Why Your Church Is Not a “House of Prayer”
Why Your Church Is Not a “House of Prayer”
Have you ever heard someone refer to a church building as a “house of prayer”? Or maybe that’s what you call the place where you go to worship with other Christians.
The idea of a place of worship being called a “house of prayer” is taken straight out of the Bible, from the passages in which Jesus drove the money lenders out of the temple, referencing God’s words that had long-before been spoken through the prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 56:6-7):
And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you make it a den of robbers.” - Matthew 21:12-13 (ESV)
Now, you and I can read this passage, with our heart’s earnest desire being to honor God, but if we’re not careful, we can put it into our own context without fully considering or understanding what that context should be. Our line of thinking might go something like this:
In Jesus day, people went to the temple in Jerusalem to worship God, and He referred to the temple as “God’s house.” And nowadays, we worship God in our churches all over the world, and we call these churches “God’s house.” So, if the temple was supposed to be a “house of prayer,” then that means our churches should be “houses of prayer” as well.
But there’s a problem with this line of thinking. It ignores a significant change that took place between the time when Jesus stood inside the temple and declared, “My house shall be called a house of prayer,” and the time in which we find ourselves today — and I’m not just talking about the fact that the temple was ultimately destroyed (Mark 13:1-2).
Where on earth does God Dwell?
At the time when Jesus proclaimed, “My house shall be called a house of prayer,” where on earth would God’s people go to be in His presence? They’d go to the temple, because at that point in history, the temple was God’s earthly dwelling place.
But where does God’s presence dwell on earth today? See, this is the question we have to ask ourselves in order to understand how Jesus’ declaration that God’s house should be a house of prayer applies to us today.
The Bible tells us that, as Jesus was finishing His earthly ministry, before He returned to His Father’s side, He made this promise to His followers:
“If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.” - Jesus (John 14:15-17, ESV)
Then, right before Jesus ascended into heaven, He reminded His disciples of the promise that He had made (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4-5).
And finally, in Acts 2, we see that Jesus’ promise was fulfilled; and through the fulfillment of Jesus’ promise, His Church was born. And what was the fulfillment of His promise? The Spirit of God came to dwell inside of each one of God’s children from that day forward — which includes you and me today!
So where does the presence of God dwell here on earth today? Because wherever God dwells — that’s His house!
The Apostle Paul made no bones about answering this question for us, once and for all, in His letter to the church at Corinth:
Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you? - 1 Corinthians 3:16 (ESV)
Paul made it very clear that our God no longer dwells inside buildings or structures made with humans hands. Instead, God delights to dwell inside of us! We — you, me, and every other person who has received the good news of Jesus for themselves — is a living, breathing, walking, talking “house of God.”
God’s house is not your church building.
God’s house is not the place where you can go to worship Him.
God’s house is every person who worships Him.
Here’s the thing, though: I think most of us already know this. So why am I making such a big deal about it? Why does it matter so much that we’re careful where or what — or whom — we’re calling “God’s house”? Because if it’s just semantics, then who really cares?
But oh, this matters so much! Because when we say something or hear it said too often, even if we know it’s technically not the right wording, we start to associate meaning to what’s being said.
Realizing where God lives can change the way we pray
When we casually refer to our church buildings as “the house of God,” over time, we begin to think (subconsciously, if not consciously) that church is the place we need to go in order to experience God’s presence, because church is the place where God lives.
We start to believe that our sanctuaries are holy ground — designated prayer zones — the primary places where we should be gathering to cry out to our Heavenly Father, because “God’s house is supposed to be a house of prayer.”
But nowadays, where are you and I supposed to go to pray, according to the Bible?
That’s a trick question, because the answer is that we don’t have to go anywhere.
If we look to Jesus’ example and listen to His teaching, our prayers should predominantly be taking place in private (Mark 1:35; Matthew 6:6). It’s interesting that most of the times when we’re told that Jesus went somewhere to pray, it wasn’t to the temple; it was to the wilderness, alone. While there’s nothing wrong with praying inside a church building, there’s also nothing extra spiritual or extra powerful about it.
In the Old Testament, the Spirit of God made His dwelling place on earth to be the tabernacle, or later, the temple. But when Jesus finished the work He came to do, reconciling to God anyone who would believe on Him, everything changed. The veil that once kept mankind separated from God’s presence was torn (Luke 23:44-45; Hebrews 10:19-22)!
So where does God live today? Does He live within the four walls of a building?
No! Because of Jesus, God now indwells His people!
His house is still supposed to be a house of prayer; but when we say that His house is a house of prayer, we’re actually talking about us, now! You and me. And this new housing arrangement is perfectly designed to enable us to enjoy constant communion with God, our Heavenly Father.
As “houses of prayer,” we can experience God’s presence in a room full of other Christians, in a room full of unbelievers, or even when no one else is around.
We can experience God’s presence at the beach or in the mountains, while enjoying the beauty of nature or while taking advantage of the air conditioning inside of our homes.
We can experience God’s presence while touring Biltmore House or while living on Skid Row.
We can experience God’s presence at birthday parties, graduations, weddings, baby showers, and anniversary celebrations. We can also experience God’s presence while confined to a hospital bed, while locked inside a prison cell, while chained to a desk between the hours of 9 to 5, while shopping for groceries and doing endless piles of laundry, or while solitarily trying to comfort a colicky baby for days on end.
And here’s a crazy-but-true one: we can experience the presence of the one true God while standing inside of a temple built as a place of worship for a false god.
Sure, experiencing God’s presence can happen inside of a church building… but the point is, it can happen anywhere, anytime, in any circumstances. God’s presence is always with us, but we experience His presence by engaging with His presence. And we do this through prayer.
I think this is why the Apostle Paul encouraged Christians to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). It’s this idea that, our prayers don’t need to start with a, “Dear God…,” or to end with an, “Amen.” Instead, our praying should be an ongoing, never-ending interaction with God that permeates every part of our life.
Have a problem? You can tell God about it and and ask Him for wisdom. Ask Him if it’s even your job to solve it, or if you should simply entrust it to Him.
In awe of the beauty of your surroundings? You can praise God, the One who created it all!
Overwhelmed by the pain and suffering people are experiencing around you? You can cry out to God, and let Him move you with compassion to be the hands and feet of Jesus in your community.
Upset over something that someone else did or said? You can ask God for the grace to forgive them, and let Him lead you in how you should respond.
In a situation where you’re not sure what to do next, or in the middle of a conversation with someone where you’re not sure what to say? You can take time to ask God for wisdom, and like Jesus, you can choose to only do or say what He leads you to do or say (John 5:19; John 12:49).
Feeling grateful for someone whom God has placed in your life? You can give thanks to Him!
Struggling to be okay with your circumstances? You can pour your heart out to God, and ask Him to help you see His good hand in everything He’s given you and everything He’s allowed to happen in your life.
When you and I talk to God, and listen for God, all throughout our days, it changes the way we live our lives. It causes us to live as if Jesus is right there in the room with us.
God’s not confined to a building. We bring Him with us into every space we enter. The question is, does our prayer-life reflect that we know that this is true.
You and I are living, breathing, walking, talking houses of prayer, which means every place where we step foot is holy ground — the place where we can commune with God.
We don’t have to go to the temple, anymore, to enter into God’s presence.
We don’t have to step foot inside a church building for that to happen either (though there are still plenty of good reasons why we should gather together with other Christians as part of the Church).
God’s presence is always with us; and if we want to experience His presence in our lives wherever we are, all we have to do is pray.
Want to read more articles like this one? Subscribe today for free, and you’ll get blog posts and updates sent straight to your inbox, so you’ll never miss a thing!