Gloriographs by Rick Reynolds

10 According to the grace of God which was given to me, like a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building on it. But each man must be careful how he builds on it. 11 For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 3:10–11

The adage is, “measure twice, cut once.” These are the words of a “wise master builder.” But nothing really matters if the foundation is off and the cornerstone is set poorly.

Any body of believers whose basis for gathering is Jesus Christ will grow into “God’s building.” (verse 9) Some churches, however, let their mission become their cornerstone, clearly stated or implied. While the credo may be to “know Jesus and make him known,” this admirable calling, to know Jesus, in reality becomes to “make us known.”

It’s easy to hang your rafters on catchy and cool sermonizing or raise those rafters with slickly produced worship, but if the message permeating every activity is not just Jesus but “Jesus Christ and him crucified,” (there is a difference) the church will lean in the wrong direction. It’s interesting to note that “to know Jesus,” might look better on a billboard or website banner than adding “him crucified.” (2:2)

Remember, the Corinthian church was extraordinarily gifted. They could boast of their preachers, and were talented enough to produce a dynamic worship experience, but Paul pointed out some critical flaws in his building inspection.

Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?  1 Corinthians 3:16

In building a church, the goal should be an edifice worthy of being called “a temple of God,” not necessarily a friendly or accepting place. Is the Spirit of God so thick in the air because of his presence in its members that the church can’t be considered anything less than “God’s temple?”

it’s not a matter of member buy in, but sell out to the Spirit of God. It’s not how many we had in the stands today, but how many in dwelt with the Spirit of God.

Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? 1 Corinthians 6:19.