A few weeks ago when I was walking around Frankston, I noticed a number of building sites with new buildings in the process of being erected. It made me wonder how many people were employed in the building industry. Carpenters, brick-layers, plumbers, plasterers, etc, etc. There must be hundreds, if not thousands, I thought. There are lots and lots of people who are constantly at work building things.
Then it was as though the Spirit of God placed another thought in my mind: how many people are engaged with the task of building up the church? How many people in the Frankston area are as engaged with building up the church as there are with erecting physical buildings? This is another kind of building work to be done, less tangible, more difficult to measure or to see, but a building work every bit as vital as these other forms of building.
In terms of employment, I decided only a tiny fraction of the numbers would be involved in church leading and pastoring as in the building industry. Yes, there are also many wonderful volunteers/servants who do much to build up the church, but the numbers are still small compared to the ‘building industry’.
On one occasion Jesus said to Peter “I will build my church and the gates of death will not overcome it” (Matthew 16:18). Jesus is a church builder. St Paul on one occasion said, “since you are eager for the gifts of the Spirit, try to excel in those that build up the church (1 Corinthians 14:12). Paul, too, was a church builder.
The message that the Lord seemed to be saying to me out of this incident was this: ‘be a builder’. It is easier to pull down than it is to build up. It is easier to grumble than it is to encourage. It is easier to watch than it is to roll up our sleeves. It is easier to find fault than it is to find praise.
Let’s be builders, whether in the church directly or in our daily lives, our homes and work-places. In a fallen world things will never be perfect, inside or outside the church. The evil one is at work to destroy, the Spirit is at work to build up.
Let’s be builders. It requires patience to build, and consistency, and dealing with setbacks. It is essentially people ministry. But it is the most wonderful, indeed eternal, task of all. We build not to human glory but to God’s glory, seen in the faces and lives of those who know Him and walk with Him. Let’s be builders of God’s kingdom and church today, with love and joy and peace.
Be a builder!