The following was a journal entry I wrote back in July. I found it today and decided to share it. It is a very loose analogy, but I hope it ministers to you!
A man once bought a church. It was run down, falling apart, and not the most attractive architecture in the world. So he began to pour all his time and resources into changing the appearance of the building. He put in new windows, repainted the outside, and eventually had transformed it into one of the most beautiful buildings in town. Its lovely appearance drew people in. They came from all over to see this masterpiece.
However, the owner had failed to clean the inside of the church. The smell of garbage drifted through the halls. Mice scurried over the feet of those in attendance. No one truly seeking to worship could focus, due to the repulsive interior. However, most were not there to worship God; they were there because they thought the building beautiful. Either way, no one came back for a second Sunday. The church once again fell into disuse.
A second man, around the same time, bought a similar church. It, too, was plain; but the owner determined that the outside was unimportant -- after all, people worshiped inside the building, not while staring at the exterior. So he began to renovate the sanctuary. He completely gutted it and started from scratch. He put in thick carpet, comfortable seats, beautiful touches that spoke of the majesty of God. It was all designed to draw attention to Christ -- not the church itself. When it was finished, he put a fresh coat of paint on the outside to be sure it reflected the elegance and joy of Christ -- but beyond that, the church building was unchanged.
People truly desiring to seek God heard of the beautiful sanctuary. Songs of worship and prophetic words spilled out from the windows. Earnest worshipers encountered their Creator within this sanctuary without distraction.
No one even gave a thought to the building's exterior; they were too enthralled by the God within.
"Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit?" ~1 Corinthians 6:19
