As we look around us, we see many Christians falling into sin. We say, "How can we preach the gospel to an accusing world with sin in our ranks?". Neither can Christians continue in sin and expect God's blessings. Jesus' disciple, Peter, writes "the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God" (I Peter 4:17).
Jesus told a parable about two men who built houses for themselves (Luke 6:46-49). One dug deep into the rock before laying the foundation, the other didn't put in a foundation but built his house on the sand. When the storms came, the first house was able to stand but the second house collapsed. Jesus was saying that unless our faith is built upon something solid, it will sooner or later collapse.
I used to think this parable was comparing the storms to only major catastrophies in our lives, such as a sudden death of a loved one. Now I realize it refers also to day-to-day living.
There are forces of evil being released against Christians today to destroy their faith. These forces create disunity within homes and churches. They cause marriage breakups and rebellious young people filled with lust and anger demanding their 'human rights' Even our governments and leaders seem prone to confusion. This outbreak of evil is no surprise to Christians as it is predicted throughout the Bible for the latter times (2 Tim.3).
To cope with this evil, we need to take a look at our own foundation. Many of us were not reared in a church-going home, so we have a false conception of what Christianity is all about. Others of us were brought up in the church but, more often than not, those who taught us were themselves not filled with God's Holy Spirit. We learned much from them, but we were not taught or touched by the great Counsellor Himself.
So whether we have had a solid Christian background or whether we haven't, we must now begin to dig a foundation. We must dig down to the Rock, Jesus, if we wish our faith to stand.
The first great lesson to learn is that we, of ourselves, are not worthy to so much as touch the great Rock. We are born into a line of sinners, beginning with Adam. Jesus died to break that curse of sin and set us free. Our good deeds will not make us good enough to please God; they are only "filthy rags" in His sight (Isa.64:6). Good works, of course, will be evident in our lives when we build on a Christian foundation of love for our Master. The Holy Spirit will tell us, if we are in tune with Him, what Satan's latest trick is to try to destroy our foundation. It may be sin creeping into our thought-life. It may be a desire for over-spending which the family cannot afford. It may be marriage partners going their own ways which will eventually destroy the marriage. It may be lack of prayer and daily Bible reading. It may be allowing oneself to be satisfied with less than a Bible- believing church. It may be over-emphasis on the prosperity which God gives His people, not realizing God gives prosperity so that people can have money to return to Him to win souls!
Sometimes we need to take an honest look at ourselves. We can always spot the flaws in others, but somehow it takes a lot of seeking God's Holy Spirit to pin down our own weaknesses and deal with them.
As we put down a good foundation to the Rock, Jesus, we are building our house on solid Christian doctrine. Let us be sure there are no drafty windows to let false teachings blow in; such teachings always contain enough truth to deceive us.
Let us all build a good house of faith, asking Jesus to cement it together so it will not fall in the stormy days ahead.
© 1999, Doreen Palmer