“Unless the Lord builds the house,
its builders labour in vain
Unless the Lord watches over the city,
the watchmen stand guard in vain.”
Psalm 127:1
People seem to be so busy, working in the world and in the church, spending so much energy that they become exhausted, discouraged and irritable. Their excuse for unacceptable behaviour is that they are stressed. They claim their work is important and they expect everyone else to adapt to their mindset. The question is not whether they are right or wrong, or even whether their work is important. The real question is “Is the Lord doing this work?” If the Lord is not in the work then their efforts are wasted. God is working in the world and in the church and we must align our will and our efforts to His plan. What is God doing? What is He building?
There are so many answers out there; conferences, books and training relating to building the church, church planting, church growth and reaching the lost. Who are we to listen to?
“And I tell you that you are Peter (meaning ‘rock’ ) and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it”
Matt 16:18
Jesus said He would build His church. He began the work while He was on the earth and now we continue with the work. The gates were the place where plans were made and strategy was discussed. When Jesus is building, the plans of the enemy will be unable to destroy the church, but we see so much destruction that I wonder if we have been building ‘our church’ by human effort alone.
“See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone
a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation
the one who trusts will never be dismayed.
I will make justice the measuring line
and righteousness the plumb line;
Isaiah 28:16
Jesus is the cornerstone for the building. He must be the point from which the lines of the building flow, the angles are set by Him. God is always specific in scripture when He reveals His blueprints. He gave measurements to Noah and Moses and also details of the materials to be used. He is no less specific about the church.
“Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the chief cornerstone. In Him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in Him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by His Spirit.”
Ephesians 2:19-22
The building materials are Jews and Gentiles being built together with Jesus as the cornerstone on the foundation of the apostles and prophets. We, like Peter, are ‘rock’, shaped and fitted together. Although we are from different races, cultures and religious backgrounds we are born again onto God’s family and grafted into the family tree.
“Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness and who seek the Lord:
Look to the rock from which you were cut
and to the quarry from which you were hewn;
Look to Abraham your father
and to Sarah, who gave you birth…”
Isaiah 51:1-2
We are not all the same size and shape, nor do we have the same function, but we are all rock, cut and shaped for our unique purpose. The temple is God’s dwelling place and must be built to His design and in His way. It cannot be built by human ideas, reasoning or planning, nor can it be adapted to fit our current ideology or popular trends. It is an unchangeable, eternal plan.
“This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel:
“Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit”
says the Lord Almighty”
Zechariah 4:6
God made it clear to Zerubbabel, when he was rebuilding the ruined temple, that he must rely on the Holy Spirit. Although natural abilities are given by God and gifted leaders and teachers are useful, we must not rely on the natural, but always be led by the Spirit to use these gifts for God’s purposes and in His way.
There are different aspects of building which are present in our lives. God is building one church which we are all being joined to, however many expressions there are throughout the world. Jesus is the Head of the church, not the leader of the group we share our lives with. He will return for the church as a whole, not just for one denomination. Not everyone who attends a congregation may truly be a Christian and if not, they are not part of the true church.
“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like the wise man who built his house on the rock.”
Matthew 7:24
There is also a building work going on in our personal lives as we apply Jesus’ teaching and walk it out. We choose to build on the rock and we are made stronger as it becomes part of us so that we will not be shaken when trouble comes. Matthew chapters 5, 6 and 7 contains crucial teachings which are both practical and challenging, but we must apply these principles to our lives and allow them to transform us if we are serious about being disciples of Jesus.
“By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work.”
1 Corinthians 3:10-13
We also build in the lives of others as we encourage, teach and influence them with our lives. We become labourers, a gift to other Christian from God to help them. The apostle Paul talked about the foundations of repentance, faith, baptism , laying on of hands, resurrection of the dead and eternal judgement. (Hebrews 6:1-2) We need these foundations in our lives. When we build we must be sure it is God’s work done in His way, not to fulfil our dreams of personal success. We must remember that our life’s work will only last if it is built on right foundation with precious materials. We must also remember it is not our work but God’s and not become possessive. If we are humble and faithful, relying on the Holy Spirit, God is able to use us to build His church, and what we build will last forever.
