The Temple Foundation

"All the people gave a great shout of praise to the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid. But many of the older priests and Levites and family heads, who had seen the former temple, wept aloud when they saw the foundation of this temple being laid, while many others shouted for joy."
Ezra 3:11b&12
The scripture above is taken from the book of Ezra. After the city of Jerusalem and the temple that Solomon built, had been destroyed, Ezra returned along with many others to rebuild it. Of course, the former temple was an amazing piece of architecture. It was elaborate and ornate. But the people had been carried off into exile for seventy years. The Persian king, Cyrus issued a decree allowing the Jews to return to their homeland. There they found the ruins of the city and the temple they cherished. So the rebuilding began. This passage of scripture details a moment when the foundation of the new temple had just been laid.
    I'm sure there were great expectations about the new temple. Most of the people had never seen the old one, so their ideas and expectations would have certainly differed from the elders who had seen the previous structure. So there was a mixed response to the new thing that was being done. While this is a story about a man-made building from long ago, there are certainly parallels to our lives today.
    I have seen the church of today change dramatically in my lifetime. Some of it for good, some of it for less than good, in my perspective. But the reality is this; the church is changing. It is not like it used to be, nor will it ever be again. There have been revivals in the church for generations. They came and went. They were wonderful times of growth and change in the church. Now, we live in the new days of the church. God is watching as the church, his bride, prepares herself for his return. Some approve of this new church, others disapprove, longing for the old ways. Some fundamental churches have moved from longstanding ceremonies and rituals, into more contemporary kinds of worship. Some Pentecostal and Charismatic churches have moved away from highly expressive worship to more conservative ways, while others have further embraced emotional, expressive acts of worship. No matter how old you are, or what you have seen in the past, these are new days in the life of the church. We are changing. Whether you shout for joy as some of the Israelites did, or weep for the old days as some did, the reality remains the same: These are new days.
    What really matters is this: We must all keep Jesus as the main thing in our lives. If churches do this, we cannot allow disagreement to come between us. No matter the style of worship, the emotion, or the sound level, if Christ is being preached in truth, all is well. The apostle Paul knew that there were those who preached Jesus who were not part of the Jerusalem church and had not been sent from the elders there. His conclusion was simple: If Christ was being preached, he rejoiced in that. So should we. Like-minded people hang out with each other. That's okay. We should not call them evil or cults or wrongdoers. If Jesus is the center of their church, our blessings should be sent as well. We may like the way things were, or we may long for new things, but either way, a shout of praise should be lifted up. We are all builders of the new temple of God, his church, his bride. Let's prepare for the wedding feast.