ON SOLID GROUND

PASTOR RYAN LADEN – DEVOTIONALS

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“Man, the church has never been in such a bad place.”

“The people of today’s church are the most confused and most deceived people ever.”

I hear this kind of lament about the state of the modern Christian church all the time. People see ugliness, immaturity, and downright stupidity in the decisions of their local churches and in the massive failings of those who seem to be in positions of fame and glory in the church and they rightly conclude that the church is a mess. 

It is a mess. But here is the deal, it has always been a mess. 

Corinth

In the opening chapter of the Apostle Paul’s letter to the church in Corinth, he addressed a pretty shocking situation. Paul heard that there were factions in the church that felt that they were doing Christianity better than others because they were disciples of various preachers and teachers in the church. 

Those who followed one preacher (Apollos) claimed superiority over all the other people in the church. While another group thought their YouTube preacher was better. Finally, Paul wrote to these people and reminded them that the only person worth following and being discipled by was the person of Jesus Christ. 

Confusion

It seems that today’s fragmented, confused, and easily influenced church has a lot in common with the people of the early church. They had lost sight of what really mattered in the building up of their faith. The brand of your church and the name of your favorite preacher do not matter when compared to the glory of flowing Jesus Christ. 

In fact, this was the point that Paul made in his conclusion of this line of argument:

10 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 person’s 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.

(1 Corinthians 3:10-15 NIV11)

Foundation

Paul does a great job of reminding the church at large and across time that there can only be one source of ultimate truth and one foundation upon which our maturing faith can be built. The person, work, teaching and example of Jesus Christ are the true foundation upon which our faith must be built. 

Paul said that he laid this foundation in Corinth and indeed he did. In Acts 18 we are told how Paul, at great risk to his own life taught the people of the church in Corinth for a year and half, cementing them in the truth of Jesus Christ. 

But even with that solid foundation, the people of the church allowed other voices to infiltrate their connection to Jesus and they began to slip. 

Tested

The next thing Paul speak of is a process of testing the work of those who build on top of the foundation of Christ. If what they built was from the Lord and an extension of the work and person of Jesus Christ, then it would pass through the fire and be revealed as something of great value. 

But if the teaching and ministry done was of the world or based on the opinions of the preacher, it would be burned up and exposed as being of no eternal value. 

Watch

This is exactly what Paul was talking about when he instructed his pastoral friend and protégé Timothy to, “Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.” (1 Timothy 4:16 NIV11)

Timothy, like all who seek to teach the message of God’s word to others, needed to be diligent and pay close attention to his message and to his example as his work would one day stand before the Lord and be shown for what it really was.  

•  Would his life’s work be of any eternal value?
•  Would his message, his words, his example build something of real lasting worth or would it be consumed in the fire and proven to be worthless ash?

Prayer

Lord Jesus Christ, I need you to examine the foundation upon which my faith has been built. Lord, if I have trusted in men and the opinions of others instead of building my faith on who you are and what you hold to be true, please make this clear to me. I want my life to be building something that YOU desire and you call worthy. Thank you Lord for working in me this way. 

In Christ, 

Ryan Laden

PASTOR RYAN LADEN

Former Senior pastor at Warnbro Community Church

Studies at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary

Studied at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary

Studied at Baylor University

Studied at Texas Tech University

Went to Castle Hills First Baptist

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