Scripture: Ezra 1:1-4; Ezra 3:7-13; Hebrews 6:1-3
There’s an old saying that says “It is not the
beauty of a building you should look at; it’s the construction of the
foundation that will stand the test of time.” Without a solid and strong foundation,
whatever is built upon it will never be able to last. This is the depth and truth behind faith. Without God’s power, without Christ’s vision,
without spiritual truth behind all that we believe and do, that which is based
upon it has no value, and no lasting purpose.
This is the hope that Christianity is built
upon. And it is God in Christ that
establishes that hope. Considering faith
as the “building” we read about in that saying leads us to understand that the
Church and its missions and ministries that come from our faith are not where
we should be placing our joys. The hope
of faith lies solely in the Foundation that the church rests upon. And the Foundation for all that we do and
believe in, rests in all that Jesus did for us, all that He taught us, all that
He gave for us.
Without a solid relationship in Jesus Christ as the
Son of God - as Lord of our existence, as Redeemer of our souls, as Savior for
our eternal life - whatever beliefs we might have left over will be of little,
if any, value whatsoever, without the fulness of Christ within us.
Read Era 1:1-4
While on the surface, it may appear as though Cyrus believed that he was the driving force behind sending the people back to Jerusalem, even the
king confesses that it was the Lord God Jehovah who inspired him to make his
proclamation of support for the Hebrews.
It was the Lord who needed the people to return home to begin the
renewing of the temple, and eventually the city, and beyond that, the nation.
And not only were the people given the right to leave, but they were also to be
given the resources and funding to accomplish their task.
So why would Cyrus, a pagan ruler, even listen to
the God of Israel? Why would he follow their
God’s instructions, their God’s plan, their God’s needs? It was the authority of God speaking into the
king’s heart– not to convert him, but to ensure that Cyrus would not attempt to
oppose divine will from working to completion.
And later in this first chapter of Ezra, we read that the king even
emptied the treasury of all that Babylon had pillaged from the temple, to allow
the Hebrews to return the objects to their rightful place when the rebuilding
was complete. In all, we read that there
were 5,400 articles of gold and silver that were taken back to Jerusalem (Ezra 1:7-11)
The power of God was at work, even through the
Persian king. Apparently, the Lord has
no limitations at all – His work isn’t limited to being through those who
believe in Him; His grace is freely shared with anyone who will
acknowledge and follow His ways; His great plans can always play out to
completion, even when we haven’t got a clue as to where we are going or why the
Lord wants us to be in a particular place and time. We just have to follow and trust Him wherever
He may take us.
This is the One who is enabling all that will
fulfill His needs for those who love and obey Him.
Read Ezra 3:7-13
The foundation of the new temple has been set in
place. Some believe that this refers to
a ritual of sanctification and purification that would prepare the building to
be used for holy purposes once again.
Similar instances today parallel this form of blessing. I’ve heard of prayers being offered when a
cornerstone or footer was put in place for a new church. Some may not see the necessity for this
effort, but if it draws attention to the purpose of the new structure, or if it
focuses the vision of the people involved on what God is preparing to do there
- the Lord will always honor the prayers of the faithful.
And perhaps, prayer at the very beginning of church
development should be an integral aspect of our foundation
building! For Israel, they didn’t want
any part of pagan influence to touch their temple, whether it came from a prior
use of the stone that defined the temple, or whether it came from the
individual influence of outsiders. They
wanted to make sure that God would be honored and praised, and that other
beliefs were never given a chance to damage their faith again.
But perhaps the point of it all is that setting the
foundation properly must always be the start of any building or rebuilding that
the church finds itself in. If a new
mission project is being established, start with prayer for guidance. If a new leadership team is being put in
place, start with prayer for faithful decisions. If a new opportunity in the life of the
church is being considered, start with prayer for God’s blessing and support. Foundation,
before anything else is begun.
Read Hebrews 6:1-3
The writer of Hebrews is
telling us that when the foundation in faith is firmly established, don’t think
that you have completed all that is necessary.
Sanctification, or our growth in faith, must be a never ending
effort. And as we grow, we will discover
that the basis that guides our worship, and ministry, and mission, and all other
aspects of our faith, will be supportive and reflective of what we believe in
Christ. If it is ever revealed that our
basic tenants of faith are leading us astray, it is then that we must rethink
and reset our faith to get back in step with Christ and His word. But as long as Jesus and His way continue to
be at the core of our ways and means of worship, service, and mission, we need
to step out in those things that the Lord calls us to be doing.
In the passage that we know
as the Great Commission in Matthew 28:18-20, Jesus spells out the
process that we should take as we walk with him through this life. First, “make disciples of all nations”. Welcome all who desire to become a follower
and student of the way of Jesus, never excluding anyone who is truly seeking
Jesus for their life. Second, baptize them
as a sign of commitment in love of our triune God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit. This is the step of becoming a full and
willing partner with God in all that He does.
And the final step is to teach obedience to all of the divine commands
that have come to us through scripture, as well as what each will do to lead us
in faithful service through the name of Jesus.
Each of these steps reaffirm
and build upon the foundation that Jesus has set in place for our lives. And as we grow in understanding and
acceptance of the way of our Lord, our foundation becomes stronger, and
steadier, and more important to us as we are called to step out in new and
unfamiliar ways. But through it all, the
Holy Spirit is with us in guidance, and assurance, and encouragement, and the
trust that we have in the call that Jesus has made on our life also grows and
blesses us at every turn we take to stay in step with our Lord.
May our obedient hearts fulfill
every need that Christ has for our lives – both individually and collectively, as
we walk together as His Church.
