“So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit” (Eph. 2:19–22 ESV).
Dear Friends in Christ,
The calls and emails don’t seem to stop. At home, the calls are about your car’s extended warranty or someone trying to reach you about a nonexistent loan. At church, the calls and emails are about the latest and greatest program or ministry idea. I hesitate to even think of the amount of paper that is expended by companies trying to market these things to churches.
They keep calling and emailing because, sadly, these programs are appealing to the sinner inside all of us. We have pride and ambition, and we want to see the church grow (which is, of course, good), but what we really want is for the growth to be attributed to something we have done. So often, these programs lack that which is most important: Jesus.
Throughout his epistles, Paul instructs the churches on what is central to the life of the church: Jesus Christ. He writes to the church at Corinth, “For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ” (1 Cor. 3:11 ESV). To the Christians in Ephesus, he writes to remind them that they are “built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord” (Eph. 2:20–21 ESV). And Jesus Himself promises, “On this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matt. 16:18b ESV).
The church’s one foundation is not a clever strategy, a charismatic personality, or the newest resource packet that arrives in the mail. It is Jesus Christ, her Lord. He is the One who came from heaven, sought her to be His holy bride, and with His own blood bought her. He is the One who creates her by water and the Word, sustains her by His body and blood, and builds her up through the pure preaching of the Gospel.
When our eyes fix on anything else—our efforts, our results, our programs—we begin to treat the church as a human project rather than the body of Christ. Growth is good. Faithful stewardship of the means of grace is necessary. But the church stands and grows only because Christ is her foundation. Everything else is secondary and must serve that foundation. So let us return again and again to the One who alone is sufficient. In Him, the church is secure. In Him, she is being built into a holy temple. In Him, she will endure.
The Church’s one foundation
Is Jesus Christ, her Lord;
She is His new creation
By water and the Word.
From heav’n He came and sought her
To be His holy bride;
With His own blood He bought her,
And for her life He died.
“The Church’s One Foundation” (LSB 644:1)
Prayer: Lord Jesus Christ, our one foundation, keep us anchored in Your Word and grace. Build up Your church by Your Spirit, that we may trust in You alone and proclaim Your saving love to the world; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
In Christ,
Rev. Samuel M. Powell
Third Vice President
Missouri District