Scaffolding

While working away some people decided that a roof on a two story building needed to be fixed. In order to make sure that the workers were safe there was a huge amount of scaffolding erected so that they were able to reach the roof safely, which is a good thing. Sometimes scaffolding is used to support the actual structure if the foundations are not very sound.

In church life, I think it is easy to erect such scaffolding. How? Many programs are designed to bring more members into our churches but if the Church’s’ foundations are based on Jesus Christ, we won’t need many of them. When we continue to give glory to God and tell others about Him, He will ensure that people’s hearts are challenged and the Holy Spirit will go to work changing hearts and lives. The other problem with programs is that many hours are wasted making sure that the politics within the groups are working. This means we are kept busy and distracted from the real job that God wants us to do.

Jesus says “But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself” (John 12:32) Yes, it tells us about the death of Jesus but it reminds us that God is greater than any of us. It is easy to think that we are the only means that God can use and while He wants us to be of assistance but it is also a bit arrogant.

When we are thinking about developing programs and ministry tools we need to make sure, like everything else that we do, that they are being developed only to glorify God and not just keeping us busy to sure up the foundations of our church.

God is our foundation, it is a sure foundation and He is the one that will bring others to the church as long as we are grounded in Him and Him alone.