I have heard it said before that happiness is a full peg board. By this, it is meant that there is a large amount of satisfaction that comes to any man who has a “peg board” wall full of tools in his garage. At one time in my life, I would laugh at this assertion in disbelief. Now, as a homeowner, I nod my head in knowing affirmation. When you have a home, things break. When things break, you need tools to fix them, and there is a certain amount of security that comes from the knowledge that you have a tool for every purpose.
One of the tools that hangs on my peg board is a simple hammer. I say “simple” because everyone has one. The hammer is possibly the most common tool in every toolbox. What makes the hammer so impressive to me, though, is that it equally performs two opposite tasks. The hammer can be used to both build something, and to tear something apart. On one side of the hammer is a striking surface that can be used to nail things together, securing them to a building. On the other side of the hammer is a claw that can be used to rip nails out of wood, effectively tearing it apart.
What is true of hammers, is also (sadly) true of believers in Christ’s church. Over the past couple of weeks, we have been in a series entitled “Rolling Stones: Understanding God’s Mobile Home.” This 3 part series is a study of the modern day Temple of God . . . a Temple that is no longer located in one geographic location, but now exists wherever the people of God gather. So far in this series, we have seen that redeemed people are “living stones” in Christ’s new Temple and that Christ has built all who believe in Him into the same Temple, thus creating unity between believers. This Sunday, we will conclude this study by looking at 1 Corinthians 3:4-17, where we will see that individual believers (you and me) are invited to help in the building of Christ’s Temple. Like a hammer, however, we can either be used to build up the body, or to tear it down.
Join us at Wildwood on Sunday morning in either the 9:30 or 10:50 service as we conclude our series together. If you have a chance before Sunday, go ahead and read 1 Corinthians 3:4-17 before you arrive in preparation for our study of it together. We look forward to worshipping with you and hearing from God’s Word together this weekend. See you Sunday!