This past week, I had a call from a woman desiring to be married in our building.  I asked where she went to church.  She said that she didn't.  I said that I took marriage seriously, and would not consider it unless I could talk with the two of them first.  As she worked days, I said that they could come, look at the building and meet with me after Bible study on Wednesday.  As I came out to offer the invitation, I saw the couple in the foyer.  We ran 5 minutes or so over, and by the time we had closing prayer, the couple was gone.  It's Thursday, now and I haven't heard from them, but I guess they might still call.

I wonder why they left.  I wonder if they just didn't like the building.  But most of all, I wonder why people who don't care about Christ and His church the rest of their lives, suddenly find it important to be married in a building where Christians meet.  It seems like a simple case of hypocrisy.  However, I don't believe that it is necessarily as simple as that.  I believe that the problem might be more correctly described as paganism.

The pagan view of their gods was that they lived in the temples and high places where they were worshipped.  Many have that view even today.  Thinking that they know and understand God, their ignorance is shown in believing that the place where God is worshipped is more holy than any other place.  By confining God in a building, they don't have to think about God when they are outside of the building.  Even the temple of God when it was completed was spoken of by Solomon thusly; "But will God indeed dwell on the earth? behold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house that I have builded?"  (1 Kings 8: 27)  God is not confined in a building or anywhere else.

Sometimes this same sentiment enters the church.  How often have we heard a building referred to as the "House of God?"  We all take the building seriously.  We are very careful to behave reverently and exhibit a great degree of holiness when it comes to our behavior within the building.  Some congregations even make rules that prohibit any activity within the building that is not consistent with New Testament worship.  (i.e. instrumental music at weddings and funerals)  It is the right of each congregation to make those rules if they choose to do so.  However, it is not the right of any man or any congregation to confine God to the building.  Try as they may, God is not confined.

I don't believe that it is wrong that we are careful to be reverent and holy while we are in the building for worship or any other purpose.  While God is not confined to the building, that is not to say that He is not present.  I don't take issue with holiness and reverence within the building.  I take issue with not having holiness and reverence when we leave.  If God is not confined to the building, then neither should our holiness and reverence be confined.  If we confine our holiness to the building, I believe that by that very action we are trying to confine God there as well.  The bottom line is that if we want God in our lives, we have to let him out of the building.

Acts 7
⁴⁹   Heaven is my throne, and earth is my footstool: what house will ye build me? saith the Lord: or what is the place of my rest?
⁵⁰   Hath not my hand made all these things?