Is Your Building in Danger of Collapse?

Shortly after a 15-storey, five-star resort hotel facing the Pacific Ocean was completed, cracks appeared on the walls at the top level. The management of the hotel quickly arranged for an inspection by a structural engineer. When he arrived, the hotel manager wanted to take him up the elevator to the 15^th floor. Instead, the engineer asked to inspect the lowest level of the basement. The result was that they discovered many cracks in the building¡¦s foundation, and this newly completed resort hotel was finally boarded up and condemned.

Jesus Christ uses a condemned building to symbolize those who listen to His words without putting them into practice. ¡§But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.¡¨ (Matthew 7:26-27) The Lord also calls these people foolish. Their belief is in great danger of collapse. In normal circumstances, those who listen to the Word should have a lot of biblical knowledge ¡V the more they hear, the more they should know the Bible. Why then does Christ still consider them foolish? The reason is that the Lord judges people according to whether they have put what they have heard into practice. Those who listen to the Word without putting it into practice are like a man who builds a house on unstable foundation, or no foundation at all (Luke 6:49). Just like that hotel, although it may have had an unbeatable ocean view and was 15 stories tall, artfully designed by a famous professional, fabulously furnished and decorated, and listed as a five-star establishment; if the construction company did not properly survey the soil conditions or complete a sturdy foundation before recklessly building on sand, the structure would quickly encounter problems and fail to meet up to the test of wind and rain.

Jesus Christ clearly tells us that a man who hears His words and puts them into practice is a wise man (Matthew 7:24) and a blessed man ¡V his blessing is even greater than the blessing of being the mother of Jesus (Luke 11:28). He also proves that he really is a disciple of Christ (John 8:31). Only one who carries out the Lord¡¦s words truly knows the Lord: ¡§We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands.¡¨ (1 John 2:3) and conveys his true love for the Lord: ¡§Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him." (John 14:21) The one who practices the Word lives in God (1 John 3:24). He will enjoy the Lord¡¦s love often (John 15:10), and the Lord promises to be with him always (Matthew 28:20). Therefore, a person who puts the Word of God into practice receives great blessings from Him.

In these past years, our church has had ample opportunity to hear the Word of God. Besides Sunday Worship and Sunday School, there are fellowship meetings, bible study groups, spiritual nurturing meetings, and summer camps. The longer members have attended church gatherings, the more opportunities there will have been to hear the biblical truth, and learn about God¡¦s character, works and will. If we compare the above-mentioned opportunities to hear God¡¦s Word with our own spiritual circumstances, we will discover how much we have fallen short of the Lord!

Dear brothers and sisters, I hope that we will frequently examine our building works from the foundation up. Those who neglect putting God¡¦s Word into practice will find the framework of the belief that he has built up in danger of collapse. Jesus Christ has told us that He will use His words to judge us in the future: ¡§There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; that very word which I spoke will condemn him at the last day.¡¨ (John 12:48) How can we neglect carrying out His words?

By: Daniel To