“…upon this rock I will build My church.” Matthew 16:18
Dear Ones:
At the culmination of the seventy years of Israel’s exile from the Jerusalem and the promised land, the Lord raised up several men to be instruments through and by which, He would rebuild the city, and the nation. In Zechariah 1:16, we read: “Therefore, thus saith the Lord, ‘I am returned to Jerusalem with mercies: My house shall be build in it,’ saith the Lord of hosts.” Zechariah is one of the principle four men, that God will use to reveal His will, and commitment, concerning the rebuilding of the temple. So intent is the Lord to convey to the people His purpose, that He tells Zechariah: “CRY yet, saying, ‘Thus saith the Lord; My cities through prosperity shall yet be spread abroad; and the Lord shall yet comfort Zion, and shall yet choose Jerusalem.'” (1:17) If Zechariah, Haggai, Zerubbabel, and Joshua the high priest, are going to believe God for the FULL out-working of His intervention and will, even in the face of opposition, they must be absolutely sure of His commitment to do it. God is the builder of Jerusalem and the temple. His way is that of faith, men and women of faith, who take Him at His word, and are totally committed to believing Him for His will to be done.
In Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, he wrote: “…we are laborers together with God…according to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise master-builder, I have laid the foundation…” (3:9,10). What is He saying? He is declaring the same experience that the “rebuilders” of Jerusalem and the temple, knew. God was working in and through them to build that which had its origin, realization, and fulfillment in Christ. The foundation of which Paul speaks is that truth that is in Christ, expressed in the Gospel, which he has already clearly and carefully put before the Corinthians. Upon THAT foundation, they are being called upon to build, but to build IN FAITH, by the Spirit, according to truth.
Dear Lord Jesus, You are the Master-builder, for no house will stand and endure unless You build it. You have declared the living “church,” to be Your church, Your body. And You have said that you will build it, …and us individually, who are living stones. Give us grace to know Your will, trust You wholly, and believe You without reserve, to build your church. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Love, Dad