Building our Ministries on the Right Foundation

In the Gospel of John, chapter 2, Jesus got in trouble for cleaning his room. Of course, we’re not just talking about a bedroom toward the back of Mary and Joseph’s house in Nazareth. We’re talking about the massive stone Temple in Jerusalem. He didn’t go about it with a swiffer and vacuum in hand, either. He used a whip. He tossed over tables. He threw people out. What could have caused him to take such extreme action? Let’s take a look at these words that follow his “room cleaning” in John 2…

18 But the Jewish leaders demanded, “What are you doing? If God gave you authority to do this, show us a miraculous sign to prove it.”

19 “All right,” Jesus replied. “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”

20 “What!” they exclaimed. “It has taken forty-six years to build this Temple, and you can rebuild it in three days?” 21 But when Jesus said “this temple,” he meant his own body. 22 After he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered he had said this, and they believed both the Scriptures and what Jesus had said.

Much of the Temple of Jerusalem in Jesus’ day was made of brilliant white sculpted stones that were one meter high and 5 meters long. This particular Temple was a grand place. 500 years earlier there had been a smaller temple in Jerusalem. That temple was built by King Solomon, but was later destroyed by the Babylonian armies, a destruction foretold by God if his people were to make a habit of ignoring his presence. You could have fit two of Solomon’s Temples inside of the Temple built by Herod and still have had room for a soccer game.

When Solomon’s temple was built, God blessed his people by claiming it as his own (1 Kings 8). But there was never any sign of God’s presence in Herod’s Temple … until Jesus showed up. Herod’s Temple was more about Herod than it was about God. And it wouldn’t last. The Romans would tear it down, stone by stone, in the year 70.

If we’re not careful, the same can happen to us as ministry leaders.

What kind of Temples have you been building? I’ve constructed some elaborate ones in my day. I’ve built temples that were supposedly dedicated to the glory of God with the stones of arrogance, self-inflation, and insecurity. No surprise. They fall.

The most reliable way to build is to do so according to HIS plan. The Apostle Paul talked about this kind of work in 1 Corinthians 3:10-11, saying,

“Because of God’s grace to me, I have laid the foundation like an expert builder. Now others are building on it. But whoever is building on this foundation must be very careful. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one we already have—Jesus Christ.” 

If you’re ready to learn how to build your ministry upon a solid foundation, attend or host a Strategy seminar . In this seminar, attendees will identify key disciple-making principles from the “Son’s life” to be able to apply to their lives and unique ministry context. The goal is to renew your passion for disciple-making and  increase your commitment to live out the character and priorities of Jesus.