Your commission from God
You also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 2:4–5 (NKJV)
On a recent trip to Israel, I visited the Temple Mount, one of the most important religious sites in Jerusalem. Over the years, several temples have been demolished and rebuilt on top of a foundation believed to be created in Solomon’s time.
As I looked at the ancient construction, it made me realize that we need to think as these leaders of old thought. They weren’t just concerned with their generation or the generation that would immediately follow them; they built things that would stand the test of time.
I’m not saying that we need to build physical structures that last for centuries. After all, when a Samaritan woman asked Jesus where she should worship, He said, “A time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem… true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth” (John 4:21–23, NIV). Today, it’s not about the building, but that doesn’t mean we aren’t called to build.
What are we called to build? Jesus said that He would build His church, and the gates of hell would not prevail against it (Matthew 16:18). And we as believers are being built into His spiritual house (1 Peter 2:5) so we can “do his work and speak out for him” (1 Peter 2:9–10, The Message).
We are called to build Jesus’ church, and we need to build it to last. Let’s build up our youth so they can become the leaders of tomorrow. That way our churches will have a strong foundation they can build upon for generations to come.