Reforming Church | Temple

About this series: In some senses nothing has changed - the church is still the church, with the same values, the same vision and the same people. Yet, so much has changed - we are now onsite and online, people are still going through a historic event and church life will never be quite the same again. A series on the church is therefore very timely and will hopefully remind people of the unchangeable nature of the church as well as envisioning people for what has changed. We’re framing this series of Sunday talks around eight terms used in the New Testament to describe the church - people, family, community, temple, unity, body, disciples, witnesses. These are the words the New Testament uses to describe the Spirit-empowered people of God and these are key elements for how we want to build Citygate. About this talk: Scripture: Ephesians 2:19-22 The tabernacle/temple was the place where God manifested his presence and met with mankind through sacrifice. Jesus then said that he was the new temple where God and man meet through his sacrifice (John 2:18-22). The church, and each believer, is now the dwelling place of God, declaring his sacrifice for sin, making him known to the world and enjoying life together in his presence. This is both a privilege - God with/in us - and a responsibility - the holy God himself dwells with us and therefore our conduct should reflect this. Our life of worship has both corporate and personal aspects, the personal side having become all the more important during this time when we are unable to praise God in song together. Creative ways to still declare God’s praise need to be found.