BUILDING ON THE
RIGHT FOUNDATION
On Tuesday night, I was shocked to
see one of the most bizarre news reports on TV. "Two foster children ran
away from Florida United Methodist Children's Home, a foster home. They broke
into a Volusia County home, then used guns they found inside the residence --
including an AK-47 -- to fire at deputies for about 30 minutes repeatedly."
Closer to home, a 12-year-old boy
was sectioned by police as he threatened to kill his grandmother, who was
taking care of him because his parents could not do so. When we hear such
stories, we cannot help but think of what is going on? Why are so many
marriages and families falling apart? How did we allow cracks to form in our
nation that supposedly has been built on a Christian foundation? How can we
rebuild so many broken lives in our country?
Our study of the passage of the letter
to the Corinthians might answer some of these questions. The Apostle Paul took
a humble position as God's servant. He reminded the Corinthian believers of
their dual tasks of planting the gospel seeds and watering them through
discipleship. We see the Apostle moving away from an agricultural process to a Christian
life and ministry building process. He showed them the need to build or
rebuild, in some cases, their lives on the Right Foundation, Our Lord Jesus
Christ.
Vs. 10, "Because of God's grace
to me, I have laid the foundation like an expert builder. Now others are
building on it. But whoever is building on this foundation must be very
careful." The Apostle Paul was using here two architectural metaphors of "building
and a foundation."
I.
THE PROCESS OF BUILDING.
The theme of a building occurs
several times in the Bible. More often, it is referring to the process involved
than the completed project of a building. It may seem like a simple part of the
overall construction process, but laying the foundation is the most critical
part of the project.
Paul closed verse nine by addressing
the believers as "God's field and God's building." In verse ten, the Apostle
Paul refers to himself as an expert builder graciously assigned by God to build
His Church. What is involved in building God's Church locally and globally?
Let me clarify the word Church. In
the New Testament, the Greek word ekklesia denotes the redeemed
community in its twofold aspect. The worldwide community of believers of all
times, and an individual local community. The Church always refers to a group
of believers in Christ and never to a physical building. In other words, Church
is made up of people.
The Apostle Paul laid the foundation
of the Corinthian Church by preaching of the cross of Christ. I Cor 1:18, "The
message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we
who are being saved know it is the very power of God." After laying the
foundation, he says, now others are building, referring to Apollos and other
teachers.
What does this all mean for us in
the 21st Century? How are we involved in building God's Church? All
Christians are God's servants, primarily engaged in building three critical
areas: our individual lives, families, and the Kingdom of God.
You are probably actively building
all three—a life (career) where you are happy and fulfilled. A family that is
healthy, vibrant, and committed. And a rewarding ministry that will stand the
test of time and brings glory to God. How are we building? Paul warns us to be
careful.
II
BUILDING ON THE RIGHT FOUNDATION
God knows what would be best for
human beings. For instance, He spoke to His people, Israel, Deuteronomy, 6:4-9,
"Listen, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. And you must love
the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength.
And you must commit yourselves
wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. Repeat them again
and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you
are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. Tie
them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. Write them on
the doorposts of your house and on your gates." In other words, God wanted
to be the firm foundation upon which the individual lives, families and the
whole nation of Israel would be built and survive.
We know how many times they moved
away from God as their foundation and built their lives on other wrong and
faulty foundations. God was grieved with their rebellious actions and wanted to
rebuild the nation of Israel. Here is another building example Amos 7:7-9.
Then he showed me another vision. I
saw the Lord standing beside a wall that had been built using a plumb line. He
was using a plumb line to see if it was still straight. And the Lord said to
me, "Amos, what do you see?" I answered, "A plumb line."
And the Lord replied, "I will
test my people with this plumb line. I will no longer ignore all their sins. The
pagan shrines of your ancestors will be ruined, and the temples of Israel will
be destroyed; I will bring the dynasty of King Jeroboam to a sudden end."
God was likening the nation of
Israel to a tottering wall that was built on the wrong foundation. He wanted to
remove that faulty foundation and rebuild according to the divine plumbline,
which was His word. Similarly, God wants our lives to be built on His Word.
The two examples I gave initially
are only a fraction of what is happening in our country.
It
looks like we, too, like ancient Israel, moved away from God being the center
of our lives. Are we building our lives on false foundations of prosperity and
security?
Can people survive when God is no
longer their Lord? Psalm 33:12, "What joy for the nation whose God is the
Lord, whose people he has chosen as his inheritance." The only way we can
restore and heal our broken lives is by rebuilding our lives right way on the right
foundation.
III.
BUILDING THE RIGHT WAY
Building on the right foundation and
the right way is critical if we want to live a vibrant and fulfilling life. In
verse eleven, the Apostle Paul shows us the right path for building lives,
families, nations, and the Church. Vs.11, "For no one can lay any
foundation other than the one we already have—Jesus Christ." Jesus is our
firm foundation upon whom our lives must be built.
The same principles and building
process apply to a house, individual lives, families, and the Church, the
family of God. When it comes to building anything, there are wise and foolish
builders. Let me illustrate by this parable of Jesus from the sermon on the
mount. Matt 7:24-29 Two men went off to
build a house, probably with the same vision of wanting to live securely and
happily. Though they both had the same vision, they went about building
differently. One took the complex and laborious path of building while the
other took an easy and quick way. One had a deep and strong foundation on a
rock, and the other laid a shallow foundation on the sand. The test of any
house is how well it can withstand rain and flooding.
The rain came in torrents, the
floodwaters rose, and wind beat against both the houses. Which house do you
think will stand the test? As you
rightly predicted, the house that was built upon the rock would stand firm. The
house on the sand collapses with a mighty crash.
Jesus commended the one who built
his house on the rock as wise, but the one who built on sand as foolish. Why?
They both heard the same teaching, but what was the difference? The wise
builder listened to the teaching of Christ and followed it. The foolish builder
listened to the teaching but did not obey. What principles can we apply from
this story in our building process?
Firstly, let us search our hearts
and find out who our foundation is? Is Jesus the rock of our salvation or the
shifting sand of the world views and philosophies of man? If anything, else has
taken the place of Jesus, we need to repent and lay a new foundation in Jesus
Christ.
Once we determine Jesus as our firm
foundation, let us start the rebuilding process. This process involves reading
and studying God's word regularly. Like a wise builder, we not only hear God's
word, but we obey as there is a blessing in obedience. We practice what we
preach.
For those involved in building the
Church, let us be careful how we build. Vs.12-13, "Anyone who builds on
that foundation may use a variety of materials—gold, silver, jewels, wood, hay,
or straw. But on the judgment day, fire will reveal what kind of work each
builder has done. The fire will show if a person's work has any value."
Paul turns his attention from the
worker to the kind of materials Christian workers use: Gold, silver, Jewels
represent the purity and depth of such Christian teaching, and a life
corresponding to it is crucial, for that kind of building material will stand
the test of fire on the day of the Lord's judgment. The wood, hay, or straw
refers to the false and shallow teachings and those who live by such
instructions. They cannot stand the pure fire of God's judgment.
How are you building your lives
today? What kind of teachings are you following? May the Lord help us build our
lives, families, and the Church upon Jesus and His words only. Paul brings this
message home while writing to the Church in Ephesus.
Ephesians 2:19-22 “So now you
Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with
all of God’s holy people. You are members of God’s family. Together, we are his
house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets.
And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus
himself. We are carefully joined together in him, becoming a holy temple for
the Lord. Through him you Gentiles are also being made part of this dwelling
where God lives by his Spirit.” Amen!
