Transactions or Connections

They came to Jerusalem, and He went into the temple complex and began to throw out those buying and selling in the temple. He overturned the money changers tables and chairs of those selling doves, and would not permit anyone to carry goods through the temple complex.

Then He began to teach them: "Is it not written, 'My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations?' But you have made it a den of thieves!" Mark 11:15-17

Buying and selling are transactions of the flesh but prayer is a transaction of the Spirit. Jesus was saying that while you establish a carnal centre for transacting you are robbing His house of its purpose. We go to church to seek Him, not to buy stuff.

When the sole purpose of the church is to spend time in His presence, we enter the realm of the spirit as we seek Him. However if we first enter the church through a place of transaction then this framework superimposes itself on the further steps. At times we are robbed of presence because of transactions.

As someone who knows better I must keep the main thing, the main thing. Amen!