The Most High does not live in houses made by men. (Acts 7:48 NIV)
Christianity has become a tremendous buildup of things which were
not at the beginning. The Christianity which we know today is a very complicated
thing. The hands of men have come upon the things of God, and men have tried to
build this great thing according to their own judgment. And so we have all the
confusion, all the divisions, and all the complications. It is really hard going
in Christianity. Christianity has become its own great hindrance.... You will go
about this country, you will go about this city, and you will see these great
religious buildings with a cross at the top. And when people enter those
buildings, they bow themselves; they look very reverent. And they think that
this is a sacred building. If you interfere with anything there, it is called
sacrilege. To God that is all nonsense. It does not mean anything at all. The
only thing that matters to God is not the wonderful building and all the
wonderful things inside the building, and not even the cross on the top. The one
thing that matters to God is whether He is there. Is God Himself present in this
place?
But what about ourselves, we hear Christians who come into a
meeting like this speaking about coming into the house of God. Perhaps they say
when they are going to this meeting place, "I am going to the house of God." And
when they pray, they say, "We are very glad to be in the house of God this
morning; it is a good thing to be in the Lord's house." What makes any place the
house of God? What makes this place sacred? If it is sacred at all, what makes
it sacred? It is not the building, this is not a sacred building. It is not a
congregation gathered here. The only thing that makes it sacred is that the Lord
is present. The Lord is not interested in our places or in our congregations; He
is only concerned that He may find a place for Himself where He may be present
in pleasure. I wonder where the tabernacle in the wilderness is now? I expect
it is buried somewhere deep under the earth. I wonder where the great temple of
Solomon is now?! I think you would be wasting your time to try and find it. You
see, God had buried those things.... Everything that is not of Christ is going to
be dissolved. Make no mistake. This whole structure of Christianity is going to
be tested according to Christ. Christianity is just going to be tested as to how
far it was the work of the Holy Spirit of God according to Christ.