FAITH IN THE FOUNDATION
Terry R. Baughman
Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus answered and said to him, … “On this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:16–18).
Upon Peter’s confession of the deity of Jesus, that He indeed was the Anointed One, the Son of the living God, a declaration was given. Jesus asserted, “On this rock I will build My church!” The knowledge of His authority, His revealed purpose, His irrevocable initiative, and His unquestioned divinity provides the ultimate assurance of this promise.
Having a promise from the One of whom it is said that He cannot lie assures us of the success of His construction. He will build what He set out to build. “It is impossible for God to lie…. This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast” (Hebrews 6:18–19). If it is God’s purpose to build His church we can be assured of success as we align our purposes with His.
It is evident that His construction is not a material one but a spiritual house. While we may have many meeting places or at times no physical structure at all, we are still His construction. His purpose was not to have temples, shrines, and monuments of material construction. His desire is to have a living breathing temple. Paul said, “Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own” (1 Corinthians 6:19). We are a breathing building of living stones. According to Peter, we as, “living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 2:5).
God has given us a sure foundation. He has provided the framework for the structure. His plan is flawless and His blueprints are sealed by the Spirit. It is up to us to build!
When we think of a foundation, construction, and building we naturally think of material design and fabrication. Physical church plants and acquired facilities provide a meeting place and a center of teaching, evangelism, and discipleship training. These are worthy endeavors and should be pursued in most cases. However, we must not view the architecture as the ultimate fulfillment of God’s purpose. Our greatest efforts and our optimum vision must be to construct an enduring spiritual edifice on the eternal foundation. Paul said, “Let each one take heed how he builds on it. For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 3:10–11).
It is time to build! This is our hour and the moment of our greatest opportunity. As the storm clouds of the apocalypse encroach on the horizon of prophetic fulfillment we are given one last opportunity to expand the Kingdom of God. It is time to advance the cause and establish the truth of the Word of God in a new generation.
Let us build on the Rock, the sure foundation of the eternal truth!
Scripture:
“I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation” (Isaiah 28:16 NIV).
Terry R. Baughman
Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus answered and said to him, … “On this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:16–18).
Upon Peter’s confession of the deity of Jesus, that He indeed was the Anointed One, the Son of the living God, a declaration was given. Jesus asserted, “On this rock I will build My church!” The knowledge of His authority, His revealed purpose, His irrevocable initiative, and His unquestioned divinity provides the ultimate assurance of this promise.
Having a promise from the One of whom it is said that He cannot lie assures us of the success of His construction. He will build what He set out to build. “It is impossible for God to lie…. This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast” (Hebrews 6:18–19). If it is God’s purpose to build His church we can be assured of success as we align our purposes with His.
It is evident that His construction is not a material one but a spiritual house. While we may have many meeting places or at times no physical structure at all, we are still His construction. His purpose was not to have temples, shrines, and monuments of material construction. His desire is to have a living breathing temple. Paul said, “Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own” (1 Corinthians 6:19). We are a breathing building of living stones. According to Peter, we as, “living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 2:5).
God has given us a sure foundation. He has provided the framework for the structure. His plan is flawless and His blueprints are sealed by the Spirit. It is up to us to build!
When we think of a foundation, construction, and building we naturally think of material design and fabrication. Physical church plants and acquired facilities provide a meeting place and a center of teaching, evangelism, and discipleship training. These are worthy endeavors and should be pursued in most cases. However, we must not view the architecture as the ultimate fulfillment of God’s purpose. Our greatest efforts and our optimum vision must be to construct an enduring spiritual edifice on the eternal foundation. Paul said, “Let each one take heed how he builds on it. For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 3:10–11).
It is time to build! This is our hour and the moment of our greatest opportunity. As the storm clouds of the apocalypse encroach on the horizon of prophetic fulfillment we are given one last opportunity to expand the Kingdom of God. It is time to advance the cause and establish the truth of the Word of God in a new generation.
Let us build on the Rock, the sure foundation of the eternal truth!
Scripture:
“I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation” (Isaiah 28:16 NIV).
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