“…A day in Your courts is better than a thousand. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness” (Psalm 84:10).
Almost thirty-five years ago, a movement began that, over the years, has captured the attention of hundreds of thousands of men; it’s called Promise Keepers. I make mention of this only to point out that God has not called you to make and keep promises but rather to believe and trust in Him keeping His promises. God has, however, called you to be a keeper.
If you are a child of God, the Spirit of God lives in you, and your body is a temple of the living God. And God has called you to diligently be the doorkeeper of that temple.
“…your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own. You have been bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).
In the new birth, Christ takes up residence in you through His Holy Spirit. And because of that, these old clay bodies become temples of the priceless presence of the Holy Trinity of God. And you are tasked with keeping the door to that temple. That is, you are to watch that nothing enters in that would defile or offend the Father and Jesus.
God’s temple is to be kept holy at all times, and we are charged to keep it that way. So, how do we do that?
First, there is the negative side of our responsibility. We must remain sober and vigilant as to what cannot be allowed to come through the door; our eyes and ears are the door to the temple. When we look at ungodly, obscene things, we are allowing the very things that God hates to enter in and defile His temple.
I recently read the results of a poll taken among professing Christians: both lay people and pastors. The question asked was: did they watch pornography, and how often? The results were shocking! A large percentage of both lay people and pastors admitted to watching porn on a regular basis. The word of God exhorts us:
“…Beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God” (2 Corinthians 7:1).
The word of God warns us:
“…Fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints; neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not be partakers with them” (Ephesians 5:3-7).
Make no mistake, when you choose to allow the unclean, filthiness of the world to come through the doors of God’s temple, you are effectively removing Jesus from being the Lord of His temple and offering your body to the devil for his use.
But there is also the positive side of being a doorkeeper to the temple. When Jesus came to the temple of God, He drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple, and drove out the money changers. Jesus said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves’” (Matthew 21:12-13).
(I’ll stick to my thought and refrain from applying this to the rich televangelists.)
As doorkeepers, we must watch that prayer – supplications along with thanksgiving – is the main thing that takes place in the temple. God is always present in His temple; so He is a very present help in time of trouble. And not only that, but “…the Spirit helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groaning which cannot be uttered” (Romans 8:26).
As doorkeepers, we must watch that the temple is filled with the fragrant aroma of Christ’s offering, which is a love that passes all understanding. It is a sacrificial love that always places the welfare and good of others before ourselves. This was Jesus’ command to His church:
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34-35).
The true temple of God, both individually and corporately, is identified by this one distinguishing mark—our love for one another as Christ loved us. It is a love that proceeds from the Father and the Son and is spread abroad in the hearts of His children. It is a love that loves what God loves and hates what God hates.
Interesting thought here: take any congregation of any denomination, from a mega church to a small country church. I wonder how many display the one mark that says they are disciples of Christ?
The doorkeeper of the temple must quench any sounds that arise in the temple that would grieve the heart of the Lord of the temple. Sounds such as grumbling, murmuring, complaining, gossiping, angry words, obscene words, and curse words.
If the doorkeeper will find favor and reward for his watchfulness, he will see that the temple is filled with praise and thanksgiving. “God is good all the time” will be heard coming from the temple. “Great is Thy faithfulness,” “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was, and is, and is to come,” along with the countless praises we may offer to God, will be echoing throughout the chambers of the temple.
Above all, the doorkeeper is going to be watching for Jesus to come and will make certain that the lamp that awaits the Lord’s return has plenty of oil and is kept burning.
Let us strive to be faithful, willing doorkeepers!
Brother Bill Oldham