Originally posted on Facebook on Tuesday, April 22, 2025.
As I press into church, a word that has been burning on my heart is "don't use your tools on it".
"And if you make Me an altar of stone, you shall not build it of hewn stone; for if you use your tool on it, you have profaned it."
— Exodus 20:25
A lie is fabricated.
Truth just is.
What are our "tools"?
They're our machinations—our means of manipulation to achieve our desire rather than His.
We profane His altar by inserting ourselves, teaching men to fear men rather than God.
"And in vain they worship Me,
Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men."
— Mark 7:7 (Read the surrounding verses to see exactly how we do this.)
We profane His altar with our own ideas and the efforts of our hands rather than the produce of His heart.
“For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men—the washing of pitchers and cups, and many other such things you do.”
— Mark 7:8
"Shall I come before Him with burnt offerings…?
He has shown you, O man, what is good;
…do justly,
To love mercy,
And to walk humbly with your God…"
— Micah 6:6-8
"The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken and a contrite heart— These, O God, You will not despise."
— Psalm 51:17
We profane His altar with our schisms: classes, hierarchy and systems of control.
"and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say to him, 'You sit here in a good place,' and say to the poor man, 'You stand there,' or, 'Sit here at my footstool,'"
— James 2:3
“But you, do not be called ‘Rabbi’; for One is your Teacher, the Christ, and you are all brethren.
Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven.
And do not be called teachers; for One is your Teacher, the Christ.
But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant."
— Matthew 23:8-11
"But Jesus called them to Himself and said to them, 'You know that those who are considered rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them.
Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant.'"
— Mark 10:42-43
Yet, here we are.
Let us repent.
But now, we-the church-are His temple, established and being built stone by stone by Christ Himself. In us, the once-for-all atonement of His sacrifice is offered not on stone altars made with human hands, but on the altar of our surrendered lives as His body.
Let us not profane it.
Let us not use our tools on it.
"Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ."
— 1 Peter 2:4-5
But let us be the church He is building, His way—through the heart first, not with the tools of our head and hands.
#WhatIsChurch #church #perfectourlove