Help People Connect with God

Pray – (1/2 minute)

Read – (2 1/2 minutes) – “Jesus entered the Temple area and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changes and the benches of those selling doves. ‘It is written,’ He said to them, ‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’ but you are making it a ‘den of robbers.’ ” (Matthew 21:12-13)     
     Passage: 1 Corinthians 9:19-27

        The Temple area was divided into five areas. The whole Temple area was designed for people to have connection with God. The first area was the Court of the Gentiles and that was a far as any non-Jewish person could go. It was supposed to be a place where non-Jews could come to learn about the one, true God and converted to Him. The Jewish leaders allowed it to be used to exchange money for the Temple tax and as a place to sell sacrificial animals for those who couldn’t bring their own animal or bird. Jesus was furious that God’s house was not used to help people connect with the Father, so He drove out those money-changers and quoted from Isaiah 56:7, where God said His house was to be a “house of prayer.”
       The purpose of a church is not to be social club or a service club. The purpose of the church is to love God and love people, and reach people for Christ. Facilities are a house for God’s people to use as a tool to help fulfill their purpose. Any church that wants to please God and move forward with Jesus will keep their purpose in front of them and do all they can to reach their world for Christ and help people connect with Him.   

Apply - (2 1/2 minutes)
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Pray - (1 1/2 minutes)