According to the Cambridge Dictionary the foundation stone is defined as “a large block of stone that is put in position at the start of work on a public building, often with a ceremony.”1 The historian wrote “… the king commanded them to quarry large stones, costly stones, and hewn stones, to lay the foundation of the temple.” (1 Kings 5:16-17 NKJV)
All the structures comprising the temple area, from the outside to the large courtyard and from the bedrock to the roof, were made of quarried rock, cut to size and “hewn” on both their inner and outer faces. The foundations were laid with large choice stones, some measuring ten cubits (4.57 meters / 15 feet) and some eight (3.66 meters / 12 feet). Having been ‘prefabricated’, the Bible goes on to say that the stones were then transported to the temple area in a quiet way as to show respect for the sacred site. No wonder that these stones were “large and costly” and especially the foundation stone. (I Kings 6:1-7)
Solomon used the very best materials and the most competent workers to build a dwelling place for the Lord, for above all, he wanted to please God.
The Cambridge Dictionary then expands it’s definition of the foundation stone to include a figurative meaning, referring to “the basic or important principles, ideas, facts, etc. on which something depends.”2 So as to accomplish anything worthwhile in life you must lay a choice foundation. Everything else is going to be affected if the foundation is not laid with the best materials and the finest proficiency.
Jesus said “[The wise man] is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. …” (Luke 6:48 NKJV). Those who are wise must build their lives upon the words and teachings of Jesus.
The apostle Paul added, that Jesus himself is the spiritual foundation upon which we are to build everything else in our lives. “For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 3:11 NKJV). The church has been bought with his blood, cleansed and sanctified through union with Him and indwelt by God’s Spirit.
While the psalmist wrote that: “The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.” (Psalm 18:2 NKJV), this has been completely fulfilled in Jesus, the cornerstone and capstone of our faith.
In order to build something of enduring spiritual value, we must begin with the foundation provided by Jesus, who is Himself from everlasting to everlasting. And while some may take offence, He is for us the chief cornerstone, precious in God’s sight and also in ours.
1 https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/foundation-stone
2 Ibid
Fenwick ON
We can not be saved like the thief, but we can be saved like the Romans.
We often share with folks, that we all need to be baptized for the forgiveness of sins. This is the same answer that Peter gave on the Day of Pentecost when those who heard him speak, asked what they needed to do to be saved.
“Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, 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.” (Acts 2:38 NIV)
From time to time, someone will suggest that since Jesus took the thief on the cross to Paradise with him without baptism, that perhaps baptism is not now essential for salvation. We might observe however that this was a once-in-the-lifetime of Jesus, event. The thief followed no set of commands, had no right to expect the outcome that was granted and that the entire exchange set no precedent for anyone to follow. It was by its very nature an unrepeatable event.
Since that time, Jesus has ascended to and is sitting at the right hand of the Father. The instructions that he gave his apostles – for our salvation are set out clearly and preserved in scripture. Looking ahead to the ministry of the apostles, “ [Jesus] said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. “He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.” (Mark 16:15-16 NKJV)
Not to be dissuaded, those looking for another way to be saved will often turn to Romans 10:9-10 where Paul wrote: “ If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” (NKJV) That beautiful and truthful passage was written to baptized believers.
Four chapters earlier Paul recounts what the brethren at Rome had done in order to obey from the heart that form of doctrine delivered to them. “Do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.” (Romans 6:3-4 NKJV)
And then he added: “But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered.” (Romans 6:17 NKJV)
Romans 10:9-10 reveals that we must believe that God raised Jesus from the dead. The thief on the cross couldn’t believe that because it had not yet happened . We are required to believe that which the thief could not. Jesus had not yet died for the sins of the world and at that moment, no one could yet be baptized into His death (Romans 6:3-4).
The salvation of the thief is not an example that anyone has followed nor can it instruct us how to be saved today.
The cross has come and gone and with it the possibility of being saved like the thief. But we can be saved like the Romans by obeying “that form of doctrine delivered to you” just like the Romans did. (Romans 6:17) Then you will be in Christ, a Christian, raised to walk in newness of life, a new creature having put the old man of sin to death. “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” (2 Corinthians 5:17 NKJV)
Fenwick, ON
Several years ago I saw a TV ad by a church which said: “Your Father called, and He wants you to come home.”
That is very true of our Heavenly Father who has called us as the apostle Paul explains, through the gospel, “ . . . He called you by our gospel, for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (2 Thessalonians 2:14 NKJV).
The parable of the lost son teaches us that God, the Father, wants His contrary and disobedient children to come back home (Luke 15). The lost son in Luke 15 represents the child of God who has fallen away. There is a general sense in which everyone is a child of God, having been made in His image (Acts 17:28, 29). At some point, we all sin and God desires that sinners repent in order to come home.
“The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is long-suffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9 NKJV)
So, why have not all of God’s wayward children – come home?
It was rebellion that prompted the young son in Jesus’ parable to move out of the Father’s house. It kept him away until he came to appreciate what he had left behind. Only when he decided that he was willing to be accountable to his father did he return.
As our heavenly Father, God has clear and definite rules for His family. They are contained in the New Testament. There are those who make up their minds to leave, because they don’t like the rules. Many who leave stay away, unless or until they make a decision to submit once again to the Father’s authority.
The young son in the parable thought he would be much happier on his own, doing as he desired, and spending his inheritance on whatever he wished. For a time, it appeared that he was right. Sometimes children won’t return home because they don’t take into account the full extent of the blessings of their father’s house. Why should he come home when he was having the ‘time of his life’, living in decadence?
It soon occurred to him that the blessings of his father’s money were no substitute for his father, especially when that money ran out. Trouble and hardship forced the boy to realize just how foolish he had been. He was impoverished while his father’s servants had plenty. He finally understood how blessed he had been as a son in his father’s house; and only then was he willing to return.
Few people grasp the blessings in being a faithful child of God. The world tugs at us, tempting us with the deceitful pleasures of sin that are short lived. Those who choose the works of the flesh instead of the fruit of the Spirit soon discover that Satan makes big promises, but does not deliver. Having so chosen, they find themselves starving in the wilderness of sin.
Which raises the question: where am I and where are you? Have we walked away from God? If we have, do we now see the tragic nature of our mistake?
Your Father has called, and He wants you to come back home. And while it is not yet too late, it will be if we delay.
Fenwick, ON
The Trip of Your Life
When we leave for a vacation, we always pack our bags a few days before we leave, especially if it is an early morning departure. We almost always have everything ready to go because we want to leave at a certain time, usually very early in the morning. We wish to leave early, so we prepare beforehand. Getting ready is necessary in order to be ready.
Jesus said “You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected.” (Luke 12:40 NLT)
That is the concept Jesus was communicating when He said, “Be dressed for service and keep your lamps burning, as though you were waiting for your master to return from the wedding feast. Then you will be ready to open the door and let him in the moment he arrives and knocks.” (Luke 12:35-36 NLT)
In other words, have your walking shoes on and be prepared to leave.
In order to be ready for the return of Jesus we ought to be engaged in activities that we would not be ashamed of if He were to return. It is an honest thing to ask yourself periodically, “This place where I am going, this thing that I am getting ready to do, would I be embarrassed or ashamed to be doing this if Jesus were to return?” If the answer is affirmative, then don’t do it. If you can’t pray for God’s blessings upon what you are doing, having arrived at them through a study of his word… then those activities should be out-of-bounds for you.
First John 3:2-3 says, “Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is. And all who have this eager expectation will keep themselves pure, just as he is pure.” (NLT)
If we believe that Jesus is coming, it should cause us to live godly lives. “[God’s Word] teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age.” (Titus 2:12 NIV) And, “Since everything will be destroyed …, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives.” (2 Peter 3:11 NIV)
Are you ready for the trip of your life? If not, why not?
Fenwick, Ontario
Often in a sermon or in your personal study, you come across scripture that catches your eye. John 15: 5 is one of those verses, for in it Jesus shares the following analogy:
“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5 NKJV)
What would life be like without Jesus?
Life without Jesus retains no hope of Heaven. It would be life without peace with God or guidance for living. Life without Jesus would be life without purpose and life without forgiveness. Without Jesus, God would have no family on earth, no company of the redeemed – purchased by his blood and led by his example.
But Jesus did come from heaven and he has died for our sins. The vine is here – what about the branches?
Will we join ourselves to Him and abide in Him? Jesus said that ‘apart from Him, we can do nothing”. It seems to me that we should struggle to understand what Jesus did do in his life of service and then apply His example to our own lives. Instead of looking into the sky, as the disciples did when Jesus ascended into heaven, we, too, have things to do in the kingdom of God.
Without Christ, we are powerless, defenceless, and helpless. God has adopted us and has become our Father through Jesus Christ. This is our incentive for serving Him as he grants us the ability and strength to do so. But to fully serve, we must first fully submit to God’s will in our lives, as revealed through Jesus Christ.
The apostle Paul said that “for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live.” (1 Corinthians 8:6 NKJV) And, “For now we live, if you stand fast in the Lord.” (1 Thessalonians 3:8 NKJV)
It is then only through Jesus that we are able to address God as our heavenly Father and that he is empowered to adopt us as His own. May we express our dependence upon the Lord in our faithful obedience to his will, drawing inner strength from the high privilege of life ‘in Christ’.
“Without Christ” is not where I want to be – come eternity.
Port Colborne, ON
There are few sights that thrill Canadians as much as seeing the “Maple Leaf” billowing in the breeze over our free nation. On July 1st, many of us rallied around our flag, thankful for the freedoms we enjoy in this great country. The common purpose and unity symbolised by that flag should bind us together promoting causes greater than ourselves.
In a more meaningful and important sense, Christians also rally together having been united in Christ who does more than just symbolize our unity. I am reminded of a children’s song which has been a favourite for many, entitled “His Banner Over Me Is Love.”
The first verse goes like this:
The Lord is mine and I am His,
His banner over me is love.
The Lord is mine and I am His,
His banner over me is love.
The Lord is mine and I am His,
His banner over me is love.
His banner over me is love!
The author drew his thoughts from the Old Testament book of Song of Solomon, where the author wrote:
The prophet Isaiah spoke of a time when “the root of Jesse” (a term for the Messiah, Jesus Christ) would stand as a banner to the people, and the Gentiles would seek Him (Isaiah 11:10). Isaiah’s prophecy was fulfilled in the church that Jesus established and in which we participate. Jesus himself declared, that if He is lifted up, like a banner or standard, but referring to the cross, He would draw all peoples to Himself (John 12:32). He has called all people to true spiritual freedom through His sacrificial death on the cross (John 8:32, 36). In the kingdom of heaven, entry is granted without regard for race, wealth, position or gender. And once there, each one rallies around the banner of the Messiah, united in one body in Christ (Galatians 3:26-29).
What a beautiful image!
Those who seek to know God will accept the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ. United and one in His kingdom, they enjoy a common salvation and seek to share that privilege to others by spreading the gospel worldwide. There is no greater freedom, than freedom in Christ!
So as we have just celebrated our political freedom, let us always remember, how Christ has made us free, as we rally around His banner.
Fenwick, Ontario
Despite being a leper, Naaman the Syrian army commander retained his pride. Didn’t his status merit a dramatic healing ceremony from Elijah? “But Naaman went away angry and said, “I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy.” (2 Kings 5:11 NIV) Instead, Elijah had sent a servant to tell Naaman to dip seven times within the Jordan River. How undignified! But when he put aside his prideful anger and obeyed, the cleansed leper’s “I thought” became “Now I know.” “Then Naaman and all his attendants went back to the man of God. He stood before him and said, “Now I know that there is no God in all the world except in Israel. Please accept now a gift from your servant.” (2Kings 5:15 NIV)
This wasn’t the first time someone’s think-so turned out to be wrong.
When Abraham and Sarah travelled to the Philistine city of Gerar, Abraham told King Abimelech that Sarah was his sister (just as he had done in Egypt a few years earlier). Abimelech promptly took Sarah into his harem, but the Lord just as promptly ordered him to return her to her husband. The outraged king demanded an answer from Abraham: “What have you done to us?” Abraham’s excuse was, “I said to myself, ‘There is surely no fear of God in this place, and they will kill me because of my wife.” (Genesis 20:1-11 NIV). He thought, “I said to myself,” but was fearfully wrong.
Looking back at the time Paul had been a Jesus-hating abuser of Christians, he said, “I too was convinced that I ought to do all that was possible to oppose the name of Jesus of Nazareth.” (Acts 26:9 NIV) Paul had to come to grips with how absolutely wrong he had been.
What a difference between “I thought” or “I said to myself” or “I was convinced” and “Now I know!” The dividing line: Learning and obeying God’s will. “We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands.” “Those who obey his commands live in him, and he in them. . . .” “This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome,” (1John 2:3; 3:24; 5:3 NIV)
Port Colborne
Technology interests me, especially as it relates to preaching the gospel. We have been given the task of taking the gospel into all the world (Matthew 28:19, 20; Mark 16:15, 16). How we do that has been left up to us. Starting in the local pulpit and extending across the ocean, advancements in technology help us to do that. The first century Christians spoke the word and put it down into writing. In my lifetime, the pen has given way to the typewriter, the word processor, the personal computer and even voice to text conversion. Charts, chalk boards, white boards and overhead projectors have been replaced by data projectors and computer generated audio video and graphics. Recording has gone from analog to digital while radio and TV are giving way to online and wireless technology. While I have used some of these, I am always interested in harnessing the latest technology in the service of the gospel.
Having said that, there is still something that will never change: the pure, unadulterated gospel of Jesus Christ. Delivered once for all, the gospel like Jesus himself does not change.
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8 NKJV)
“Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.” (Matthew 24:35 NKJV)
Our means and methods of sharing the gospel will continue to change, but the Word of God will not. Take note of what Jeremiah wrote:
“Thus says the LORD: “Stand in the ways and see, And ask for the old paths, where the good way is, And walk in it; Then you will find rest for your souls. But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.’” (Jeremiah 6:16 NKJV)
In 1964, Marshall McLuhan coined the phrase “the medium is the message’, to emphasise the potential for the means of delivery to overtake and reshape the content of what was being said. But no matter what the medium, the gospel of Jesus Christ is not dependent upon the means by which it is transmitted and should never become secondary to it.
As the apostle Paul wrote in Romans 1:16:
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.” (NKJV)
The message of Jesus Christ must always be our focus. Technology can help us deliver God’s soul saving message. But should it ever stop being a tool and begin to become an obstacle… it must be left behind. God has already added all of the value and power that is needed for the gospel of Christ to do it’s work. Our job is to proclaim it without addition or subtraction so that those who hear it might be saved.
Port Colborne
There is a direct connection between a Christian’s worship and a Christian’s testimony or lifestyle. Jesus said “Let your good deeds shine out for all to see so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.” (Matthew 5:16 NLT)
Christians live and worship before a watching world. When the church began in Jerusalem, they met and worshipped daily at the Temple. The also met in homes, where they shared their food with each other and partook of the Lord’s Supper. They were joyful and generous, praising God in public and private while enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved.” (Acts 2:46-47 NLT)
When things are going your way: when God blesses you with healthy children, marital harmony, an excellent job,and good health, people will think – well no wonder they ‘go to church’. But when tragedy strikes: when your job fails, your marriage founders, your health declines and friends are nowhere to be found, what then? What will they think when you seek God more earnestly, pray without ceasing, thank Him for his steadfast love and worship from the heart? Perhaps that God really is good and that you are serious about your faith.
When we meet for worship, the things that we do and say tell people a lot about who we are as the Lord’s church. When nonbelievers attend, they are checking things out and taking it all in. What kind of person are you to the people sitting nearby? Are you a Christian or not? It may be their first time, and hopefully not their last. Will they find us worshipping from the heart? Will they read in their bibles what they observe in our assembly? Will they learn about God and his plan of salvation? Will they find God at work among us and through us? One way or another, the conclusions that they draw will depend on what they hear and see.
All of that may seem like a lot of pressure! That’s not my intent. This is just a reminder that the world is watching. Some do not believe in Jesus and others who do are not yet Christians. What they see in us and hear from us is so very important.
May we truly worship both inside the church building and outside too. Let us let our light shine in a way that attracts others to our Lord, for the light within us is actually Him?
Port Colborne
Barrie Ontario
As the Barrie church struggles on through difficult Covid-19 restrictions, good things have happened over the winter and spring months. We baptized a man from a nearby community, appointed a new elder (Dave Knutson), and a new deacon (Calvin King). Young Adult Weekend took place in early May with a good turnout on Zoom. Eva Patrick celebrated her 100th birthday. Tim Johnson is retiring from full-time preaching at the end of May; Rich Gould of the Buffalo, NY, area will take his place in June.
Darkness can be frightening for it often hides dangers that we cannot see. Life itself is filled with dangers both seen and unseen, all of which gives rise to fear.
The author of Psalm 91 knew all about these dangers and how to face them with God’s protection. He wrote: “Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night, nor the arrow that flies in the day. Do not dread the disease that stalks in darkness, nor the disaster that strikes at midday.” (NLT)
There have always been “terrors of the night” that threaten our lives with unseen dangers that are still quite fatal. They were like the arrows that flew by day, and though nearly invisible, could kill you just as dead. From out of nowhere, disease and disaster may overtake and overcome, leaving no place to hide. Except of course, within the safety and protection of the Lord.
The New Testament borrowed the battle imagery of fiery arrows to warn us that Satan is waging spiritual warfare against us – with deadly intent. He is not just trying to weaken or discourage. He intends to kill our faith and destroy our hope. He attacks our faith with the fear of death. He entices us to sin with impure thoughts. With another of his arrows he stirs the fires of hate to destroy families and divide the church. He takes advantage of any weakness in our spiritual armour, relentlessly seeking to destroy.
The good news is that God promises to protect us from those arrows. We have “. . . the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil.” (Ephesians 6:16 NLT) . God is with us both day and night.
Psalm 91:7 goes on to say, “Though a thousand fall at your side, though ten thousand are dying around you, these evils will not touch you.” (NLT)
While God promises protection, He does not spare us the difficulties and sorrows of life. Jesus promised that faith in Him and faithfulness to Him would bring it’s own set of persecutions and hardships. Believers in Jesus do not become bulletproof to danger or immune to misfortune. God protects us, by seeing us safely through our trials. And it is perhaps in the very midst of those trials that we become most aware of his presence.
As David said “Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me.” (Psalm 23:4 NLT)
When we respond to God in faith he will most certainly see us through.
Port Colborne, ON
Two girls were each given a rock and a sucker. They were told to walk down the road and back with the rock in their shoe and the sucker in their mouth. They grumbled most of the way and couldn’t walk normally because of the rock. Limping and staggering, they just made it back. When asked what it was like to walk around like that, they spoke only of the rock in their shoe and not the sucker in their mouth.
“Are you ever burdened with a load of care? Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?” we ask in four-part harmony. “Count your many blessings. Every doubt will fly, and you will keep singing as the days go by. So, amid the conflict whether great or small, do not be discouraged. God is over all,” we intone. “Count your many blessings. Angels will attend, help and comfort give you to your journey’s end.” The old hymn’s wisdom has never been more true than during these times in which we live.
The struggles of life and our focus on them often keep us from seeing how richly God is blessing us. Counting our blessings makes us more aware of them and more prone to thank God for them. When times are hard and blessings seem few, we may learn to value each one that much more. Just knowing that God is eager to bless assures us that for every one that we see, there are many more that escape our notice.
So let us count our blessings, because:
• Saying thanks moves our focus from the dark to the light. It helps us to see what is going right, even when we know that much is going wrong. It enables us to appreciate God’s goodness, especially in the face of troubled times.
• Counting blessings multiplies our joy. Counting blessings, reminds us of the reasons that we have to be joyful in the first place: God’s blessings abide, even when circumstances sour. It is often at precisely those times when we endure extreme difficulty that God blesses us most with tangible evidence of His intangible favour. When we put his blessings into words, each expression reminds us of another and then another. Before we know it, we are looking at a long list – a testament to God’s benevolence and abundant grace.
• Saying thanks turns our attention away from ourselves. When we say thanks, we acknowledge the beneficial actions of others. We realize that we are not the source of our own blessings. People of faith recognize divine grace in all that we receive, and often at the hands of others. We are not alone.
• Counting our blessings – nourishes our hope. In each blessing and in all of them together, we see that God remains faithful, ever loving and caring for those who are His. And having walked with God we expect that God will abide with us and continue to bless us in the future.
God’s steadfast presence and abiding comfort are great blessings that belong at the top of every list. Let us count our blessings – to embrace the joy of our Lord. And having been blessed, let us be a blessing to others, bearers of light dispensing hope to dispel the darkness of this world.
Port Colborne
