The temple of the Holy Spirit – Part 3

Solomon erected a magnificent temple for God at Jerusalem after the Israelites came out of the land of Egypt. His father, King David, had wanted to build the great temple a generation earlier, as a permanent resting place for the Ark of the Covenant, but God did not allow him to do so, because he was a man of battles and have shed blood (I Chronicles 28:3). Far before that time in Exodus 25:8-15, God had called on Moses and instructed Moses to build a tabernacle for Him according to the pattern He had given to him. After Solomon had finished setting up the temple, he brought in the Ark of God into the temple, as the temple will not mean anything without the presence of God (1 Kings 8:1-30).

When you say you are a Christian, you have only one hope, the Bible calls it “the blessed hope”. Please, let it not be said that you set up a magnificent structure for the Lord, while you yourself is not the temple of the Holy Ghost. Please, resist everything, reject everything and cast out anything and everything that will stop you from being the temple of the Holy Spirit. David Baron, in his book “The Temple of God” had this to say, “Our Father could have built Himself a giant dwelling place in the sky, in the sight of the entire universe, adorned with more stones and jewels, diamonds and gold than this world contains, and made it extremely glorious, so that the eye could not behold the brightness of it. But instead, He chose to dwell within us.”

The greatest problem we have facing us today is the problem of iniquity – satanic hold in the lives of people. People come to church, they set up magnificent church buildings, they can sing and perform all ceremonies of religion, but the Holy Spirit does not dwell in them because they have defiled their bodies. What is important is who you are; and what is going on in your life. It is not about your post as General Overseer, Senior Pastor, Lead Pastor, etc. The important thing is: Are you a temple of the Holy Spirit or not? What is it? It is all about a life of holiness, a life that is removed from the evil that is in the world system and surrendered entirely to God. It is about a life that says I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live, yet not I but Christ Who is alive and at work in me (Galatians 2:20).

God wants to dwell in us, but we must purge ourselves of sins that had defiled our bodies, which are supposed to be the temple of the Holy Spirit. Paul asked the believers at Corinth: Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit? Like the saints at Corinth, who ought to have known this very important truth, many Christians today too often lose sight of the Holy Spirit that dwells within them. Paul said to them, “Therefore, beloved, since we have these promises, let us cleanse ourselves from everything that defiles body and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God” (2 Corinthians 7:1).

Be fully aware of your identity as God’s temple and seek to glorify God not just in your body, but also in your spirit, because they are the property of God.
Today’s Nugget: You are God’s Temple
Prayer: Lord, cleanse me from everything that defiles my body
Prayer lines: 08054477940.
E-mail: servantofgod111@yahoo.com
Rev. Pastor Ejikeme Ejim, General Superintendent, Assemblies of God Nigeria