Check Your Foundations
Check Your Foundations
Irrespective of location and magnitude, earthquakes should prompt the Christian Church to check its foundations.
"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock...But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand." (Mt 7.24-27)
"Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens. The words 'once more' indicate the removing of what can be shaken - that is, created things - so that what cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe." (Heb 12.26-29)
A decisive and essential aspect of the establishment of the Kingdom of God upon this earth, is the shaking and agitating and convulsing of everything. Thus the unshakeable and well-founded Kingdom is made evident and alone remains. The rest is destined to decay, disintegration and oblivion.
"Many will say to me on that day, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name. And in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles? Then I will tell them plainly, I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!" (Mt 7.21-23)
"The moment the torrent struck that house (without a foundation), it collapsed and its destruction was complete." (Lk 6.49)
God has ordained that His Church shall be built upon a particular, unshakeable foundation; that which He has decreed, as opposed to what man finds to be humanly and seasonally convenient and opportune,
"Consequently,you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit." (Eph 2.19-22)
Of first importance, if a local church is to weather and prosper in the tumult and upheaval promised in these Last Days, it must be utterly dependent upon the entire apostolic and prophetic testimony of both the Old and the New Testament Scriptures. And of equal importance, it must deliberately and pro-actively place itself under the Lordship of Jesus via consistent, long-term, cultivated relationships with acknowledged, veteran apostles and prophets, who have evident national responsibility and credibility. (They do not necessarily have to belong to the current charismatic in-crowd...adored by the flockers and self-appointed spiritual glitterati and cognoscente!)
It will not be enough to belong to the fastest-growing, "flavour-of-the-month" Denomination or Movement. Nor will it suffice to be the biggest church in town, with the most attractive and efficient leader, or leadership team.
What's more, God will make the search for His foundation stones as difficult for us as He possibly can. Why? Because there is in fact no "hole-in-the-wall" which will conveniently dispense apostles and prophets upon the presentation of a credit card and the push of a button. Consequently, many local church pastors and leaders put this matter in the "too-hard" basket, praying that the promised "earthquake" will go around them. Others just randomly jump "into bed" with whatever person or programme looks as if it might temporarily prop up their trembling and teetering (and soon to collapse) religious ziggurats!
"Because those who are led by the Spirit of God are the sons of God." (Ro 8.14)
The true foundation of the Church (and therefore of any and every local church) is neither institutional nor organisational...is it Personal, insofar as "Christ Jesus himself" is "the chief cornerstone", and "in him the whole building is joined together and rises..." (Eph 2.20-21)
Therefore, the other essential and indispensable ingredients of an unshakeable foundation (the apostles and prophets) must of necessity also be personal. Which is to say, local church leaders are going to have to find their own way to those particular persons...apostolic and prophetic men and women, whom Jesus Christ has selected and ordained shall be yoked to Him in your particular assembly's foundation.
If you keep putting this task back down to the bottom of your "to do" list , then soon enough you will be up to your ecclesiastical eyeballs in bovine scatology...and deservedly so! Your church may simply "refuse" to grow, because the foundation being faulty will not carry the weight of the superstructure you've designed to impose upon it. This consequence is the mercy of God to you.
Another bad scenario (ironically) is that your church will grow, and then (inevitably) at a certain crucial moment, the faulty and therefore inadequate foundation will begin to break down and crumble under the burden of your "success". At least in this situation there is usually an opportunity for the building's occupants to escape. More often than not, there is some forewarning (to the observant) that a Movement or a ministry is on the skids.
The worse possible outcome is that your church is hit by an inescapable Last Days' "earthquake", the phony foundation disintegrates, the building collapses, and your "family" are buried in the wreckage.
And that pastor, would be "your bad"!
"See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation; the one who trusts will never be dismayed." (Isa 28.16)
"Jesus Christ of Nazareth...is 'the stone you builders rejected, which has become the capstone (and cornerstone).' " (Ac 4.10-11)
"By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ." (1 Co 3.10-11)
"The wall of the city (the new Jerusalem) had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb." (Rev 21.14)
The sum of this matter is, that the Church's true foundation is the Lord Jesus Himself, and those apostles and prophets ordained by Him to bear with Him the full weight and burden of His House in every place, at all times, and under all circumstances. Anything less or other is bogus, a sham, and therefore lies under the solemn, inevitable judgement of Jehovah!
"Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe, 'The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone (and capstone),' and, 'A stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall.' " (1 Pe 2.7-8)
"Jesus said to them...He who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, but he on whom it falls will be crushed (grind him to powder)." (Mt 21.42-44)
"In vain the surge's angry shock,
In vain the drifting sands:
Unharmed upon the eternal Rock
The eternal City stands."
(Hymn 209, PCNZ)
