Gospel News — Mar-May 2012

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needed - carpenters, bricklayers, plumbers, electricians and many more. As well as doing their own job, the craftsman needs to think about the work of the others. It is no good if the plaster is put on the walls if the electrician has not finished running the cables. And so it is with us as spiritual builders; we each have our role to play, but we also need to be aware of others and what they are doing. By our own actions, we can make life difficult for others, or we can make life more straightforward and productive. Therefore we should constantly be thinking about the way our actions will help or hinder others' spiritual progress. We should always be building one another up.

There is one particularly important section in the new building regulations. Until now, it was mainly the builders' plans that were assessed before a building permit was granted, with an occasional site check on things like foundations to make sure they were being properly done. In the new energy regulations, there will be a careful test of the building to make sure that it has been put together properly.

A major reason why buildings do not work as well as they should, is that people cut corners, are a bit lazy, and the result is lots of little weaknesses. Each little weakness is insignificant on its own, but the combined effect of all of them will make a big difference to how well the building will do its job.

Responsibility in building God's house

Building the temple of God is a bit like this: the work involves lots of little tasks, each one on its own, seemingly unimportant and insignificant. Yet if we do not take that task seriously enough, and if we do not fulfil our responsibilities with proper care and diligence, the overall result will be disappointing.

There is a direct spiritual parallel to this new aspect of building that we quoted earlier which tells us that our work will be tested to see how good it is ... the fire will test the quality of each man's work. If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward (1 Cor 3:13-14). So the next time you see someone building a new office block, think about how the Bible uses this as a practical illustration to teach us many spiritual lessons.

We are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow- citizens with God's people and members of God's household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him, the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord (Eph 2:19-21).

The Truth Taking Root in Soweto

Sis. Leonie Verster (Soweto, S. Africa)

There has been a fair bit of excitement in the ecclesia in Soweto because unexpectedly we were afforded a God-given opportunity to "air our views" on the local radio. This was thanks to our Bro. Zachariah Mulovhedzi having a relative working on Radio Jozy. For the month of June 2011, for one hour a week on Thursday evenings, two of our brethren braved the airwaves and were able to explain who the Christadelphians are and advertise the activities at our Bible Education Centre and Ecclesia. They were also able to explain many of our beliefs and faced the rather daunting task of answering questions from listeners...This was a totally new experience and Bro. Daniel Makhado (our linguist of note – he speaks all the 9 local languages) said the first evening was the most nerve-racking of his life! He was assisted some evenings by Bro. Obed Mafifi and both acquitted themselves so well