Meeting with God

Today in Greek class we were reminded that Greek has two main words for "temple": hieron and naos. The latter can also be rendered "sanctuary." I grew up in a church that referred to its building as a sanctuary. But since Christ's death there have been no "holy places." If we want to meet with God, we can do so anywhere. Of course, if we have a church building, and if we use it for reaching people, we should thank God for it. However, let's be sure not to invest it with religious significance. God does not live there, and we should avoid terminology that implies that he does. (I've made many trips to a country where the believers have no buildings and instead meet in small groups in members' homes. Are they missing out on something important? I don't think so.) To say, "I'm going to church to meet with God" is about as silly as saying, "I'm going to the park to breath air." Meeting with God should define the whole of life.