We have been talking about foundations for several weeks now. Today I want to press into one that touches the very core of our identity in Christ. I feel the Lord wants to challenge us here because many of us carry misunderstandings about the church that quietly weaken our walk with God. I do not mind if you disagree with me at points, but I do want you to think deeply with me. Are you willing to be challenged today? Good foundations make all the difference between walking in what God intends for your life and living beneath it.
As it is written in Matthew 7:24-27, “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.”
Jesus told the parable of two men building houses. One built on the rock and the other on the sand. The same storm hit both houses. The difference was never the storm. The problem was the foundation. Most of us only think about foundations when disaster strikes. We notice them only when something shakes and things start to crumble. So often Christians go through painful experiences and then either blame God or develop bad theology from that bad experience.
Much of what passes for Christian thinking today actually comes out of personal disappointment rather than the sure foundation of God’s Word. Someone prayed for healing and did not see the result they hoped for, so they build a theology that says God does not heal today. That is dangerous. Experience is good, but we must never bring the Bible down to the level of our experience. We must raise our experience up to the level of the Bible.
God wants us to have strong foundations across every area of life. It is possible to have wonderful foundations in some areas and terrible ones in others. One of my heroes, John G. Lake, carried an extraordinary revelation of Jesus as Healer. Back in 1904 his wife was dying of tuberculosis. Doctors gave her only days to live. Lake sent a telegram to a man of God in Chicago who prayed, and she was instantly healed. Lake left his successful business and devoted himself to studying the ministry of Jesus the Healer. He saw incredible miracles and planted thousands of churches in South Africa. Yet while he was away ministering, his family literally starved because he had not grasped God’s provision for daily bread. Great foundations in healing, weak foundations in provision. We have all done something similar in moments of our lives.
The Lord wants to stress test all our foundations. I do not want to be strong in God here and have a back door open to the enemy somewhere else that causes the whole building to collapse. One of the greatest prayers we can pray in certain seasons is, “Lord, show me my foundations.” Especially when we are beginning something new, it is wise to examine what we are building upon.
As it is written in Jeremiah 1:10, “See, I have this day set you over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out and to pull down, to destroy and to throw down, to build and to plant.”
There are seasons when God must tear down before He can build. Sometimes we hold onto wrong beliefs because of emotional attachment or because grandma taught us that way. Like the proverbial monkey with its hand in the peanut jar, we cling to things that do not work and refuse to let go. True humility says, “Lord, I love You. I am a good Christian, but this belief is not working. Teach me Your ways.”
What Is the Church?
Let us think together about the church. What is the church? Many picture a building or a denomination. This is not a church. This is a building. You are the church. I am the church. Jesus mentioned the word “church” only twice in the Gospels, yet He spoke of the kingdom of God more than a hundred times. We have built entire structures around something Jesus barely named.
Nearly every group claims to be the true original church. Roman Catholics sincerely believe they are the one true church. Orthodox believers say the same. Most Protestants make similar claims. I believe they are all missing the point. There is only one true church, and it is not a human organization. It is based in heaven with one Leader—Jesus Christ. The only way you enter it is by being born again. Whosoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. When you are born again you are in His church.
As it is written in Matthew 9:16-17, “No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; for the patch pulls away from the garment, and the tear is made worse. Nor do they put new wine into old wineskins, or else the wineskins break, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But they put new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.”
The church is the wine. The structure, the organization, the building is the wineskin. God is not against buildings. I am glad we have air conditioning and shelter. A church can meet in a home, a community center, a hotel, or a cathedral. The right wineskin is flexible and allows the wine to determine its shape. The wrong wineskin is rigid. It says, “You will take this shape and no other.” God’s church is organic and living. It exists wherever the gospel goes forth in every tribe, tongue, and nation. Do not fall in love with the wineskin. Fall in love with the wine.
The Greek word for church is ecclesia—the called-out ones. We have been called out of the world. That is important. We are in the world but not of it. Yet we have not been called out of the world into a religious system. We have been called into the kingdom of God.
As it is written in Colossians 1:13, “He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love.”
Our primary identity is not “not of this world.” We are children of God. We are citizens of heaven. We are part of the kingdom where God rules and reigns. The church functions as an embassy of that kingdom—a place where heaven touches earth.
Built on the Revelation of Christ
As it is written in Matthew 16:13-19, “When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, ‘Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?’ … He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ Simon Peter answered and said, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’ Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.’”
Jesus asked two questions. What do men say about Me? What do you say? The first question is about secondhand information. The second is about personal revelation. Peter received revelation from the Father: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” On this rock—the revelation of who Jesus is—Christ builds His church. Not on Peter the man, but on the revelation of Christ. Peter was a good man who loved Jesus, but he got things wrong at times. The church must be built on the Rock. Every human institution built on sand will eventually fail.
Jesus said the gates of Hades would not prevail against His church. He gives us the keys of the kingdom. All authority in heaven and earth belongs to Him, and He has shared that authority with us. You have the keys. Christ in you is the hope of glory.
This revelation changes everything. When we know who Jesus is and who we are in Him, we carry authority that terrifies the enemy. The church is not meant to play in the kiddie pool. The Lord is calling us to discover the full authority of the believer. He wants us to bring the rule and reign of the kingdom wherever we go. When you walk into a room, heaven’s reality should touch earth.
Practical Foundations for Daily Life
Good foundations are not theoretical. They are lived out day by day. We must regularly examine our lives. Are we building on the revelation of Christ or on human traditions? Are we more concerned with protecting our wineskin than with flowing with the new wine of the Spirit?
I have seen the pain that comes when people build their identity on what they are not rather than on who they are in Christ. We are not of this world, but that does not fully define us. We are children of God. We are new creations. We are seated in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. This is our true identity. When we grasp it, we stop striving and start reigning in life through the One Man, Christ Jesus.
The kingdom of God is not a future hope only. It is a present reality. Yes, we await the day when the kingdom fully fills the earth. But right now the kingdom can fully come in you and through you. The church is called to demonstrate that reality—righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.
Let me challenge you practically. Take time this week to ask the Lord to show you your foundations. Where have you built on sand? Where are you clinging to old wineskins? Are you living as a citizen of heaven or still thinking like someone merely called out of the world? Renew your mind with these truths. Surrender any wrong ideas. Embrace the revelation of Christ afresh.
Jesus is building His church. He is not building a Roman Catholic church, an Orthodox church, or a Protestant church. He is building His church on the unshakable rock of who He is. The gates of hell will not prevail. You carry the keys. Walk in that authority. Love every born-again believer as family even when you differ on secondary matters. Preach Christ crucified and risen. Stay rooted on the Rock.
This is the glorious foundation we are called to build upon. When we do, our lives will stand no matter what storm comes. We will prove the good, acceptable, and perfect will of God.
Selah.
Scriptures for Study: Matthew 7:24-27, Matthew 9:16-17, Matthew 16:13-19, Colossians 1:13, Jeremiah 1:10, Daniel 2:31-45, Ephesians 2:19-22, 1 Peter 2:4-5, John 3:3-7, Romans 14:17, 1 Corinthians 3:11, Ephesians 4:4-6, Hebrews 12:22-24, 2 Corinthians 5:17, Galatians 6:10, Ephesians 1:22-23, 1 Timothy 3:15, Hebrews 10:24-25, Psalm 127:1, Isaiah 28:16, Zechariah 4:6-7, Haggai 2:9, Romans 8:28-30, Philippians 3:20, Colossians 3:1-4, 1 Corinthians 4:20.
10 Questions for Reflection:
- What foundations in my life need honest examination right now?
- Where have I built more on human tradition or experience than on the revelation of Christ?
- Do I identify primarily as “not of this world” or as a citizen of the kingdom of God?
- How flexible is my wineskin allowing the new wine of the Spirit to shape me?
- Who do I personally say that Jesus is, from fresh revelation rather than secondhand knowledge?
- In what areas am I exercising the keys and authority of the kingdom in daily life?
- How can I better fellowship with other believers across different expressions of the church?
- Where do I need to tear down old foundations before God can build new ones?
- What would it look like for the kingdom of God to be more fully expressed through my life this week?
- Am I willing to let the Holy Spirit challenge any cherished but unbiblical ideas about church?
