Acts 1:4-8, Acts 2:1-6, 16-21, 1 Corinthians 3:5-16

What is the foundation that Paul laid?

The foundation has been laid and Jesus did say that He would build His Church…

“Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the LORD of hosts,” it is thorough the Spirit of God that we are convicted and drawn into a relationship with Jesus (Zechariah 4:1). That is what the saints of old called ‘Prevenient Grace’, the grace that God bestowed on us as sinners.  He would the Holy Spirit to open our eyes to the sin in us, “To convict the world of sin, righteousness, and the coming judgment” (John 16).

When you accept the forgiveness that is found in Christ Jesus and the crucifixion, you are at that moment justified, sanctified, and indwelled with the Spirit, the Spirit of God, the Spirit of Christ (Romans 8:9).  From that point until the moment of complete surrender you are influenced and guided by the Spirit…

14:26 tell us that He is our helper and that He teaches us all things. In 16:8 that He convicts the world ofsSin, righteousness, and judgment. In 16:13 we are told that He is the Spirit of Truth and will guide us into all Truth. In Romans 8 we are told that He gives life to our mortal bodies and that by the power of the Spirit we are able to put to death the desires of the flesh. We are enabled by the residing presence of God to live in holiness, “without which no one will see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14).

Bill Konstantopoulos in his book, Holy Spirit Within Us, said it this way, “The presence of the Holy Spirit conditions us to be spiritually minded, convinces us of the Truth of God’s Word, convicts us of sin and wrong, compels us to a life of holiness, consumes us with passion for Christ, conforms us to the image of Christ…” These things take place as we are sanctified and it is when we are completely surrendered to Him, or wholly sanctified, He “controls both our attitude and outlook in life.”

You are not merely human, you are indwelled and empowered to walk in obedience following Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Working out your own salvation, “Therefore, my dear friends, just as you have always obeyed, so now, not only in my presence but even more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God who is working in you both to will and to work according to his good purpose. Do everything without grumbling and arguing, so that you may be blameless and pure, children of God who are faultless in a crooked and perverted generation, among whom you shine like stars in the world, by holding firm to the word of life” (Philippians 2:12-16a).

A builder who is wise hears the Word of God and applies it to their life, they build into it, which causes them to be able to stand firm through the trials, troubles, and tribulations of life. In these turbulent times we must not seek to stand on sinking sand but on the rock of our salvation Jesus Christ and the crucifixion.

As believers, the foundation you have is vital both now and for eternity. Believing God, walking in His wisdom, and submitting to the Spirits influence and leading enables you to build on the solid foundation that is Jesus Christ. As you base your life on Him you are building a temple in which the Spirt of God is and will reside.

Our building God’s building takes place in the knowledge of God’s Love for us, on the fact of Jesus Christ and the crucifixion. Our building God’s building is done by faith (Galatians 5:6). Your trust in God, based on His love for you, your obedience (love for God), and your believing… are all necessary to building on what was accomplished at the cross. Your faith is grown as you take your next step in following Jesus.

As a Spirit filled member of God’s Church you have a responsibility to build on the foundation you have. To ground yourselves in biblical knowledge, to renew your minds, and to act in accordance with that knowledge which is believing.

As we take our next step in our building God’s building we are also being built, as living stones,  into the local church and God’s universal Church.

Our building God’s building is done in community and in the relationships we have within the community of God. God tells us to love your neighbor as yourself. So we should be seeking to build others up, not tear them down, to help one another, accept one another, encourage one another, be patient and bear with one another… We are also commanded to build one another up in 1 Thessalonians 5:11. It is in community that our building of God’s building takes place.

We should be very careful not to tear down others. Would that not be destroying God’s temple? When we sin, when we ignore, we tear down. When we are disobedient and sin-filled there is no foundation, no building… then Christ, our foundation, becomes a rock to trip over, a stumbling stone.  Then when turbulent times come and they will….

The Day of the Lord is coming…

Digging Deeper

• Do you have that firm foundation?
• Are you building on that foundation?
• Do you recognize the Temple of the Lord?

Further reading:
John 14:15-17, 26, John 16:7-15, Matthew 7:24-27, Romans 8:1-27, Galatians 5:22-23, Philippians 2:12-13, Malachi 4:1, 2 Peter 3