Hope Live | Building His Kingdom | 1 Corinthians 3:8-23 | Stephen Baines From a garden, to a tent, to a temple, to a person — and now, somehow, to you. In this closing message of the Building His Kingdom series, Stephen brings us to what might be the most mind-bending moment of the whole arc. After the beauty of Eden, the intricacy of the Tabernacle, the splendour of Solomon's Temple, and the glory of Jesus himself — God looks at these flawed, messy, tired, very human people and says: you. I'll pour my Spirit on you. You will be my kingdom. I no longer want to just dwell with you — I want to dwell in you. Drawing on 1 Corinthians 3, Stephen unpacks what Paul actually means when he calls the church God's temple — and it's not a metaphor. It's the same word, the same physical reality, that Israel knew in the Holy of Holies. The difference is that now the dwelling place of God isn't a building you travel to. It's a person. And then, through the Holy Spirit, it's you. With a brilliantly simple illustration — a paddleboard, a pump, and a crowd of enthusiastic kids — Stephen explores why a God who could do all of this himself still chooses to involve us. Not because he needs us, but because he wants us. Like a dad who could pump up the paddleboard in two minutes, but hands it to his kids anyway because the learning, the growing, the doing-it-together is the whole point. This message also pushes back on one of the most common but underexamined assumptions in Christianity: that our bodies are just unfortunate temporary shells we endure until we get to heaven. Scripture tells a different story. Creation is good. Sin corrupts it. Christ redeems it. Resurrection glorifies it. And the Spirit fills it. So what does that mean for Monday morning? It means that when you serve, love, pray, give, welcome, forgive, or pick up litter on the street — you are not doing nothing. You are participating in the continuing mission of Jesus on this earth. You are his temple. You are his kingdom builders. And it all begins with three words: In the beginning, God. Key themes: 1 Corinthians 3 · temple of the Holy Spirit · Building His Kingdom series · God dwelling in us · dignity of the body · kingdom builders · Acts 1:8 · in the beginning God · fellow workers · sin, redemption, resurrection 30/08/2026 Make sure to share with your friends and family! #hopemessages #1corinthians #buildinghiskingdom #hopelancaster #hopeisnotncanceled