Dear BPCWA worshipper, As we saw last week, God’s house is the church of the living God. Today, we will focus on the 3^rd and 4^th messages.

The commitment to God’s house. Once we truly feel that God’s house is family, we won’t need to be reminded and pushed to think of God’s house and work for its betterment. The instruction to the pastor was, “Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee” (1Ti 4:16). The pastor’s commitment is the example for the flock to follow. There ought to be a commitment to live it out and “save” or protect God’s sheep in God’s house. 1) You must value God’s house and God’s people above everything else in life. Commitment can be painful and presents a cost to bear. The family we are born into is not your final family. When saved, we are born into God’s covenantal family. Christ said, “He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me” (Mat 10:37). When the people told Christ His family wanted to speak with Him, “he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren! For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother” (Mat 12:49-50). Christ was not being unfilial when He did not prioritise His immediate earthly family. He took the opportunity to teach that the covenantal family bloodline was more important to Him than His earthly family bloodline. This does not mean that we neglect our earthly house (1Ti 5:8, Joh 19:25-27). It is about the relative importance that we must hold between the two families. We are naturally committed to our earthly homes. But being part of God’s family means you must be more devoted to doing His work in His house. If Satan destroys the importance of God’s house, he’ll destroy the church. If our earthly family models do not follow God’s Word, it will destroy the church. 2) I must commit to the truth. The pastor must focus on doctrine and preaching (1Ti 4:13-14) for the sake of the covenantal family, giving himself wholly to them and living them out (1Ti 4:15). The pastor preaches so that the church will commit to the truth. God intends His child to be a member of a church and commit to the truth the church upholds. Why do you not agree to the truths preached by the church? If the truth promotes godliness, reduces worldliness, and builds up better future generations, then commit to the truth preached. Resolve and commit to know and have a high interest in it since you are part of the church. If you have issues at home, at some point, you will sit down and settle them for the good of the family. We should do the same for our church family. Otherwise, you will gravitate to people outside of the church with different values, leading you to worldliness and blurring the lines of biblical separation. If you have a concept of the church as a house of fun instead of the house of God, church life will be boring to you. In time, you will not accept the biblical values of the church. Timothy was supposed to build godliness in the church (1Ti 4:7). We must build love within the family based upon righteousness, godliness, and faith (1Ti 6:11), and protect these within the family. Conversely, we must also face up to the uncomfortable truth about our hearts if we can’t “click” on these values. 3) Commit to love the house God has put you in. When the church is in trouble, and there are people problems, we must mourn for the church, and even fast and pray out of love for the church. It is rare today to have men like Paul, who warned the church with tears (Act 20:31). We must have generations of people who love the church and pray for it. The nail prints on Christ’s Hands must remind me that He died for the church. I am but a building block and must hence not be focused on myself. Importantly, teach your children to love the church. If they do not do so from young, they will not bother about God’s house later in their lives.

Church is God’s house’s business. We are first introduced to the house of God before the church is mentioned. The house of God operates the church. A church should not be a place that fulfils our selfish needs. It is not like a hotel that I pop into to get benefits from. The church is God’s family business! There is a different sense of belonging when you work in your family’s business. With that sense of belonging, you don’t think about yourself, but about the family. Running God’s business is not a job nor a hobby. “Business” does not refer to the worldly and man-centred carnal business-for-profit model. The Bible uses “business” for what you are occupied with, labour in, and put in hard work with diligence. Christ referred to the temple as His Father’s house (Joh 2:16). When the house that was to run the Father’s business was used by people to run their own business, Christ’s jealousy and zeal for God’s house ate Him up (Joh 2:17) to “clean house”. We see the work of the house of God being referred to as “business” in Joshua 2:14 and Nehemiah 11:16, and again referred to by Christ in Luke 2:49. As His house, we are on a mission for the glory of God to make God’s people godly and holy, not to create a fuzzy feeling of closeness or belonging. 1) I must know that I ought to behave as one who runs God’s house. Make God’s business your priority over your own life’s business and do so with zeal, as one eaten up with love for God’s house. The only way to change our zeal is to change our thinking. The house business is to make people holy, and I must have a zeal that cannot stand sin. You must be godly because you’re part of God’s family’s business. Holy zeal must cause you to fight for it as well. Contending for the faith is the church’s business. The church is God’s ordained institution to be run by His family to bring glory to Him, not parachurches. The church is God’s ordained means by which men and women will know true godliness. Satan wants to destroy it. So, we must fight together side by side as a family because we are on the same mission. Let us remember that the church does not revolve around me, but I must revolve around the family. Before they reached the Promised Land, the Hebrews set up camp around the tabernacle. Whatever God wants me to do, I will do it. Whatever God wants me to say, I’ll say it. I am born into this family to be on the same family mission. To be Christlike, I must have a zeal for God’s house and feel as God feels about His church. A love for the Father must be demonstrated by a love for the Father’s business, not just a cold, clinical, and accurate knowledge. The test of your love for God’s house is to have the best person doing the job for God’s house. Just as David did everything he could to prepare for Solomon to build the temple, I must be willing to pour out everything to help make another person better for God’s house. 2) I must make myself useful for God’s business. I have a responsibility in this covenantal family. I must experience God’s help to change whatever is necessary so that I will be useful. This includes changing my character, submitting to God’s commands, and being willing to replenish the church with godly seed. Also, to contribute to this business, I must be like the people described in 1 Timothy 3. If I am not godly, I am not useful for God’s business. Also, if I want my children to be involved in this family’s business, then the equipping of my children must be directed towards what is useful for this family’s business. Spiritual qualifications are more important than physical qualifications. We should minimise activities which reduce their interest in the Word. 3) I must not be a distractor to the family’s business. Every family may have black sheep. Don’t be the odd one out by being different in behaviour, values, and lifestyle, because you will affect the group. On the contrary, a zeal for His house will make you hate sinsand die to self, especially if there are areas you don’t like to change in. I must realise that the church does not bend to my likes and dislikes. I will change, even if my flesh doesn’t want to change. Wives must play their part by having the mindset of, “I won’t make it difficult for my husband to do God’s business.” In Singapore, reservists are called up for duty ad-hoc and their wives don’t say, “Don’t go, I need you to help me as my husband, I need you at home with me.” Don’t take your men away from God’s business. Singles, you have fewer family worries, so you can labour where the married cannot. Remember, there will be many things that will hinder us from the family business. But we must be willing to pay the cost for God’s house.

For her my tears shall fall;
For her my prayers ascend;
To her my cares and toils be giv’n,
Till toils and cares shall end.

Yours in our Lord’s service,
Pastor