“Our ancestors had the tabernacle of the testimony in the wilderness, just as he who spoke to Moses commanded him to make it according to the pattern he had seen. Our ancestors in turn received it and with Joshua brought it in when they dispossessed the nations that God drove out before them, until the days of David. He found favor in God’s sight and asked that he might provide a dwelling place for the God of Jacob. It was Solomon, rather, who built him a house, but the Most High does not dwell in sanctuaries made with hands, as the prophet says: Heaven is my throne, and the earth my footstool. What sort of house will you build for me? Says the Lord, or what will be my resting place? Did not my hand make all these things.” – Acts 7:44-50
“Jesus answered, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it up in three days.” Therefore the Jews said, “This temple took forty-six years to build, and will you raise it up in three days?” But he was speaking about the temple of his body.”- John 2:19-21
“As you come to him, a living stone- rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you 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
Consider the church to be a building, and allow me to draw your attention to some significant issues- both foundational and structural- with this living edifice. In my previous blog post I mentioned that although I’ve dedicated quite a few posts to discussing the importance of offline communities and in particular community in the Body Of Christ, I am not unaware of the stumbling blocks that stand in the way of such community. For starters, the way the modern physical church as a whole operates as well as the very state of the church today has made it almost impossible to have the kind of atmosphere where growth in Christlikeness happens. There is a lot that can be pointed out as issues with the church today, but I believe all of the many different aspects can be classified under the following- a lack of revelation of who Jesus is and the eternal purpose of God, lack of proper understanding of what defines church, lack of understanding on how church ought to function as well as a lack of understanding of what church structure ought to look like.
As I spend several subsequent blog posts discussing some of these issues, I want to try to organize them into two very broad categories- foundational problems and structural problems.
FOUNDATIONAL PROBLEMS
Any one who is even remotely knowledgeable about buildings will tell you that the foundation of that building is of utmost importance. A good, solid, foundation is not optional and compromising on that means a serious problem is imminent. It’s just a matter of time till the entire structure crumbles into a fatal disaster. The myriad problems we notice with the modern physical church, as a whole, can all be traced back to foundational problems.
As a matter of fact, Jesus himself says exactly this when he admonishes, “Everyone who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And 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. And 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. And 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)
The most fundamental problem with the church today, in huge contrast to the early church, is that the very foundation is defective, so that it is no wonder that it’s one issue after another always popping up. Many go about building ‘churches’ yet not stopping long enough to consider what the building should look like. It’s interesting because when talking about the cost of discipleship, Jesus makes an interesting statement, saying that whoever is building and doesn’t first sit down to contemplate will end up being mocked because he “begun to build and was not able to finish.” (Luke 14: 30) Isn’t that just what is going on today? So many professing as Christians and tons of ‘churches’ on every corner but yet so much mockery is being made of the Body of Christ by these man-made versions of the real thing.
JUST WHOSE CHURCH IS IT ANYWAYS?
Often I hear professing believers speak of church as though church is man’s idea or that it is owned by man. I’m baffled that church organizations place so much significance on the kind of church its members and target audience seek, with no concern what God actually wants in a church. Churches are constantly evolving to meet the ever changing desires and wishes of man, meanwhile, no one seems to bat an eye at the fact that Jesus has an opinion on what the church ought to be. When searching for a church to commit to, Christians approach their search as a homebuyer on the hunt for their new home- the emphasis is all about what they want in their ideal church and rarely stop to consider what God wants in His church. Just whose church is it anyways?!
The church is NOT man’s church. This might sound super obvious and perhaps even trivial but it is very serious. When Jesus first mentions the church in his address to Peter, he emphatically refers to the church as “HIS” (Jesus’s) church. (Matthew 16:18) In my blog post, WHAT GOD HAS PUT TOGETHER, I discussed at length the formation of the church as the bride of Christ. Please be sure to read it in its entirety if you have yet to do so. But there’s a section in there in particular that bears repetition, which I want to draw your attention to:
“The heir of the woman, the descendant of the Jews, who also happens to be God the Son, Jesus the Christ arrives on scene. He’s here not just to get rid of sin, but to proclaim a new kingdom. A kingdom not of this world, a kingdom where sin is not welcome and a kingdom that is guaranteed to endure forever because it does not depend on feeble human efforts. In His death a new covenant is initiated. A new covenant “not of the letter, but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life” (2 Corinthians 3:6).
His Body is pierced, the Blood pours out, the Body is Created
Jesus is hanging on the cross dead. His side is pierced, blood pours out, fulfilling the requirement of a covenant being sealed with blood, a new covenant is in full effect. But with who? In the beginning, Adam, was put to sleep, out of His sides God makes Eve. (Genesis 2:21-22) Here we have the new Adam, put to sleep (death), out of His sides gushes blood, the blood that washes over any and all who will put their trust in Him as savior- the church, His Body, His bride.”
IT HAS BEEN HER ALL ALONG..
At the cross, that’s where it all begun. That’s when she was formed but she wouldn’t come into fruition till after the dispensation of the Holy Spirit, as recorded in the book of Acts. But that’s not to say that the idea of the church begun at the cross, for it begun long before the cross. In fact, it was the reason for the cross. This bride that is the Body of Christ, comprising of all who have put their trust and submission into the Lordship of Jesus Christ, has been God’s plan from the very beginning. From the very beginning when He wanted a family of many children in the likeness of Himself, that’s as far back as the church aka this family has been in His heart. In fact, we know based on Ephesians 5:31-32 that as God formed woman out of man, all along concealed in it was the. mystery of Christ and His church.
In Genesis 2:24, we read “this is why a man leaves his father and mother and bonds with his wife, and they become one flesh”, referring to Eve being created out of Adam. The same statement is found in the Gospels when Jesus is speaking against divorce, and He basically echoes this statement from Genesis 2. Then in Ephesians the mystery is brought to light when Paul brings up this same statement when discussing how husbands and wives ought to relate to each other, on the basis that embedded in the marriage union is a mysterious portrait of the union of Christ and His bride- the church. It has been her all along.
Now do you see the blasphemous insolence in not considering the opinion of the one who formed the church, the one the church belongs to. The one who was put into the deep sleep of death so that out of His side, His bride, the church- would be created? Do you see the blasphemy in taking what belongs to Christ, and mutilating it to suit your personal preferences? Where were you when He left His Father’s house to come make a bond with his bride? Where were you when He sent God the Holy Spirit as a seal (Ephesians 1:13) for His bride to assure them of His return after He goes to prepare her a place, as per Jewish custom of a man and his betrothed. How dare we leave out the opinion of Jesus Christ in our considerations of what church ought to be.
And now that we’ve cleared all the rubble out of the way, why don’t we lay a proper foundation, starting from the very very bottom layer of the foundation. Shall we?
SOLID AS A ROCK?
The most fundamental issue plaguing the physical church today is that it is not founded on the solid rock. It has been built on sinking sand. Thus, just as Christ warned, when the floods and winds beat on it, it is found wanting, being tossed to and fro. A true church ought to be built on a solid rock, the rock that is Jesus Christ. I don’t mean just proclaiming the name Jesus, I mean truly built on the Christ as revealed in scripture. It ought to be built upon the rock of ages that is woven all throughout the Old Testament and that Paul reveals in Corinthians to be Jesus Himself. The Old Testament is replete with scriptures with the imagery as well as reference to God as a Rock- as a place of refuge and a fortress. For example,
“For I proclaim the name of the Lord. Ascribe greatness to our God. He is the Rock, His work is perfect; For all His ways are justice, A God of truth and without injustice; Righteous and upright is He.” (Deuteronomy 32:4)
The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold…The sorrows of Sheol surrounded me; The snares of death confronted me…They confronted me in the day of my calamity, But the LORD was my support…As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the Lord is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in HIm. For who is God, except the LORD? And who is a rock, except our God? It is God who arms me with strength, and makes my way perfect…The LORD lives! Blessed be my Rock! Let the God of my salvation be exalted.” (Psalm 18:2, 5, 18, 30-32, 46)
Paul says, referring to the Israelites in the wilderness, “and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual rock that followed them, and that rock was Christ.” (1 Corinthians 10: 4)
Side note: If you’ve ever doubted the trinity or the divinity of Jesus Christ, this is one more proof for you. It is important to realize that often when God is mentioned in the Old Testament, it is moreso a reference to the triune God and not necessarily just God the Father. And in 1 Corinthians 10:4, Paul makes it crystal clear that this Rock that was referenced during the Israelite’s exodus to promised land, is in fact Jesus Christ Himself. This is extremely significant. There are increasingly movements and religions popping up in these last days, hellbent on distinguishing Jesus from His divinity as God and in the process creating a Jesus of their own imagination that isn’t the true Messiah scripture reveals. Just like John 1:1-3 says, Jesus has existed before all things and as God He was involved in all of the redemptive work from the very beginning, including setting the Israelites free from their slavery.
The very bottom layer of the foundation indeed ought to be recognition of who the true rock is, but it must not end there. It cannot end there. It’s not just about a realization of who the rock is because embedded in that realization is a requirement-finding refuge in the rock. Building the church on the rock implies true discipleship and genuine submission to Christ. There must be submission to the Rock. Jesus didn’t say that building on the rock is to merely know who Jesus is, or even to know what his commands are but to obey all He commands! Those who build on sinking sand also include those who merely make a profession, whose lives are in no way submitted to the Lordship of Christ. (James 1:22, Luke 11:28, Luke 13:24-27, Romans 2:13, 1 John 3:7, 1 John 2:17, 2 Timothy 2:19) When the floods of God’s judgment pours, all such people have no shelter in which, or better yet, in whom to hide. When the world lures, they have no sure footing, when Satan attacks, they have no security, and thus they end up in destruction along with the world. (Psalm 18:1-15, 21-22, 30-31)
DIVINE PROVISION FLOWS
Here is the incredible news though. Embedded in the Rock is not only a requirement but also a provision. A provision which enables us to remain firmly attached to the rock, keeping us safe and secure. While the Israelites sojourned on, they got to a point where they had no water to drink and they started to fuss so Moses cried out to the Lord and He answered. He said, “Go on ahead of the people and take some of the elders of Israel with you. Take the staff you struck the Nile with in your hand and go. I am going to stand there in front of you on the rock at Horeb; when you hit the rock, water will come out of it and the people will drink.” (Exodus 17: 5-6)
STREAMS OF LIVING WATERS
Moses hit staff on the rock and out came water that sustained Israelites. Just as the rock of old that Moses smites, Jesus is smitten for the sake of His bride (Zechariah 13: 7; Matthew 26:31) And what do you know, out of Christ is the living waters that sustains the church as it pilgrims from this world to the promised celestial city. Once upon a time, a Samaritan woman encounters Jesus at a well, he bids her “give me a drink”, and she mistakenly thinks she can deny the creator a drink. He responds, “If you knew the gift of God, and who is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would ask him, and he would give you living water.” (John 4: 10) Further in their discourse, Jesus says to her, “Everyone who drinks from this water will get thirsty again. But whoever drinks from the water that I will give him will never get thristy again, in fact, the water I will give him will become a well of water springing up in him for eternal life.” (John 4:13-14)
As their conversation continues, the woman asks Jesus for this living water he speaks of, and in a rather interesting way, Jesus questions her in a way that convicts her of sin. The woman is both astonished and convicted, but the conversation does not end there. She asks Jesus about where to worship, as Jews and Samaritan differed in their beliefs of where to worship. Again, in a striking response, Jesus tells her essentially that true worship isn’t a matter of the where, but a matter of how. He reveals to her that “an hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in Spirit, and in truth. Yes, the Father wants such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in Spirit and in truth.” (John 4: 23-24, emphasis mine)
The Samaritan woman thought she could have this living waters in spite of her sin. Jesus first brings her to conviction of her sins. And she didn’t realize it at the time but this was her very first taste of the living waters that is the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit convicts of us of our sins. In his farewell address to His disciples, Jesus tells them that when the Holy Spirit comes, “he will convict the world about sin, righteousness and judgment.” (John 16: 8)
The rock of old that was with the Israelites contained the water that entire time, but it wasn’t till the appointed time that the water came out. This rock was with them for the duration of their pilgrimage, not just as a sign of refuge but also containing their very sustenance. And how true is this of Christ and his Holy Spirit in the lives of His bride! If the wages of sin is death, then it goes without saying that heeding the Holy Spirit’s convictions of sin and repenting of them leads to life. In this manner, the Holy Spirit sustains the church to the glory of the Father and Son.
“…as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that He might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.” (Ephesians 5: 25-27)
The work of the Holy Spirit in a nut shell is a work of sanctification- convicting of sin, counseling us, reminding us of the truth, leading us into righteousness, empowering us for holy living, all of which leads to what end? That we may have eternal life, just as Jesus told the woman at the well, as opposed to being destroyed by the flood. Perhaps you’re already convinced by now that the streams of water represents the Holy Spirit. All throughout scripture is the imagery of the Holy Spirit in relation to water. From the very beginning, He hovered over the waters (Genesis 1:2). As aforementioned, we see Him when Moses strikes the rock and water comes out, satisfying the thirst of the Israelites. (Exodus 17: 6) In Ezekiel’s vision, when he sees the New temple with water flowing from it, there we see the Holy Spirit yet again (Ezekiel 47:9) When Jesus gets baptized, the Holy Spirit descends on Him (Luke 3:21-22) and many other verses such as Isaiah 58:11; Joel 3:18; Zechariah 14:8) But in case you have any doubt, it is literally spelled out for us in John 7:
“On the last and most important day of the festival, Jesus stood up and cried out, “if anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. The one who believes in me, as the Scripture has said, will have streams of living water flow from deep within him.” He said this about the Spirit. Those who believed in Jesus were going to receive the Spirit, for the Spirit had no yet been given because Jesus had not yet been glorified.” (John 7:37-39)
BUILDING UPON THE FOUNDATION
There’s distinct layers to building on this foundational rock. One such aspect is building on the apostles and prophets. Remember the imagery of the church as a building? The building isn’t just a matter of directly attaching every bit and piece of the house haphazardly to the foundation. I’ll talk more about structure in subsequent posts but for now it is important to note that building on the rock is not a matter of building a bunch of distinct structures all supposedly attached to the same foundation. It’s also not a matter of starting over and over again, building from scratch each time. What do I mean?
BUILT ON THE APOSTLES
Jesus tells Simon that He is Peter, meaning rock and on that rock will He build His church. My point here is that we don’t ever attempt to build a church apart from the foundations that the apostles and earliest disciples themselves have laid. Rather, we build upon the foundations that they laid upon the rock.
“According to God’s grace that was given to me, I have laid a foundation as a skilled master builder, and another builds on it. But each one is to be careful how he builds on it. For no one can lay any other foundation than what has been laid down. That foundation is Jesus Christ.” 1 Corinthians 3:10-11
In the Old Testament, God continually told the Israelites to document their journey for the sake of preserving the testimonies and history for future generation. We have been given the same as participants of the New Testament. We have, documented for us, the history and testimony of the early church and the work of the apostles. It is incredible how little attention and emphasis is placed upon this pattern that has been clearly laid out for us. We opt instead to start from scratch building supposedly on the Rock structures made of man-made patterns. We look everywhere for patterns to build after except for what has actually been handed down to us by the Rock Himself. We would be protected from half of the issues and predicaments the church faces today, if we would simply stick to the foundation that the foundation that the Apostles laid. We have the entire book of Acts, not to mention the various epistles giving us a picture of how the early church functioned. What have we done with that knowledge? Why are we constantly trying to lay a new foundation upon the Rock rather than build on what has already been laid?
The Apostles knew exactly the kind of church Jesus wanted to build. When Jesus bids the disciples who He is, Simon Peter is the first who responds, correctly identifying Jesus as the Messiah! He was the first to openly confess Jesus as the Messiah and Son of God. Jesus replies to him, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but my Father in heaven. And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overpower it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will have been loosed in heaven.” (Matthew 16:17-19)
There are two important things to point out from this passage with regards to building on a solid foundation. My main point now in bringing it up however is, to show the futility of trying to lay another foundation upon the Rock apart from what the Apostles already laid. Jesus Himself confers upon Simon the name Peter, which literally translates to rock, says He’s going to build His church on a rock and tells Him first that he’s been given the keys to the kingdom before later telling all the disciples this (Matthew 18:18) What does all this mean? Well what happened on the day of Pentecost after the Holy Spirit filled all the disciples? Was it not Peter who literally opened the door to the kingdom by preaching the Gospel to all the Jews gathered from various nations? The sermon that brought conviction and led about 3,000 to repent and be baptized? (Acts 2: 14-41) How about with the Gentiles? Was it not Peter who first shared the good news with a Gentile when Cornelius sent for him? (Acts 10: 34-38)
Indeed Peter was given the keys to the kingdom and He opened it alright, praise the Lord! Yet this is not to say the foundation was laid on Peter himself for this same Peter shortly after being honored for declaring Christ as Messiah is rebuked for allowing the devil to use him to try to stop the establishment of the kingdom of heaven, on earth. In an instance, Peter goes from being handed the keys to the kingdom that will bring about the formation of the church, to now trying to stop the Savior from having to suffer and die for the church to be formed. It wont be the first or last time he pulls such a careless move, for this same Peter had to be rebuked by Paul for undermining the power of the Gospel in bridging all gaps when he was being two-faced about the uncircumcised. (Galatians 2:11-14) I mention all this to bring up the point that the church was not built necessarily on Peter the person but rather on his confession as well as his teachings later on. So that when I say building on the foundation of the Apostles, I don’t mean building on Peter or even building on just the teachings of Peter but of all the apostles.
While Peter was given the keys and honored, it is also important to note that he was not the only one commissioned by Jesus nor was he the only Apostle who walked closely with Jesus. In fact Paul says, “they saw that I had been entrusted with he gospel to the uncircumcised, just as Peter had been entrusted with the gospel to the circumcised (for he who worked through Peter for his apostolic ministry to the circumcised worked also through me for mine to the Gentiles), and when James and Cephas and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given to me, they gave the right hand of fellowship to Barnabas and me, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised.” (Galatians 2:7-9)
BUILT ON FAITH IN THE MESSIAH
The most important thing to grasp about what it means to build upon the foundation of the Apostles, is that these Apostles taught a very specific message. Let’s go back to Peter on the day the name rock was conferred upon him. “On this rock I will build my church.” As I explained above it is not necessarily the person Peter in and of himself that Jesus was building his church upon. So what was it? It is upon the same confession of faith that Peter is first to express, about the Messiah, that Christ builds his church. All who will confess the same conviction Peter confessed upon receiving revelation of who the Messiah is, are promised eternal life. (Romans 10:8-13) In order for a person to be saved and by virtue of that a member of the Body of Christ, they must confess with their mouth the Lordship of Jesus and have faith in Jesus as Savior. This is what the church is built upon. And we’ve already established above that empty profession isn’t what is being implied here. It is a confession that is accompanied by repentance and submission to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
The church is built on faith in the Messiah; complete trust in the finished work of the Savior, not dependence on the works of man. According to Romans 9:33, this is precisely what trips up the Israelites. And until today it continues to trip up many who believe their good works and following the law can save them. The confession that Peter makes upon which rock Jesus builds His church is a confession of faith, that results from deep conviction of who Jesus is. It is a faith that is made evident through works but not a result of works. The church isn’t built on the merit of human works because there is no refuge in anything that depends on frail human effort. If it’s gonna be a rock and be a refuge, it certainly needs to be something bigger than human efforts. In the list of the armor of God, faith is listed as a shield that protects us from the fiery darts thrown by the enemy of our souls. Surely, faith in the Messiah and His finished work is a rock in that it protects us from the woos of the tempter and from our own selves.
The gates of Hades cannot prevail against the church that Christ builds because it is a church that has revelation from God of the Messiah and consequently has unquenchable faith in this Messiah. The church Christ builds never perishes because it is built on faith in a rock that is steadfast so that neither the floods of God’s wrath nor the tempests of the devil’s many attacks can destroy it. Hallelujah! The Hebrews writer says that those who have sought refuge in Christ- that is the church- have a hope that is an anchor for the soul. (Hebrews 6:18-20) It keeps the soul firmly planted, not tossed to and fro’ no matter the storms it faces. And guess what, the same Hebrews writer defines faith as? “The assurance of what is hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1)
Like the ark that protected Noah and his family from the raging waters, so the Messiah is for His church an ark of protection that buoys over the deep deep waters of God’s judgement as well as the billows of the deceiver. All who trust this ark enough to be found in it, are kept safe!
WHAT THEN?
The reality of the invisible church- comprising of all of God’s elect who are saved over all generations in the world- is not to be confused with the reality of the physical church. When I speak of the crisis the church is in, I want to make the important distinction that I am specifically referring to the physical church, the visible institutions- and generally speaking. It is in fact a reality that Jesus is building His church- the invisible church- out of people spread all over the world in various physical churches. Therefore the importance of having these visible churches be healthy cannot be undermined. He is jealous for His bride, and the swiftness with which he rebukes Peter shortly after honoring him should tell you that He loves His bride and anyone that stands in the way of that should be petrified! There are so many churches out there but yet so uncommon to find one that reflects the desires of the owner of the church- Jesus. It is high time to break down these all these man-made houses and build again on the Solid Rock, following His given template, building upon the apostles, and built on faith.
Beware you charlatans, beware you pulpit pimps. Beware all who compromise the glorious gospel and water it down into sweet nothings, for the house owner will soon appear. Beware shepherds who have been entrusted with the flock of Christ, not to lay a different foundation and different structure than what the bridegroom desires. Beware members of the Body of Christ, for it is not solely the job of the pastor and leader to build a temple befitting for our Lord. It is time for judgment to begin in the household of God. May the Lord be merciful to each of us, and bring repentance to every heart that comes across this. May we resolve to be the church and to build the church that Christ wants.
So help me God.
So help us God.
“So then, you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.” Ephesians 2: 19-22
In His love and Light,
Ivy.