Passion for the House

Tuesday, November 03, 2009
Luke 19:45-48

Jesus came into the temple, and His anger got the best of Him. He over turned the tables and drove out all who were selling there. This would be my picture of passion. Jesus had a passion for the temple of God. So much so that the chief priests, the scribes, who were the leaders of the temple and also other leaders sought to destroy Him. This overwhelming passion for the house of God was not seen very commonly in the temple during those days.

What is passion for the house of God? To have passion for the house of God is to have a certain ownership over the house of God. It is your Father’s house and you ought to take good care of it along with all the leaders of the church. The church does not belong to the pastor but to you as a child of God.

If all the members of the church would have a passion for God’s house, the church would grow in leaps and bounds. The walkways would be clean, the toilets always clean, the sound systems maintained, rubbish is always cleaned. People would be welcomed, joy would be in the house, love would flourish among the people and needs would be met.

Tithes and offerings are so important to maintain the house of God. But above that, we have a building fund where money is allocated to build the house of God into a bigger and more conducive environment. To have the passion of God is to be able to sacrifice in terms of cash, time and commitment toward the house of God. We would appreciate the building fund as an opportunity to give rather than just another time to give.

Why is all the technical so important? Why is having everything just perfect so important in the house of God? Why did Jesus not allow the people to buy and sell in the house of God? Other than the house of God being a holy sanctuary, there is a more important reason why the house of God needs to be just right. It is because lives are involved here. The house of God is the determining factor whether an unbeliever or a new believer would come to know the Lord in all His glory in the church.

If the walkways were not swept or the toilets are not cleaned right, even if the ushers are not welcoming, distractions are there and if the unbeliever is distracted by these minute details, we may have failed to have that unbeliever focus on God and a life and soul may be lost.

One pressing problem that I see most common in church is when people walk in and out of church as they want to. I have a passion for the house of God and when I see this happening, I get frustrated. Here someone’s life may be on the line and when you walk out of the church and they see you, they get distracted form the Word. They start to think, “I wonder where they are going?” or even worst, “If they can do that then so can I.” Worst still if this happens during an altar call.

I can’t mention enough the importance of excellence in the house of God. Every single detail counts because God is dealing with lives in this holy place. Every small rubbish I see on the floor, I pick up. Every single chair I see shifted, I move it back into place. Everything I hear or see distracting, I tell my pastor or even better if I can solve it myself. If the rubbish is not taken out, I take it out. I don’t need to be a leader to do this. I know the weight of what I am doing in keeping the house of God excellent even if it means that one life will come to know our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.