A Study in 1 Cor.3:9 in three parts: Part 3 Kingdom School October 9, 2016

“For we are laborers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s

building”.

1. For we are laborers together with God: As we co-labor with God, yoked to

Him we embrace who He is and what He is doing in our lives growing in

faith and developing relationship so that we are able to operate from a

place of rest.

2. We are God’s husbandry: Since we have decided our Father has our best

interests at heart; we allow Him to prune away those things in our life that

do not bear fruit nor bring Him glory. Through the process of pruning we

learn to delve deeper into the depths of who He is and give up more and

more of our own selfish desires that He might fill us all in all.

3. We are God’s building: The ultimate goal of this building, as in any building

on this natural earth is that it might be inhabited.

2Co_6:16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. (Personally) Eph_2:21 In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: (Corporately)

I am the daughter of a carpenter. My brother is a builder of homes; a trade he

learned from our Father. My Mother was an artist and a seamstress; both of

those talents were cultivated in me from a very young age and has become an

intricate part of my position in the kingdom; continually being pruned and

cultivated over the last 30 years. I also became enthralled with information about

the world and fascinated by the meanings of words only because my” toys” were

two sets of books: The Illustrated Encyclopedia and the Illustrated dictionary,

both of which my Mother bought each week at A&P when she did food shopping.

When God says in His Word, He is faithful to complete the work He starts with in

us, He does not lie. He desires us to become the very building material He needs

for a particular place in His house. At 6 years old, I didn’t know that the

overwhelming desire I had to read my books over and over again throughout my

early years would be the very spring board God would use later in my life to

propel me into the calling He had for me from the day I gave my heart to Him. Nor

did I realize it would be my escape from the abuse I suffered. At 6 years old, I also

received my First Holy Communion and a Catholic Prayer Book. This also became

my escape but opened the door for me to the God that created everything I loved

about my other books. So I began to discover the God who builds’s things as He

was building me.

We are God’s building!

Building from Webster’s dictionary:

1. A structure with a roof and walls such as a house, school or a church.

2. The process or business of constructing something.

In Hebrew; Strong’s 1129 Banah (baw-naw) means to build with the intent of

obtaining children.

In the Bible we see the words, stone and to build are interconnected and Strong’s

number 4908 supports the inner dynamics of the word as Jesus addressed Simon

in Matthew 16: 16-18. “Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church”. Not only

was He addressing Peter in the meaning of the name; but also upon the fruit of

the divine revelation Peter received. God has always been in the procreation

business and He has always been looking for children!

Christ, knowing the hidden manna of the Hebrew language, gave Simon the name

Cephas (stone) because He saw Simon’s foundation of faith as being the rock

upon which He would build His church in the future. Out of Jesus the Messiah

would come the Church, the future Temple of God on the earth. 1 Peter 2: 4-5:

To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious, Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house,

an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. Strong’s: 4925 “Built Together”

The first mention we see of “building” in the Bible is Gen. 2:22: “Then the rib

which the Lord God had taken from the man, He made into a woman and He

brought her to the man. Verse 23: And Adam said: “This is now bone of my bone

and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called woman(Ish-shah), because she was taken

out of man.”(Ish) (Husband)

This is a beautiful picture of a fulfilled union which will ultimately be ours when

we see Him and become like Him in total union as His Bride. On the earth He has

given so many principles, examples and demonstrations of union; all for the sole

purpose of teaching us how to be fitly joined together just as the Godhead is.

Fused together in love and power but separate and honoring so that full purpose

would come to every decision.

I will choose two examples and continue with Ephesians Chapter 4 and this

building the Lord is busy making of His people ; those who have called upon His

name to be brought into right standing through the Blood sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

The scripture I chose for this study is in itself progressive: a very picture of our everyday choices which form the path we walk upon in the Kingdom as a son of God. First we embrace our role or life portion in His Kingdom as a fellow worker. As I shared there are 32 different positions, maybe even more, of the roles we can play in the Kingdom. As we embrace our destiny the Lord God fills us with His love which empowers us to develop relationship with Him. We therefore become an effectual tool in His hands to complete the overall plan He has for us within our borders and boundaries of which He has decided. The teaching from last week on God’s husbandry is revealed throughout this process we call life. No matter what our culture, position in life, background, our area of influence or our age: the Holy Spirit is the one who opens our understanding and guides us through all Truth. None of us are the same and the honor extended towards one another will only cultivate an atmosphere of safety; a place that cultivates change.

We receive and process the Word of God differently. There are so many versions of the Bible but the Holy Spirit is the Teacher. There are so very many factors which play into our interpretation of God’s Word. We must realize we will never have the whole picture. That is why James 4:17 is so important in this building process. (Jas 4:17 Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin. )

1. My Dad wasn’t a stone mason per say, but he did build fire places and us

kids helped him. Every stone or brick laid had to fit perfectly. My Dad

wasn’t one to make the standard liner fireplace; he was an artist in his own

rite. So, every stone that was chosen had to fit a certain way. The stones he

used came from many different sources.(* Just like us) He would send us to

the woods, the beach or we would collect them from old dump sites where

debris was left after they tore down old buildings. Sometimes he had to

knock a few corners off to make it fit. Remember last week I talked a tiny

bit about Gen. 3:17, “On your belly you will go and you shall eat dust all the

days of your life…..” This is what the devil does: he eats our dust. This is

part of our process. We are given the opportunity to do several things

when our flesh is revealed:

A. We can agree quickly with our adversary the devil, repent and turn away:

Mat 5:25 “Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison. “

B. We can embrace the Word in James which tells us the Lord God always

gives us a way of escape, and draw near to Him:

Jas 1:12-15 Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him. Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.

Jas 4:7-8 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.

C. Or we can stay put and receive the consequences found in Deut. 28:15-20.

Of which is the reference in my Bible for this passage in Gen. 3:17.

The Lord God (denotes relationship) desires us to allow Him to fashion us into the

living stones He desires for His building, of which His desire is to inhabit.

So He will knock a few corners off so to speak, in His most loving way as He did for

His own Son. The Word admonishes us in Hebrews 12:5-7, “My sons, do not

despise the chastening of the Lord, nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by

Him; for whom the Lord loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He

receives. If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son

is there whom a father does not chasten? But, if you are without chastening, of

which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons.”

In the process of becoming sons, the law of sowing and reaping is a spiritual law

we will always be holden to.

2. The process of being fitly joined together: “Creating the Habitation of the

Lord”

The process of becoming fitly joined together as Ephesians Chapter 4

speaks of is a process that takes time. The synergy Paul speaks of in the

book of Ephesians is for us to be able to recognize our gift is more valuable

to the body when we are joined to another or others. The result is so much

more powerful than being alone or a loner in the Body of Christ. Being

connected allows for growth and maturity at a much deeper level. As I said

in the very first teaching, our response time is in direct relationship to our

level of intimacy with the Lord. It is so very important not to fear the

“looking glass” and the beholding of the Lord as illustrated in 2 Cor. 3:18:

“But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are

being transformed (NOT JUST CHANGED) into the same image from glory to glory,

just as by the spirit of the Lord.”(G3339 to transform, change, transfigure,

transform.)

This is the same word, same meaning as in the story of Christ’s transfiguration

on the mountain in Matthew 17.

This is key to understanding and accepting of where God wants you to fit in His

plan and purpose; for the place He has opened up for you to grow and bear fruit.

We are like the pearl of great price, the treasure in the field. He paid the highest

price in order that He might work in us His kingdom that we would bring Him

glory so that He would/could delight in the fruits we bear in His name.

(That you would be in the world; but not of the world. That you would be changed

into a new man, and leave the old man behind.) “That our lights would shine

before all men that they might see our good works and give glory to our Father in

Heaven.” (Matt5:16)

He has a plan: He is building His habitation here on this earth, in us collectively in

order that the Earth would be filled with His glory that brings forth the signs,

wonders and miracles He promised. So that the world would know experientially

His original plan and intention for mankind was to have relationship with Him and

that we would benefit from the love relationship He desires. Let’s focus on Jesus’

intention: that we would experience Him in fullness and build with Him in His

Kingdom that we might (bring forth children), for His glory! Jesus prayed to His

Father… “I have given them the glory You gave to Me, that they may be one as

We are one. With Me in them and You in Me, may they be so perfected in unity

that the world will recognize that it was You who sent Me and that You have

loved them as You have loved Me.”

I want to leave you with a copy of a beautiful prophetic poem that shares Father

God’s heart for us with regards to His ultimate desire for us. I pray you were

blessed by these three messages!