Sacred Places
Can a place, absent of people, be sacred?
Or could a place be cursed?
The Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem
Churches are peoples
ἐκκλησία ekklēsia;an assembly, a (religious) congregation.
A church was never a place, it was always a people.
Churches were a place, in as much as that is where the people are from.
A home was where the church, the assembly, the people met. Maybe a synagogue, if the newly converted were from one, but that was generally until they got expelled.
The first-century church met in homes. As time went on, and the state became more favorable to this new religion, buildings got built and the word church changed, sadly, from people to building.
Is there such a thing as a sacred place?
I am saying no, only people can be scared.
Is there such a thing as a cursed place?
Again, I am saying no.
There is no denying that people hold a place as sacred or cursed. A lot of effort is put into cleansing a place or sanctifying a place, but are they intrinsically sacred or cursed? In some people’s minds, they are, and attendance at the location is the only way to get a gods blessing or a devils appeasement.
God is not limited by location, and evil likes to fool people that it has geographical authority.
Works of darkness find themselves limited to earth as foil, something for us to practice on, a power to overcome, not as any kind of inheriter because of our fall.
Works of evil do not need to be present for their lies and ideas to hitch a ride on us, in our thoughts, conversations, and actions.
That is why Paul said to take every thought captive, (2 Corinthians 10:3) to speak only those words that lift up.
Our belief in a thing gives it power and even control over us. Not necessarily as an intrinsic power, but as the power of habit. Move from habit to propagation, and you have a different story.
This is why becoming a proactive follower of Jesus is so important. Jesus practiced the idea that he only did that, which he saw the Father doing. That is philosophical and instructional. This means Jesus never reacted, he could never be pushed around, and he might not have had control of every situation he found himself in, the illegal trial, the crucifixion, but those situations never had control over him.
How do you prepare yourself now for a conflict, a dilemma, or an attack in the future that you have no control over?
God always has ultimate control.
As far as it depends upon you, be at peace with all men. When that is not possible, we don’t shy away from the gospel.
It might cost you your head, John the Baptist.
Or it might turn a Saul into Paul.
Acts 9:10-19
For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, 4 for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. 5 We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ, 6 and we are ready to punish all disobedience, whenever your obedience is complete. 2 Corinthians 10:3-6
39 They answered and said to Him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus *said to them, “If you are Abraham’s children, do the deeds of Abraham. 40 But as it is, you are seeking to kill Me, a man who has told you the truth, which I heard from God; this Abraham did not do. 41 You are doing the deeds of your father.” They said to Him, “We were not born as a result of sexual immorality; we have one Father: God.” 42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I came forth from God and am here; for I have not even come [n]on My own, but [o]He sent Me. 43 Why do you not understand [p]what I am saying? It is because you cannot listen to My word. 44 You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he tells [q]a lie, he speaks from his own nature, because he is a liar and the father of [r]lies. 45 But because I say the truth, you do not believe Me. 46 Which one of you convicts Me of sin? If I speak truth, why do you not believe Me? 47 The one who is of God hears the words of God; for this reason you do not hear them, because you are not of God.”
20 So then Martha, when she heard that Jesus was coming, went to meet Him, but Mary [a]stayed in the house. 21 Martha then said to Jesus, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 Even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You.” 23 Jesus *said to her, “Your brother will rise from the dead.” 24 Martha *said to Him, “I know that he will rise in the resurrection on the last day.” 25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; the one who believes in Me will live, even if he dies, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?” 27 She *said to Him, “Yes, Lord; I have come to believe that You are the [b]Christ, the Son of God, and [c]He who comes into the world.”
28 When she had said this, she left and called Mary her sister, saying secretly, “The Teacher is here and is calling for you.” 29 And when she heard this, she *got up quickly and came to Him.
30 Now Jesus had not yet come into the village, but was still at the place where Martha met Him. 31 Then the Jews who were with her in the house and were consoling her, when they saw that Mary had gotten up quickly and left, they followed her, thinking that she was going to the tomb to weep there. 32 So when Mary came to the place where Jesus was, she saw Him and fell at His feet, saying to Him, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.” 33 Therefore when Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, He was deeply moved in spirit and [d]was troubled, 34 and He said, “Where have you laid him?” They *said to Him, “Lord, come and see.” 35 Jesus wept. 36 So the Jews were saying, “See how He loved him!” 37 But some of them said, “Could this man, who opened the eyes of the man who was blind, not have also [e]kept this man from dying?”
38 So Jesus, again being deeply moved within, *came to the tomb. Now it was a cave, and a stone was lying against it. 39 Jesus *said, “Remove the stone.” Martha, the sister of the deceased, *said to Him, “Lord, by this time [f]there will be a stench, for he has been dead four days.” 40 Jesus *said to her, “Did I not say to you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?” 41 So they removed the stone. And Jesus raised His eyes, and said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. 42 But I knew that You always hear Me; nevertheless, because of the [g]people standing around I said it, so that they may believe that You sent Me.” 43 And when He had said these things, He cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!”
33 And when they came to the place called [n]The Skull, there they crucified Him and the criminals, one on the right and the other on the left. 34 [[o]But Jesus was saying, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.”] And they cast lots, dividing His garments among themselves. 35 And the people stood by, watching. And even the rulers were sneering at Him, saying, “He saved others; let Him save Himself if this is the [p]Christ of God, His Chosen One.” 36 The soldiers also ridiculed Him, coming up to Him, offering Him sour wine, 37 and saying, “If You are the King of the Jews, save Yourself!” 38 Now there was also an inscription above Him, “THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.”
39 One of the criminals who were hanged there was [q]hurling abuse at Him, saying, “Are You not the [r]Christ? Save Yourself and us!” 40 But the other responded, and rebuking him, said, “Do you not even fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? 41 And we indeed are suffering justly, for we are receiving [s]what we deserve for our crimes; but this man has done nothing wrong.” 42 And he was saying, “Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom!” 43 And He said to him, “Truly I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.”