When we build our church
buildings how long do we want them to last? Would we be OK with a contractor that only
made a structure good for fifteen years? Would we be satisfied if need to do it
all over again in thirty years? If the place is crumbling a few years after construction
would we feel that it all was a waste?
Now the church isn’t really
in the building construction business (thought we do have to do that from time
to time), we are more into church building. That is building up the body of
Christ. How long do we want what we
build to last?
The Chinese have a
proverb, If you want one year of
prosperity, grow grain; if ten years, grow trees; if a hundred years, grow
people. In essence, this tells us for long lasting things you must put your
effort not into things but into people
Therefore encourage
one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing.
1st Thessalonians
5:11
When it comes to our
efforts what are we trying to grow? Funds for the next year? A program to last for a semester? Ways to maintain a physical campus? Or are we thinking
about how we can build up each other?
Churches last because
the investment is put into the people that make up the church. Buildings, programs, equipment are just the
tools to do that not the end all in themselves.
Let’s make sure we
are investing in the right things if we want the church to be around for a good
long while!
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