Most of you are familiar with the story of The Three Little Pigs. The mother pig’s children leave home and are no longer little pigs. They set off to make their fortune and each build themselves a home. The first pig builds a home out of straw because he’s cheap. It shakes in the wind. The second pig builds a home out of sticks because he’s lazy. And the third pig builds his home out of bricks. He does the work to build a structure that is strong; he lays the foundation, brick by brick, and he builds it up. The big bad wolf then comes to blow their houses down, and only one house stands – the house of bricks. The moral of the story is simple: be careful how you build; take care how you build! (Or if you come from a Chinese family, the moral of the story is to study hard, and work hard to get a job or you’re going to end up like the first 2 little pigs: hungry and without a home!)
Paul, in 1 Corinthians 3, tells us that there is a wrong way and a right way to build the church. In fact, the future of your church, and the ministry of the gospel, depends on how you build today (as pastors, lay leaders, deacons, and elders). Where you end up as a church depends on the materials you use, whether you’re building with straw, sticks, or bricks. There is a wrong way and a right way to build the people of God; there is a wrong way and a right way to do church.
So let me unpack the Scriptures this evening from 1 Corinthians 3 …
The full sermon manuscript can be downloaded here
{ 1 comment }
