I Corinthians 3:1-23
According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it. (v. 10) I like Scriptural verses that relate to building. Carol and I even had “building” in mind when we chose readings for our wedding – Matthew 7:24-27, Jesus’ parable of building on foundations of rock or sand. In a prior life I was a concrete contractor, building basements using poured concrete instead of concrete blocks. I learned the trade from my younger brother, who was very exacting in his work. If one of his (and later my) foundations was more than a half-inch “out of square”, he would shift the building forms to get it right before he poured the concrete. Building contractors loved to build on his foundations – they could count on having right angles at each corner – the frame walls would go up nicely and the roof would fit perfectly. Now that’s assuming that the building contractor is using good material, lumber that is solid and straight, not warped and twisted.
So I’m thinking about Paul’s “foundations”. Yesterday I quoted 2:2, For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. Jesus is our foundation. It is Jesus that needs to be preached. Most of us are not “master builders” like Paul. As I note in my comment in that first link below, we hire rectors like David who regularly said, “You bring the people and I’ll preach the Gospel.” We can count on preachers like David speaking to us every Sunday at St. Andrew’s. We know Jesus will be preached.
But let me back up a minute. Before my brother ever sets the building forms there is a lot of work to be done – digging the hole, laying down rock, planning for plumbing and electrical fixtures, and finally setting and pouring the footings. The wall forms go on those footings only after all this other work has been done. Making sure the forms are “square” is the last step in the process prior to pouring the concrete walls. Likewise there needs to be preparations made before David or another speaker can “preach the Gospel”. We are the ones who invite people to our church. We share about our pastor or our sermons or our worship or our youth programs, but in the end it’s Jesus and His gospel that will be preached from the pulpit. We have work to do to bring people to that point where they can hear that Gospel being preached.
See also: April 19 / I Cor. 3:1-15; April 20 / I Cor. 3:16-23