Construction Job
Ron Walters
The lady stands taller than most at 1,454 feet, weighs in at a hefty 365,000 tons, and is celebrating her 74th birthday this month. This chic celebrity has co-starred in 90 movies with some of Hollywood's top leading men: Cary Grant, Clint Eastwood, Fred Astaire, Tom Cruise, Superman, and King Kong. She's had more face lifts than Phyllis Diller. She's turned more heads than a chiropractor. Kodak has made a fortune from her publicity shots. She's hosted parties for Nikita Krushchev, Queen Elizabeth, Fidel Castro, and Lassie. She's known around the world for her style and sophistication. She's acclaimed by artists as the 8th wonder of the world. "She" is the Empire State Building.
Few American structures have been afforded more accolades than this 102-floor beauty at the corner of 5th Avenue and 34th Street in New York City. With good reason, too. She's heated by 50 miles of radiator pipe, plumbed with 70 miles of water lines, and tunneled by several miles of elevator shafts. Her 2.5 million miles of electrical wire could circle the earth 100 times. Her telephone cables could stretch from San Francisco to El Paso. She must be busy because each month she produces 100 tons of trash. Obviously, this is no ordinary lady.
But at age 74 the Empire State Building is much too young to swap stories with the real masters in the superstructure world. The Temple of Diana could boast far more marble than our young lady. The Statue of Zeus had more devoted worshippers. The Colossus of Rhoads took twelve times longer to build. But it's doubtful any of those old-timers had a B-25 bomber crash into them, as one did to our lady in 1945.
However, a building is not great because of its amenities, dimensions or catastrophes only. The truest test of a great building is found in two criteria: 1.) Its usefulness; and 2.) Its durability. In other words, a building must fulfill its designed purpose, and it has to survive a very long time. All great buildings are measured by these standards. The Great Pyramids of Cheops, for example, have lasted 4,500 years. But these ancient Egyptian burial vaults were looted within the first year of occupancy. Thus, they're durable but not very useful. Conversely, the impressive Lighthouse of Pharos, the 600-feet-tall torch, whose massive flame lit up the Alexandria harbor for distressed sailors, was extremely useful. But the pounding of storms and the rattling of earthquakes reduced it to rubble. Durable it was not.
There's only one building that, by these definitions, would be considered truly great. It's a building that, while still under construction, has no equal. It's the building for which we labor daily. It's "God's Building," the Church (1 Cor. 3.9). Does it qualify as a great building? Well, as for its durability, "The gates of Hell shall not prevail against it." As for its usefulness, it's "the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth." And yet it's a work still in progress. "Under construction" signs could be hung over each pew...and pulpit.
Construction jobs and church work have much in common. For example, recruiting the right work crew will save money, time and heartaches. Quality work requires sharpened tools employed by gifted craftsmen. The authorized blue prints must be followed at all points. Protective hard hats are a good idea in the more dangerous zones. At times you may need ear plugs, too. Some jobs require certified experts, while other assignments need only scab labor. There's never a shortage of spectators who offer unsolicited and uninformed opinions. But also at each job site, whether it's a skyscraper or church, there's a master builder who leads his team towards the finished product.
Ministry is construction. We serve the Architect, Builder, Owner, and Lord of the Church. Our objective is to help complete His building. Our directions come from His Master plan. Our goal is to hear Him say, "Well done, good and faithful servant."
Blessings,
Ron Walters
Vice President of Church Relations
P.S. If you're looking for great preaching tools, don't forget Preaching Magazine. It's my favorite. Check it out at Preaching.com. Do your congregation a favor by subscribing.
Copyright 2007 by Ron Walters | | | | 
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