Building

We are making our way through a letter Paul wrote to Jesus followers in Corinth. Today, Paul tries to correct our focus.


1 Corinthians 3
... You are God’s building. 10 Because of God’s grace to me, I have laid the foundation like an expert builder. Now others are building on it. But whoever is building on this foundation must be very careful. 11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one we already have - Jesus Christ. 12 Anyone who builds on that foundation may use a variety of materials - gold, silver, jewels, wood, hay, or straw. 13 But on the judgment day, fire will reveal what kind of work each builder has done. The fire will show if a person’s work has any value. 14 If the work survives, that builder will receive a reward. 15 But if the work is burned up, the builder will suffer great loss. The builder will be saved, but like someone barely escaping through a wall of flames. 16 Don’t you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you? 17 God will destroy anyone who destroys this temple. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.


Building. Growing up, I was told that the church was “God’s house” as if he somehow lived there and we just stopped by to visit him on the weekends. In this passage, Paul corrects that thought. The church isn’t a physical building made up of bricks and drywall. The church is a community of people made up of men and women that are striving to understand and express the love of God. As a Jesus follower, this is very important ... we should never let ourselves become more preoccupied with where we meet as a community than the spiritual development of one another when we meet.