Hygiene & Sanctuary Keeping

Having a clean place to connect with God is a priority. Whether it is in your home, the church premises, or in your heart, cleanliness is a criteria for enjoying fellowship with God Almighty. There are blessings attached to a clean heart and to keeping God's sanctuary clean. The bible makes us to understand that our bodies belong to God, and that more than anything else, he expects our hearts to be clean for him. In Matthew 23:25-28, Jesus lets us know his take on hygiene.

25 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.

26 Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.

27 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchers, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness.

28 Even so ye also * outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.

MATTHEW 23:25-28 KJVA

There is no doubt that maintaining good hygiene is important for maintaining sound health. The problems poor hygiene bring into our lives and the lives of others are numerous, sometimes one may not even be prepared (financially, mentally and otherwise) to solve those problems. Hence it is always better to prevent them than to cure. Think about it, do you want to spend million on treating an infection you could have spent far less preventing? What about considering the fact that the risks of death are involved? Would you want people to leave your church with an infection instead of a blessing?

Take heed not to endanger others because of your poor hygiene.

Hygiene and sanctuary keeping play very important roles in the church and it is based on these that I will be sharing with you some hygiene tips for your use as a new or old sanctuary keeper or cleaner in the Church.

• Clean Your Heart First

As a sanctuary keeper, you must keep your heart clean first and above all other things. King Solomon teaches in his proverbs that we should guard our hearts with all diligence because out of it are the issues of life. The psalmist teaches us through his songs of repentance that a clean heart is important to God, and many times through the bible we are reminded that while men may look on the outward appearances, God focuses on the heart. The truth is that, the state of your heart will determine how well you clean God's sanctuary. It also speaks to your character as an individual or a Christian. A hardworking, thoroughly neat and organized Christian will not only make out time to clean the Church but will also ensure that he or she does it with all his or her heart. As is the law of God, we are expected to serve God with all our might and with all our hearts. Confess your sins, repent of them, forgive who you are supposed to forgive. Let go off everything in your heart that may serve to defile you and render your service to God as unacceptable.

• Clean Equipment and Tools

Before you even start to clean, the first things you should consider cleaning are your tools and equipment for cleaning. Rinse your dust parkers, wash your cleaning towels, clean out your buckets, wash your cleaning gloves or grab new ones. Preparing always makes the process much easier and effective.

• Sweep the Area

Sweeping the area with a broom or brush is an essential step in sanctuary keeping and should be done before dusting or cleaning surfaces. Sweep out cobwebs from the ceiling, wall corners, windows and wherever you suspect or consider to be a safe haven for spiders. Sweep out dust and earth, other dirt particles from the floor.

• Clean Surfaces

Maintaining clean surfaces may be a bit difficult but you really just need to do it few hours before every service begins. While the technical department and sound engineers set up for programs, you could also take the advantage to clean surfaces. Dust some chairs, countertops, tables, side stools, podiums or clean the floors with water, detergent and some clean towels.

• Arrange or Organize

Ensure that you arrange things properly in the church as you clean. Things should be put back in their appropriate places. There is beauty in orderliness.

• Adorn the Sanctuary

You can always get some nice, scentful flowers to beautify the Church premises, there is a huge blessing attached to this.

• Perfumes or Air Fresheners

You can consider getting some perfumes or fresheners to make sure the house of God always smells good.

• Toilet Rolls

One essential part of sanctuary keeping is making sure that the convenience is actually convenient for people to make use of. Buying toilet rolls is one way to do that.

• Washing Hand Soap

Buying some washing hand soap is one way to ensure that the toilet is always conducive for use.

• Waste Bins

The waste bin is the primary way to get rid of all the dirt. It is therefore very important that the Church or sanctuary keeping unit provide a waste bin for disposing waste. Waste bins may not only be used for disposing waste materials from the Church, the church can also buy waste bins for the surrounding community or street. It is a way of community service, which is also one function of the Church and an important instrument for outreach.

• Clean out Gutters

Cleaning out the Church and community gutters is one very important way to ensure that the lives of others around you are not endangered or put at risk of diseases. It does not have to be only the Church doing the cleaning out of the gutters, the Church department can get other members of the community involved too. This is another effective way of getting new membership but more importantly, it reduces the risk of malaria and other diseases especially in Nigeria, Africa.

• Use Insect Repellant

The use of insect repellants is usually overlooked because many do not consider it to be a hygienic practice but it is another important form of hygiene and ensuring that people do not fall sick or die because of disease causing insects.

• Use Disposal Waste Bin Bags

Using disposal waste bin bags is an easier and more hygienic way to get rid of waste materials from waste bins.

• Sanitary Napkins

While sanitary napkins are not directly used in sanctuary keeping, they are important for lady sanctuary keepers who are below menopause and should be worn when cleaning.

Sanctuary keeping is one of the best ways to serve God and to develop a lifestyle of hygiene. Keep God's temple clean!