A Solid Foundation
The first requirement for a permanent building is a solid foundation. The church of Christ is built upon a foundation of solid rock. "Upon this rock," Jesus said, "I will build my church." The rock being referred to is the confession made by Peter by divine revelation – "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." (Matthew 16:13-18) This eternal truth is the foundation of the church. It is solid ground for all God's people to stand upon.
The Right Material
Not only is Jesus the foundation of the church, he is the provider of the building material that composes the church. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, the Lord works in our hearts – shaping, moulding, calling us through the gospel. When we are redeemed, we become "living stones, [and] are being built into a spiritual house…" (1 Peter 2:5) We haven't made ourselves into stones to be used in the construction of Christ's church; the Lord has done that for us. "Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labour in
Ever Expanding
Jesus will not be finished building his church until the end of the world when he returns to claim it.
On the Day of Pentecost, a great multitude were saved by the Lord Jesus Christ. In response to their question, "Brothers, what shall we do?" Peter, guided by the Spirit, told them, "Repent and be baptised every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit …Those who accepted his message were baptised, and about three thousand were added to their number that day." (Acts 2:37-41) Later, more turned in faith to Jesus. "And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved." (Acts 2:47) The gospel continued to be proclaimed and "more and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number." (Acts 5:14)
It is the Lord who saves us, forgives us, pardons us, and it is the Lord who adds to his church those who are being saved.
And today, whenever the Lord saves a person, he adds that person to his church. How does Jesus build his church today? By saving people from their sins.
