Ephesians 2:20-22 (KJV)
And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;
In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord:
In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.
This has always been one of my favorite passages in the Word of God, especially concerning the local church. Because of my construction background, I understand something about building members and how they fit together.
As an ironworker, each member of the building was fabricated in a facility somewhere other than the construction site. The members were each identified with a number, and the number was stamped on a specific end. Early in the construction, a site was designated that we called the boneyard. The members of the building were strategically placed in the boneyard for access as needed. The blueprints had drawings of those members, their numbers, and where they belonged in the building. The number stamped on the print matched the number on the member so we would know which end of the member belonged where.
I don’t want it to sound like there wasn’t some work required to make members fit in place. Ironworkers are skilled in the use of sleever bars, bull pins, barrel pins, spud wrenches, and “beaters” to get the members where they belong and all the holes lined up for bolts. Once in a while, a member will have some fabrication mistake that has to be corrected in the field by the use of a cutting torch and welder.
I’m telling you, though, it doesn’t work to put a member in the wrong place in the building or to put it in the wrong direction. The member won’t serve its purpose there, and it will mess up the rest of the building project from then on.
The point is this: God has made us as believers to fit together in the local New Testament Baptist church. Sometimes, given the nature of the old flesh, there is some work to do for that member to function in its place. We have things in our lives that must be corrected. We don’t always line up easily where we belong.
But it just doesn’t work to put a member in the church who isn’t intended to be there. We might be able to force it to happen, but it won’t serve that member well, and it will mess up the rest of the church—probably until that member is replaced. And that will generally take some painful disassembly of the rest of the church.
The local church, I have come to suggest, is never perfect. But it is God’s perfect place for the believer to be equipped and matured to glorify God.
#BuiltOnChrist #CornerstoneTruth #FitlyFramedTogether #LocalChurchMatters #GodsBuilding
Fitly Framed Together: What Happens When the Wrong Piece Is Forced Into a Church?
What do you think about Paul’s picture of believers being “fitly framed together” in the church? Have you ever seen how God places people in a congregation just like members in a building?
Leave a comment and sha
re your thoughts. I’d enjoy hearing your perspective.
If you enjoy Bible lessons like this, you can find many more studies, articles, and resources at marvinmckenzie.org. Come visit and explore more teaching from the Word of God.
For this and, more than 7000 earlier Daily Visits with God, visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.
If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.
My books, and other resources, are available at:
https://marvinmckenzie.org
Join me at Daily Visits with God Podcast
https://marvinmckenzie.substack.com/
Merch at my Teespring store https://macz.creator-spring.com/
Be a witness with hats, mugs, t-shirts, sweat shirts, and more
Let’s have coffee?
The link to Ko-fi is an opportunity to support this effort to reach a world of souls with the Word of God. I would appreciate any gift you can give.
No comments:
Post a Comment