Paul, The Master-builder
By Pastor Cornelius R. Stam
In I Corinthians 3:10, the Apostle Paul declares by divine inspiration:
“According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise [instructed] master-builder, I have laid the foundation,and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.”
In what sense was Paul the master-builder of the Church, and what “foundation” did he lay? Did he not himself say that “other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ”? Yes, he did — and in this very passage! He sought to lay no other foundation than Christ, but God had chosen him to proclaim Christ in a new way.
Some years previous our Lord had asked His disciples: “Whom say ye that I am”, and Peter had instantly replied: “Thou art the Christ [Messiah], the Son of the living God” (Matt.16:16). This is how believers in general had recognized Him at that time (John 1:49; 6:69; 11:27; 20:31). Indeed, the Messianic kingdom was to be established upon Christ as God’s anointed Son (Messiah means “anointed”).
But with the raising up of Paul, God began to form “the Church which is Christ’s body” (Eph.1:22,23; Col. 1:24,25). This is the Church of today, and it is founded, not on Christ as King, but as the exalted Lord and Head of the “one body” (ICor.12:13).
Paul does not present Christ as Messiah, but as Lord. In Romans 10:9 he declares:
“That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth Jesus as LORD, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” Again in I Corinthians 12:3: “No man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Spirit”. And again in Philippians 2:9-11, he declares that God has highly exalted Christ and given Him a name above every name, “that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father”.
Have you confessed Him as your Lord and Saviour?
Today's Devotional Sponsor:
By Pastor Cornelius R. Stam
Down through the centuries many sincere believers have uttered this prayer: “Come, Lord Jesus; come quickly,” but we have not joined them in this.
Lest we be misunderstood, we hasten to explain that we, personally, long to see and be with our blessed Lord, and did we think only of ourselves we would have Him come now, without further delay.
But this continued absence of our Lord in grace is the special subject of Paul’s epistles, as Peter states:
“AND ACCOUNT THAT THE LONGSUFFERING OF OUR LORD IS SALVATION; EVEN AS OUR BELOVED BROTHER PAUL ALSO ACCORDING TO THE WISDOM GIVEN UNTO HIM HATH WRITTEN UNTO YOU;
“AS ALSO IN ALL HIS EPISTLES, SPEAKING IN THEM OF THESE THINGS…” (II Pet.3:15,16).
How gracious has our Lord been in delaying His return for His own and the judgment to follow! How gracious to extend the day of grace until now! Now that we are saved we would fain be with the One we love and long for, but how grateful we should be that He waited for us, and how eager we should be to win others to Him while He waits still longer!
As we consider the lost about us, therefore, we cannot implore the Lord to “come quickly,” though His coming for us is indeed a “blessed hope,” and we remain on the alert for it to take place at any time.
In this connection it is interesting to observe that the prayer, “Come, Lord Jesus,” and its counterpart “How long!” are both “tribulation” prayers, uttered by saints (not of the Body) who will live during that dreadful time of God’s wrath. Both are found in the Book of the Revelation and both in connection with our Lord’s return to earth to judge and reign, and not in connection with the rapture. In both Revelation 2:5 and 2:16 our Lord says: “Repent…or else I will come unto thee quickly,” i.e., to judge. In Revelation 3:11 He writes to the church at Philadelphia, but again in warning: “Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.” Revelation 22:7 and 12 are used in the same way, indicating that in that day only those who are “overcomers” will long for the Lord to come and put an end to the world’s rebellion. Thus John closes the Revelation with the declaration: “He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly”, and the response: “Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus” (Verse 20).
Strawberry Cream Pie To Die For
• 1 quart strawberries, sliced
• 1 (13.5 ounce) package strawberry glaze
• 1 (4 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 (9 inch) baked pie crust
How to make it :
1. Stir strawberries with glaze in a bowl and place in refrigerator to chill. Stir cream cheese, confectioners’ sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla extract together in a bowl.
2. Beat cream in a separate bowl with an electric mixer just until it begins to thicken; add cream cheese mixture and continue beating until thick. Pour cream mixture into baked pie crust; top with strawberry mixture. Chill at least 1 hour before serving.
PREP 20 mins
READY IN 1 hr 20 mins
Cook’s Note:
I slice the bigger berries and leave the smaller ones whole. You can find strawberry glaze in the produce department.
DAILY SMILE:
Going The Wrong Way
Police Jokes
Submitted by D-Gellybean
Donald: Hi, Daisy...
Daisy: Don’t talk to me! I’m so mad I can’t speak! I was driving on Oak Street and a policeman gave me a ticket for going the wrong way!
Donald: Sure, Oak’s a one way street. It’s against the law to drive north on Oak.
Daisy: That’s just the point! I wasn’t going north, I was going east!
No comments:
Post a Comment