Bible Reading Challenge #6
There is so much to learn and be challenged by in this chapter. I encourage you to spend some extra time today rereading the text and considering our questions below and answering them multiple times in a journal or in your thoughts. I will give you the answers that stuck out to me the most for the sake of time.
What does this teach me about God?
The most glaring reminder in this text for me today was that Jesus is the foundation of our lives and especially He is the foundation of His Church. The Church is not rooted in any man or woman, Bible translation, style of worship, song selection, preaching talent, lighting setup, chairs vs pews, color of carpet, insert anything here!
Only Jesus is the foundation of the Church!
I cannot write firmly enough about how important this is, because if we miss this it will fundamentally change everything about how we think about and approach church.
The most important consequence of us misplacing the foundation is that we will fail in our mission of spreading God’s Kingdom, because we will be more concerned about how we are building up the church with “precious stones”, or “hay, straw” (I read here for our context, the various programs that make up a church’s calendar and the various arguments we have over minor issues that distract us) than we will be with worshiping God together, helping each other walk with Jesus, and serving our community with physical needs and by sharing the gospel with them. If we hold Jesus as our foundation of His Church, then we are not distracted by such issues from the work we have been called to.
How can I live in response to this?
I think our response is simple. Let us be those who build onto the church’s foundation (Jesus) with faithful and good work that He calls us to in His Word, not with the less important things of this world that easily distract us. And when we stand before God, and “the fire” (metaphor) tests our work, let it reveal…
lives rooted in God’s Word and in prayer
lives focused on sharing the gospel with and loving those around us well
lives focused on building up our Christian brothers and sisters in the faith
lives built around using the resources, gifts, and talents that God has given us for His glory and for His Kingdom to grow
