THE CHURCH IN A CONTEMPORARY SOCIETY (12)

Guiding Our Godly Heritage Jealously.

"What!" they exclaimed. "It has taken forty-six years to build this Temple, and you can rebuild it in three days?" - John 2:20.

The Jews wouldn't tolerate anyone speaking against their Temple, which was a symbol of their pride and resilience. It took them a whopping forty-six years to build it, and according to Jewish traditions, speaking against the Temple was punishable by death. "The lying witnesses said, 'This man is always speaking against the holy Temple and against the law of Moses. We have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy the Temple and change the customs Moses handed down to us.'" - Acts 6:13-14.

Why did they hold their Temple in such high regard?

1. It took them forty-six years of consistent labor to build.

2. They didn't allow foreigners (non-Jews or Greeks) to have a part in the building.

While there are scattered instances of non-Jews who loved the Jews and contributed to building the Temple, the truth is that they held the Temple of the living God in such high esteem that they didn't want foreigners or unbelievers involved in its construction.

Consider this example: "The enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that the exiles were rebuilding a Temple to the LORD, the God of Israel. So they approached Zerubbabel and the other leaders and said, 'Let us build with you, for we worship your God just as you do. We have sacrificed to him ever since King Esarhaddon of Assyria brought us here.' But Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the other leaders of Israel replied, 'You may have no part in this work. We alone will build the Temple for the LORD, the God of Israel, just as King Cyrus of Persia commanded us.'" - Ezra 4:1-3.

These men understood the sanctity of the holy place. They knew that when it was God's project, relying on human strength for divine work was inappropriate. They could have encouraged people and nations around them to participate in building the Temple of the God of all nations, but they were determined not to be dragged into the prosperity of those who had forgotten God's bountiful provision.

Today, the story is different. If we remove the contributions of "Alhajis" and "Alhajas" (Islamic titles) to our church projects, some churches would crumble and face extinction. I know of a Christian denomination where the name of an "Alhaji" is inscribed on one of the million-naira beams that support the church structure.

Today, we often go to great lengths, borrowing and pleading with our wealthy but unconverted friends to fund our church buildings. We send out urgent appeals for financial assistance to construct God's temple. We build multi-million-dollar mansions for personal use without sending out similar appeals. But when it comes to building a simple place of worship, we turn into beggars seeking help from people who may not understand or support our Christian cause. We condemn our friends for their ungodly actions, yet we accept their contributions to the construction of God's temple. It's a glaring hypocrisy.

I suspect that soon, agnostic and atheistic friends will rent our temple (to which they have contributed) for their social events. Some churches are nearing their end earlier than anticipated by the Savior.

And what am I even saying? Aren't there churches today being rented out as event centers for public use? I've attended a prominent seminary where the sports arena and hall were opened for public events in exchange for money. After these events, seminarians would clean up the aftermath, picking up the broken glass from alcoholic drinks scattered everywhere. Secular singers have been invited into the seminary to perform for their worldly supporters. The very purpose for which we were being trained was undermined right before our eyes. Those who should be igniting our thirst for revival were offering us bitter water to drink.

We openly criticize evil acts and those who practice them from our pulpits, but we secretly desire to have what they have and slyly seek their psychological and financial support.

When the church seeks professional advice from secular sources for church growth and financial stability, it's essentially saying, "The wisdom from above is not enough."

When the church promotes secular authors from the pulpit, it's subtly conveying, "Biblical lessons and testimonies aren't sufficient to address life's challenges."

We are facing challenging times as Christians. Unless we watch and pray carefully, worldly events and activities may soon overshadow us. The eventual consequence may be that we start questioning, "Where is the promise of his coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation." - 2 Peter 3:4.

Stay vigilant, my friends. Guard your hearts jealously, for out of them flow the issues of life.

Peter Abdul-Razaq, OLAYINKA, a serving missionary with: Living Grace Christian Missions, Ilara.

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