Daily Lesson for November 27, 2018

Today’s Daily Lesson comes from 1 Corinthians chapter 3 verses 10 through 17 and 21 through 23:

10 According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building on it. Each builder must choose with care how to build on it. 11For no one can lay any foundation other than the one that has been laid; that foundation is Jesus Christ. 12Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— 13the work of each builder will become visible, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each has done. 14If what has been built on the foundation survives, the builder will receive a reward. 15If the work is burned, the builder will suffer loss; the builder will be saved, but only as through fire.

16 Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? 17If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple . . .

21So let no one boast about human leaders. For all things are yours, 22whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all belong to you, 23and you belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God.

I have an old friend back in Lubbock who says, “You don’t join preachers; you join the church.”

It’s his way of reminding people that preachers come and go, but the church remains. The foundation remains. Christ remains. 

The church at Corinth joined preachers. Some joined Paul. Some joined Apollos. Some were wanting to join Peter (Cephas).  But Paul tells them they joined the church. They joined Christ. They belong to Christ. And so did the church. Not the preacher. 

Preachers and priests do come and they do go. They build. But Paul says the real test of their work is made visible after they’re gone.  It’s then that the fire comes. It’s then when the floods rise. It’s then that the mettle is tested. It’s then that everybody will know whether what was built was built to last. Whether it was solid stone built on the firm foundation of Christ or measly straw sure to be blown down by the winds of change.

We don’t join preachers. We join churches. We join them and we help to build them. And we pray we can build them to last.