Building the correct foundation 1 Corinthians 3:10-15 (NIV) By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation

as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care. [11] For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. [12] If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, [13] their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each persons work. [14] If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. [15] If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved---even though only as one escaping through the flames. I know this is a hard topic and some use this to accuse this revelation to other Christian and some will make an excuse not to go to church or a small group at all. Let me remind you that if you have a word of knowledge or a prophecy but without love, you are nothing (1 Cor 13:2-3). I have heard this several times, you need to go to church, connect to small groups so that you will grow. The Bible says: I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing John 15:5. Inorder for us to grow, we need to connect to Jesus Christ not by the works of the law. Let us go back to the simplicity of the Gospel. The Bible says: I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by observing the law, or by believing what you heard? 3 Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort? Gal 3:2-3 Let me ask you this question: Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you go to church or you love to go to church after you have received the Holy Spirit? Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you read the Bible or you loved reading the Bible after you receive the Holy Spirit? Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you evangelize, open a cellgroup or do ministry or you love to evangelize and do ministry after you have received the Holy Spirit? Many Christians are blaming people who were backslidden because they did not connect to a church or a small group, I think being backslide has nothing to do in attending a church. Those people have presented a wrong Gospel or perhaps a right Gospel but a wrong foundation. Perhaps their foundation is their cellgroup or their local church and they have this wrong mindset that if you do not go to church, you are backslidden or they have been presented a wrong Gospel that if you pray the prayers sinner you will be saved. This is what I have observed: The more you impose rules on people like you should go to church or you should do ministry the more people wont able to do it. That is why when there was a conflict on the early church as regards on the food preparation of the table Peter said: We will turn this responsibility over to

them 4 and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word. Acts 6:3b4. In short, Peters focus is on Jesus and what Jesus wants him to be done. Isnt this simple? We should focus our attention on Jesus Christ and what He wants us to be done. Isnt this message simple: Repent and turn back to God for the forgiveness of sins thru Christ Jesus?, isnt this what our forefathers did in the early church? Wise man and foolish man Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash. Matt 7:24-27 Many people are focused on one teaching and reject the other teaching. Like: you should remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy yet forget all other teaching in the Bible that you should forgive those who have sinned against you; or you should preach the Gospel to all creation and make disciples of all nations yet forget to go to his brother that who have sinned against him and point out his mistakes and say I have forgiven you (Matt 18:15-20), or say you should stop drinking and doing drugs yet forget to love his neighbor as he love himself, or say you should go to church with formal attire yet forget to help is neighbor who is in need. Jesus Christ clearly states that inorder to build a strong foundation, you should put into practice what Jesus Christ really teach there are so many of them but in summary that is Love the Lord your God will all that you have and love your neighbor as you love yourself. If you have kept this, you will do well. You will be free from fear of man because you love God more than man. The Bible says: Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe, The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone,[b][c] 8 and, A stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall. 1 Peter 2:7-8 Mind you this, this Stone is so precious that it become our capstone for those who believe. But it should be noted that it says: The stone the builders rejected and a rock that makes them fall, that is why Paul said: No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize. (1 Cor 9:27). Paul see this in his time that there are people who preach the Gospel but later who reject the very Gospel they preach they are the builders who reject the stone which is Jesus Christ. This is the message: In Christ Jesus, there is forgiveness of sins which the law of Moses cannot justify and Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved that name is Jesus Christ

Let us go back to the simplicity of the Gospel.