Getting Ahead

Let me first thank Howard for inviting me to participate in his blog. He caught me in a week with relatively little to do so I posted before he was even able to introduce me. So, I may be posting too quickly for anyone to read what has been written lately. If so, please feel free to comment on anything below of interest to you or not and we'll check on them. In the meantime, I wanted to continue with my thoughts from I Cor. 3 and the question of "What is Church?"
Paul uses an interesting analogy in I Cor. 3 to describe the church. I find it interesting because in modern preaching most pastors stay as far away as possible from the idea that the Church is simply a building. Sermons are constructed all the time to proclaim that worship must go beyond the walls of the church building. Hence, we tend to stay away from "Building Analogies." Paul, however, does not.
I Cor. 3:10-11, "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."
Paul is talking about Jesus Christ, the gospel of Jesus Christ as the foundation of the Church. He says, basically, that he expects them to build something up based on that solid foundation - something eternal, i.e. not a literal building. This all comes from Paul's desire to correct false teaching in the Corinthian Church. Paul doesn't seek to apologize for providing a culturally irrelevant gospel, or compromise the foundation of the gospel. In the errors of the Corinthian Church he sees an opportunity to exhort the same gospel, the same Lord and Savior, wherein the Church at large finds Foundation. To use an analogy, it's like he's almost asking them why they are building a parking lot on a foundation meant for a cathedral.
But that was the Corinthians. What are we like today? What is our foundation for Church? What is our foundation for being involved in the Community of diversity I talked about in my last post?
The problem is that some churches have no foundation and if they do it is pathetic. I suppose, to tell you the truth, I can't speak for the churches that are out there and I will never really know what is going on in all of them. I can tell you, however, how I have behaved in church, and how I have thought about it in my immaturity.
Sometimes, church is nothing more than a concert (with really old music, or new music that is really, really, dumb), then I am guilted into paying for this sub-par musical experience. Next, I get a really brief, extremely unsatisfying snack break before I have to sit through - ugh - a speech that lasts twenty - whole - minutes! But I do leave feeling pretty good about myself. After all, I WENT TO CHURCH! That is just what a good Christian does - that is what church is all about, right?
Ok, so I am being extremely satirical and foolish - but it raises the valid question of the foundation for a bunch of people to get together every week and do what we do.
In 2000 plus years our foundation is the same. Jesus' work on the cross is still sufficient. The Son still sits at the right hand of the Father, ever interceding for those of who, in our sin, stumble, fall, and crawl back to the Lord who loves us so. This won't change.
If you gather every week for any other reason, as a matter of fact, if you live your life during the week for any other reason, you have no foundation.
If you ask me, I think we can all safely say that the Church will be rightly built on the foundation of Jesus Christ when, He is known, loved, and proclaimed as the wisdom from God that is, our righteousness our holiness and our redemption (I Cor. 1:30). Do we all get that I wonder? Is our righteousness our participation in the worship concert, the offering and the brief attention given to the pastor every week? Is it how satisfied we are with ourselves when we walk out those doors on Sunday morning? What is it? Paul doesn’t leave much room for interpretation.

"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 with fire; and the fire will test each one's work, of what sort it is."
I Corinthians 3:12-13.
God Bless, Cory