Built To Remain

The Three That Endure

When giving instructions to Moses, God told him that He wanted the lampstand in the Tabernacle to be made from a single piece of pure gold. If we're using the lampstand as a blueprint to build a local church (Revelation 1:20 says that "the lampstands are the churches"), then we need to find out what that gold represents. If it's the only material a congregation is supposed to use when building a church, shouldn't we know what it is?

Let's look at 1 Corinthians 3 again, and see what Paul has to say about building a local church. Per my usual warning, don't allow yourself to glance through this passage without reading it carefully! If you were building a house, wouldn't you study the blueprint to see how it was supposed to be built?

1 Corinthians 3:9-14 - "For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, you are God's building. According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it. For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one's work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one's work, of what sort it is. If anyone's work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward."

In this passage, there are three enduring building materials that won't be hurt by fire: gold, silver, and precious stones. Clearly, these are symbolic for something spiritual; since we're not talking about a physical building. What do they represent? Thankfully, Paul shows us what he means later on in the same letter - in one of the most famous chapters of the Bible, 1 Corinthians 13.

More Precious Than Gold

The word "endures" in 1 Corinthians 3:14 is the Greek word meno. It means "to remain"; specifically, to survive an event that destroys something else. These three (gold, silver, precious stones) represent three spiritual things that will endure the day of judgement, when everything else is burnt up by the fire of God. We see this word used again in 1 Corinthians 13:13, also describing three enduring things: "And now abide faith, hope, and love, these three..."

Gold, silver, precious stones...Faith, hope, and love. Putting these two lists side-by-side, we can reasonably conclude that the pure gold of the lampstand is faith. Pastors and congregations both need to be aware of this...your church must be made out of faith!

This isn't the only comparison between faith and gold in the New Testament. 1 Peter 1:7 tells us that our faith is "more precious than gold, tested by the fire." Physical gold is not eternal, it will pass away along with all of creation. But faith is an everlasting substance - and whatever comes from faith will endure.

Faith Is The Substance

Hebrews 11:1 - "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."

Faith is a real substance. It is a spiritual material, and is more real than any physical matter. Our salvation was born from faith. Every promise that we receive from God's Word comes from faith. If we ever please God, it's because of our faith. I'll go a little further than that, and say that whenever we displease God, it's because of our lack of faith.

Romans 14:23b - "...for whatever is not from faith is sin."

And so, pastors, this means that everything you do in your church needs to be done in faith.
Every project you undertake, let it be done by faith in God Who gives you the power to do it.
Every dollar you spend, let be spent by faith in God Who will provide more.
Every message you preach, preach it in faith - believing God to give you the words to say, and to confirm His word with power.
NEVER do anything in ministry in your own strength - do it all by faith in God.

Congregation members, you need to do everything by faith too.
Come to church whenever the doors are open - believing God will meet you there.
During the worship times, pour your heart out to God while believing that He hears you.
Before the message begins, choose to hear and believe what God has to say during that service.
If the pastor is required to minister by faith, then the congregation is also required to receive by faith.

I've written extensively on this already - Faith in God's Word brings the power to carry out that Word. That power is what we commonly call "grace". And Hebrews 12:28 tells us that grace is the only way that we can serve God acceptably.  True churches are always built by faith.