As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. - 1 Peter 2:4-5 "How the Lord Builds the Church" (1 Peter 2:4-5) | H.B. Charles Jr.

During a panel discussion at a pastor’s conference, a well-known pastor was asked what he had done to build his church. The questioner wanted him to share insights into successful church growth. The pastor claimed he had done nothing to build his church. Surprised by the answer, the questioner pressed the pastor to say more. With such a large and prominent church, surely the pastor had done something to build it up. The pastor held his ground. He had done nothing to build up the church. “I didn’t know that was my job,” he added. “I thought it was Jesus’...

1 Thessalonians is about what it means to live in anticipation of the return of the Lord Jesus Christ. In 1 Thessalonians 5:12-22, Paul teaches the church how to live for Christ in the meantime. These final instructions of the letter fall into four categories: Verses 12-13 teach the church to submit to their leaders. Verses 14-15 teach the responsibility members have to one another. Verses 16-18 teach the saints to live joyfully in the will of God. Verses 19-21 teach the congregation how to respond to divine revelation. These final instructions begin with a lesson about the harmony in...

The opening chapter of 1 Peter has two sections: Verses 3-12 praise God for our great salvation in Christ. Verses 13-25 teach us how to respond to our great salvation. This lesson is Christian conduct consists of four exhortations. Verse 13 says, "Set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Verse 15 says, "As he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct." Verse 17 says, "Conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile." Verse 22 says, "Love one another earnestly from...

Emperor Domitian deemed the aged Apostle John a threat to the Roman Empire. Domitian canceled John banishing him to the deserted isle of Patmos. His planned backfired. John was in the Spirit on the Lord's Day. As he worshiped, the Lord Jesus Christ revealed himself to John. John's persecution was a microcosm of what churches throughout the Roman Empire faced. The Lord wanted them to know that he cared. He wanted them to know that he was at work and would prevail in the end. The Lord commissioned John to write seven churches in Asia Minor. Before John could represent...

John 19 records three words from the cross. John 19:26-27 is the word of compassion: "Woman, behold, your son!" "Behold, your mother." John 19:28-29 is the word of suffering: "I thirst." John 19:30 is the word of victory: "It is finished." Feel the tension between the word of suffering and the word of victory. On the tree of death, the Water of Life cried out, "I thirst." The word of suffering was not the last word. From the parched lips of this crucified Savior comes a shout of victory: "It is finished!" Jesus did not say, "I am finished." He...

The church I grew up in did not have a New Members Class. When one began, it became the most popular class in Sunday school. The class name piqued interest: "I'm Saved, Now What?" 1 Peter 1:13-21 is a biblical, fundamental, practical answer to that question. Verses 3-12 explain the reality of our salvation in Christ. Verse 13-21 explains the response to our salvation in Christ. There are three ways we should respond to the God who has saved us: Verse 13 says live in hope. Verses 15-16 say live in holiness. Verse 17 says live in fear. The call...

The beginning of Mark 7 contrasts with the ends of Mark 6. In chapter 6, the popularity of Jesus is at an all-time high, as he feeds the five thousand, walks on water, and heals the sick. Jesus was beloved by the common people. He was despised by the religious leaders. Mark 7:1 reads: "Now when the Pharisees gathered to him, with some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem..." "Pharisees means "separated ones." The Jews departed themselves from non-Jews. Pharisees separated themselves from fellow-Jews who did not live in strict adherence to the Law of Moses and the...

James the Just was a man of prayer. A first-century historian reported that James spent so much time in prayer, his knees became hard and calloused like a camel. Church history remembers the author of this letter as "Camel Knees." I am not sure if James would have been offended by this nickname. James would have been offended if he was accused of having soft, smooth needs that spent little or no time in prayer. To be prayerless is to be non-Christian. Prayer is to faith what oxygen is to the lungs. Show me a person who does not pray,...

The Roman government exiled the apostle John to the aisle of Patmos, because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. He was not there alone. On the Lord's Day, John was filled with the Holy Spirit. The glorified Christ revealed himself to John. In Revelation 1:19, Jesus commands, "Write therefore the things you have seen, those that are and those that are to take place after this." John wrote what we call the Revelation or Apocalypse. It is predominantly about things to come in the last days. It begins with the things that are. Chapters 2...

A man was given a tour of heaven in a dream. As the tour ended, he noted a particular building was skipped over. The angel warned that he did not want to see that building. This only heightened the man's curiosity. The angel showed him. It was a building filled with beautifully wrapped presents. When the man asked what these were, the angel answered these were gifts God had prepared for his children that were never claimed in prayer. If a building in heaven houses unclaimed gifts, many boxes would contain the unwanted gift of wisdom. When facing trials, we...

Timothy was left in Ephesus to lead the church in Paul's absence. It was apparently a temporary assignment. But no one knew when or if Paul would return. In 1 Timothy 3:14-15, Paul writes, "I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these things to you so that, if I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth." 1 Timothy gives practical instruction to lead the church to be the church. But this letter is more...