Note: I wrote this blog in the Tokyo airport on my Manila to Nashville flight a couple of days ago, but was not able to post until now.
My alarm rang at 3:30 this morning. I’m not a morning person. Deborah is. Most mornings I stagger around like a cranky zombie. She bounces out of bed ready to attack a new day. Opposites attract.
We are on the 6:25 a.m. Manila to Tokyo to Detroit to Nashville. I’m thinking about starting a global campaign to ban all pre-noon international flights. Believe it or not, we encountered bumper-to-bumper traffic at 4:30 a.m. on the way to the airport. Only in Manila. I am also campaigning for an early morning traffic ban.
Since I can’t sleep on planes, no matter how sleep-deprived I may be, I turned on my iPad Bible and started reading.
1 Corinthians 3:10–12 NIV
[10] By the GRACE God has given me, I laid a FOUNDATION as an expert builder, and SOMEONE ELSE is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds. [11] For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. [12] If ANY MAN builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay, or straw. . .
The Apostle Paul referred to himself as an “expert builder.” Apostles are supposed to build. It is common today for preachers to print business cards with the A word whether or not they have actually built anything. These modern apostles preach sermons and write books and do conferences, but do they build anything that lasts? One cannot become an expert builder by reading and listening to podcasts. Reading is good, but expertise is developed only when we actually attempt to build something.
If you want to be an expert builder in the church world, notice three key concepts in verse 10 above.
1. GRACE NOT GIFTS. Expert builders work hard, but know that God’s grace is the key to real success. Paul said he built according to “the grace God has given me.” Expert builders recognize the specific grace God has given them. Insecure builders try to copy the grace God has given to others.
2. FOUNDATIONS NOT FLASH. Rather than trying to do everything by themselves, expert builders focus on establishing strong foundations. Verse 11 tells us that the foundation is Jesus Christ. Paul was not threatened when others built on the foundation he established. Expert builders build foundations that others could build on it. Insecure builders don’t allow anyone else to build on their foundation.
3. OTHERS NOT SELF. Paul was pleased that “someone else” was building on his foundation. Verse 12 tells us that “any man” might build on the foundation. As soon as the foundation is strong, “Someone else” and “any man” can start building, as long as they use quality material–gold, silver, costly stones. Expert builders equip and empower “someone else” and “any man” to build on the foundation. Insecure builders feel threatened when “someone else” or “any man” builds on their foundation.
You want to be an expert builder? Three words: GRACE, FOUNDATIONS, OTHERS.
