October 28, 2011
Pillar of the Community
I recently read an obituary where the deceased was described as a
pillar of the community. In the church we too have a tendency to elevate people
to pillar-status. Our candidates may be those who are generationally faithful in
attendance, those extremely knowledgeable in the Word, or even someone whose
generosity goes far beyond tithes and offerings. Jesus gives us the
qualifications for becoming a pillar in heaven and I love the fact that we are
all candidates. “Him
who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will he
leave it...” (Rev 3:12a NIV)
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2 comments:
Gail;
-----That is good to remember often. I think it is interesting that when Jesus alluded to His body as a temple, even the disciples failed to understand that He was talking about His body until He was raised from the dead. But it was Paul who applied the temple metaphor to our bodies and the church and extended its detail to our all being built into it for God’s holy dwelling place. Then Peter adds specifics to the detail in equating us with stones built into a holy house, of which Christ is the chief cornerstone. Furthermore, Paul only alludes to pillars when derogatorily addressing James’, Peter’s, and John’s behavior amongst the Christians in Jerusalem. Amongst one another here in this dangerous place, we are all simply functional building materials of His body. In these Biblical metaphors, nobody actually rises to the significance of being a pillar until he is also perfected in that eternal place of glory.
Love you all,
Steve Corey
Thanks for bringing that verse to my attention. It is a thought that bears more thinking.
Always something to learn.
Grace and peace
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