Church building has always found devotion in people who have caught a glimpse of God as one invisible Spirit and have felt responsible for protecting and disseminating what they have discerned. We might follow the historical record of church building from the tabernacle, the tent of Moses, to the Christian Science Church Center in Boston, and we would always find the implication of a place where God meets a congregation of worshipers. The "meeting" refers more to God's meeting men than to people meeting together.
The church is actually evidence that God, Love, is ever asserting Himself, breaking into human consciousness, working there, defining Himself, revealing His spiritual idea, His structure, attracting to Himself those individuals who are spiritually sensitive to His presence, and who love His nature. In this light we can see that the church in its true expression begins with God and not with the people. Then nothing can prevent the fulfilling of its God-impelled purpose. The people can only open their hearts to that purpose and meekly work to carry out Love's will without resistance.
God revealed Himself to the great Biblical characters, those pioneers of Christliness who, from Abram to Christ Jesus, were transparencies for the self-revelation of Deity. Jesus himself said that it was God who revealed to Peter the rock of Christ, the true idea of man's sonship with God, upon which the Master's church must be built. He added, "And the gates of hell shall not prevail against it."Matt. 16:18.
