"Church"

Whenever someone mentions the word, "church," the majority of people will immediately think of a building with a cross on the roof. I think that is one of the biggest deceptions we have in the world today... that a church is a building. It might even lead to a false sense of security that when we go to this building, that we are IN a church, and a member of a church.

The ironic things we may find are..

That someone may attend a church their entire lives, but have never actually been a part of the true church.

That many will judge others for not attending a "church" regularly, but are only judging them for being outside of a building made of bricks and stone. Perhaps the people they are judging are a part of the true church, and that those who attend a "church" are not even in the real one.

I know some places that teach that Christ died for the church.. but that the building is a capital "C" and that the people are a lowercase "c." If you're in a place that teaches that.. run.

But for whoever is reading this, please first make sure that you are IN the real church before you start worrying about which building you're a part of. Going to a church building does not mean that you are in a church.

What does church mean though? In it's Greek translation, the word is ekklesia which means a calling out.

God calls out his elect (eklektos) which are the chosen ones, and He calls them OUT of the world to be gathered IN HIM. This is a church, and it is a very Spiritual thing. It has nothing to do with the commercialism we see today.

To say this in the most utmost frankness.. if you are not IN HIM, then you are not in a church. I don't care what building you go to every Saturday or Sunday, or that you're a notable member. You need to be IN HIM. That is all that matters.


Remember when Jesus announced that He was going to destroy the temple and raise it in three days? He said, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." John 2:19

Have any of you ever wondered what happened to that? Didn't Jesus ever follow through with this? Seems like it was overlooked. Well, actually this was a fulfilled prophecy. Look closely..

When Jesus said that, it was absolutely absurd to everyone else. They said, "Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days? " v20 

But....


"But he spake of the temple of his body."v21

 This actually came true. Three days was Jesus in the tomb, and on the third day, He rose and established a new, Spiritual temple within the believers. This is a fulfilled prophecy, and His Words were true.

(also a side note: why do we seek after the physical things when has been made Spiritual? Millions of eyes are on the rebuilding of Israel's temple, and on physical buildings of churches.. but don't you know that the temple of God is not made with hands?)


"We heard him say, I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and within three days I will build another made without hands. " Mark 14:58


David: "Who found favour before God, and desired to find a tabernacle for the God of Jacob. But Solomon built him an house. Howbeit the most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands; as saith the prophet, Heaven is my throne, and earth is my footstool: what house will ye build me? saith the Lord: or what is the place of my rest? Hath not my hand made all these things? Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye." Acts 7:46-51




"God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands" Acts 17:24 

Are you in the temple that is not made with hands? It is an important question that we should all ask ourselves.. But let's look at more verses explaining what the Spiritual temple is.

The Spiritual temple is not a what, but a WHO.


"To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious, Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. " 1 Peter 2:4,5


"But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy. " 1 Peter 2:9,10



Well.. if I am a Spiritual temple for God, then how does it work?

"Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. " John 14:23


"At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you. " John 14:20


"Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are. " 1 Cor 3:16,17


"What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's. " 1 Cor 6:19,20

"And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. " 2 Cor 6:16-18


So.. if Christ is in the Father, and you are in Christ, then you all are joined together and they will make their abode and dwelling place in you! That is how it works.

And this is a continual thing. God's Spirit lives in you, and is guiding you. He is in you always now. You don't have to wait until Sunday to be in the church. He is in you right now and you can take this anywhere you go.

There is no building for God, and like the Bible says, where can He reside? The earth is his footstool! But God can live in you and be present with you every step of the way.. always and forever.

And if you are the temple of God and He lives in you, then who is in charge of this temple? Who is the head? Don't fall for the new age lie that you are your own god, can make your own rules of right and wrong, and lead your life your way. The temple of God is in you.. but Christ Jesus alone is the head of it. He has the preeminence.

"The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner. " Psalm 118:22


"Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole. This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. " Acts 4:10-12


"Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit. " Eph 2:19-22

Now you know what the Bible tells us.. do not be deceived by what the world tells you. Do not be afraid of judgment made by other men if they judge you for not being in a physical temple, because they cannot see when you are in the Spiritual temple. That is the only one that matters.

Do not worry about church memberships. When you are IN Christ, you are a member of the body of Christ. That is the only membership that counts.

I pray that our readers will find Christ and be in Him, and that they will experience church in a way that they never have before.

Concerning Home Churches: Part III

This is our last part of the series about the Spiritual Temple that Christ Jesus established for us, and introducing home churches. Click to read PART 1 or click to read PART 2 of our series.

We also strongly recommend two books that are very informative and interesting concerning churches and organized religion. One is called Pagan Christianity and Reimagining Church, by Frank Viola and the other one is called Beyond Radical by Gene Edwards. It shows a historical depth of how each organized section of church originated and it's very roots. Those books are eye opening experiences.




Here, we begin and conclude with this:


Who is the Body of Christ?

Read 1 Corinthians 12:12-31

Key Points:

-There is one body, many members, different purposes.
-Jew, Gentile, Bond, Free, ALL in one Spirit.
-Each member needs to contribute, all are necessary.
(have churches become a one man show?)
-Members are to care for one another and suffer with one another.
-Each member has a gift from God to contribute.

*Question: Did God reveal his Word to one man to write one book, or many men into 66 books for the Bible?


"Now ye are the Body of Christ and members in particular." 1 Corinthians 12:27

"Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the spirit of God dwelleth in you?"1 Corinthians 3:16


The Body of Christ needs to be a living sacrifice, holy and unconfirmed to this world. Read Romans 12:1-2.

There is ONE body, not varied by denomination or building. Read Ephesians 4:4-6.


"And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in the breaking of bread and in prayers."Acts 2:42.


Please take the time to read Hebrews chapter 9! Hebrews shows the before and after parts of the creation of the church. We will read in Hebrews 9:1-10 that it describes the "worldly sanctuary" and how the old way of having church were physical things of the flesh. When we continue to Hebrews 9:11-end which shows how Christ has established a "perfect tabernacle" within us, not in a building made of hands. He made a Spiritual one within us and established a new covenant. We no longer need to observe these things in the flesh or in the physical way, but now we can have church wherever we go because he dwells within us.


We see the believers after Jesus' death meeting in homes, assembling together and even Paul went and had "church" with some women by the river as he was passing by (Acts 16:13). We are free, for Christ has made us free indeed!


"For he that is called in the Lord, being a servant, is the Lord's freeman: likewise also he that is called, being free, is Christ's servant." 1 Corinthians 7:22

Concerning Home Churches: Part II

This is the second part of a three part series on the Spiritual Church and introduction to home/organic churches. Click HERE to read the first part.

A Voice in the Wilderness wants to use this as a reference guide for us to read this information from our own Bibles directly. We will list some key points as well. It is important for us to read from the Word in it's full context for ourselves. Never just take any man's word for it.

We are the body of Christ and there is only one head. The head belongs solely to Christ Jesus. The body has many parts and members with different purposes yet all contribute. Every member is different but none is above another (1 Peter 5:3).

The Lord told us to be Godly examples. He appoints Godly men to be Elders and for older women to be examples & mentors. Those are roles in the body explained in Titus 2.


The Head of the Church

The head of the Church is Jesus Christ (Ephesians 1:22, 23)

Key Points:
-Jesus is the Head of all things in the Church.
-We are His body.


We are His body. We are His flesh and bones (Ephesians 5:30)

Christ is the Preeminence (Colossians 1:18)

*Heed the warning of leaders who want to claim the preeminence for themselves (3 John 1:9, 10)

Christ is the High Priest for us (Hebrews 4:14, 15)
* The veil was rent, so there no longer needed to be a man to stand before us to God, but Christ alone. (Hebrews 7:26)

Christ is the Chief Shepherd and Bishop (1 Peter 2:25, 1 Peter 5:4)

Jesus Christ is the head of our church, and he dwells in our bodies. Every man in Christ is a priest, and we are to go to the Father directly through his son, Jesus Christ. We do not need any other authority or "shepherd" but Christ alone. We are to be accountable to one another, exhorting one another and suffering with one another. The Bible says we are to especially do that as we see the day approaching. Beware of any man or spiritual leader who seeks to place himself higher than the body, high as if he was a high priest or a man with authority, and has no accountability but "unto God alone."

Concerning Home Churches: Part I

This is a beginning to a small series on home churching. It is also widely known as organic church. This will be the first part to a three part study. Our goal today is to show that churches are no longer a building of bricks and stone, but the body of Christ. Many have heard this before, but not many have learned this to an extent. We will show you that Jesus destroyed physical churches so He could establish His Spiritual church on Earth. We will show that home churches aren't a radical or new thing, but that it has been around since Paul's time.

So many of us associate the word "church" with a building, and we hope to show you that the true definition of a church is not of a building. Jesus Christ has established liberty for us in the ways we assemble together and worship. Please keep in mind that none of this is a condemnation for traditional churches that many of you may still attend. We only hope this enriches you and even broaden your horizons. For some of you, this may be exactly what you need to find.

We want this to be a reference guide to your own study on this subject. We will list verses to find and some key points. We strongly encourage all of you to find it in your own Bible and double check everything!


The Corner Stone and Living Stone

Jesus announced that he was going to destroy the temple and raise it up in three days (found in John 2:19-21). We see that after Jesus was crucified, He was in the grave for three days.When He rose, He established a new temple. It was not made of bricks and stone, but of his body as seen in verse 21.

We are the House of Christ (Hebrews 3:6)

We are a Royal Priesthood (1 Peter 2:9)

We are the living stones in Christ's new Church (read 1 Peter 2:4-7)

Key Points:

-Living stones in the spiritual house
-Chosen of God, disallowed of men.
-A holy priesthood.
-Jesus is the Cornerstone, (also in Matthew 22:42, Psalm 118:22, Acts 4:11)

There are to be NO Lords over God's flock, only examples (1 Peter 5:3)

(Note: Jesus is our authority and the head of the church. We are all an equal body of believers with different roles. There is not to be an authority or Lord over God's own flock, but Godly examples. Beware of those who seek to be an authority or a 'high priest' above God's people. Beware of a false leader who makes you believe that He is in higher standing with God, or that you need to go through him to connect with God.)

In Our Assembly:

"For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." Matthew 18:20

"Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is, but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching." Hebrews 10:25

*Question to Ponder: Are these verses saying we have to assemble together in a physical building, or is it calling us to simply gather together?

Home Churches in the Bible:

The Bible lists there were churches taken place in people's homes multiple times in the New Testament. Paul and the disciples visited people often in diverse places and taught them this new way of churching. Paul was an Apostle and his role was to build churches. Did he work away with a hammer or a nail? No, but instead, Paul found likeminded believers and gathered them together in each town. Here are home churches in the Bible listed below:

-1 Corinthians 16:19 (House of Aquila and Priscilla)

-1 Corinthians 1:11 (House of Chloe)

-1 Corinthians 1:16 (Household of Stephanas)

-Romans 16:5 (House of Epaeneties)

-Romans 16:10 (Aristobielus' Household)

-Romans 16:11 (Narcissus Household)

-Phillippians 4:22 (Caesar's Household)

-Phillippians 4:15 (Nympha's House)

-2 Timothy 4:19 (Household of Onesiphorus)

-Philemon 1:2 (Apphia and Archippus Church at thy house)

This concludes the first part of studying the roots of home church, and the new spiritual temple. There will be a second part coming soon. If you have any questions, please feel free to comment!