I knew a boy in my class when I was in grade school. His home life was challenging, and he stuttered. A lot. There were few times he didn’t hesitate to speak despite being pretty smart. It was odd because when he was just talking to his friends, he had no issues but if he felt anxious or defensive, you could barely insert what he was trying to get out. Many teachers tolerated him but a few were able to get his best work because they cared and he knew it. Many years removed from grade school, he was graduating from college and we were catching up. He said he never really realized how many people didn’t think he would amount to anything until he told them of his successes. Some thought he wouldn’t graduate high school, let alone college. And his admission to graduate school was a complete shock to them. There were a few who told him they were not surprised in the least. It was this teachers and family members who cared… and that was what made the difference.
When Paul addressed the Corinthian Church, it is apparent that they were not very impressive. They argued over who converted them, showed no initiative to learn more than someone spoon fed them… in fact he even addresses them as “infants who are not ready for solid food” spiritually… and some seemed to be in it only to escape Hell. Ultimately, Paul likens them to building or planting. The builder builds on a foundation, which is Christ, not Paul or Apollos. What is built is up to them to build though the materials necessary are all available for them to utilize. In respect to planting, Paul and Apollos are simply planting the seeds and cultivated the soil of their lives but Christ is the one who will harvest. Who they are at the beginning does not determine who they are at the end. Just as a builder can change floor plans, adjust wiring and plumbing if needed, and decor can be changed easily, nothing is final until tested. And they will be tested. And the fact that they are tested is normal, not an indication of their worthiness. Paul emphasizes that the wise one is not the one who seeks to destroy the temple will be dealt with harshly, both destroying it individually and corporately.
There is no shortage of people who can question anything whether they are qualified to do so or not. Football coaches have critical comments from people who have nothing more than an opinion, teachers have critical comments from parents who do not see their kids any more after school than while they are at school, and pastors are criticized for anything from the length or content of their sermons to the color of the walls and the carpet from the same people who come once a year and did so against their will. But there are also criticisms that are meant to point out how some structures are not safe and the intent is to test them in order to lead to improvements. There are coaches who are predators, teachers who are perfectionists, and pastors who use their personal positions of power to make their will happen because they twist the Word to serve their own purposes. The outside doesn’t always indicate the outcome to those who want to control what the outcome is.
What we should build or destroy is a matter of perspective. It took a while for me to realize that not every dysfunctional church needed to be closed and rebooted as a new congregation or to drive out every person who didn’t “get it” when it came to being a Christian. Every soil produces a rich harvest but what is planted in it doesn’t necessarily grow in that soil, and not every soil or plant responds to the same way of cultivating it. When we, as individuals or a corporate body, believe that only one type of person is worthy or capable of having faith, we may be successful in getting the best looking results, but we do so by killing off or destroying every other seed planted or built by someone else so that we look good. We become sowers in soil that was already prepared without being bothered with preparing soil that could produce fruit but was too much effort. We become builders of ready to build houses that are uniformly made but reflect no craftsmanship in their building. We become fishers of men but instead of bringing in a net that takes many to pull it in, we throw back all of the fish that don’t meet our expectations to make it easiest to pull in and get our own rewards from.
When we only focus on the outside, what is easiest to do, and destroying what God wants us to build, we are everything Paul warns against. The child who only lives on milk, the builder who takes no pride in their work and only works to save their own skin, and the fool who thinks they know better than God. We are called to grow in our knowledge and understanding of God and then use that knowledge and understanding to build up rather than destroy every thing that God has called us to. If we were to strive to be everything God has made us to be? What if we rejected the World’s definition of who is worthy and focused on who God sees us and others as, His Children? What if we strived to be the Church that is the lamp on the hill, the salt of the Earth, the bride of Christ, the branches connected to the Vine, and the inviting path to the Way, the Truth, and the Life? Perhaps the Church would once again (or finally) be what we were intended to be, Christ’s body healing the sick, restoring sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, and freeing the captives made of broken people that God has healed in us with His Love through others too.
When it comes to faith, or just life in general, do I seek out the easy path, people who are easy to love, and shun inconveniences?
Am I a fool trying to second guess God’s choosing of others to serve or a “fool” for Christ honoring the Temple that God has built in myself and others?
Going Deeper 