Is The Church Ready Now For Christ's Return? - Christian Perspectives

With a sound of the trumpet, Jesus could return on any given day. A question we must ask ourselves is this, is the church ready for Christ’s return? If asking a Christian their opinion of the church, what do you think they would base their answer on?

I think many people would give their opinion of the local church they attend. The church, however, is much broader than that. But, it’s also much narrower than that as well. We’ll see what I am talking about as we read our verse for today.

Don’t you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you? 1 Corinthians 3:16

This verse has two parts to it. The first part is all of us together make up the temple of God. We are built on a foundation, set with the Cornerstone. We aren’t talking about brick and mortar. This is a spiritual temple.

Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself. We are carefully joined together in him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord. Ephesians 2:20-21

In a building made with stones, someone could remove a stone without affecting the building. The sentiment would be, it was just one stone. In the temple of God, every stone is important.

Why? Because we, each of us are those stones. Peter told us in his first epistle that were are living stones.

And you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple. What’s more, you are his holy priests. Through the mediation of Jesus Christ, you offer spiritual sacrifices that please God. 1 Peter 2:5

You Are The Temple Of God

So we are built together as God’s holy temple, but the second part of our verse for today says this. And that the Spirit of God lives in you?

You might be saying, ok, I get it. But, maybe you didn’t know that you’re not only a part of the temple, but you are also the temple. Paul told us this in 1 Corinthians 6.

Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

Back in chapter 3, Paul continued his thought with us being the temple in the following verse.

God will destroy anyone who destroys this temple. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple. 1 Corinthians 3:17

It's Important To Know How Sinful We Are

No one is going to destroy the temple which is made up of every Christian. Because it is built on an immovable foundation. Satan has been trying to destroy it since its beginning. So this verse is talking about individuals.

In 1 Corinthians 6, Paul gave a discourse on sexual sins. Then just before he said that our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit, he said this.

Run from sexual sin! No other sin so clearly affects the body as this one does. For sexual immorality is a sin against your own body. 1 Corinthians 6:18

Holy And Acceptable

To end this devotion though, let’s talk about what we should run towards. When Paul wrote to the Romans he told us what is acceptable to God.

And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Romans 12:1