Gospel News — Mar-May 2012

who can live with God. If we try and leave this city, King Jesus will destroy us because we have sworn to him in baptism that we will always live in spiritual Jerusalem. If we leave by disobeying his command, we will die but the kingdom will be firmly established in his hands (1 Kings 2:46).

The Rallying Call

Bro Luke Chawinga (Bolero, Malawi)

The Greek word (parakaleo) is indeed a call to action. Young's Concordance shows us that, although it is rendered 23 times as `comfort' (strength) it is also translated 19 times as `exhort' and 43 times as `beseech.' Moreover, William Barclay in the book "New Testament Words" tells us that in ancient writings, "Above all it is used of exhorting troops who go into battle." He also wrote, "Again and again we find it is the word of the rallying call".

Let us remember that we have been called out to battle. Christ said to us, "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature" (Mark 16:15). That is one battle front. But preaching to others also involves getting ourselves right with God first. That is another battle front. Hence the need for the two-edged sword, sword of the consolation of Christ's helping hand, for he said, "Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world" (Matt 28:30).

We are an army engaged in a life-long war: war against outside opposition. Let us heed the rallying call and each strive to make the standard which the apostle Paul set himself, our own.

Being Careful in Building

Bro Mumbelunga Green (Ndola, Zambia)

Building regulations lay down requirements on how buildings should be constructed so that they

21

will be safe places in which to live and work. The scriptural parallel to my theme is clear from the passage Paul wrote: "I laid a foundation as an expert builder, someone else is building it. But each one must be careful how he builds" (1 Cor 3:10).

Building regulations are there to make sure the construction industry takes care over what it builds, and there are extensive supporting documents that give architects and engineers guidance on how to do the job in safe and efficient ways. In the same way, we have requirements and guidance laid out in the Bible on how we should be building our spiritual house. We will explore some of these ideas in this subject. The first important issue in a building is a proper foundation – without that, the building will be fragile and liable to collapse. Jesus made this point very clear in his parable about the two men, one of whom built his house on sand, the other on a rock. As Paul plainly shows in a chapter to the Corinthians, the rock that we need for a secure foundation is Jesus Christ. If we are not rooted and grounded in him, anything we build is wasted effort.

After the foundations come the walls and roof; again, if we are to build something of enduring value, each builder has to follow the plans carefully. Before we start, we have to make sure that we have the materials to complete it. This was the point made in Jesus' parable about a man building a tower (Luke 14). There is a cost to being a disciple of Jesus, and there will be sacrifices that will need to be made by those who want to be part of that spiritual temple that God is building with us.

Working together

Another important part of a building is teamwork and collaboration. Many different skills are