There was an accident. A church was destroyed. The news reporters interviewed the pastor. “How do you feel that your church has been burnt down?” The pastor calmly said, “It is not the church that was burnt down; it was a building where the church (congregation) gather has been destroyed. The Church is the people of God living and working scattered in the city. Mostly, people think that the church is a place or building. The pastor knew that God indwells in and among His people, and a building cannot contain Him. The Bible teaches that the Church is the people of God.
Indwelling God: The Lord Jesus Christ knocks at the heart of a man and woman. Those who listen invite God, who will indwell in them. (Revelation 3:20) The God of Heaven and Earth indwell in the hearts and minds of those who repent and receive the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.
Temple of the Holy Spirit: Paul writes that the believers are the Temple of the Holy Spirit. (I Corinthians 3:16) When people hear the gospel, the Holy Spirit works in that person’s life to understand the gospel and receive the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior. No one could declare Jesus Christ as Lord and receive Him as Savior without the redeeming work of the Holy Spirit. (I Corinthians 12:3)
Two or three gathered: When two or three people are gathered in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, the living and risen Saviour is present in the midst. When two believers have one mind and ask of the Lord in prayer, God will grant such requests that are in alignment with the will and purpose of God. (Matthew 18:18-20) Christian gathering is not a ritual or tradition, but a dynamic and loving fellowship with God and one another. It is not a social gathering of like-minded people, but a gathering of saints who are growing in the likeness of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Do I realize that God indwells in me and my body is the Temple of the Holy Spirit?