12/2/20

The right design by Gary Rose

 

This week my wife and I were introduced to the new form of “Tiny house nation”. What was new about this HGTV show was their addition of clever ideas for making many items in the small houses perform many functions, which thereby reduces the number of things in a tiny house. Now, this is important, especially if you are moving from a two or three thousand square foot home to one that is less than 400. In fact, many of the homes the series presents are less than 280 square feet; now, that is small!


With home design on my mind, I found interest in this picture. Now, this is just an ordinary bathroom, but with one exception- look at where the toilet paper holder is located (in the shower). For 99.9999% of us, this would be totally unacceptable.


As I thought of these things, I considered the true church which God established. First, that the cornerstone was Jesus and the foundation was built upon the apostles and prophets. Paul writes to the Ephesians and says…



Ephesians 2 ( World English Bible )

19 So then you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God,

20 being built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the chief cornerstone;

21 in whom the whole building, fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord;

22 in whom you also are built together for a habitation of God in the Spirit.


After reading this, I couldn’t help but think; Why in the world would anyone want to build a church on any other foundation? If the true church is built by God, why would anyone wish to redesign it? But, men have been trying to do this since the fourth century; men like the Pope, John Calvin, Martin Luther and many others. The truth is: The church that we read about in the Bible is the only one that God built, all others are the ideas of mere men.


Do yourself a favor, think about these things, for they are important. Begin by reading Acts, chapter 2 and ask yourself the question: What is the purpose of baptism, its mode and its meaning? This is a good place to start- continue reading Acts, asking questions. You will be glad you did.