Building The Church, Building You

BUILDING THE CHURCH, BUILDING YOU!

Phil. 1:6-8

INTRO.- ILL.- A certain congregation was about to build a new building. The building committee

passed the following resolutions:

1- We shall build a new building.

2- The new building is to be located on the site of the old one.

3- The material in the old building is to be used in the new one.

4- We shall continue to use the old building until the new one is completed.

Brethren, those people were never going to build a new building! And that’s the way some of our plans

go. They sound good, but they never get off the ground.

I want us to think today about building the church! I believe that the Lord wants us to do something

about building the church.

ILL.- Have you ever seen Robert Schuller’s Crystal Cathedral on his “Hour of Power” TV show? It is

located in Garden Grove, CA. The building was dedicated in September of 1980. The Cathedral has

more than 10,000 windows of tempered silver colored glass. In addition, two 90-foot tall doors open

electronically behind the pulpit to allow the morning sunlight to enhance the worship services.

The sanctuary seats 2890 people and 1000 singers and instrumentalists can perform in the 185 foot

long chancel area.

What do you make of that? But here’s a better one; a bigger one.

ILL.- At one time televangelist Jim Bakker of the famous PTL Club was going to build the world’s largest

church building. The building was going to be big enough to seat 30,000 people at the Heritage USA

complex in Fort Mill, S.C. The cost was estimated at $100 million! It was also to have a 5,000-seat TV

studio and about 200 conference rooms and parking underneath.

BUT, AS WE ALL KNOW, IT DIDN’T HAPPEN!

Brethren, I believe that the Lord wants the church to be built, but is this what God is truly interested in?

Is the church just about fabulous buildings and fancy budgets? NO, I DON’T THINK SO!

I don’t think God is opposed to big buildings and big budgets as long as churches have their priorities in

proper order.

Remember the Tower of Babel?

Gen. 11:1-4 “Now the whole world had one language and a common speech. As men

moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there. They said to each other,

‘Come, let’s make bricks and bake them thoroughly.’ They used brick instead of stone, and

tar for mortar. Then they said, ‘COME, LET US BUILD OURSELVES A CITY, WITH A TOWER

THAT REACHES TO THE HEAVENS, SO THAT WE MAY MAKE A NAME FOR OURSELVES....’”

Let’s make a name for ourselves. If any church is just interested in making a name for themselves,

then they need a “wake up” call!

God didn’t put us here to make a name for ourselves, be it a church, a preacher, a ministry or

whatever! GOD PUT US HERE TO GLORIFY HIM!

I Cor. 10:31 “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do (including building a church

building), DO IT ALL FOR THE GLORY OF GOD.”

A church building may be a part of God’s business, But His real business is people! Building people,

building a people of faith!

Eph. 2:10 “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which

God prepared in advance for us to do.”

We are God’s workmanship! God is primarily interested in people, not buildings!

I am thankful for this nice old building that we have for our worship and studies and youth meetings,

but I am more thankful for our nice old people who worship here! Er uh, I mean, nice people who

worship here! GOD’S SUPREME CREATION IS PEOPLE!

And God is still at work in people’s lives!

Phil. 2:13 “For it is God who works in you to will and to act according to His good purpose.”

I know that when you look at this corrupt world and all the evil things that are taking place in it, you

wonder sometimes if God is still working in people’s lives. BUT BELIEVE ME, HE IS! Or you and I

wouldn’t be here!

We must continue to allow God to work in us and through us! He can and will, but only if we let Him!

ILL.- Someone once described our lives as a picture that is being painted. When we are born into this

world God begins to paint the picture of our lives through our parents. The paintbrush is in their hands,

so to speak. Then along comes other people who help to paint the picture of our lives: grandparents,

other family members, school teachers, Sunday School teachers, etc.

When we come to the age of accountability (i.e. when we begin to be accountable for our own actions