Psalm 127:1 Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it:
I was driving past this church back in August as I headed home from western NSW and couldn’t help but notice how a once obviously thriving church could suffer such a demise. All over this vast nation I see empty church structures. Even independent Baptist churches are closing down and selling their properties.
I know, the church is not a building, but turning a building into a museum or a restaurant or a house is symptomatic of the decline of the local church.
Why has this happened? I can think of several reasons. Firstly, His position of pre-eminence was taken over by something or someone else. Secondly, sin entered into the fellowship and God promptly removed the candlestick for His name’s sake. Thirdly, God had little involvement with the initial building of a church.
God is the master builder of the church. Except He constructs the building, it won’t amount to much. In fact, the Bible describes building without God as “labour in vain.”
Pastors build “their” churches on many things. It may be contemporary music with all its attendant trappings. It may be constructed by means of evangelism and personal witnessing. It may be built by programmes. It may be built by committees. It may have no structure at all. Some of these things obviously are good and necessary, others not so. What we have to consider is the fact that God must do the building. We are his servants, his co-labourers, but ultimately for a church to be grounded and strong, it must be built by God.
The same can be said for other facets of the Christian life. When witnessing, we can (and should) present the Gospel message as clearly and simply as possible, but in the end, God the Holy Spirit must convict and draw the sinner for the new birth to take place.
Our faith is in God, not a programme. I have been to some churches where God was programmed out of it. If the Holy Spirit did not fit in with the yearly schedule, then he wasn’t welcome. I suppose that’s what our Lord hinted at when he said that He was outside the church, knocking on the door (Revelation 3:20). Some churches have scheduled Jesus out of the church.
I once ministered at a church where the whole year was mapped out in minute detail, right down to the planning for “Watermelon Sunday”, “Hawaiian Sunday” and many other wild and wacky themed days. I can’t imagine our Lord Jesus promoting Watermelon Sunday on the mount. I just don’t seem to be able to picture the Apostle Paul posing for photos in his Hawaiian shirt on Mars Hill. Maybe I’m wrong here, but it just doesn’t fit in with my idea of New Testament church building.
Should we plan ahead? Yes. Should we do things decently and in order? Obviously. Should we have some big days or promotions? I think so. God will be pleased with extra efforts to reach lost people with the Gospel of Christ. However, I believe that we must wait on God, praying much for his direction, guidance and power as we yield ourselves as fellow labourers in the work of the ministry.
For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building. (1 Corinthians 3:9)
I am neither a fatalist, a pessimist or a Calvinist, but God has to build his church. We must realise that for any work to be lasting and steadfast, God Himself must be pre-eminent.
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