Dear Church of the Open Bible,
When I was eight years old, I remember watching dozens of men from our church in Three Hills (Mount Olive Evangelical Free) stand up a 40 x 20 ft. wall during our build in town. It was a pretty cool moment to be a part of. When I was fifteen years old, I remember a friend and I taking the 12:00am-4:00am shift for security detail at our church’s building site in Winnipeg. Another special moment for me to be a part of something bigger, and with others. Just yesterday morning, I was able to join with another group of guys as we poured the floor for our sanctuary expansion. There is something special about building together with others.
The image of building is common in the New Testament, when referring to God’s plan for the church. It’s the means the church uses, “Knowledge puffs up but love builds up” (1 Cor 8:1). It’s the goal the church aims for, “building up the body of Christ” (Eph 4:12). Paul repeats this even more comprehensively when it comes to the gathering of the local church:
“Let all things be done for building up.” - 1 Corinthians 14:26
We are grateful for the handful of people able to help with building our sanctuary expansion, but each one of you are critical in building the church. Not just some people in some areas. Let all things have the goal of building someone up in the gospel. A good thing to remember on your drive to church this week is how you might be able to build up someone. Or it’s a good question during lunch on Sunday, “How did you build someone up this morning?” The church is not about concrete or walls. Nor is it about you or me. It is about building up believers as we proclaim and live out the grace we’ve received from God in Jesus Christ. Let’s keep building.