Building and Being Built
Psalm 127:1-2 I Peter 2:5 Colossians 2:6-7
This morning, you are on Holy Ground…in a sacred place where God touches people and heals broken hearts; where the Holy Spirit washes sin stained people, breaking addictions and restoring their God-given beauty and innocence. In this building, Jesus is very much alive and present, ministering to members and guests, old and young, giving us second chances and breathing new life into us. This is Holy Ground, where miracles happen and lives are changed. But let me ask you, “What did you think the first time you drove up this hill, turned the corner and saw this building”? Perhaps you heard something about there being a church up on the top of this hill, or you felt God leading you to drive up here to see if this is where He would establish a church. Whether you were one of the founding members of Shepherd Church or a guest, or if this is your first time here this morning, what did you think when you first saw this building? Honestly? Because I’ve asked that question many times and have heard a lot of responses, like: “So, Where’s the church?” or “This is a church?” or “Seriously?” or “What happened to the steeple?” or “That’s unique”, and my favorite, “Doesn’t look like a church.”
Two and a half years ago, God led a group of Jesus’ Disciples up that hill to this place, and at the time, it was empty; an unattractive building that had lost its purpose. But as if to give us a living metaphor of what God does to every human being who asks Him, God gave this old building new life. God gave this building a second chance and an eternal purpose; He gave this building a beauty that only God can give. That’s what God does to people, you know…. and sometimes to buildings as He grows His Kingdom.
And if you have been a part of Shepherd Church for any time, you already know that God is doing amazing things here on top of this hill. He has grown us far faster than any of us imagined (there are well over 300 active people who are a part of this Body). God’s Spirit has cultivated an atmosphere here that is unlike any most of us have known; where we are accepted and loved and welcomed and where people are not judged for who they are or what they have done, for what they wear or how they look. In a building where people used to buy mattresses, they now meet Jesus and experience a taste of the God’s love. In a building where folks used to shop for bargains, people discover the riches of free grace found in the cross of God’s Son.
For almost a year and a half, there has been an ongoing conversation, with a lot of excitement and a little trepidation about the need and the possibility of expanding these facilities; building additional classrooms and offices and bathrooms and a kitchen and Fellowship Hall. A lot of prayer and planning has gone into the process of preparing for this new building that we approved by an overwhelming congregational vote just last month. The Board and Finance Team are in talks with local banks, the Design Team has met with various builders, and the Building Team will soon be ready to move forward. ----This is no small thing, and so before we go to the next step, there are some things you should know: and I’m not talking about the dimensions of the building. I don’t mean the interior or exterior colors, or the architectural style…not even the cost. Those are all secondary matters. You know, the Bible says a lot about building, and so I want us to look at several principles in Scripture, about God, His people and building things.
1. Unless God is in it, it is an exercise in futility and failure. (Psalm 127:1-2) Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain. Notice---not just the construction of a building; its everything, even watching over the people. Jesus put it this way, “Apart from me, you can do nothing.” When God wants something to be built, He puts the dream in the hearts and minds of His people, and if it is going to be successful, if its going to honor God, if its going to accomplish God’s purposes—it needs to be God’s idea! The Bible says our ways are not God’s ways, and our thoughts are not God’s thoughts. (Isaiah) Now, we can just decide to build something for ourselves and on our own, but if it is OUR dream and not God’s dream, it is destined for failure.
----Tower of Babel--- Someone’s good idea. Reach up to God! Not God’s idea and did not have God’s blessings, and so, in the end, folks were worse off than when they began.
On the other hand, when God calls Noah to build something the world had never seen before, and when God told Moses to build a Tabernacle—and when God put it in David’s heart and mind to build the Temple---Great things resulted…because these were all God’s idea. So, if God is not in this new building---we don’t want anything to do with it either.
The things God calls forth, the dreams He sets in His people’s hearts, the buildings God places His seal of approval upon are eternal or have an eternal impact. They have holy purposes that make an eternal difference.
So, if God IS in this building we are planning, we need not be afraid. If this building IS a part of God’s dream for us at this time in history, then we don’t want to get in the way of what God wants to accomplish here. Hasn’t God out done us every step of the way since He formed us? Hasn’t He led us further and faster than any of us imagined? Hasn’t He provided for all we have needed…and more? If God is in this, & I believe He is, then let’s get going.
2. When God wants to build something, the building is always secondary. When God wants to build something, whether it’s an ARK, a Tabernacle, a Sanctuary, or Shepherd Church expansion, it isn’t primarily about the building itself—it’s ALWAYS about God and about the world His Son Jesus died to save. The entire story of salvation—the entire theme of scripture is not about building buildings, but about God’s love for His people. The Bible doesn’t say that God so loved buildings…God so loves Fellowship Halls or Family Life Centers, or Arks or Temples or anything of the sort! What does it say? God so loved the world---people! It’s the greatest love story of all time and the buildings are ALWAYS just instruments to refine His people or to enable them to fulfill their God-given purposes. The buildings are there so God’s people can live out their sacred calling and fulfill their calling. The buildings are instruments of the Kingdom to build and grow Kingdom people. The buildings God seems interested in aren’t so much about comfort but conversion. Not so much about architectural design but about blessing people, drawing and leading and pointing and introducing people to Jesus and then growing them up and equipping them for Abundant Living and a life that glorifies God.
So, whether it is an Ark, a city, an altar or Temple, the buildings were about the people God so loves, and the buildings were to save them, to refine them, the facilitate fellowship and to enhance ministry to a lost and hurting world. So another question I believe the Scriptures call us to consider when we are thinking about building a building is: Is this about a building or about reaching lost people and facilitating fellowship with God and one another? And so far, that is exactly what this church family has been about and what they have used these buildings for.
3. When God gets ready to build something—He first builds up His people. Why would God do that? Well, we just acknowledged that when God wants to build a building, it’s not primarily about boards and bricks or money. It is about extending His Kingdom further into hostile territory. And we would be foolish to believe that the enemy is going to sit by and watch it happen without some significant response. You see, when God wants to do something significant in the world or calls His people to extend His Kingdom, all hell is about to break loose because the spiritual battle is about to heat up! If God is calling us to build something that will help usher people from the dominion of darkness into the marvelous light of God, then Satan will do everything He can to derail, demoralize or destroy it and the most effective strategy Satan has is to sew discord in the body of Christ. The biggest obstacle to building something to Honor God or to reach out for God is not the permits, the paperwork or inspections; it’s not even the money! Its things like pettiness and pessimism, about arguments and egos, about the color of paint to use, and careless criticism.
The landscape of this land is littered with the corpses of churches that have been torn apart over a building project, and that has simply got to grieve God’s heart and delight the Devil. That’s why when God set out to build the Tabernacle—He first built up His people. When He set out to build Jerusalem, He first built up His people. When God set out to build the Temple, He first built up His people. And when The Lord set out to build His Church, He built up His people at Pentecost. The Bible says that they were all in one accord and God empowered them and commissioned them with the infilling of the Holy Spirit. Peter tells us that God wants to build US up as a spiritual tabernacle—a place and a people for fellowship with God. There isn’t much said in the New Testament about building buildings, but there is a lot said about God building up His Church, His people.
There are a lot of churches in Cherokee County and I thank God for each of them and we pray every week for all of them. But God is constantly doing new things and Shepherd Church is a new thing. I don’t think anyone who has been a part of this church for any extended time can deny that God has been building up this church---in numbers and in spirit—preparing us, (I believe), to accomplish something significant---something uniquely designed for us, something that will extend the KOG further into hostile territory. And if that is true, if that is our calling—then we’ll need to put on the whole armor of God, and be One Body, with One Spirit, of One heart, and One mind.
SANCTUARY
I want to invite you to be a part of something new and exciting God is doing here at Shepherd Church. Let’s be generous in giving and generous in grace and encouragement. Let’s build up one another, and submit ourselves in every way that God may build us up first, like living stones, into a holy people. After all, a holy building can only be built by a holy people. So THEN, we’ll be prepared to build…and nothing will be able to impede the work of God’s people.
SHEPHERD CONSECRATION
