Jesus Built His Church By The Book
by Douglas Hoff
Some people are surprised to earn
that Jesus built a church. They are
surprised because they are thinking about brick and mortar. To many people the word church is synonymous
with the facility used as a place of worship.
The Bible does not say he built a structure like this.
Shortly before being crucified
Jesus declared “…upon this rock I will
build my church; and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18). Death did not prevent him from his task. He rose from the dead and built his church.
The word church originally meant an
assembly of people who had been called for a special purpose. Christians are called by the gospel (2 Thessalonians
2:14). They are the church. People often say, “I am going to church.” It
would be more accurate to say, “I am going to worship with the church.” Paul wrote, “The churches of Asia salute you.
Aquila and Priscilla salute you much in the Lord,
with the church that is in their house” (1 Corinthians 16:19). People,
not church buildings, give greetings. A
group of Christians meeting in a house is not strange but seeing a church
building inside a house would be odd!
The church is also called the house
of God (1 Timothy 3:15). The Bible says, “For every house is builded by some man; but he that built all things is God” (Hebrews 3:4). When men build
a house they follow a plan. A master
builder may be able to put up a house without looking at the blueprints. Because of his experience he can visualize
how things fit together. Nevertheless, he follows a pattern for his
construction. The same is true of God.
His great wisdom and understanding allowed him to lay the foundations of the
earth and establish the heavens (Proverbs
3:19).
There are several examples in the
Bible where God specified how a thing was to be built. God told Noah, “Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark,
and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch. And this is the fashion which thou shalt make it of: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits. A window shalt thou make to the ark, and in a cubit shalt thou finish it above;
and the door of the ark shalt thou set in the side thereof; with lower, second, and third stories shalt thou make it” (Genesis 6:14-16). Notice God wanted the
ark made of gopher wood (not cedar, oak, etc.).
He also gave definite dimensions.
According to shipbuilders these dimensions would have made it nearly
impossible to capsize. If Noah had taken
liberty with the measurements God would not have been pleased and the ark would
not have been as seaworthy. As it was,
Noah built the ark “by the book” (Genesis 6:22).
From Mt. Sinai God gave Moses a
detailed pattern to make the ark of the covenant, the
tabernacle and the instruments used in it (Exodus
25:6-40). There was even a pattern
for the candlestick (Numbers 8:4). Like Noah before him Moses built everything
“by the book” (Exodus 40:16, 17). Hundreds of years later
Solomon built the Temple in Jerusalem according to the pattern God had given to his father David (1 Chronicles 28:11-19).
Not following plans can have
serious consequences. Would a home owner
be pleased if he knew the builder cut a few corners, made unauthorized
alterations or left things out? I know a
couple whose house in Toronto was
condemned because a few small things were omitted. When they started some remodeling, the
contractor found a wall had been put up without being nailed!
When it comes to the safety of your
soul, you should demand to be in the house that God built. The church was part of God’s eternal purpose (Ephesians 3:10, 11). This means there was a plan to build the
church. Since Jesus built his church by
the book, it will stand forever (Daniel 2:44).
What are the distinctive marks of
the church Jesus built? First, it
started in the right place. Surveyors
mark property boundaries to ensure your house will be built on your land. According to Isaiah 2:2, 3 the Lord’s house would be
established in Mt. Zion (Jerusalem). The church started
in Jerusalem (Acts 2). Churches established in any other place are not the Lord’s
(Luke 24:47).
Second, the Lord’s house has the
right fine of origin. Daniel prophesied
the kingdom of heaven would be established during the Roman Empire
(Daniel 2:31-45). The Lord’s church began on the day of
Pentecost after the resurrection of Jesus. Tiberius was emperor of Rome
then. The Roman Empire
fell in AD. 476. Any church that began
after this time cannot be the Lord’s church.
Third, the house of God has the
proper foundation. When buying a house
it is important to make sure it has a firm foundation (2 Timothy 2:19). Paul
wrote that the household of God is “…built
upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being
the chief corner stone” (Ephesians 2:19-20). The apostle laid the only foundation
acceptable to God: “…as a wise master builder, I have laid the foundation, and
another buildeth thereon. For other
foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 3:10, 11). When men reject this
foundation the house will fall (Matthew 7:26, 27).
Fourth, the church Jesus built has
the right blueprint. God’s plan calls
for each stone to be “fitly framed
together” (Ephesians 2:21-22). Christians are the “living stones” in the spiritual house (1 Peter 2:4-8; 4:16). For a
tight fit each stone has to be cut and shaped to specifications. A person becomes part of this building when he
is born again by the word of God (1
Peter 1:23-25). By obeying the gospel the rough edges of sin
are cut away and one is added to the church (Acts 2:38, 47). Without it there is no salvation and no part
in the heavenly kingdom (Mark 16:16;
1 Peter 3:21). Are you in the church built by the word of God
or the traditions of men (Mark 7:9)?
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