Living a Christian Life Study 5: Importance of Laying the Right Christian Foundation

Why do we put so much emphasis upon laying the Foundations? The Bible gives us clear evidence that trials and tribulations will come against each believer to test his faith. It is incumbent upon each of us to insure that our life in Christ is build on solid rock and not on shifting sand.

Matthews 7:24-27   
²⁴Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:  ²⁵And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.
 ²⁶And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:
 ²⁷And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.

The Bible makes it abundantly clear how important the foundation is. But in addition, we as a local church learned by experience the sad results of failing to heed the Bible's instruction. We had experienced years and years or revival, the refreshing rain of His presence among us. We had seen hundreds and even thousands come to God in salvation, water baptism, and the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. Some received notable healings. Others began to demosntrate God given abilities or gifts of the Spirit. Many sought out fields for ministry. God was moving and we were very glad about it.
But something was wrong. After a time these people did not continue to grow. Some of those who had received marvelous experiences with God did not remain in the faith. We began to lose people and the question lingers on WHY?  Most people who come to the Lord drifted away because of lack of proper foundational understanding of the foundations of Christ life. A lot come to accept Jesus and the church has failed to give people a solid foundation. The church was adding more spiritual bricks to their lives than the foundation would hold. For this reason people were falling away.

Living a Christian Life Study 4: Do not Neglect your Spiritual Foundations

When we fail to put into practice what we have heard from God, we only fool ourselves. He will require of us an accounting of what we did with everything we heard. If we make a habit of not doing what we are told, we soon become lawless, and eventually will be called "workers of iniquity, or lawlessness"

Matthews 7:21-23  ²¹Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.  ²²Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?  ²³And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. 

If we make a habit of not really listening, we will lose the power to hear. When the storm comes  - - - and it does in everyday life - -  we will not be able to stand.

1. God tests our submission to His Lordship on the basis of obeying His words, and laying each of these foundation stones is a command.       Matthews 7:21-28 ²¹Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. ²²Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? ²³And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. ²⁴Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:²⁵And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.²⁶And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:²⁷And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it ²⁸And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine:
    
2.  We become a part of God's people - -  His Church - - by being joined to Christ through foundational experience. Isiah 28:16 :   Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation, he believeth shall not make haste
   
3.  Only as we experience Christ in these foundation truths can we become different people.  2Timothy 2:19: Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.
4.  We face not only the tests of our future in this life, but the judgment of God in the next life. (I Timothy 6:19 - Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.
5. We will not continue growing if we fail to lay some foundation  stones in our lives; we will remain babes on "milk".   Hebrews 5:12,13 -   For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.

Living a Christian Life Study 3: The Six Foundation Stones of the Christian Faith

The writer of Hebrews lists the six basic experiences we mus have with Christ before we are allowed to mature. We are not given a "building permit" to erect the edifice until the Holy Spirit, god's building inspector, finds our foundation ready. These six transforming encounters with the risen Christ are:

1. Repentance from dead works
2. Faith toward God
3. The doctrine of baptisms
4. Laying on of hands
5. Resurrection of the dead
6. Eternal Judgement

Hebrew 6:1-3 : 

¹Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God,
 ²Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.
 ³And this will we do, if God permit.

When the writer of the letter to the Hebrews tells us to leave the principles of doctrine of Christ, he is literally telling us to go on from the beginning. We are not to stop and constantly review the first elementary truths we learned in Christ. It is possible to leave them not in the sense of forsaking them but in the sense of using them as a firm grounding underneath us while we reach on to higher truths. this can be done because these first truths form a foundation. They establish us in such a way that these truths will no longer slip away from us. Now we can rely upon the Lord as we have come to know Him in these areas.

The Greek word for foundation is themelios. The verb form not only means laying the foundation, but to ground someone, to establish them, or to render firm and unwavering. It is possible to have such real experience with God in both understanding and obeying these elementary truths that we are set on a firm footing for the remainder of our Christian walk. We have found a solid footing in god and can stand when the storms come against us.

Living a Christian Life Study 2 - Why do we call the First Principles "Foundation Stones?"

The term "foundation stones" was coined to help us emphasize the distinctiness of each truth to be believed and experienced. Christ Himself is the only foundation which can be laid, but we do this in practical experience through specific encounters with Him in obedient faith.

1. We are build upon the foundation which is Christ by the Holy Spirit and through the ministry of these who labor with God:     I Corinthians 3:9-11 -  For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building. According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
2.   The foundational doctrines were brought to us through the apostles and prophets who received the inspired Scriptures:      Ephesians 2:20  "And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone"
3.  As Christ becomes our foundation through experience, we are made able to worship and find our place in His Church:  I Peter 2: 4-8     
    ⁴To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious,
    ⁵Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.
    ⁶Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded.
    ⁷Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner,
    ⁸And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.

The worldly wise masons disallowed, set aside as rejected, the corner stone because it was a different shape from all other stones. It did not seem to fit into any of the usual places. This is a picture of Israel rejecting her own Messiah because He did not fit their expectations. It is also a portrayal of modern theology which has no place for a living Lord who will define His won truth in terms of life-transforming experience. The first principles of "foundation stones" will not fit our neat little traditions. If we begin building with them, we must be prepared to start all ove again from the beginning. For this reason, the very first one is called "repentance from dead works"-the repudiation of tradition and unworkable theories.

Living a Christian Life Study 1: Foundation of the Christian Faith

What is a Foundation?

The Term “Foundation” has been borrowed from the language of building and architecture. It refers to the very first thing we do in building. We prepare a solid and stable support for the superstructure. Since the foundation bears the weight of the entire structure, it must be done well. More than one building has later sagged or even fallen because of a faulty foundation. The taller the building is to be, the deeper the foundation must be.

Spiritually speaking, the foundation is the basis of Christian doctrine and experience (and these two are never separated) upon which all later development depends. It is instruction in the ABC’s without which reading and writing would not be possible. Other words meaning the same thing as “foundational’ include: “basic, elementary, beginning, first.” Paul put it in terms of first principles. 

Hebrew 6:1-3 : 

¹Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God,
 ²Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.
 ³And this will we do, if God permit.
 
This one passage of Scripture summarizes the entire content of  Understanding the Foundation Stones of Christian Life”