Title Let's Build Together / Ephesians 2:19-21
Contents
Let's Build Together / Ephesians 2:19-21
There is a place that every visitor to London, England wants to visit. It is the famous Westminster Abbey. Interesting anecdotes like this have been passed down to us from the mouths of visitors to this temple long ago. When visitors visited this famous church, there was a guide to guide them. This guide explains the historical history of the temple and the lives of the brilliant heroes of past centuries buried in tombs. It also provides a lengthy explanation of what programs the church is currently running.
After these explanations, the guide turned to the visitors and asked if they had any questions. At this time, any goddess who had visited this place in the US state of Iowa had a question posed by a person to the guide. This question remains a famous anecdote to this day.
“Thank you sir for your wonderful explanation of the many things and history of this Westminster Abbey. But let me ask you one question. How many people have been saved through this temple recently?”
In front of this unexpected question, the guide had no choice but to panic. However, through this anecdote, we need to look back and reflect on how all these forms and illusions that we are revealing today should relate to their contents.
Many churches have New Year's resolutions at the end of the year. I ponder and think about what to do in the new year, and whether there will be any event that will surprise and excite the members of the congregation. However, if it is a true church, we should pay more attention to the salvation of souls that the Lord has entrusted to the church and the nurturing of discipleship of the Lord. A beautiful church in the eyes of the Lord is not a church where many people gather, nor is it a church with a large and grand building. It must be a church that understands the will of the Lord and works tirelessly to accomplish it.
Today is the anniversary of the founding of our church on this earth. In other words, it is a church birthday. Everyone has a birthday. Those celebrating that day will want others to congratulate them on their birthday. So some people celebrate their birthdays with grandeur. If there has been one of the hottest birthdays in our country, it is probably the birthday of King Gojong, who ate the 500th year of the Joseon Dynasty. He named his birthday 'The Feast of All Waters' and made it a national holiday. And he officially took a bribe from Crown Prince Manjo in the name of a birthday present, and is famous for throwing a huge feast without regard to the hungry people.
But we don't have to make church birthday parties so grandiose. Even today, it should be a day to think about why the church is needed here and why the church needs me.
1. Who am I? Let's think about what kind of being I am in the church.
In Revelation 11:1-2, an angel gave John a reed like a staff and said, “Get up and measure the temple of God and the altar and those who worship in it, but do not measure the yard outside the temple, but leave it alone. Forty-two months they will trample the holy city.” If we understand this in a symbolic sense, let's say that there are three kinds of people in the church.
First, the person at the altar. He is a man who knows how to sacrifice himself for the Church and for the Lord as a sacrifice.
Second, those who worship in it. He is a person who worships God with all his heart and soul.
Third, the person in the courtyard outside the temple. He has come to church, but his heart is far from God.
So, let me diagnose myself. Who am I in the church? Are you not a person who has no choice but to come to church, but your heart is far from God? Such people should know that they are not even in God's interest. We are looking for people who come to church and worship with a sincere heart, who are dedicated to the church and the Lord and who are sacrifices. Then let's look again at Text 2:19 "Therefore, from now on you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God." That's right. It is no longer you or me or a stranger. Not even a guest. They are citizens of the same church as other saints and belong to the household of God. But before God, there are people who are saints, citizens, and members of God's household, but are serving as guests in the church. This is the problem.
How are guests and families different? Customers complain if the food doesn't taste good and won't come back. Customers get annoyed when the restaurant is messy and dirty and won't come back. Customers quarrel when the staff is unfriendly and cut off footsteps in the restaurant. However, the owner or family thinks and studies why food is not tasty. The owner or family will bring a broom and mop to clean if the restaurant is messy and filthy. If the owner or family member is unfriendly, they will be kind, scolded and treated with kindness. So, let's test ourselves again. Who am I in the church? Are you a guest who just came to hear the sermon? Or are you neither a stranger nor a guest, but a fellow citizen with other saints and a member of our church?
2. Let's think about the foundation of our church.
Jesus said, “A house built on a rock will not fall down even if it rains, floods, and the wind blows” (Matthew 7:25). That's right. The foundation of a building is invisible. However, a house without a strong foundation will collapse without strength when a strong wind blows or an earthquake occurs.
There are events that are now being forgotten from our memory.
On September 19, 1985, at 7:18 a.m., a 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck Mexico City with a population of 18 million in the morning hours as many citizens rushed to work. The duration of the earthquake was 4 minutes and 40 seconds, and in an instant, buildings began to collapse, and this terrifying earthquake continued four times. More than 30,000 people died and disappeared, more than 300,000 people were affected by this earthquake, and more than 1,300 buildings collapsed. In the obstetrics and gynecology hospital that collapsed during the first earthquake, the bodies of 100 mothers and 80 newborns were found alone. The morgue was full, so the bodies were placed in the open air, and the city was covered with the smell of burning corpses.
A few days later, on October 14, a magnitude 6 earthquake struck Tokyo, Japan. However, there was not a single fatality, not a single fire or building collapse. As a result of the analysis, it was found that the building collapsed easily because Mexican builders did not build faithfully as designed, although it was also due to the ground, and the collapse rate of buildings built by American architects was extremely low.
It is not easy to tell whether a house has a strong foundation or a weak foundation. There is usually nothing different. But when there is an earthquake or when there is a wind, it is clearly distinct. The same goes for churches and homes. So is our faith. A church with a strong foundation, a home with a strong foundation, and a believer with a strong foundation are not easily shaken or collapsed even when the winds of tribulation blow.
So, what is the foundation of our church? “You are built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself being the cornerstone” (Ephesians 2:20). The foundation or foundation of our church is the apostles and prophets.
The prophet here does not mean the prophets of the Old Testament era, but the prophets of the New Testament era (Ephesians 3:5). If we meant the Old Testament prophets, we would have expressed it as ‘prophesies and apostles’ rather than ‘apostles and prophets’. Were there any prophets in the New Testament times? Yes, of course it was. There were prophets and teachers in the church in Antioch (Acts 13:1, 15:32), and the four daughters of Deacon Philip who lived in Caesarea were all virgin prophets (Acts 21:9), that is, prophets.
Therefore, to say that the foundation of the church is the apostles and prophets means that the word of God delivered through the apostles and prophets, that is, the gospel of Christ, becomes the foundation and foundation of the church. In other words, it refers to the Word of God taught through the apostles and prophets, that is, the Bible.
That's right. The foundation of the church cannot be tradition and it cannot be a church leader. The foundation of the church is the Bible alone. Therefore, a church that directly teaches the Bible, learns the Bible, and practices it is a church with a solid foundation. Believers who learn the Word of the Bible and stand on the foundation stand firm even if the winds of tribulation blow.
3. Let's think about what our church is built on.
So, in some churches, the healing and healing Jesus is the cornerstone. In some churches, Jesus, who speaks for the poor and oppressed workers, is the cornerstone. In some churches, Jesus, who endlessly searches for the truth, is the cornerstone. So, what kind of image of Jesus will you take as the cornerstone?
This does not mean, however, that a building is complete with only a solid foundation and corner stones. Thousands of stones must be stacked to build a building, and all of these stones must be strong. If even one stone is weak and broken, the building will crack. In this way, the church must be established with all the saints strong and upright. If even one person is not spiritually strong and sick, it cannot be a strong and reliable church.
Also, all the stones must be well connected to each other. No matter how strong and good each piece is, it is of no use if it is not connected well. This is also the principle of the church. No matter how spiritual, smart, and capable each person may be, if they do not connect with each other in love, a gap will form and split and eventually collapse.
Dear brothers and sisters, however, the church is not yet complete. “It is becoming a temple in the Lord… “It is being built together in Jesus,” he said. It is still under construction. Construction is currently underway. That is why the church has many scars, many faults, and is weak. But let us not be discouraged. And let's build steadily. Let's continue to build our church, looking forward to the day when it will be completed as a dwelling place for God, even if we ourselves have many faults.