Pam and I were naïve when we bought an old house in Chemnitz, Germany. Had we really looked at the place before we bought it? The house was over 150 years old and even though various “updates” had been undertaken through the years, most people shook their heads when they saw it. At first glance the house was a ruin. At second glance, it was still a ruin. But we saw potential in it and went to work. 

Ten years and many sore muscles later we had a comfortable home, where we raised our children. That house became a home that was open to hundreds of guests through the years. Who would have thought? It became a sign of nurturing, of stability and of hospitality. Maintenance had to be done and through the years, there was new paint, a new roof, new heating, a new kitchen, etc. But the house was a home, a refuge and a tool for sharing our faith.

The church of our Lord is a house, a refuge, a home, a tool used by God to reach a lost world. This house also requires ongoing maintenance. This house also grows as more “living stones” are added. Some have doubt when they see the church. Some may even say that the church is a “ruin”. But God knew what he was doing. God still sees potential. God still knows what can become of a sincere group of believers searching for unity growth and stability. It is his vision that we grow together, and become a place of refuge, nurturing, stability, and hospitality. We have such potential to bless the community and to bring glory to our maker!

“Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.”
Ephesians 2:19-22