What is the Church of God Really Being Used For?

“Jesus went into the Temple and threw out all the people who were buying and selling there. He turned over the tables of those who were exchanging different kinds of money, and he upset the benches of those who were selling doves. Jesus said to all the people there, ‘It is written in the Scriptures, “My Temple will be called a house for prayer.” But you are changing it into a ‘hideout for robbers.’” – Matthew 21:12-13

There are not many instances in the Bible when Jesus gets angry. When He does, there is a good and godly reason behind it. In this case, He got upset when He saw the church of God being used to make money instead of a place of prayer and worship. Jesus had a good reason behind His anger, the merchants and money changers were using the church to make a profit. This was an immoral and pagan act where people who were cheating others was taking place.

There may be other instances going on today in churches that claim to be churches of God but are not acting like places people can go to and worship the God of the Bible. Do not let these churches fool you into thinking they are churches of the holy God. We need to stand with Jesus and turn over the tables in the church if we witness our church being used in ungodly ways. We need to ask ourselves whether the church we are attending is being used to benefit someone’s wallet or making a mockery of God's word or is it being used as a place to serve God's kingdom and His people.

We can also ask if Jesus would do the same in our church. In some He would. Are we making a profit from His name in the church that is supposed to be a place of worship and prayer? These concerns should be addressed in every church that claims to proclaim the gospel and follows the word of God. If they do not, we can follow Jesus' example and do the same by not allowing people to use the holy place of God in ways that do not reflect God’s glory and holiness.

Paul warns the churches in Corinth what will happen to false teachers that are not true followers of Jesus who defile the temple by changing the truth of God in 1 Corinthians 3:17:

“If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person, because God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.”

This is a serious offense to God that will not be taken lightly. The punishment is clearly stated, "God will destroy that person."