We are Building Materials

I have been studying the words “build”, “builds” and “built” for the past few weeks and what I have learned is that the LORD builds in intentionality. Everything that he does has purpose. He only uses the finest materials in the building of His House. And this morning it all comes together that we are the building materials He is using.

“⁴As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, ⁵you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” – 1 Peter 2:4-5 (ESV)

The LORD sees us as precious stones used to build His house. We are the building blocks. We are used in His good work. I am encouraged completely by these words.

“¹⁸And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” – Matthew 16:18 (ESV)

I find it great and interesting that the LORD chooses Peter to speak to us about being the building blocks when he was identified by Jesus to the “rock” on which His church was to be built. Peter may have been the rock on which the church was built, but he wanted us to know that we are also the building blocks. Peter was just a man as we are, and yet Jesus used Him for great things as He will with you and me.

Temples and houses of worship are built using only the best material. The Tabernacle of Moses, being a tent was built using only the best materials available (see beginning in Exodus 25). No detail was left to chance. All of it was of the highest quality even as it was a tent that was to be moved with the peoples migration.

And all of the materials were provided by the people, not by the hardware store. All was the fruit of the people. God used the people to not only provide the materials, but to build the physical place. And that is what He does even today with you and me. He has made us as the building materials and the builders of His house.

Yes, Jesus is the cornerstone, and Peter is the rock, we are the materials, and we are the best of materials. We may have some blemishes and may not be very pretty, but Jesus will refine us to the glorious materials He needs for the construction of His house. Just as the materials that were available for the Tabernacle of Moses was refined to be the best for the LORD.

What is your view of the materials to build the House of the LORD? Are you searching for those materials to be provided for you? What if you were to look inward to find the beauty and best materials are you and allow yourself to be used by God to be the materials for His House?

Built Together

As brothers and sisters in Christ, we are built together.

“¹⁹So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, ²⁰built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, ²¹in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. ²²In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.” – Ephesians 2:19-22 (ESV)

We are not in this alone. We have brothers and sisters to travel with. Paul makes it clear in the above that we “are fellow citizens” and that we are “of the household of God”. WE are a “dwelling place for God” and the collective that we are is growing “into a holy temple in the Lord”.

I know that in the above paragraph I have restated a lot of what Paul writes. I did that on purpose as it is how it lands on me related to my study this morning. WE are in this together and it is important to remember that. I have mentioned before that I am an introverted person and being in solitude is just fine for me (I may not leave the house except on Sundays). But even saying that and being that way, I still go to church with my brothers and sisters in Christ to worship together, to be in the presence of “fellow citizens”, to be in the presence of God.

“²⁰For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.” – Matthew 18:20 (ESV)

WE are meant to be together to commune with the LORD. He builds us up together to be bigger than life itself. I or you alone are good in our pursuit of Christ, but together we are a mighty force in the name of God. God gave us each gifts to use for His glory and those gifts, where they are good on their own, working in concert with another is even more powerful. Together God builds us up to be the unstoppable workers. We is certainly greater than me.

How are you traversing in this world? Are you working to build yourself up alone? What if you embraced that God builds US up together for our good and to accomplish all that He has planned?

Built up Through Prophecy and Tongues

This morning I admit was a learning moment for me. The verse and passage of my study is in 1 Corinthians on prophecy and tongues. Paul writes of the two and their meaning and impact to the individual and church.

“²³If, therefore, the whole church comes together and all speak in tongues, and outsiders or unbelievers enter, will they not say that you are out of your minds?” – 1 Corinthians 14:23 (ESV)

I will say that I have always been leery of places of worship where there is speaking in tongues. Paul even addresses this in the above verse that when an outsider encounters this, they are likely thinking the same as I.

“²For one who speaks in a tongue speaks not to men but to God; for no one understands him, but he utters mysteries in the Spirit.” – 1 Corinthians 14:2 (ESV)

But, this does not mean that speaking in tongues is a bad thing. You can see that Paul addresses the speaking in tongues is for one to speak with God. What a wonderful thing that I and God have our own language to commune together. God speaks directly with me for my benefit. I even pray that God will reveal to me (with a knock on the head as I need it that way) His will in my life.

“²⁴But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or outsider enters, he is convicted by all, he is called to account by all, ²⁵the secrets of his heart are disclosed, and so, falling on his face, he will worship God and declare that God is really among you.” – 1 Corinthians 14:24-25 (ESV)

It is prophecy that is better than speaking in tongues. Not because the individual is not important, but because prophecy can be heard by all, believers and unbelievers. Prophecy is for all where speaking in tongues is for the one. It is our goal as followers of Christ to bring His Word to all and provide for them the opportunity to follow Him. When we prophesy, we are bringing the revelations God has provided to all the people and working to fulfill our role in this world.

Now, again, speaking in tongues is that personal revelation of God’s Word to the individual. We have to remember that God has provided our gifts and one of those may be the gift of interpretation. So, speaking in tongues can be beneficial to all when the interpreter is present, using his gift to share the revelation of the one with the church and all. But without the interpretation, the speaking in tongues is for the one and not the many.

“⁵Now I want you all to speak in tongues, but even more to prophesy. The one who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues, unless someone interprets, so that the church may be built up.” – 1 Corinthians 14:5 (ESV)

And now to the verse that led to my study of this passage and my learning. Paul makes it clear here that speaking in tongues and prophecy are both part of the building up. One, speaking in tongues, for the individual and the other, prophecy, for all. He would rather for prophecy than for speaking in tongues for the benefit of all “so that the church may be built up” and we can fulfill our work assigned by God.

What are your thoughts on prophecy and the speaking in tongues? Are you partial to one or the other? What if you were to keep the speaking in tongues to be between you and God and prophecy to be for all “so that the church may be built up”?

Life Built on the Rock

In the world of building, the foundation is the most important. You can have the most beautiful architecture and ornate visual appearance, but without a strong foundation, it will not last. Life is the same. We can skate along with the surface view of all things being right, but when the circumstances get tough, that surface view is wiped away by the cracks underneath. Jesus dealt with this as he wrapped up His greatest sermon.

“²⁴Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. ²⁵And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. ²⁶And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. ²⁷And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.” – Matthew 7:24-27 (ESV)

The above sounds a bit like “The Three Little Pigs”. But the above happened and was recorded first so “The Three Little Pigs” (first published in 1890) sounds a bit like Jesus.

Jesus often spoke in parable and as seen here, He sticks to that process. The foundation, as I noted earlier, is the most important part of building. As noted in the commentary of my ESV Bible, “a wise builder knew that he needed to dig several feet below the surface to the bedrock in order to establish the foundation for his house” as he was well aware of the shifting of sand that would come around the Sea of Galilee. The same can be said for us in our lives.

In our lives, what people see is that which is on the surface. As is understandable, we want people to see us as stable and strong. Well generally what we present only looks stable and strong. I have watched many a house flipping show where in the course of demolition once the surface is removed, a fragile or even nonexistent foundation is exposed. I know many people who are the same. For weeks on their social media profile, they are “#blessed” and the next they are devastated as everything has fallen apart.

I am not saying that we do not have times like that, where one day everything is good and the next we are struggling. Anything can happen in the course of a day. But, what I can say is that we do not have to be devastated with the change in circumstances. Jesus provides the foundation for us to build our lives on. He is the rock on which we stand.

“On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand: all other ground is sinking sand; all other ground is sinking sand.”

The above is the refrain from the hymn, “My Hope is Built on Nothing Less”. I have to build my life on that which is not going anywhere. The foundation of my life should be strong and unwavering. When my circumstances change, I should still stand firm on the foundation, knowing that I am gonna be alright. I have to know that whatever comes my way, I have the base of my life firmly on the Rock that is Jesus Christ and His unfailing love.

Where are you building your life? Are you more concerned with the life that everyone sees and forget about the changing circumstances that will come? What if you built your life on the Rock that is Jesus, knowing that whatever comes your way, He will never fail to keep you on solid ground?

Built Through Wisdom

I know, I have already indicated that we are built up in and to love, and now I am writing that it is through wisdom we are built. It may be confusing to some, but not to me this morning. You see, in order to build up in love, one must understand. Understanding comes from wisdom, and therefor is certainly part of the building process.

“³By wisdom a house is built,

and by understanding it is established;

⁴by knowledge the rooms are filled

with all precious and pleasant riches.”

— Proverbs 24:3-4 (ESV)

In the above verses, the writer, likely Solomon, is outlining the need for wisdom in our house. It is one thing to know something, but it is something else to understand. One can have information yet not understand the value of that information beyond the moment. For example, and I may have mentioned this before, I gain information on how to repair the washer or dryer from videos online, but that does not mean that I can replicate that day after day after day without looking again at the online videos. In order to gain understanding, I would have to devote myself to the information and commit it to memory for quick recall and repeated use.

The same is for the use of information in the building in love. I have to devote myself to the gaining of love to experience and understand love. Once I have that understanding, I am able to build my house on love and into love that is Christ.

The more we understand the more thoughtful and consequential are our decisions. As I gain in understanding and wisdom, my actions are dictated by that understanding and wisdom. Actions that are calculated but not without risk. The difference is that the risk is known and accepted as part of the building. The understanding and wisdom diminish the risk to the control of the LORD and His will of provision and blessing.

The opposite is true without understanding and wisdom. In those decisions, we tend to just go after it without care and let the chips fall where they may. Yes, there is risk in those decisions, but the risk is far greater as things have not been ruled out or the consequences have not been accepted as consequential. The risk is controlled by desire and selfish gain as opposed to the LORD and His will of provision and blessing.

Slow and steady is the way with wisdom and understanding. Think about the cookie cutter houses that are built quickly. Yes, many are built in a short time to give shelter to those in need. But the materials may not be the best quality and the sustainability of those houses are suspect. Comparing to the custom homes built that take months or years to erect. Castles still stand today from hundreds of years ago as they were built with the best of materials and over time to get it just right.

Our houses, to be built to sustain, should be built with wisdom and understanding. Slow and steady and calculated. With only the best materials (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control) to ensure the long standing and established house of the LORD.

What is your house built on? Are you a builder to get it up as fast as possible? What if you chose the quality materials that are derived from the wisdom and understand that comes from the LORD?