of the church based on spiritual functions. (3) Television, Radio, and Internet Churches: These churches conduct worship services through TV, radio, or the internet rather than in physical church buildings. (4) Wal-Mart Churches, (5) Traditional Churches, (6) New Churches Pursuing Differentiation, (7) House Churches.

According to research conducted by Barna Research, which has been studying the attitudes and behaviors of American adults towards religion for the past 25 years, over 20 million Americans have opted for alternative ways of worship instead of attending traditional church services since the year 2000. These alternatives include house churches, workplace ministries, and worship through computers. The appeal of these alternatives lies in people's desire to deepen their relationship with God and others, as well as the freedom to schedule worship in a way that suits them, rather than being bound to attending church on Sundays. The author of the article evaluates this movement by stating: ‘In the age where human-centered thinking, judgment, and convenience prevail, it is important to discern whether the worship conducted freely without a pastor on chosen days is 'God-centered' or 'human-centered'. The rapidly spreading house church movement appears to be a factor hindering the growth of traditional churches (Internet).

So, what kind of church should our church aim to be? Based on Acts 7:44-50, I would like to draw three lessons on what kind of church our church should strive to be. Therefore, I hope and pray that our church becomes even more rooted in the teachings of the Bible.

First, the church is the tabernacle of testimony.

Look at Acts 7:44 - "Our ancestors had the tabernacle of the covenant law with them in the wilderness. It had been made as God directed Moses, according to the pattern he had seen." Why does Stephen mention the tabernacle of testimony in his speech? He is addressing those who are persecuting him, emphasizing that the Israelites did not commit the sin of idolatry by worshiping the "Molten Calf" at the "Tabernacle of Moloch" because there was no tabernacle of God during the exodus (v. 43). So, what is the tabernacle of testimony? It is the altar where the Ark of the Covenant, the core of worship, was placed. The tabernacle of testimony is often known as the "tent of meeting." It was where God's presence was visible to the Israelites. Built by Moses according to God's instructions (v. 44), this tabernacle was carried with them until they entered the Promised Land of Canaan and even up to the time of King David (v. 45). Therefore, this tent, this tabernacle, bore witness to God dwelling with His people, the Israelites.

How can the fact that the church is the tabernacle of testimony be applied to our church?

The fact that the tabernacle of testimony is the central place of worship teaches us that our church should prioritize worshiping God with genuine and spiritual worship.

Look at John 4:23 - "Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks."

The fact that the tabernacle of testimony is the place of revelation teaches us that our church should become a church of blessing.

We can know this from Matthew 16:16-17. When Jesus asked His disciples, "Who do you say I am?" Simon Peter confessed, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God." At that moment, Jesus responded, "...Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven" (v. 17). Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Blessed are you." He revealed that Jesus is the Lord, the Christ, the living Son of God. True blessedness is the confession of faith that acknowledges who Jesus truly is, revealed by God the Father.

The statement that our church becomes the tabernacle of testimony teaches us that the church should testify to Jesus Christ.

In other words, our church should live a faith life of genuine confession, understanding who Jesus is through God's revelation. The church should bear witness to who Jesus is through our lives. When the church does this, it truly becomes a church.

Second, the church is the dwelling place of God.

Look at Acts 7:46 - "David found favor in God's sight and asked that he might provide a dwelling place for the God of Jacob." Stephen clearly states that the house David intended to build was not for God, but for the house of Jacob (v. 46). The emphasis that the temple was not for God but for the house of Jacob rejects the false notion that religious leaders sought to confine God to the Jerusalem temple and control Him according to their desires (Yoo). The Jewish religious leaders seemed to have worshiped the Jerusalem temple as if it were God. They committed the foolish sin of trying to confine God within the Jerusalem temple.

The dwelling place of God is what God established to dwell among the Israelites (Exod. 25:8). Look at Exodus 25:8 - "Then have them make a sanctuary for me, and I will dwell among them." Therefore, the Israelites were to worship God, serve Him faithfully, and express their dedication towards Him with humility in His dwelling place. However, they secularized the sanctuary, treating it as more important than God Himself. They seemed to value the temple building more than the presence of God, much like churches in today's age sometimes prioritize the church building over the congregants. A church cannot be considered a true church unless it can testify to the fact that God dwells with them. The church must manifest the evidence that God dwells with them. How can our church testify to the fact that God dwells with us?

We can testify to the fact that God dwells with us through worship.

Look at 1 Corinthians 14:25 - "As they fall down and worship God, exclaiming, 'God is really among you!'" When the Corinthian church experienced the presence of God during worship, even unbelievers exclaimed, "God is really among you!" We must testify through worship that God dwells among our community.

Through a life of obedience to the Word, each of us individually can testify to the fact that God is with us.

In other words, when we live by faith in Immanuel, we can testify to the fact that God dwells with us. Look at Matthew 1:23 - "The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel" (which means "God with us").

Through prayer, we can testify to the fact that God dwells with us.

Look at Deuteronomy 4:7 - "What other nation is so great as to have their gods near them the way the Lord our God is near us whenever we pray to him?"

Third and last, the church is a place of rest.

Look at Acts 7:49 - "’Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. What kind of house will you build for me?’ says the Lord. ‘Or where will my resting place be?'" Stephen is attacking the false ideas and attitudes of the members of the Sanhedrin who are listening to his defense. He rebukes their attitude of idolizing the Jerusalem temple. Professor Sang Seop Yoo states: ‘Stephen did not reject the temple itself, but rather he rejected the misuse and idolization of the temple by the people. The problem lies not in the temple itself, but in their attitude towards the temple (the idolization of the temple)’ (Yoo). Can a temple made by human hands contain the God who created the entire universe? The answer to that question is "no," as Acts 17:24 states: "The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands." Solomon already knew this truth (1 Kgs. 8:27), and Isaiah the prophet was even more explicit about it (Isa. 66:1-2).

How can the concept of the church as a place of rest be applied to our church? In other words, what must we do for the church of our Lord to become a resting place for God? The answer can be found in Psalms 132:7-9: "Let us go to his dwelling place; let us worship at his footstool— arise, Lord, and come to your resting place, you and the ark of your might. May your priests be clothed with your righteousness; may your faithful people sing for joy."

We must offer right worship to God.

When we offer right worship in His temple, God comes to rest in His dwelling place.

We must live a righteous life before God.

Those who offer right worship have the responsibility to live a life of right worship. We must live a righteous life in an unrighteous world. In doing so, God comes to rest in His place of rest.

In 1 Corinthians 4:16, when Apostle Paul speaks of the church, what is he referring to? He is directly referring to us, our church: "Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you?" The Bible clearly states that you and I are God's temple. Furthermore, it emphatically states that the Holy Spirit dwells within us. So, the question arises: what kind of church should we be? Look at 1 Corinthians 4:17 - "If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. For God's temple is holy, and you are that temple." Consider 1 Corinthians 6:19-20: "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, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body."

Serving the church established by the Lord,

James Kim

(Dreaming of a church that reflects its true nature)