We had a powerful service of music, teaching, prayer and communion on Sunday morning. We recieved three more attenders from the neighbourhood into church membership. God is growing his church here in quality and quantity.
Sorry for the delay on Monday’s message posting. Some of what I was trying to share on Sunday about God’s home is below…
Where does God live? Where is his home? Where does he dwell and abide?
Many say, “I don’t enter a church building on Sunday morning because God is equally or more present in High Park or on the Lakeshore Boardwalk”.
Many say also, “I enter a church building on Sunday morning because I want to be in God’s presence, in the house of the Lord”.
Both those statements are sort of accurate, but they are both missing the full Gospel understanding of God’s home and presence.
God does not fully live in religious property, or secular parks, but he lives in two places right now.
God lives in 1) immaterial heaven and 2) material Christian people. (They will be united in future)
The Christian Gospel in the New Testament of the Bible teaches that, right now, God dwells in Christians by the Holy Spirit.
He lives in Christian people, not in Christian properties. He is resident in physical people, not in physical buildings.
The point that God lives in his people, not in their property is crucially important because it lends so much dignity for service and so much relief to burdens of buildings.
The Apostle Peter explains in writing that the divine dignity to display God that was formerly bestowed upon Old Covenant, Temple religion is now resident inside believers in Jesus until he returns physically. He says that now, we are God’s new spiritual house through faith in Jesus Christ.
1 Peter 2:4-5, 9-10, 11-12 (ESV):
4As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him—5you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
9But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you maydeclare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 10Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
11Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. 12Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.
Precious Christians – Be conscious that you are the local, manifested presence of God by fact of the Holy Spirit within you.
Wow. Amazing. What digified power and identity for our service to Heavenly King and secular country.
All through church history some of the best Christian’s had no home and no building, just the precious Scriptures, the Spirit of God and each other.
The movement of Jesus Christ is spirit-filled people manifesting his presence through gospel transformed lives that express mercy, justice, faith, works and even care for enemy as much as neighbour (1 Peter 2:12, etc).
Our suspicious and skeptical Parkdale-High Park-Roncesvalles neighbours will experience the manifested presence of God as members of local churches like ours declare his praise through word and deed, mercy and justice, love and hope, faith and works.
I am an imperfect display, but he is committed to improving my shine for him! 
We need no building to be a church presence. We need only his Spirit through faith.
The mobile mission of the church is not to preserve a club house, but create disciples by baptizing and teaching. (Matthew 28)
It is a relief to know that God’s presence is not conditional on physical structures, but upon faith in Jesus Christ.
It is a relief to know that if we ever need to move locations, downsize or upsize our facility, his Holy Spirit indwells us.
That is kind of exciting and empowering to me and the local community and church people I am committed to!
How does that thought impact you?
Zechariah 3:1-10 is the Scripture I referred to about “Clean Garments for the High Priest” during communion. I tried to make the point that Jesus Christ is the Ultimate High Priest, mediating a new and better covenant by the cross through his precious blood and righteousness, which applied to us by faith, makes us clean and accessible to God. Read chapters 8 through 10 of Hebrews. Interestingly enough, the name Jesus and Joshua have the same originating concept – God saves.