Carefully Build the Church
(I Corinthians 3:10-15)
Church leaders are commanded to be careful in building the church. As leaders they should carry out their responsibilities fully aware that they are accountable to their Master. When they are tempted to be lazy, or when the church is threatened by internal or external difficulties, leaders should renew their dedication to carefully build the church.
The apostlePaul, by using a building metaphor, illustrated how leaders should give full attention in building the church. He instructed leaders to build the church by taking “… particular care in picking out….” (v.12 – MSG) the building materials that they use. Like good builders they should build the church with “materials” of enduring quality.
The building metaphor used by Paul can be translated to our respective ministries in this manner. Leaders should build the church with sincere motives, sound teachings, and enhanced skills. These enduring qualities, like the enduring quality of precious stones, characterize the work of a careful builder.
Pastors, elders, deacons, and teachers should seriously consider the command to carefully build the church because a day of inspection will come. Paul wrote: “ Eventually there is going to be an inspection. If you use cheap or inferior materials, you'll be found out….” (v.13). On the Judgment day the quality of work every leader rendered will be made known to all. Those who carefully built the church will be rewarded. Those who carelessly built the church face the “grim prospect of watching a lifetime of labor go up in flames….”
As leaders we have to repeatedly rededicate ourselves to buildthe church of Jesus Christ well. We should not allow laziness and carelessness to characterize our ministry. May we always excel and grow in the work of the Lord knowing that we will be rewarded on the Judgment Day if persevere and minister well.