Some of you may remember a movie staring Kevin Costner and James Earl Jones. It’s a summer movie about baseball. Costner is an Iowa corn farmer who is close to losing his farm due to foreclosure by the bank but hears a voice saying, “If you build it, he will come.” Maybe you saw “Field of Dreams” (even if it has lots wrong about it concerning life, death and the afterlife) and it made you think about that one line concerning building something.

The church is something that isn’t just created in an instant by the grace and power of God – the church is something that is built. The apostle Paul wrote: “According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it.” (1 Cor. 3:10, ESV) Peter wrote: “And you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple.” (1 Pet. 2:5, NLT) Paul also wrote about us as stones in a building: “Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.” (Eph. 2:19-22, NIV)

Jesus said that worship would shift from a physical place to a spiritual place. (John 4:19-24) However, Jesus did not say that there would be no building involved. In fact, He said: “I will build my church.” (Mat. 16:18, ESV) Paul writes several times in 1 Corinthians 14 about building up the church and concludes this section by saying, “Everything must be done so that the church may be built up.” (1 Cor. 14:26, NIV)

We must work together to see God’s church built. There can also be physical realities that reflect spiritual ones. So, I have been greatly encouraged by the engagement of people in seeing our physical facility renewed and renovated. I believe this reflects a heart for the same spiritually. Let’s build a place that Jesus and others are pleased to come to.

Journeying with you,

Pastor Merril