What Makes a Church Beautiful?

 

In Haggai 2, the prophet spoke of the house of the Lord.

Both Solomon’s and Herod’s temples were attractive structures.

But it is the Lord’s presence that makes any church beautiful.

Haggai 2:9 (NRSVue) - The latter splendor of this house shall be greater than the former, says the Lord of hosts, and in this place I will give prosperity, says the Lord of hosts.”

As if to illustrate this, Jesus entered the temple in Mark 11 and drove out the moneychangers.

They had transformed the house of God into a place to do business.

Jesus used this to teach a powerful lesson.

Mark 11:17a (NRSVue) – He was teaching and saying, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’?

I consider myself blessed in that I still attend the same church I did as a boy.

I also am blessed because I can feel God’s presence there.

It is a house for prayers.

It is a house for praise.

If it were not, then it would just be a building, and I would be wasting my time.

Do you have a church that you attend?

If so, I pray that it is all these things.

If you do not attend church, I implore you to find one.

Just remember that no earthly church is perfect.

Not even mine.

That is because every earthly church is made up of imperfect people.

But despite our imperfections, if the church we attend is a house for prayers and praise, then rest assured that the Lord is there.

And it is His presence that makes it beautiful.

And as for the prosperity of which Haggai spoke, he did not mean money.

A church that truly worships the Lord prospers in faith, hope, and love.

This is especially true as love should guide our every thought and action when we are not in church.

1 Corinthians 13:13 (NRSVue) - And now faith, hope, and love remain, these three, and the greatest of these is love.

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com on Friday, November 6, 2026.

I will be back here on Friday, November 13, 2026