Considering Our Ways

But all churches being built are not for the glory of God!

Illus: There was a church in Columbia, South Carolina, that was growing faster than any church in the area at one time. In fact, they advertised throughout the city that they were the “Fasting Growing Church” in the city. They were growing so fast, they moved out on a busy interstate and bought some very expensive acreage and built a big beautiful church building on this site.

But this church was being built on the wrong kind of foundation. They would do anything to draw a crowd. For example:

• One Sunday they might have a bunch of clowns

• The next week they would have men parachuting from an airplane to land in the church parking lot

• The next week they would advertise that they were going to have a hundred foot long banana split for the boys and girls to eat

• The next week they would give away a pony

• The next week they would give away a color television set

• The next week they would have someone demonstrating karate

But after they ran out of tricks and began to repeat what they had already done, the crowd began to thin down. In fact, that large congregation dwindled down to a handful before they had to close the doors. They sold the large church building to a trucking company.

The preacher saw the end coming, so he left town and went to another church and made the same mess there.

It is sad that many of the churches being built today are not being built on the right kind of foundation.

WHAT DOES THE LORD SAY ABOUT BUILDING HIS CHURCH? Look at Matt. 16:18, "And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I WILL BUILD MY CHURCH; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”

The Lord said He would build His church and the church He builds will PREVAIL.

WHAT KIND OF CHURCH PREVAILS OVER SATAN? The kind that the Lord builds. Such as:

• A church that is always TEACHING about Christ

• A church that is always PREACHING about Christ

• A church that is always SINGING about Christ

• A church that is always GIVING to Christ

• A church that is always WITNESSING about Christ

• A church that is always WORKING for Christ

A church like that is built on the right foundation and will prevail and Satan can’t stop it!

WHY DOES HE SAY HE WILL BUILD HIS CHURCH? It is because we DO NOT KNOW how to build His Church! We might know how to build a building, but God’s church is not a building. This is why the Lord said, “I WILL BUILD MY CHURCH.”

Some folks think they know how, but they do not know the first thing about building His church.

Illus: They remind me some of some rednecks that did not know the first thing about building. These two rednecks drove their pickup truck into a lumberyard. One of the men walked into the office and said, 'We need some four-by-twos.” The clerk said, “You mean two-by-fours, don't you?”

The man said, “I'll go check,” and went back to the truck. He returned in a minute and said, “Yeah, I meant two-by-fours.”

“Alright. How many do you need?” He went and asked Bubba and came back and said, “Around 60”.

“How long do you need them?” He said, “Let me go ask Bubba.” He returned and said, “Bubba said we need them a long time. We're gonna build a house.”

Illus: When it comes to building, I am also reminded of a women who hired a contractor to repaint the interior of her house. The women walked the man through the second floor of her home and told him what colors she wanted for each room.

• As they walked through the first room, the woman said, "I think I would like this room in a cream color." The contractor wrote on his clipboard, walked to the window, opened it and yelled out the window, "Green side up!" He then closed the window and continued following the woman to the next room.

• The woman looked confused, but proceeded with her tour. “In this room, I was thinking of an off-blue." Again, the contractor wrote this down, went to the window, opened it and yelled out, "Green side up!" This baffled the woman, but she was hesitant to say anything.

• In the next room, the woman said she would like it painted in a light rose color. And once more, the contractor opened the window and yelled, “Green side up!"

Struck with curiosity, the woman mustered up the nerve to ask, "Why do you keep yelling 'Green side up' out my window every time I tell you the color I would like the room painted?"