Temple Building In Progress

In my lifetime I've had the privilege of participating in several building projects. My wife and I have supervised the building of two houses that became our homes. As a pastor I guided the building of five building projects, including sanctuaries, classrooms, offices and fellowship halls. They all presented their own unique challenges and opportunities.

In Hebrews 3, as we've been hearing in two previous blogs, we learn that Christ is also a builder, the builder of God's house. But this house is more than a literal building. It refers to the people rather than merely to the structure itself.  Christ is forever in the building business. His steadfast love is an eternal building in which we, His children, dwell.

I will sing of the steadfast love of the LORD, forever; with my mouth I will make known your faithfulness to all generations. For I said, "Steadfast love will be built up forever; in the heavens you will establish your faithfulness." You have said, "I have made a covenant with my chosen one; I have sworn to David my servant: 'I will establish your offspring forever, and build your throne for all generations.'" Selah - Psa 89:1-4 ESV

 Originally this psalm referred to the chosen Children of Israel, but later the LORD promised to incorporate also the Gentile nations in this immense building. That's where we Gentiles come in.

And it shall come to pass, if they will diligently learn the ways of my people, to swear by my name, 'As the LORD lives,' even as they taught my people to swear by Baal, then they shall be built up in the midst of my people. - Jer 12:16 ESV

This promise is being fulfilled in Christ. His new building includes not only Israel, but all who put their faith in Him, regardless of their race or nationality. This is what the writer to the Hebrews refers to when he says that . . .

Jesus has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses--as much more glory as the builder of a house has more honor than the house itself. (For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God.) Now Moses was faithful in all God's house as a servant, to testify to the things that were to be spoken later, but Christ is faithful over God's house as a son. And we are his house if indeed we hold fast our confidence and our boasting in our hope. - Hebrews 3:3-6 ESV

Jesus is the rock-solid foundation of this wondrous building, the builder of this great structure. In  Him and through Him Israelites and Gentiles are growing together as living stones of the Temple of God. This is a great work in progress. The Apostle Peter puts it like this:

As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For it stands in Scripture: "Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame" (Isaiah 28:16). So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe, "The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone"(Ps. 118:22), and "A stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense"(Isa. 8:14). They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do. But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. - 1Pet 2:4-9 ESV 

Wherever we read about God's building project, we are filled with joy and hope. He is at work, always building, adding new stones, new rooms, new projects. He who is the Builder is also the foundation, the solid rock upon which His church, His people stand firm. This is our message. This is our Good News, our Gospel.

"I will sing of the steadfast love of the LORD, forever; with my mouth I will make known your faithfulness to all generations." Ps. 89:1 ESV

The Door Duty Of Pastors

We continue our study of the duties of pastors and their relationship to the flocks they are called to shepherd. Listen again to Jesus' comment about himself as the Good Shepherd in John 10.

I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. - Jhn 10:9-13 ESV

This door to the sheep fold business is quite interesting. Consider what this meant to a first century shepherd. Quite often the sheep belonging to several families were grouped together and led by a hired shepherd. His job, of course, was to protect and guard the sheep from potential predators like wolves or even lions, to say nothing of human thieves. Consequently this could at times be a demanding and dangerous job. He is their door day and night. As the day begins they leave the protecting walls of the sheepfold by passing between his legs. And then throughout the day he guards them. As night draws near they return to the sheepfold by passing between his legs. He counts them and checks each one for wounds or bites received during the day's foraging. Then he sleeps at the door of the sheepfold, ready to spring into action should any marauding predator or thief suddenly appear in the darkness of the night.

This is why "a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep" would run rather than fight with a wolf. This hired shepherd "flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep." The true shepherd, however, hired or owner, takes ownership and responsibility for the sheep. He may have as many as a hundred sheep under his control. Nevertheless, he learns to know each of them individually and they, in turn, know and accept him as their shepherd. They know and listen to his voice and they follow where he leads them.

The writer to the Hebrews urges his readers to recognize the same thing about their shepherds.

Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you. - Hebr 13:17 ESV

Note well that shepherds or leaders, as the Hebrews passage calls them, "will have to give an account." To whom? To the Master Shepherd, of course. He calls each under-shepherd to oversee a flock in a particular place and time. They carry out their duties in the name of the Master  And when they do them well, the sheep recognize the "voice" of the Good Shepherd and they follow their shepherd. And what does the Good Shepherd say to his sheep? Listen.

What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. - Rom 6:1-8 ESV

Sin returns day by day. Consequently the faithful pastor calls his sheep to confess their sins before Jesus, to pass, as it were, between his legs again. Show him your faults and failings, he urges, and permit him to pour on you the soothing and healing water of your baptism. Hear him tell you that you were buried with him by baptism. You died with him. Your sins are forgiven. Now rest and be prepared in the new day to follow where he leads. And rejoice that we all are destined to live with him into all eternity.

Thus the pastor leads each sheep of his flock to rethink his/her relationship with Jesus day by day. This is what it means to repent. The original Greek word metanoiein means "to get a new mind" or way of thinking. This re-thinking is a daily process for the follower or Jesus. It is quite literally a dying to sin and rising again with Jesus day by day.

The same thing is true for the flock as a whole. The entire flock together is an individual body. So the Apostle writes to the congregation in Corinth as he says,

Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body. - 1Cr 6:19-20 ESV

Note that he does not say "your bodies" are each temples of the Holy Spirit. Rather he says "your (plural) body (singular) is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you." This particular body in Corinth—and then in Houston or Philadelphia or Omaha, etc.—is a temple of the Holy Spirit, a temple tempted to sin, a temple that must also must repent and rise with Christ. The under-shepherd speaks the voice of the Good Shepherd as he also leads the particular corporate body of Christ, flock assigned to him, to die to sin and rise again with Jesus.

Of course, I do not have space here to spell out the implications of this task. Suffice it to say for now that this duty of the under-shepherd, the pastor of a flock assigned to him, is ongoing. The members of the flock recognize this, rejoice in it and do everything they can to support and love their pastor as he carries out his responsibilities.