From the beginning of humanity and continuing through the life of Israel and the disciples who provided the base of the New Covenant, God has not been dependent on our perfect obedience. God has been very aware from the beginning of the human propensity for sin which left us estranged from God and the intention of our creation.
Rather than give up on us, as God was tempted to do in the story of Noah, God has sought ways to work through a people to enlighten the world. So while we are to be aware of our disobedience, we are also to seek to discern what God is doing through us as a church. In the midst of our disobedience, there are also clear signs of obedience.
The new sanctuary at Highland, which was built on top of the first building, was completed by June of 1956 at a cost of $257,270.99. What was it that led this people to invest this much money in a building which was largely useless for anything except worship? From a practical worldly viewpoint, there probably were a variety of other purposes to which such money could have been put to good use.
Is it true, as Paul suggests, that there is a war that goes on inside us between the flesh and the Spirit? Does the very visibility of a sanctuary evokes in us a yearning for the urgings of the Spirit?
