Building a Spiritual House

When we have found Jesus Christ and want to follow him, we need to be humble enough to become a working or serving partaker of the Body of Christ.

Having become a Christian, it is a follower of Christ Jesus, we are to connect with the Spirit of God to build in the spirit. Building Your Spiritual House in Jesus Christ is something very needful. Without a spiritual house, God can never dwell in us. And we are to allow God in ourselves and have to let Him guide us. At the same time we may not be deaf or shut our ears for His guidance.

God accepted the ransom offering of Jesus Christ and made him higher than angels, him now being the mediator between God and man. He is the cornerstone of God’s House here on earth. Once having whitewashed by baptism God is building you, as living stones, into His spiritual temple. What’s more, you ought to be God’s holy priests, who offer the spiritual sacrifices that please Him and are acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. As the Scriptures express it.

“4 unto whom coming, a living stone, rejected indeed of men, but with God elect, precious, 5 ye also, as living stones, are built up a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 Because it is contained in scripture, Behold, I lay in Zion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: And he that believeth on him shall not be put to shame.” (1Pe 2:4-6 ASV)

We, as followers of Christ, should offer ourselves as building stones. It is with our life and acts (or works) that we are the cement and stones of the temple of God and make that God is with us all the time.

Our heart must be established with grace through the spoken word. and it our the leaders of the church who should not only give a good example but also show the way to God always using God’s Word to edify, always making sure no false teachings enter God’s House.

“7 Remember them that had the rule over you, men that spake unto you the word of God; and considering the issue of their life, imitate their faith. 8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and to-day, yea and for ever. 9 Be not carried away by divers and strange teachings: for it is good that the heart be established by grace; not by meats, wherein they that occupied themselves were not profited.” (Heb 13:7-9 ASV)

Elders should make it clear that strange and divers doctrines, teachings other than Jesus Christ by which the grace of God came, are meats that have no spiritual profit. In the service the Word of God has to receive all priority. It is the instruction in the Gospel that is for our edification.

In an ecclesia there may be many instructors, tutors or teachers. All have to follow the Scriptural Truth and not human doctrines.

“ For though ye have ten thousand tutors in Christ, yet have ye not many fathers; for in Christ Jesus I begat you through the gospel.” (1Co 4:15 ASV)

As elders we are just human beings like anyone other. But in the ecclesia we have to take on the important task and responsible part of trying to spread the Good News and to make people their faith stronger. As elder we don’t just put up with our limitations, we have to tackle them but can use the experiences with them to teach others to cope with the difficulties. As spiritual leader that positioned person should put people together, not taking them apart.

“9 For we rejoice, when we are weak, and ye are strong: this we also pray for, even your perfecting. 10 For this cause I write these things while absent, that I may not when present deal sharply, according to the authority which the Lord gave me for building up, and not for casting down.” (2Co 13:9-10 ASV)

Building up the ecclesia there is the pioneering work, not only bringing the Message in the own community where Christ is already known, but also into those places where Christ had not yet been named or is not yet known, so that there might not be build upon another man’s foundation.

“ yea, making it my aim so to preach the gospel, not where Christ was already named, that I might not build upon another man’s foundation;” (Ro 15:20 ASV)

Jesus his words are not just incidental additions to your life, but teach us how to build a spiritual house upon a rock. The elder has to educate ‘his flock’ and guide them as a shepherd, letting the words of Christ work in their lives. If you just use Jesus’ words in Bible studies and don’t work them into your life, it shall collapse like a house of cards and being like a total loss.

“24 Every one therefore that heareth these words of mine, and doeth them, shall be likened unto a wise man, who built his house upon the rock: 25 and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon the rock. 26 And every one that heareth these words of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, who built his house upon the sand: 27 and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and smote upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall thereof.” (Mt 7:24-27 ASV)

“46 And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say? 47 Every one that cometh unto me, and heareth my words, and doeth them, I will show you to whom he is like: 48 he is like a man building a house, who digged and went deep, and laid a foundation upon the rock: and when a flood arose, the stream brake against that house, and could not shake it: because it had been well builded. 49 But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that built a house upon the earth without a foundation; against which the stream brake, and straightway it fell in; and the ruin of that house was great.” (Lu 6:46-49 ASV)

The elder has to bring over the words of Jesus so that the people in the ecclesia by hearing the word and doing the word which is spoken become like a house that never falls and is unshakeable. As the responsible of the ecclesia he should saw the good seed. How the members of the community receive the word that is preached is very important to how that spiritual house is built. All should know that:

He that does not Christ sayings builds upon the sand and his house will fall and cause ruin.

Here we learn that hearing by the preacher and doing what the preacher says who preaches the gospel of Jesus Christ, is building their spiritual house.

The elder shall do everything to have the love of Christ in the community and to take care that there always shall be spoken words with meaning.

If you are looking for a church home or spiritual instruction, you want to find a church whose foundation is Jesus Christ, the Son of God and whose builder and maker is God even as Abraham looked for a city by faith, Hebrews 11:8-10.

“8 By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed to go out unto a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. 9 By faith he became a sojourner in the land of promise, as in a land not his own, dwelling in tents, with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: 10 for he looked for the city which hath the foundations, whose builder and maker is God.” (Heb 11:8-10 ASV)

Preceding

Those Belonging to the called ones coming together

How to Form an Ecclesia

Having a small church mentality

A breathing ecclesia

Christadelphian Halls

Ecclesia – Church – Minding your reference

Need of elders

Qualifications of a Presiding Brother

Elders, pastors, paid or unpaid professionals

Paid Hirelings

Leading Brethren