The House of God

Paul goes to Athens and is invited to speak in the Areopagus, a council of philosophers.

“Then Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, ‘Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are very religious; for as I was passing through and considering the objects of your worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you: God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands. Nor is He worshiped with men's hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things. And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; for in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also His offspring.’” (Acts 17:22-28)

Paul says something curious to these philosophers who live in Greece, home to many temples to pagan “gods”. This is especially surprising to hear from a former Pharisee who worshipped God in the Temple in Jerusalem.

“God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands.” (Acts 17:24)

The word “dwell” means “to stay in permanently” or “to be housed in permanently”.

God made and oversees as its Owner all Creation; therefore, He cannot be contained in temples or anything else that mere mortals can make. God, in other words, is not dependent upon having to be present in one building anywhere.

Think about it. Why would God, Who is literally at all times EVERYWHERE, need to “live” in a building made by people when He spoke a word and EVERYTHING came into existence?

This is why it is ridiculous AND anti-Biblical to refer to some Christian building in which we gather to worship (and which remains empty 95% of the rest of the time) as “the House of God”. I don’t say things like this because it irks people who refer to building’s as God’s House. I say these things because we are conditioned to believe things that aren’t necessarily true just because we’re used to hearing them said.

We MUST learn to “take every thought captive to Jesus” (2 Corinthians 10:5-6) – IF we want to honor God and His Word properly. If that doesn’t matter to us, we can keep on practicing our traditions that do not coincide with God’s words or intentions.

Just out of curiosity, I did a phrase search on the term “House of God” in the Bible. It shows up in 84 verses, 78 of which are to be found in the Old Testament. Seventy-seven of those refer to either the Tabernacle or the Temple in Jerusalem. Three of the six references in the New Testament are uttered by Jesus (Matthew 12:4, Mark 2:26, Luke 6:4); ALL of these refer to the Temple.

Technically, though, the term “House of God” refers, not to the building, but to the “Family of God” who met in those two buildings – the Tabernacle and the Temple. Yes, the “House of God” was understood to be the PEOPLE of God.

The one Old Testament reference to the term “House of God” that does not refer to God’s people is found in Genesis 28:17.

“Now Jacob went out from Beersheba and went toward Haran. So he came to a certain place and stayed there all night, because the sun had set. And he took one of the stones of that place and put it at his head, and he lay down in that place to sleep. Then he dreamed, and behold, a ladder was set up on the earth, and its top reached to heaven; and there the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. And behold, the LORD stood above it and said: ‘I am the LORD God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and your descendants. Also your descendants shall be as the dust of the earth; you shall spread abroad to the west and the east, to the north and the south; and in you and in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed. Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you.’ Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, ‘Surely the LORD is in this place, and I did not know it.’ And he was afraid and said, ‘How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven!’” (Genesis 28:10-17)

“God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands.” (Acts 17:24)

Having said all that, it is also true to say that God DOES dwell in a different kind of “house” or “temple” now. I mentioned that three New Testament verses use the term “house of God” but that none of them refer to buildings “made with (human) hands”.

“but if I am delayed, I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.” (1 Timothy 3:15)

“and having a High Priest over the house of God (the Church - people)…” (Hebrews 10:21)

“For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God (the Church - people); and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God?” (1 Peter 4:17)

These “houses” really are the dwelling place of God on the earth. They are not buildings that remain stuck to the ground someplace…sometimes dozens and dozens or, even, hundreds in one geographical area. The houses of God are born again PEOPLE who bring Jesus wherever they might go.

They…WE…are the “House of God” for one functional reason: God is alive within our human spirits because of His salvation of us. Life lives inside us!

“But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.” (Romans 8:9)

“Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” (1 Corinthians 3:16)

“That good thing which was committed to you, keep by the Holy Spirit who dwells in us.” (2 Timothy 1:14)

“Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, ‘The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously’?” (James 4:5)

We are walking, talking Temples of God and we are not made with human hands.

“For every house is built by someone, but He who built all things is God. And Moses indeed was faithful

in all His house as a servant, for a testimony of those things which would be spoken afterward, but Christ as a Son over His own house, whose house we are if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm to the end.” (Hebrews 3:4-6)

This is significant. We carry Jesus into everything we do and experience.

“God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands. Nor is He worshiped with men's hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things.” (Acts 17:24-25)

Let’s think of all the times we have been guilted into worshipping God in a building built by man at an event orchestrated by man. Many of us have been told things like “You OWE God your worship” or “God needs your worship” in attempts to make people show up for worship events.

Meanwhile, the TRUTH is that GOD NEEDS NOTHING!!!

God does not need for us to worship Him. WE need to worship Him and not just through the activities listed in the “Order of Worship” brochures handed out most Sundays (although, those ARE good and beautiful to practice). Why not worship God with our lifestyles?

“Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.” (Romans 12:1 – NASB)

“Nor is He worshiped with men's hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things.” (Acts 17:25)

I have been intrigued with this statement: “Nor is He worshiped with men’s hands”. It bothered me because we do things with our hands as we worship Him. We clap; we lift holy hands; we clasp our hands in prayer. We do stuff with our hands, right?

I think Paul said this because worship of these other “gods” was nothing but a physical exercise - just something that happened on the earthly plane; whereas, true worship of God happens deep inside a person, from within the spirit and the soul and then pours out of the physical bodies in which He has us.

Real worship is an internal act first.

You know, many in the body of Christ seem to “worship” in physical ways only – sort of going through the motions. To be sure, many get a lot of spiritual fulfillment doing “physical” things and there is nothing wrong with that. The question is, is the source of our fulfillment coming from outside us because of the physical acts? Or does it emanate from deep within, where God lives in all Christians?

In much of our current church culture, a mere emotional experience is referred to as being “spiritual” because it affects us; but, I don't think that is what God means. The idea of “spirit” is a tangible thing. God is Spirit and we are placed by Him in an earthly world which is totally encompassed by the spiritual realm.

When this Spiritual being manifests through us or in a place we have an encounter with Him, THAT is a spiritual experience. Or when a demon confronts us or an angel appears - these are spiritual beings. When the Holy Spirit of God convicts someone, THAT is a spiritual experience. When we experience His joy, peace, love – all the fruit of the SPIRIT…flowing out of us, THAT is a spiritual experience.

When someone does something that plucks the strings of our hearts it could be a good thing...perhaps a VERY good thing; but, that doesn’t mean it is necessarily a spiritual experience. I might say a prayer from my flesh and it won’t be a spiritual experience because it came out of my FLESH; but, when God pours a prayer out of my spirit...THAT is a spiritual experience.

We’re in a process, we Christians, of ceasing to be mere human doings and really becoming live spiritual beings who live in physical human bodies temporarily.

“Nor is He worshiped with men's hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things.” (Acts 17:25)

The idea here is that God isn’t worshipped with men’s hands. The word translated as “hands” means “grasping”. The words for “worshiped with men’s hands” here has to do with the things people do to appease their gods.

Paul knew that the pagans were, in the name of worshiping them, really grasping at those gods. In other words, their approach to their gods was “gimme, gimme, gimme” – like beggars do when they are desperate. The sobering thing is that those “gods” grasped at them in the very same way…to consume them! Demons NEED to use people.

“When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none. Then he says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when he comes, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order. Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first. So shall it also be with this wicked generation.” (Matthew 12:43-45)

Demons NEED to use people so as to inhabit them with their influence. Our God doesn’t need us. He is self-sufficient. However, He DOES delight in us and He gives to us:

“Nor is He worshiped with men's hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things.” (Acts 17:24-25)

HE gives to us.

What does He give, according to Paul? He tells us that God gives “life, breath, and all things”. God gives “life” – eternal spiritual “zoe” life (when received).

He gives “breath”. One of God’s gifts is the ability to breathe air. When is the last time you thanked God for giving you air and the ability to breathe it?

Paul says God gives “all things”. A man once told me that God had never blessed him or given him anything. I asked him, “Did you have air to breathe today when you woke up? Did you have gravity?” He said, “Of course I did!” to which I replied, “God did that.”

And, to whom does God give these things? Paul says “to all”. God blesses people who love Him. He also blesses, with the basics of life and the offer of eternal life while they are physically alive, those who don’t know He exists, those who don’t believe in Him, those who mock Him, and those who hate Him.

God is real and God is good.

“The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness.” (Psalm 103:8)

He truly deserves our worship and respect.

Jesus speaking: “But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” (John 4:23-24) 

Let’s purpose to do this, wherever we are. Let’s stop minimizing our worship of God by confining it to buildings made with human hands.

Instead, let’s worship God wherever we are…all the time. He is eternal - so should be our worship.

Amen!

© January 6, 2025

Pastor Mike McInerney

Mike McInerney Ministries, Inc.

Decatur, Texas

(For use with permission)