Paul,
The Master Builder
Hello and God Bless you,
There was a time in my life that I made my living managing
large construction
projects. Throughout
my carrier as a
project manager and contractor I have supervised the
building of many houses, warehouses, office buildings, and
other projects. My largest project was a 14 story high-rise
condo project overlooking the Chesapeake Bay. The
blueprints and specifications for the project filled the back
of a pick-up truck. In a tall building of that type, accuracy
is
vital.
For instance if the foundation were to be 1/10th of an inch
off, by the time your reached the roof the discrepancy
becomes 14 feet. Of course this type of mistake was
unacceptable. I had a team of engineers
that
double-checked and confirmed the accuracy of the
construction on a daily basis.
The owner of the project
had an architect on site throughout the construction to
make sure that the plans were followed. The architect was
consulted frequently because often we needed clarification
and adjustments along the way.
We dared not change or
adjust anything without the architect's approval because
every aspect of the building was impacted by the smallest of
adjustments.
In our bible text today we find Paul, God's architect, or in
the KJV, master builder explaining again, the foundation to
the believers in Corinth.
1Co 3:10 According to the grace of God which is given unto
me, as a wise master builder, I have laid the foundation,
and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed
how he buildeth thereupon.
1Co 3:11 For other foundation can no man lay than that is
laid, which is Jesus Christ.
Paul by revelation, calls himself the "master
builder" In the Greek
master builder is ar-khee-tek'-tone, Strong's #G753. It
literally means a "chief constructor or
architect." An architect in the person
that understands the owner's plans and desires, then designs
the building and supervises the construction.
God Gave the revelation of the mystery to Paul. The mystery
is God's plan and desire for the body of Christ in the time period that
we live. The Mystery or literally in the Greek, the secret,
was hidden from everyone but God until it was given to
Paul. Paul's mission was to proclaim god's secret.
The secret contains the blue print for the new society, new
race of people, God's people, that starts with being born of God's
seed, incorruptible seed, Christ in you, the hope of
glory. Christ is the foundation that the body of
Christ is set upon.
If you miss the foundation of Christ in you, you
miss the rest of the secret. There is only one door to the
sheepfold, one shepherd, one head of the body and it is Christ in you,
the hope of
glory.
Fleshly performance based religion climbs over the fence into the
sheepfold and works really hard to build a body with many heads and a
foundation of flesh. A foundation of flesh misses
the whole point of Christianity. The point is Christ in you
the hope of glory. It really is not about
us. It is about Him.
In the second and third chapters of first Corinthians, Paul reminds
Corinthian believers and us to return to the foundation of Christ:
1Co 2:1 And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with
excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of
God.
Paul was very aware of who the head of the body was. He
did not show up in a chrome plated chariot and diamond
stud earrings. It was not about
him … it was about the
revelation of the mystery given to him by Christ Jesus.
Let's continue in verse 2:
1Co 2:2 For I determined not to know any thing among you,
save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.
1Co 2:3 And I was with you in weakness, and in fear,
and in much trembling.
1Co 2:4 And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing
words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration (manifestation) of the Spirit and of power:
Paul was not a fancy worded preacher of the flesh, but
instead was busy sowing to the spirit with constant and
evident manifestation of the spirit of Christ. He
wanted
people to believe, be born of God's seed and begin to walk in
the power and manifestation of Christ in you. Paul
was not
trying to build himself a "ministry" or a power base of
tithers and groupies.
1Co 2:5 That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.
1Co 2:6 Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect:
(mature) yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this
world, that come to naught:
The princes of this world will always come to nothing because they are
based entirely on the flesh. We are of
the Spirit and should be walking in the spirit, listening and acting on
the Christ in us.
1Co 2:7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery,
even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:
1Co 2:8 Which none of the princes of this world knew:
for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
There it is!
1Co 2:9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard,
neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath
prepared for them that love him.
This is a quote from Is 64:4. God kept a secret that he
was not going to share until he gave it to Paul: Now it is
freely and openly given to us by way of His spirit:
1Co 2:10 But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit:
for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.
1Co 2:11 For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the
spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth
no man, but the Spirit of God.
For those of us that are coming out of various performance based
religions, this verse is a breath of
freedom! No man or woman knows
what is inside you any more than we know what the inner thoughts of God
are unless he tells us. There are so many
religious fools running from church to church giving "words" and
"prophesies" to tell others about their "curses" sins and what to
do. What a bunch of who-hah!
1Co 2:12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world,
but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.
1Co 2:13 Which things also we speak, not in the words which
man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth;
comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
1Co 2:14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the
Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know
them, because they are spiritually discerned.
The natural man, the man of the flesh can only sow to the flesh and
reap of the flesh. We have been given the gift of
Christ in us with all spiritual blessing in the
packet! The things of God are spiritually
discerned; word of knowledge, word of wisdom, discerning of
spirits.
1Co 2:15 But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man.
Becoming spiritual is not an achievement after getting bonked on the
head by some crazy evangelist, nor is it caught like a cold from some
tattooed prophet. He that is spiritual is one who
is walking in the spirit, manifesting Christ in us, listening to the
revelation of God, studying to understand and rightly divide the word
of truth and allowing Christ to live in and through us.
1Co 2:16 For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.
Which of us presumes to tell God what to
do? … But we have
Christ in us the hope of glory!
1Co 3:1 And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.
1Co 3:2 I have fed you with milk, and not with meat:
for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.
The folks in Corinthians were so focused on fleshly things
that the spiritual things fell by the
wayside. We see the
birth of the denominations, divisions, and the following of
men instead of following the one and only head.
1Co 3:3 For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you
envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?
1Co 3:4 For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal?
1Co 3:5 Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man?
Paul tells us here that he and Apollo's were not the point,
and that they were only servants delivering the word of
God:
1Co 3:6 I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.
1Co 3:7 So then neither is he that planteth any thing,
neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.
It's about God not us. Our purpose, our calling is for Christ
to live in and through us.
1Co 3:8 Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one:
and every man shall receive his own reward
according to his own labour.
1Co 3:9 For we are labourers together with God:
ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building.
1Co 3:10 According to the grace of God which is given unto
me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation,
and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed
how he buildeth thereupon.
1Co 3:11 For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
1Co 3:12 Now if any man build upon this foundation
gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;
1Co 3:13 Every man's work shall be made manifest:
for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire;
and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is.
1Co 3:14 If any man's work abide which he hath built
thereupon, he shall receive a reward.
1Co 3:15 If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.
1Co 3:16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God,
and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
1Co 3:17 If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.
1Co 3:18 Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool,
that he may be wise.
1Co 3:19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God.
For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness.
1Co 3:20 And again, The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain.
1Co 3:21 Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are yours;
1Co 3:22 Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world,
or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours;
Eph 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly
places in Christ:
1Co 3:23 And ye are Christ's; and Christ is God's.
If God Be for us, Who can be against us??
The mystery, God's secret, Christ in you.
The Foundation.
The hope of glory!
Neil
