Being involved in a new
venture that will involve construction of a building (kingdomlink.ca), I
thought it wise to study the Scriptural principles for doing so. This is the 3rd reflection on that
theme.
Many of the major Biblical
old testament characters are described at some point in their lives as having
built something. When you look closer
you find that they all built the same
thing, usually after they had an encounter with God Most High. So clearly the idea of building this one
thing is highly important. So what is
that ‘thing’?
Gen 8:20, “Then [after the flood] Noah built an altar to the Lord…”
Gen 12:7, “So he [Abram] built an altar there to the Lord, who had appeared to him[1]”
Gen 26:25, “Isaac built an altar there [Beersheba,
where God had appeared to him].[2]
Gen 33:20, “There he [Jacob, after being delivered
from Esau] set up an altar and
called it El Elohe Israel.”[3]
Ex 17:15, “Moses built an altar and called it
The Lord is my Banner.”[4]
Jos 8:30, “Then Joshua built on Mount Ebal an
altar to the Lord, the God of Israel.”[5]
Jud 6:24, “So Gideon built an altar to the Lord
there and called it The Lord is Peace.[6]
2Sam 24:25, “David built an altar to the Lord
there.”
1Ki 18:29, “With the stones he [Elijah] built an altar in the name of the
Lord.”[7]
I could go on, but I think
the point is made. Many of the ‘heroes’
of the faith built an altar, and did right in doing so. Now an altar is not exactly a precision made
building – it’s basically a formed pile of earth or stone. Nor is the construction of the altar itself a
prescription for blessing, because an altar could be used to sacrifice to idols
just as easily as it could be used to sacrifice to God Most High (in fact, if
you search the Word you find that there are many individuals who do exactly that.
Gideon’s own father had made an altar to
Baal (the Cannanite god), and the people of Israel had made altars and places
of worship to Ashtoreth (the Sidonian god), Chemosh (the Moabite god) and
Molech (the Ammonite god) – see 2Ki 23).
It’s also true that once
the temple was functioning (we discussed that in the previous blog) the
building of altars was moot. Further, on
this side of the cross of Christ we no longer make altars, because we
understand that no sacrifice is needed since the blood of Christ is sufficient
for all sins (past, present and future).
One can then conclude that it is not the construction of the altar that
is of itself the wise thing- it is the intention/motivation behind it: A desire
to honor the Lord God in worship and sacrifice of time, effort and possessions.
It is in this intention that one can
see a principle for building we can apply today.
Alas, so much of what we
build is typically not used for honoring God.
Nor can it be considered a sacrifice when we build something for our
express enjoyment. That doesn’t mean
it’s wrong to make yourself a home, or put up a building for offices, or
construct a school or a warehouse or a bank.
It does mean that we are far better off if (whatever we build) we build
with the purposeful intention of honoring God in the process and in the
outcome. After all, even a bank (a place
for storing and lending money) can be made with the intention to use it to
bless those who borrow instead of the intention to take advantage of those who
need to borrow. Mind you, that kind of
purposeful intention is completely counter-cultural in our present
society. Almost all businesses exist to
make as much money as possible for the shareholders, and the closer they stick
to that mandate (regardless of the implication) the more ‘successful’ they
are.
To that point, KingdomLink
will be intentionally and purposefully counter-cultural. It will develop land and construct a building
for the express purpose of expanding Christ’s work on earth. To serve and bless the community it exists
within, and to simultaneously make a profit to the benefit of shareholders –
albeit a very modest profit, so that the majority of funds can be used for
ministry. That’s not very appealing to
profit-minded investors, and it will take a great deal of effort, time and
money (the laying down of the foundation to do so already has). Thankfully, this is very much in line with
the Biblical principles of building. As such,
we are expecting that God will meet us in both the process and in the outcome. We are trusting Him to bring willing
investors to come alongside us as we seek to honor Him.
If you would like to join
us in that, or if you know someone who might – please look at the website www.kingdomlink.ca and call for an
appointment.
[1] The Holy Bible:
New International Version. (1984). (Ge 12:7). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
[2] The Holy Bible:
New International Version. (1984). (Ge 26:25). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
[3] The Holy Bible:
New International Version. (1984). (Ge 33:20). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
[4] The Holy Bible:
New International Version. (1984). (Ex 17:15). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
[5] The Holy Bible:
New International Version. (1984). (Jos 8:30). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
[6] The Holy Bible:
New International Version. (1984). (Jdg 6:24). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
[7] The Holy Bible:
New International Version. (1984). (1 Ki 18:32). Grand Rapids, MI:
Zondervan.
