BUILDERS FOR GOD
Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord. Amen
1 Corinthians 15:58
But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the message concerning faith that we proclaim: If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised HIM from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.
Romans 10:8-10 NIV
If we confess our sins, HE is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make HIM out to be a liar and HIS word is not in us.
1 John 1:9-10 NIV
To make GOD a liar? GOD is truth “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. If you had known Me, You would have known my Father also. From now on you know HIM and have seen HIM”
– John 14:6–7
Many things stand contrary to our understanding. “Raised from the dead?” Who raised Him. Cruelly scourged, dehydrated and hung on a tree. Jesus died, naked and shamed.
Now, there were two centurions placed to guard the tomb He was placed in.
Please free to read: http://www.leaderu.com/offices/billcraig/docs/guard.html
This is dialogue about the events that occurred after the crucifixion.
To further silence the doubters, Jesus was seen and HIS presence experienced by many. Once again HE started small and grew astoundingly profound with time.
I have abstained from cutting and pasting and instead direct you to the sources.
Once again, I state:
“If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised HIM from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.”
Quite easy, but the “dinger” comes in the faith, the belief that Christ rose from the dead. Again, as stated earlier, I viewed a debate between an Islamic cleric and a supposed Christian scholar.
The Islamic scholar stated Jesus asked God/prayed to God for all. I agree whole heartedly. Not one shred of doubt exists that this is true. In the argument of raising Lazarus from the dead, I agree that HE tarried that GOD, The Father be Glorified. He further argued that Jesus was seen to be praying and asking God to perform GOD’s deed. I will point out that while here, Jesus did GOD’s will and allowed GOD to work through HIM.
This definitely can be said of what occurred after the natural death of Jesus. The overwhelming question is how many people were raised from the dead? Once again, I link and not quote:
God’s supernatural existence is given proof by HIS AWESOME essence. A polite rebuff would be Mohammed: Mohammadun Rasulu Allah, Allahu Akbar.
Mohammed was not raised from the dead. Yet, I agree that he marked a turn in events. It is key to note that we when reading the above links can see eye witness accounts of the experience of Jesus after being raised from the dead.
To point out, physical laws no longer applied. Even when the disciples for fear of the Jewish authorities locked themselves in an upper room. Jesus came in and was seen and experienced by many. To drive the point in, HE no longer was restricted by human laws.
I have added the link to the above referred to debate:
While here HE was just as Human as you or I. If and when we want something done, we do it ourselves or pray much like HE did. We cannot ‘fault’ HIM for this. ALL HE did HE did so that our Father be Glorified. Or rather in support of the Islamic argument GOD worked through HIM.
Now, so many things need to be discussed but first, I will ask you -Do you want to go to Heaven and be with God? The requiremenys are simple. First, believe in your heart and state with your mouth that Jesus IS LORD, in so doing you admit that by the power of our God, HE was raised from the dead.
In doing so, we possess a new lease on life. We know where we are headed. The rest follows suit.
A builder is a person who is capable of handling the design, planning and construction of a building project. A builder is obligated to execute a building project in compliance with the specification of the blueprint he or she has been given. Throughout the Bible, terms like building, foundation, house, temple, building block and cornerstone, are used figuratively. For example, the Bible presents God as a Builder in Hebrew 11:10, while 1 Corinthians 3:11 presents the Christian faith as a building which has Jesus Christ as the foundation. Consequently, ministers of the gospel are co-builders with God and also builders (1Corinthians 3:9). Similarly, the duties and responsibilities of a minister of God can be compared to that of a builder in many ways. A builder should be a wise person who is skilled in the art and science of construction. Likewise, a minister of the gospel should be skilled in the art of building souls of men. No ignorant preacher should be given this sensitive assignment. A builder takes special care to lay the right foundation and select the right materials to make the building well suited for the foundation. In like manner, a minister of God must be mindful of the material they use in building the Church of God. Christ is our Living Foundation who requires the use of living stones for building the Church (1 Peter 2:5-6). Sometimes, a builder must first pull down an old structure and remove the resultant debris before laying a new foundation. Ministers of the gospel must all pull down every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and remove the debris of many errors, indiscipline, false doctrines and damnable heresies.
There is an aspect of the building profession that involves creativity and craftsmanship. By these set of skills, much beauty, innovation, artistry, colour and style is achieved in a building project. Similarly, the introduction of creative ideas into various aspects of the work of the gospel has produced enviable results across the world. However, caution must be applied because the Bible views certain creative works as whitewashed sepulchres (Matthew 23:27). The decision to accept or reject any creative work is not driven by the work itself, but is determined by the spirit that motivates the worker. Fine craftsmen can prostitutes their talents by producing beautiful idols. The Church of God is a work in progress and every Christian is duty-bound to make their contributions in compliance with the blueprint of Jesus and according to God’s specifications. Let everyone take heed and watch how they build on the foundation of Jesus Christ!
Prayer Point:
Father, please don’t let me suffer loss in life and ministry; let my efforts and contributions to the advancement of the gospel be rewarded in Jesus’ Name.
Reference
Nehemiah 2:1-8