I was once in a very 'evangelical' church organization that was rapidly training and licensing ministers to 'go out' and build churches for the organization of God.
I learned many many things of what not to do with, and in the name of the ministry of Christ.
One main thing I learned was that called ministers of Christ do not build anything.
Jesus is the only One who builds His church (Matthew 16:18). All the other builders reject Him as the head cornerstone thereof (1 Peter 2:7).
I.e. we must supplant Jesus as builder, if we are going to build our church.
Scripture never states Paul built any church. Scripture says that by him and the other apostles, Jesus laid the foundation of doctrine and law for His New Covenant (1 Cor 3:10), called the apostles' doctrine and law of Christ (Acts 2:42)(2 John 1:9)(Gal 6:2)
With that foundation laid already in the world, ministers are to build thereon, or upon. (1 Cor 3:10)
If there is new ground for Jesus to send a preacher to, then that preacher is to lay the foundation that is already laid: Jesus Christ (1 Cor 3:11) and build upon it by building up them that believe (Col 2:7, 1 Peter 2:5) with the Scriptures, and so edify (build up) the saints (1 Cor 14:3).
I am no longer with that church-building organization, who still do lay another foundation of man in order to build their own churches, because I learned that we were in the wrong business.
The Father's business is not the people business, but the loving people business. And we are not builders of our churches, but builder uppers of fellow believers in the churches of God (1 Cor 11:16).
I learned many many things of what not to do with, and in the name of the ministry of Christ.
One main thing I learned was that called ministers of Christ do not build anything.
Jesus is the only One who builds His church (Matthew 16:18). All the other builders reject Him as the head cornerstone thereof (1 Peter 2:7).
I.e. we must supplant Jesus as builder, if we are going to build our church.
Scripture never states Paul built any church. Scripture says that by him and the other apostles, Jesus laid the foundation of doctrine and law for His New Covenant (1 Cor 3:10), called the apostles' doctrine and law of Christ (Acts 2:42)(2 John 1:9)(Gal 6:2)
With that foundation laid already in the world, ministers are to build thereon, or upon. (1 Cor 3:10)
If there is new ground for Jesus to send a preacher to, then that preacher is to lay the foundation that is already laid: Jesus Christ (1 Cor 3:11) and build upon it by building up them that believe (Col 2:7, 1 Peter 2:5) with the Scriptures, and so edify (build up) the saints (1 Cor 14:3).
I am no longer with that church-building organization, who still do lay another foundation of man in order to build their own churches, because I learned that we were in the wrong business.
The Father's business is not the people business, but the loving people business. And we are not builders of our churches, but builder uppers of fellow believers in the churches of God (1 Cor 11:16).
