The Church as a Building

 When you hear the word ‘church', what’s the first image that comes to your mind? It is a gray stone building with stained glass windows and a tall, pointed steeple? Of course, a church is not a building. The church is people. But you’ll find it interesting to know that the New Testament sometimes describes the church as a building, a holy temple that brings glory to the Lord Jesus Christ.

For example, Ephesians 2.21-22 says that in Christ “the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord.” In 1 Peter 2.5 we read, “You also, like living stones, are being built in spiritual house.” Each and every Christian is a part of the church, a building block in a great and glorious temple for God. We are ‘living stones'. As such, Jesus Christ is carefully shaping us to fit neatly into His temple. With His loving hands He's chiselling off the rough places in our lives. As a master craftsman, Jesus places us in strategic relationship with the rest of His people in such a way that we form interlocking connections with one another. His work of spiritual construction guarantees that the church will have incredible, enduring strength. In Matthew 16.18 Jesus told His disciples, “I will build my church, and the gates of Hell will not overcome it.” As a solid edifice, built stone by stone by the magnificent skill of Jesus Christ, the church forms an unconquerable fortress. You and I, as living stones, are a part of that structure. Through faith in Jesus Christ, our lives add to the strength and beauty of the church. That’s why it’s so important that we live holy lives day in and day out. We’re part of a holy temple, a spiritual house, the church.

There’s really only one reason that the church has such enduring strength. Jesus Christ is our strength. We’ve already seen that Jesus is building His church. But the New Testament also tells us that Jesus is the very foundation of the church. Any building that’s going to withstand the forces of time and nature needs to have a solid foundation. We, as living stones within the church, have Jesus Christ as our foundation. First Corinthians 3.11 says, “For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.” Our strength rests in our relationship with Jesus. He is unshakable! When you think that the difficulties in your life are going to overwhelm you, remember that Jesus is your foundation. He’ll see you through any storm. He’ll sustain you through any earthquake that shakes your life.

So the church consists of people, not bricks and boards and shingles. But like a building, the church has a solid foundation and a skilful master builder, Jesus Christ.