Building In Truth

At that time Joshua built an altar to the Lord, the God of Israel, on Mount Ebal, just as Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded the people of Israel, as it is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, “an altar of uncut stones, upon which no man has wielded an iron tool. -Joshua 8:30, 31 (ESV)


When the house was built, it was with stone prepared at the quarry, so that neither hammer nor axe nor any tool of iron was heard in the house while it was being built. -1 Kings 6:7 (ESV)

When I was growing up I used to build model cars. Each one had different parts, and there was specific way all those parts went together. If the models were going to be assembled properly they had to be put together according to the instructions that came in the box. If you read closely, the instructions for most of the things we build say that ALL OF THE DIRECTIONS should be read before the project begins. This was no exception. The most difficult model I ever build was the one that had black paint spilled on the instructions. I had a pretty good idea where the parts should go, but did not know exactly how to make them fit together the proper way.

In some ways, the church is like the model cars from my childhood. God has revealed His will to His people through Scripture, and guides us in Scripture through His Holy Spirit. They are God’s “witnesses” (Rev. 11) to us today. The Bible tells us that Jesus Christ will build HIS church, and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it (Matt. 16:18). But what does that church look like? How do we know the ways the church should function and interact with the world? We know through the inspired Word of God.

When God instructed His people to build He gave them instruction for what to build and how to build it. When Moses built the tabernacle God commanded Him to build it, “exactly as I show you concerning the pattern of the tabernacle…” (Ex. 25:9) There was no room for Moses or any of the craftsmen to make any modifications, or to personalize their work - it had to be done in accordance with God’s holy character. Every instruction was given by God to specifically suit the needs of the work of God. The church today is not so much different from those Old Testament buildings. This building may be spiritual in nature, but God gave specific instruction for its structure, nonetheless. We find this instruction by devising plans and gaining vision regarding the church from the Word of God and prayer. We do not do the work of the church based on the ideas, the tools, or even the resources of man. If what we are building is the church of God it MUST be done according to His plan.

Despite the ideas that are promoted within the professing church today, the Bible is still the Word and the rule of God. It is where His character is revealed to us, and the place from which His teachings proceed. Sometimes we seem to feel as though we can pick and choose which doctrine (yes, I said doctrine because it’s important) we will follow and which we will ignore. We explain away differences and variances as if they make no difference whatsoever. Os Guiness tells us, “If truth is truth then differences make a difference.” If God is going to use us to build His New Testament temple then it is imperative that we “see that you make everything according to the pattern that was shown you on the mountain (Hebrews 8:5).”

For too many years we have attempted to build the temple of God with tools of iron. We have used our gimmicks and our ideas, our books and our knowledge. We spend our time seeking out the “brightest and best” rather than humbling ourselves before the Lord so that we may be exalted (James 4:10). There are catalogs and web sites filled with ideas about what WE CAN DO to see the church grow. We plan and organize and work until we just cannot work anymore, and at the end of the day, what has it done for the church at large? We have pastors and laity who are completely burned out. We have as much immorality, divorce, and sin within the ranks of the perceived “church” as there is in the world.

If the day is ever going to come when the church rises up to be the mighty army of God, it will be when the man-made tools of iron are cast out of our midst, and we simply bow ourselves before a holy God, consecrate ourselves to Him and let Him sanctify us for His work (1 Thess. 4:3). It is time the church cease its work with our self-fabricated tools and to get “Back to the Blessed Old Bible.” For too many years the sounds of our hammers and chisels have rang out in the temple. The clanging of our iron tools has done little good and has only served to drown out the “still, small voice” of God (1 Kings 19:12). It has hidden and obscured His direction and turned our attention to things of the world.

Scripture tells us, “you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ (1 Peter 2:5).” If God is building the structure, He will provide the tools. The problem we face today is that too many people within the church want to be architects and builders rather than stones. God is building His church. He is building it on a foundation of holiness and truth. If we are to be a part of God’s building, we must put off the tools of man and stand simply on His truth.