followed by discipleship or Christian
Building our
Relationship with God
"However, the Most High does not dwell
in temples made with hands” (Acts 7:48,
NKJV).
“God that made the world and all things
therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven
and earth, dwelleth not in temples made
with hands” (Acts 17:24).
Truly, God does not reside in a church
made with human hands. He lives in us
for we are temples of the Holy Spirit. We
are God’s church; the called out ones. We
are not being built by carpenters and
masons, but framed by God Himself. Our
role is to provide a holy dwelling place.
We build up the temple, refusing to
corrupt it, destroy, it and pull it down.
“Don't you realize that all of you together
are the temple of God and that the Spirit
of God lives in you? God will destroy
anyone who destroys this temple. For
God's temple is holy, and you are that
temple”( 1 Corinthians 3:16-17, NLT).
“Or didn't you realize that your body is a
sacred place, the place of the Holy Spirit?
Don't you see that you can't live however
you please, squandering what God paid
such a high price for? The physical part of
you is not some piece of property
belonging to the spiritual part of you. God
owns the whole works. So let people see
God in and through your body” (1
Corinthians 6:19-20, MSG).
“And you continue, so bullheaded!
Calluses on your hearts, flaps on your
ears! Deliberately ignoring the Holy Spirit,
you're just like your ancestors” (Acts
7:51, MSG).
Others sharing truth with people and
bringing them into a personal relationship
with God is called evangelism. This is
education.
• Evangelism is bringing people back
into correct relationship with God.
• Education or discipleship is keeping
them in a correct relationship.
At times, one may not be clear on what
pleases God, our dearest friend. That is
where the Word of God comes in.
Communication is part of every healthy
relationship. God communicates to us
through His written Word. We
communicate with God through our
prayer life. Prayer is building a
relationship with God through
communications. His Spirit leads and
guides us into all truth (John 16:13). It
teaches us and reminds us of what the
Lord has said (John 14:26). God has also
provided the ministry, our pastors, to
guide us and watch over our souls
(Ephesians 4:11-13; Hebrews 13:17).
Some look at the way we live and label it
“legalism.” In actuality, I have liberty to
do what I want. I want to please God. I
choose to do it. No one is forcing me. It is
my choice. And it is a good one, at that. I
do it just because I love Him.
“Don't lazily slip back into those old
grooves of evil, doing just what you feel
like doing. You didn't know any better
then; you do now. As obedient children,
let yourselves be pulled into a way of life
shaped by God's life, a life energetic and
blazing with holiness. God said, "I am
holy; you be holy” (1 Peter 1:14-16, MSG).
Fred Stoeker in Every Man’s Battle
testified, “I was the perfect example of
someone that wasn’t shooting for God’s
fixed standard of obedience….My church
attendance was exemplary, and I spoke
the Christian language. Like the
businessman seeking the best business
practices, I was asking myself, ‘How far
can I go and still be called a Christian?’
The question I should have been asking
was, ‘how holy can I be?’”
1
Francis Chan in Crazy Love:
Overwhelmed by a Relentless God tells
how people who are lukewarm in their
relationship with Christ ask, “How far can
I go before it is considered sin?” They
should be asking, “How can I keep myself
pure as a temple of the Holy Spirit?”
Lot pitched his tent toward Sodom. That
didn’t last for long. He eventually ended
up in Sodom. Lot’s wife is the only person
in the Bible that died lost in the arms of
angels. Steve Boyd, in his sermon
entitled, “The Significance of the
Standard,” said that with arms of
redemption wrapped firmly around her,
she looked back. Her friendship with the
things of this world was more important
than her relationship with God and His
plan for her deliverance. Many have
wondered why she did that. She turned
back to the place she loved, where she
had developed a relationship, and where
she felt a sense of community.
“Love not the world, neither the things
that are in the world. If any man love the
world, the love of the Father is not in him.
For all that is in the world, the lust of the
flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the
pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of
the world. And the world passeth away,
and the lust thereof: but he that doeth
the will of God abideth for ever” (1 John
2:15-17).
We do not conform to the pattern
established by the world, allowing it to
squeeze us into its mold. That why we
hide His Word in our hearts (Psalms
119:11).
Too many have one foot in the world; one
foot in the church. Little wonder they
sense they are caught in a spiritual
earthquake. They falsely assume that
because certain things do not matter to
them, that it does not matter to God. That
would be faulty assumptions and
presumptions indeed. His ways and
thoughts are not the same as ours (Isaiah
55:8-9). We tend to follow our own ways.
Scripture is replete with admonishment
2
and encouragement that we should follow
His ways and paths.
“You're cheating on God. If all you want is
your own way, flirting with the world
every chance you get, you end up
enemies of God and his way. And do you
suppose God doesn't care? The proverb
has it that "he's a fiercely jealous lover."
And what he gives in love is far better
than anything else you'll find. It's
common knowledge that "God goes
against the willful proud; God gives grace
to the willing humble." So let God work
his will in you. Yell a loud no to the Devil
and watch him scamper” (James 4:4-7,
MSG).
“Your intention is (when you get what you
desire) to spend it in sensual pleasures.
You (are like) unfaithful wives (having
illicit love affairs with the world and
breaking your marriage vow to God)! Do
you not know that being the world’s
friend is being God’s enemy? So whoever
chooses to be a friend of the world takes
his stand as an enemy of God” (James
4:3-4, AMP).
Are you unsure of what in the world is
worldliness? There will always be fads,
fashions, and circumstances that we do
not specifically find articulated in
Scripture. There are six ways to test
doubtful or questionable things by the
Word of God. These can assist in guiding
us along the path of holy living. These are
thanks to James L. Kilgore in his lesson
“What in the Word/World is Worldliness?”
1. Is it of the world (1 John 2:15-16).
Does it appeal to the lust of the
flesh, the lust of the eyes, or the
pride of life? We remember that,
“friendship with the world is enmity
with God” (James 4:4).
2. Is it to the glory of God? (1
Corinthians 10:31). No one can
drink alcohol, smoke, use foul
language, or overindulge in eating,
or overindulge in forms of
recreation and expect these
activities to be for the glory of God.
 Would Jesus be joyfully involved in,
the activity if he were there with
you? Because, He is!
3. Is it a weight or a sin? (Hebrews
12:1-2). If anything that is part of
our lifestyle is becoming a weight
and if it is not put aside, before
long it will become a sin to us, and
eventually we will be ensnared by
it.
4. Will it become a stumbling block to
others? Ask, “How will I affect other
in what I am doing?” No one lives
to himself (Romans 14:7).
5. Does it make provision for the
flesh? Our flesh is in constant
opposition to the things of the
Spirit.
6. Does it promote holiness and
encourage holy living? Holiness is
separation; being set apart. We
must always be careful to be in
obedience to the Word of God.
“And as we live in God, our love grows
more perfect. So we will not be afraid on
the day of judgment, but we can face him
with confidence because we live like Jesus
here in this world” (I John 4:17, NLT).
True love is others-centered. That is the
biblical concept of love. It is loving to
benefit others, without expecting
anything in return. God is holy so it
makes perfect sense that he expects
holiness in His relationships with
mankind.
A quick look at the Ten Commandments
will reveal that they were all about
relationships.
• Relationship with God.
• Relationship with man.
Fornication, adultery, homosexuality,
bestiality are all about wrongful
relationships.
It is important to abstain from things that
would be a stumbling block to our brother
and sisters. Why?
3
1. We do not want to be a hindrance
to others causing them to trip and
fall.
2. We do not want to offend.
3. We do not want to break our
healthy, godly relationship.
Carol P. Clemons discloses that “the
source of modesty is one’s heart or inner
character; modesty is the outward
manifestation of an inward purity.”
Michael Hyatt in his blog entitled
“Whatever Happened to Modesty”
provided four appropriate guidelines for
modesty to his five daughters.
1. If you have difficulty getting into it
or out of it, it is probably not
modest.
2. If you have to be careful when you
sit down or bend over, it is
probably not modest.
3. If people look at any part of your
body before looking at your face, it
is probably not modest.
4. If you can see your secretive body
parts or an outline of those parts
under the fabric, it is probably not
modest.
Standards of right living usually come in
three categories. All are designed to
maintain a godly lifestyle and relationship
with God and others.
Biblical Standards Relationship with
God.
Organizational Relationship with
Standards the Body of Christ.
Cultural Standards Relationship with
others/society.
Two key factors come to mind in healthy
relationships especially within marriage.
These are “observe,” and “obey.” The
Bible uses the word “submit.” Despite
popular opinion submission is not merely
designed for the woman in their
relationships with their own husbands
(Ephesians 5:22; Colossians 3:18; 1 Peter
3:1, 5). We all submit to human authority
(1 Peter 2:13); the younger submits to the
elder (1 Peter 5:5). Husbands are exempt
from the submission factor, or are they?
In the marriage union a husband need
only love his wife as he loves himself,
love his wife like Christ loved the church,
and gave Himself for it (Ephesians 5:25);
give his wife honor and treat her with
understanding (1 Peter 3:7); and never
treat her harshly (Colossians 3:19). Lest I
lose sight of the intent of this lesson, last
but not least, we are to submit to God
(James 4:7).
We return to our two words “observe”
and “obey” and provide a little scriptural
sampling. It is interesting to note that
where the King James Version mentions
that we should “observe” other
translations, like the New Living
Translation, use the word “obey.”
Scripturally speaking, there is a direct
correlation between observing and
obeying, between knowing and doing.
OBSERVE:
“Teaching them to observe all things
whatsoever I have commanded you: and,
lo, I am with you alway, even unto the
end of the world. Amen” (Matthew 28:20).
OBEY:
“And the Lord our God commanded us to
obey all these decrees and to fear him so
he can continue to bless us and preserve
our lives, as he has done to this day. For
we will be counted as righteous when we
obey all the commands the Lord our God
has given us” (Deuteronomy 6:24-25,
NLT).
“So Moses told the people, "You must be
careful to obey all the commands of the
Lord your God, following his instructions
in every detail. Stay on the path that the
Lord your God has commanded you to
follow. Then you will live long and
prosperous lives in the land you are about
to enter and occupy” (Deuteronomy 5:32-
33, NLT).

“Give me understanding, and I shall keep “If you love me, obey my
Your law; Indeed, I shall observe it with commandments, (John 14:15, NLT). Or as
my whole heart. Make me walk in the The Message aptly puts it, “If you love
path of Your commandments, For I delight me, show it by doing what I've told you.”
in it” (Psalms 119:34-35, NKJV). That is how we build our temple, and
provide a dwelling place for God.
“Only be strong and very courageous,
that you may observe to do according to
all the law which Moses My servant
commanded you; do not turn from it to
the right hand or to the left, that you may
prosper wherever you go. This Book of
the Law shall not depart from your
mouth, but you shall meditate in it day
and night, that you may observe to do
according to all that is written in it. For
then you will make your way prosperous,
and then you will have good success”
(Joshua 1:7-8, NKJV).

“And I said: "I pray, Lord God of heaven,

O great and awesome God, You who keep
Your covenant and mercy with those who
love You and observe Your
commandments” (Nehemiah 1:5, NKJV).