Richard

Within Paul’s first letter to Timothy we find the following words, “These things write I unto thee, hoping to come unto thee shortly: But if I tarry long, that thou
mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth” (1 Timothy 3:15).
In this passage, as in several others, the church is being described as a house - the house of God. With such being the case, some of the common, well-known
attributes of a physical house can be utilized to teach about God’s spiritual house, the church. The house we live in had a designer/architect, a blueprint or house
plan, a builder, a foundation, a door, a roof, etc. With that in mind, see if you can answer the following questions regarding God’s house. What scriptures would
you utilize in support of your answers? Lord willing, I’ll address these things in next week’s bulletin.

In addition to 1 Timothy 3:15, which appears above, here are some passages of scripture (not listed in any particular order) that can help you in answering these
questions: Heb 3:1-6, Col 1:18, 1 Pet 2:5, 1 Cor 3:11, Matt 16:18, Rom 6:17, Eph 1:1-4, 2 John 9-11, Eph 1:22-23, Acts 2:47, Eph 2:20-22, John 10:7-10,
Eph 3:8-11.

Of course, there are additional passages of scriptures that could be listed here. However, these will be very helpful in answering the above questions.

Within Paul’s first letter to Timothy, he wrote the following: “These things write I unto thee, hoping to come unto thee shortly: But if I tarry long, that thou
mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth” (1 Timothy 3:15).

In last week’s bulletin, I asked you to identify the following regarding the church, the house of God: it’s architect, builder, foundation, blueprint, roof, door,
head of the household and family. Here are the answers and some supporting scriptures.

Architect - The architect of the church is our heavenly Father. Eph 1:4 indicates that God formulated a plan “before the foundation of the world.” This plan
included the establishment of the church, “according to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Eph 3:11).

Builder - The original and primary builder of the church is Jesus. In Matthew 16:18, He said, “...I will build my church...” Hebrews 3:1-6 shows the
preeminence of Jesus over Moses by representing Moses as a faithful servant but Jesus as the builder of the house. However, the building of this house is an
ongoing project. Therefore, Paul referred to himself as a “masterbuilder” in 1 Corinthians 3:10 and then, within the same verse, gave these words of caution for all
who would partake in the building process: “But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.” So, it is important that we be involved in the ongoing
building process. We just need to make sure that we’re building in the proper manner.

Foundation - The foundation of God’s house is actually represented in various ways in the New Testament. Primarily, Jesus serves as the foundation of God’s
house. Consider Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 3:11: “For other foundation can no may lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” Within the portrayal of
Matthew 16:16-19, we find Jesus building upon the foundation (rock) which is representative of faith in Him as the Son of God. Then, in Ephesians 2:20, the
apostles and prophets are represented as being a part of the foundation with Jesus as the “chief corner stone.”

Blueprint - The blueprint for the house of God is the doctrine of Christ. 2 John 7-9 explains that in order to have a relationship with our heavenly Father, we
must abide in the doctrine of Christ. In Romans 6:17, Paul states that the Christians at Rome were made free from sin upon obeying the proper “form of doctrine.”
The word “form” means “mold.” Therefore, to be a part of the house of God, we must mold ourselves to the doctrine of Christ.

Roof - The roof of God’s house is the truth. For centuries, architects have used pillars to support and hold up impressive structures. 1 Timothy 3:15 tells us that the church is “the pillar...of the truth.” Therefore, in our imagery of God’s house, the truth serves as the roof. The church is to support it and uphold it. “Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints” (Jude 3).

Door - Of course, the door provides the way of entrance into a house. In God’s house, Jesus is that door. Note Jesus’ words in John 10: “Verily, verily, I say
unto you, I am the door of the sheep...I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture” (7,9). In John 14:6,
Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

Head of the Household - The head of the household is Jesus. Ephesians 1:22 tells us that the Father in heaven “...hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church.” Colossians 1:18 also indicates this same fact. With Jesus as the head of the household, we are to abide by His authority. “And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him” (Col 3:17). Remember, “in the name of” means “by the authority of.”

The Family in God’s House - God’s house is comprised of Christians. When one responds in obedience to the Gospel, he is added to the church
(Acts 2:47). When Paul wrote to the Christians at Corinth, he said, “...[F]or ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk
in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people” (2 Cor 6:16). Note Peter’s words, “Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy
priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 2:5).

Life in this world, filled with the influences and consequences of sin, can certainly bring about many “storms.” Let’s be sure that we take shelter in God’s house!