Meditation for the week of December 2, 2007
Matthew 7:24-25
Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.
According to the website, implosionsareablast.com, the scientific definition of implosion is, “The engineering and scientific expertise required of the blasters to bring down a large structure, safely, within a small pre-defined ‘footprint'”. It takes some planning to destroy buildings and bridges and stadiums safely and efficiently. But I find it interesting that it takes a lot less time to destroy than it does to build.
God is a builder. He says in Matthew 16:18, “on this rock I will build My church.” That rock is the Truth that Peter has just confessed, ” “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Paul was a builder and he wants us to be builders. In 1 Corinthians 3:10 Paul writes, “According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it.” A good builder needs a good foundation, a good blueprint, good materials and skilled workers. Building requires diligence, time and money. As Christian builders our foundation is Christ, our blueprint is the Bible, our materials are Love and Truth, our workers are Christians who are sealed with the Holy Spirit and have a zeal for the things that please God.
Satan is a destroyer. Satan knows just how to set the charges so that he can implode many of the things that Paul and others have diligently built over the years. Then he convinces those who are not Spirit-led to build his way on the ground that used to belong to the Lord.
A question I keep asking myself today is, “Am I a builder or a destroyer when it comes to the work of the Lord?” Over the years, I have been used of the Lord to reach some with the Gospel, but are there those that I have turned aside and whose spiritual lives have been destroyed because of my teaching or actions? Unbelievers may find the preaching of the cross offensive (Galatians 5:11}, but we should never intentionally be offensive.
A destroyer is often tearing something down so that it can be replaced. Are we replacing the Gospel of the Bible with the Gospel of man? Why do we seem so reluctant to speak of eternal issues and of the need for repentance? Why have we gotten away from the idea of the need for conversion? Why are we reluctant to tell those who are “seekers” that they are really “lost?” Are we being honest with them?
Have we begun equating “building the church” with building the church building and the attendance of those who use the building? Many churches have become “non-profit” businesses. Businesses can do a lot of good things, but the church is not an organization or a business. It is a group of people who are functioning as one with the Lord in their worship of Him and service to Him. In 1st Corinthians 12:27, the local church is likened unto a body. It is a place where we enjoy the presence of the Lord and where we consider Him to be “Lord”. That is, He tells us what to do, we don’t tell Him how to do His work. I have wondered if the Lord were to actually show up physically at one of our organizations that we call church, if He would even be welcome. And if He was welcomed, would he feel at home there?
These are questions that I ask myself, because someday I am going to meet the Lord and I am going to have to give an account. Is the Lord going to consider me a builder or a destroyer?
Bruce Collins