accepting the cross

Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain.
Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain. (Psalm 127)

One of the hardest lessons learned is that it doesn’t matter how hard you work in the kingdom. If God isn’t with you and guiding you, it is for nothing.

Church growth principles, a charismatic personality, lots of money – all will lead to nothing if God is not in charge.

There is a tendency is to see the kingdom as a job. Or at least as the ministry as a job and the minister as a salesman or marketer.

The problem with that is that church growth is not dependent upon the minister’s ability or power. If it were so, it would be the minister’s church, not God’s. if a minister had the ability to build a church and lead people to Jesus, it would not be the power of God. It would be the power of the minister.

Unless God builds it, it is not his church.

In 1 Corinthians 1, the apostle Paul, a good church builder in his own right, said that it was not within his power to bring people to the cross of Jesus. It could only come from God. He said that we do not preach wisdom, or philosophy or anything that we think would be great. We preach Jesus and him crucified.

If they do not accept him it doesn’t matter how persuasive we are. Their acceptance has to be in faith and acceptance of the grace of God, the illogical strength from weakness, the power from strength.

Someone once said that if you could do it yourself, it would not be from God. And if you could build it, there would be no reason for Jesus to come and die.

It is his house and his city. I sure do want to help.