Notre Dame Catastrophe and the Sri Lanka Massacre of Christians and the True Temple of God
A catastrophe took place in Paris, France where the Notre Dame Cathedral caught fire and burned large parts of the church building. People all over the world watched live coverage as the building burned, upset in tears over this destruction. Reportedly this building was the most visited place in England. This church has stood for more than 850 years, and people were weeping over this because it was an iconic part of their lives.
What is the history of this building? Some history reported by Sky News stated that the construction of Notre Dame took a century to build and it was one of the greatest works of gothic architecture. It influenced all cathedrals including Westminster Abby. Many people from Catholics to the non-religious were upset over the destruction of this building because it holds so much history and memories.
Donations quickly started to help fund the rebuilding of this cathedral before the fire was even extinguished. The Washington Post reported that rebuilding the cathedral would cost between $330 million and $670 million, but it is believed that final costs may be even higher. At this point, more money has been raised than the estimated cost to rebuild, as billionaires quickly donated money to fund this rebuild. There has been between $835 million to more than $1 billion pledged.
Looking at the recent terrorist attacks that took place in Sri Lanka, close to the time that Notre Dame caught fire, there was more media coverage for the fire than for the murdering of the innocent people. They were gathered to worship and celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ! It is major that Christians are under attack, greater than ever before in the world. Glenn Beck, with Blaze TV, points out this fact. “This was the second largest terrorist attack since 9/11. Five hundred people went to the hospital, three hundred killed and it was targeting Christians, and it was Muslims doing it. It was Islamist let me be very clear, it was Islamist that did it, and we will not talk about it. They won’t say that Christians were killed, it was Easter worshipers. It is vital that we talk about the targeting of Christians! Christians are being targeting in China, Burma, in Africa, in the Middle East. All throughout Europe. 1800 religious crimes reported in Europe just last year…out of that over 1300 were Christians. 1100 were Christian churches being burned and desecrated. That was just in Europe last year!” There was originally reported 300 people dead; the numbers are now lower with at least 250 that have died. It was reported that it was hard to know the number of people dead because of so many body parts. It is horrific to see where this bombing took place as there is blood splatter everywhere. This is blood splatter on the face of Jesus, and it is a tragedy! This is where our hearts should go out to! This is where our money should be sent!
When we look at how much focus was put on the burning of a building we need to ask ourselves this question, what or who is the building of God? Is it Notre Dame or other buildings like it or is it the people who go into the physical buildings to gather to worship God? When we look at the Bible, believers are called the building of God!
“Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.” 1 Corinthians 3:16-17
When we make Jesus the Lord of our lives, God’s Spirit comes and dwells inside of us. We are the ones that were created in God’s image and who God loves! It is not about brick and mortar, as written in the scripture above, it is the people who are God’s temple. The people massacred in Sri Lanka were the building of God, and all the blood splatter was on the face of Jesus! Hating on Christians and Jews is hating on God, so massacring them is doing the same to Jesus. We need to cry out to God and ask, God, help us recognize You today in our lives and in the lives of others! What do you think about this? We want to hear your thoughts so please write to us at [email protected]. Greg and John shared in this segment.
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