Growing up in south Jersey meant that all summer we were either at – or dreaming of being at – the Jersey shore. Blonde sand dunes with tiny flecks of black rock and white shells, crashing waves and salt air, starfish hunts and board walk games – these were the dreams of a south Jersey boy. One of the most interesting (and as it turns out time consuming) pursuits of beach going youngsters is the obligatory building of the sand castle. A little hole in the beach, when filled with some salt water offered all the building materials to make anything from Cinderella’s castle to the Taj Mahal. My greatest successes in building were frankly, well, done in sand. I’d show them to you, but the tide washed them away in short order. There it is… the story of my boyhood building career.
Today I am a ministry builder – a local church Pastor in a small town. There are days I truthfully wonder about what the church is building in our modern society. I am a mostly optimistic guy, but in my darkest hours I have wondered aloud to my wife. I have gazed through red eyes at the piles of bulletins, reports, mission communications, meeting minutes, budget sheets and calendars. I have wondered if we are building things that can last, or if all this pile will be swept away in some incoming tide. Fads come and go, and I mostly don’t pay too much attention – one of the joys of a specific calling to make disciples in a small town. I must confess that I know something about myself because of my childhood castles… were it left to me and my abilities, the tide would have me for lunch. The most thrilling part of this little tale is the fact that the story neither began with us – nor will it end here. The author and finisher of our faith has control, so enduring impact is assured – in spite of the crashing tide and the fickle laborers.
One of the best ways to make friends at the beach is start to build something. Soon other little kids would come alongside and ask the inevitable question, “So, what’cha building?” Confidently, you turn and tell them, “This is my fort. Here is the moat. Here is where my drawbridge is going to be…” On and on you would describe things that are not in sand, but are very real in your mind and heart. Ah, the vision of a child. Finally, after a few minutes, my brand new buddy asks, “well, you want help?” He would join and work as if he could see clearly what was in my mind. No one asked how that was going to work. We were boys on a mission.
I have a confession to make today. Part of me is still that boy. I always wanted join the hands of men and women to build a ministry that had a very special quality. I can see it. I know exactly what it looks like. I also know what it feels like when we build part of it and an unexpected wave comes in too close and collapses part of it. There is an empty feeling in the pit of my stomach when I watch my friends try hard and yet their walls fall.
God didn’t just call us to BE SOMETHING, he also called us to DO SOMETHING. Don’t misunderstand, WHAT WE BECOME is not unimportant, it is just that body maturity comes from WORKING WITH EACH OTHER. I truly believe most churches die of boredom. They are bored of each other. They are tired of the same problems, same songs, same gossip, same faces. BORING! That isn’t the way it was intended to be! The church has a Master builder’s plan behind it. It is supposed to LOOK like something. Can’t see it? Are you like that sad adult that cannot grasp the vision of the two boys at the sand castle? Let me show you the plans, and perhaps you will see the whole thing more clearly. The whole picture is taken from Romans 12. In our slow and careful study of this passage we have seen that:
God wants to call us to INSPECTION (12:1) and do a REMODELING work in our minds (12:2). He knows that His plan will be hindered if we don’t CLEAR OFF the pile of Ego that is on His building site (12:3). He has put together a TEAM to do the construction, and has ASSIGNED each of us a job (12:4-5). We have all been given essential TOOLS (12:6-8) that will enable us to accomplish the building. Now, at long last, we can see the architect’s drawing of what the building was designed to look like.
In Romans 12:9 Paul says: “Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good. 10 Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor; 11 not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; 12 rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer, 13 contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality.”
Key Principle: God has a very specific design for the ministry He has called us and enabled us to accomplish. All that is left is for us to follow the whole plan, varying NOTHING.
The Master builder has specified NINE HALLMARKS of the building:
1: It must be built on the firm foundation of authenticity:
Rom. 12:9 Let love (agape) be without hypocrisy. (an-oo-pok’-ree-tos – without pretending). We are called to be REAL PEOPLE…The term LOVE is “acting deliberately to meet a need, expecting nothing in return.” It is not a feeling, it is a command to act. It is a verb. In this verse, the action is modified by a qualifier. The action to meet needs must be done without pretending that we care. Many a church could finish the sermon there. People come to GET, but not to CARE.
2: That foundation must be placed on very specifically chosen ground.
The view on the hillside counts in the value of the property. Some things have to be cleared and removed from view, while others need to be carefully tended to provide the exact stunning vista. Choices have to be made as to what is discarded and what is planted. Look back at Romans 12:9 for the choice: Rom. 12:9b “…Abhor (ap-os-toog-eh’-o – “after + hatred” ; used for the departure from the mouth of food that has spoiled) what is evil (ponayros: from grief making); cling (kol-lah’-o – to glue or join to) to what is good (agathos was used by Jesus as “good things’ the Father gives to His children). We are called to be busy about MAKING RIGHT CHOICES… We must spit out and never return to things that bring grief to our Father. We are to use the binding cement of good provisions of our Father. We have to choose or the building will never be what the Master planner intended. The architects dream must be carefully constructed.
3: Then we must set plum and true pillars:
Rom. 12:10 “Be devoted (From philos and storge – cherishing one’s kindred, especially parents or children) to one another in brotherly love; give preference (pro-ay-geh’-om-ahee – consider before) to one another in honor. We are called to deliberately BUILD A FAMILY…Setting the pillars means that we CHOOSE to select one another to cherish. We look at the baby pictures of each grandchild. We laugh with each other. We cry when the pain of loss cuts deep. We CHOOSE to cons
ider what hurts the others as important. We are honored to be part of each other’s lives. The people around us aren’t a hassle or a problem – they’re a brother or a sister. You can lean on them, and they on you. Some pillars are near to you, and others farther away, but you can COUNT on them. Together, we are choosing to share the weight of our lives and erect walls that will stand firm to protect our little ones and cutting in windows filled with light.
4: We are told to lay each block with loving and skilled hands:
Romans 12:11 “…not lagging behind (ok-nay-ros’ – from the word to delay or back off) in diligence (spoude: eagerness), fervent (dzeh’-o – “to boil”) in spirit, serving (from doulos – slave) the Lord; We are called to build WITH PROFOUND EAGERNESS AND ENERGY. It is easy to let the body come a distant second. Our families require much of us. Our lives are full. Is the church to be a Sunday second thought? No, not according to the designer. It is supposed to be a “hot issue” to us – to build up the body and maintain the work. Why should I do this? Because I belong to the Lord, and am His servant. I am not my own, so my priorities are not my own to set. I cannot be lulled into thinking that my attendance is optional and self oriented – I will come if there is ‘SOMETHING FOR ME”. That isn’t Biblical thinking and does not reflect the eagerness God wants. I will not settle in my life for a cool and self interested life – I want Jesus to keep the fire HOT.
5: We must build with a tall spire that reaches to the Heavens:
Romans 12:12 “…rejoicing (khah’-ee-ro – giving a cheerful salutation) in hope (el-pece’ – to anticipate with expectation)”, We are called to CELEBRATE EACH OTHER…The phrase is a word picture. You are in a crowd of people and catch the eye of that special friend you haven’t seen in a while. Your heart jumps inside and you are EXCITED. A smile spreads across your face, and you see that same smile reflected in the other person. How you have wanted to be together. Time and trouble have kept you apart – but now you celebrate just being a part of one another’s lives for a brief moment.
6: We then set atop the pillars a spanning structure with stout and enduring beams:
Romans 12:12b “…persevering (hupomeno: remaining under) in tribulation (thlip’-sis – weight of trouble or pressure), We are told to be busy about BRACING THE WEAK AND BINDING UP PAIN…The point is not to lighten the burden, but to strengthen the endurance for what WILL come. We are to prepare people for trouble, not just respond to it. Tough times will come, and a well built ministry has been instructive about why they come and what to do in the midst of pain and difficulty.
7: We are told to build a structure held together by a prayer:
Romans 12:12b “…devoted to (pros-kar-ter-eh’-o – continually giving themselves to or attending constantly to, sometimes translated “standing ready in”) prayer. God’s church is powerless unless it is DEPENDENT ON GOD. I was struck by two qualities of this sentence. First, the prayer was not haphazard and occasional, but steady like covering fire against an enemy. Second, the term “standing ready in” pricked my heart… we aren’t READY to act until we have bathed the action in prayer!
8: We are adjoined to build with ample warmth and light for all:
Romans 12:13 “…contributing to the needs of the saints. The comfort of others in the body should affect my life. We must be GIVING WITH CARE. In a society increasingly overtaxed and swindled by hucksters, we must not become suspicious and cynical over every need. The warmth and light of the church will be dramatically increased when we practically care for people.
9: We are offered the opportunity to build where we could all find a home:
Romans 12:13b “…practicing hospitality. We have to admit that the need is huge and few are the places that are SHELTERING WITH LOVE. We are called to build up the body by spending TIME with one another. People in our society would rather give MONEY than TIME. Our children feel it. Our families know it. How do we share LOVE – we spend time with other believers. We open our homes, our lives, our marriages to one another.
THAT IS GOD’S CHURCH. It isn’t some sand castle that can be swept away so easily. Armies have tried. Governments have nailed doors on church buildings shut and thought they could stop her from growth. Philosophers have mocked her and tried to shame her. Scientists have tried to out think her. Still she lives and grows. She is God’s church!
That church is real people making right choices to eagerly build a family together. We celebrate the joy of our journey together and brace ourselves for difficulties ahead. We call for, wait and depend on God’s provisions. We look for opportunities to give back what He pours out on us. In all of it, we erect something to shelter one another.
God has a very specific design for the ministry He has called us and enabled us to accomplish. All that is left is for us to follow the whole plan, varying NOTHING.
