Dedicated Sanctuaries

Dedicated Sanctuaries

“With very few exceptions, church sanctuaries are the most unused rooms in America and around the world. While steady streams of people flock to 24-hour convenience stores to stock up on earthly needs, our churches can barely operate for two hours a week because the demand for their “product” is so low.” Tommy Tenney

We have clung to the memory of days of glory long since past as if to say that we can never recreate them or experience those days again. We cling to the memory without even trying to recall the circumstances that made the experiences so memorable. We sought Gods face and He revealed Himself once before. Why does He not do so again? Probably because we don’t even believe He will do it. Do we not listen for the Spirit’s prompting to cry out to Him NOW; to open the door NOW; to pull down His glory NOW; to do whatever it was then, again NOW??

Worshiping God in Spirit now is like reaching up into the heavens to lay hold of the Glory and haul it down into our sanctuaries. SO why do we not prepare our sanctuaries for such an event? Why do we not prepare ourselves, our hearts and minds, for such an event? Is the cost really that much that it’s too much, or do we want God to set it all up for us because we’re too busy with other things.

I believe that we must, as far as is possible, sanctify our sanctuaries and make them fit to be the habitation of God. We must cleanse them afresh after each meeting – and I really don’t mean with a vacuum cleaner, a damp cloth, and some polish. We need to pray regularly over each and every seat in the sanctuary – even the pastors seat and choir seats. We have no idea what uncleanliness people bring with them into Gods presence. How can we build a habitation for the Lord in an unclean place? God is holy and He expects HIs people to live holy lives but so many bring their unrepentant hearts and all their sin and other baggage with them into God’s holy presence. How can we expect God to inhabit anything when we don’t even clean it up a bit first. Church should be like your grandmothers ‘best room’, always clean and ready for a visit.

What a condemnation that we use our sanctuaries so little, or that we also use them for non=Godly purposes. Although we belong to a wonderful church here in the UK, we are not so very different. Lucky the church that can even have a dedicated sanctuary. We, like so many others, have to make up our income shortfall somehow and hiring out our facilities seemed a good idea at the time. Now we are seeking ways to make it, once again, dedicated to God’s use only.

If we cannot have a dedicated sanctuary, and many churches can’t, then cleansing prayer is the only answer. Let me challenge you. Pray over every seat for four weeks. I believe you will notice a difference – a lift in your services – when you operate from a cleaner if not a clean sanctuary. Attendance will be up and, more importantly, demand for use of the sanctuary will be up too.

Well?