The Church is Most Like a Church when it’s Like a Church
[10] According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it. [11] For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. [12] Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw—[13] each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. [14] If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. [15] If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.
[16] Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? [17] If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.
1 Corinthians 3:10–17 ESV
This is one of those sections of the Bible that is made clear at the end of the passage, so you have to go back and read through it again. Paul is talking to people in the church about building a temple. He talks about several important details:
The importance of the foundation
The building materials have to be top quality
The construction is going to be tested
Only the quality construction will endure
The great part about this is that he is talking about how we build one another up. How we begin with our attitudes about each other MUST rest on what Christ has done for you and for me. The life we share together is built on Christ and is a worthwhile pursuit. We don’t live idle lives waiting for the end of the world, we strengthen each other and the whole church in their faith.
The work of our life together is going to be tested. Whether spiritually or practically, there are going to be things that will refine our faith and our commitment to one another in the church. If the depth of our life together is as shallow as a sand volleyball tournament, when the storms come the sand will blow away and we’ll be left with nothing. Build deep relationships with Christ and with each other to endure those storms.
As we pray for one another in the Body of Christ today, let’s consider the people that are like walls, holding up the people that are like a roof, from which hang the people that are like lights. If Paul used the image of the temple to describe the church today, we can use a building as a prayer guide for our brothers and sisters today. As you visit your campus this weekend look and consider how all of it, no matter how big, rests on the foundation of Christ, immovable and perfect.