We have begun a journey through portions of Paul’s first letter to the church at Corinth. First Corinthians is an interesting letter because it is addressed to a church struggling with some difficult issues. In other words, it is addressed to a normal church, for what church doesn’t debate and struggle over difficult and controversial issues? Corinth, like all churches I know, is a church wondering about issues of faith and their applications to life. In fact, the Corinthian church wrote to Paul asking him to address issues they identify in their letter. However, Paul doesn’t even begin to address those issues until halfway through his letter, chapter 7 as we have it in our Bibles, where he finally writes, "Now for the matters you wrote about." Paul spends the first part of the letter addressing issues they’ve not asked about in their letter, but issues Paul has heard about concerning the church and he feels need to be addressed first. Both the issues the Corinthians ask about and the issues Paul feels he needs to address are still very relevant for churches today. While it’s true we don’t worry too much about eating meat sacrificed to idols, it’s also true that the presenting problem in that discussion—being aware of stumbling blocks we might be placing in front of others—is very much relevant for today.

So, in First Corinthians we find rules for life—for our lives as individual Christians, and for our lives as a collection of Christians known as Shepherd of the Hills Church.

Today, one of my favorite passages in Scripture, chapter 3 of First Corinthians—a favorite because of the interesting metaphors Paul uses and because it succinctly speaks to the beginnings of faith and the challenge of growing in the faith. (Read I Cor 3:1-17)

In October of 2002, a group of adults from Shepherd of the Hills went on a mission trip to Juarez, Mexico. Our task was to work with an organization in El Paso called Casas por Cristo—Houses for Christ. I had come to know the ministry of Casas por Cristo through my previous church, Westminster Presbyterian Church in Amarillo, Texas. Beginning in 1991, Westminster has taken an annual trip to Juarez, working with Casas por Cristo in building at least one house, sometimes two, in the poor neighborhoods of Juarez. Casas has it down to a science and teams of about 15 persons can build a house in four days. To be sure, the house that is built doesn’t look like what comes to our minds when we think of a house. But to families that have been living in nothing more than wood pallets tenuously nailed or wired together and covered with cardboard, what we build is a house of magnificent order.

Paul’s use of a building metaphor in this passage always brings to my mind the process of building a house with Casas por Cristo.

To begin with, there is the laying of the foundation. The first question on the minds of every group traveling to the site of the house they’ll be building is, "Is the ground level for the foundation?" Sometimes the ground is level, or already has been made level by the family for which the group is building and we’re ready to build the cement slab for the foundation. But, sometimes, the first task for the group is to level the ground. It’s difficult, tedious work, additional work for the group, but necessary work in order to build a firm foundation.

So it is in our faith journeys. However we got there—whether years of Sunday School and being brought up in the church, or whether the sharing of faith from a concerned friend, or perhaps a crisis that hit and caused us to wonder about and search for deeper meaning in life—somewhere at the beginning of our faith journeys the land of our lives was made level and prepared to receive the foundation of our faith. For some in Corinth, Paul and his teaching prepared their land to receive the foundation. For others, it was Apollos, or perhaps a Corinthian neighbor who shared what they had experienced. Our journeys began with preparation to receive the foundation of faith and we are grateful for all those who prepared the way.

Then, at some point, the foundation of faith was laid. That foundation, Paul reminds us, is Jesus Christ. There is no other foundation upon which we can build a life of meaning and purpose than the foundation of Jesus Christ. Somewhere in our journeys, as the land was being prepared and made level, we came to understand that Christ alone was the sure foundation for our lives. It wasn’t our jobs, or our careers. The foundation was not those who had helped prepare our land—not our particular Pauls, or Apolloses. It was not even our families, important though families are. No, the only sure foundation for our lives is Jesus Christ. The only way we can be sure of our right standing with God is through Jesus Christ. It is, to use another metaphor from Paul in First Corinthians, chapter 3, the basic nourishment of our faith—the milk. It is the starting point, the infancy of our faith. It is that "moment" that answers the question, How long does it take to become a Christian? A moment—when Christ is understood to be our Savior and Lord, the foundation for our house of faith.

But, then, the Christian journey does not stop there. From the nourishment of milk, we are to grow and move on to the solid food of faith. We are called to build upon the foundation of Christ in our lives. More than that, we are encouraged to build upon that foundation with works of gold, silver and precious stones that can withstand the test of fire. Fire enriches gold and silver, fire purifies it, burning away the dross—which the dictionary defines as "a scum formed on the surface of molten metal"—fire separates out the "scum" so that what remains is even more pure. We are to build upon the foundation of Christ, removing the dross from our lives, and building with good works that honors Christ. No family in Juarez would live very comfortably on only the cement slab foundation. And no Christian should live comfortably on only the foundation of Christ that is laid. No, we must build upon that foundation. Walls of good works must be built, a roof of shelter and comfort placed overhead, a covering of warmth and security built in order to provide a home for a family. To be sure, all those things must be built upon a firm foundation or they will not last. But, they must be built in order for the foundation to be of any practical use.

What Paul describes in the third chapter of First Corinthians is the process of becoming a disciple of Jesus Christ. It begins with the land being made level to receive the foundation. The foundation is then put in place—that foundation being the acknowledgment of Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. Our standing with God is made assured through Jesus Christ and what he has done for us. But then, we are to do our part. We are to build upon the foundation of Jesus Christ by doing the kind of good works Christ calls us to.

The question for us, as it was for the Corinthian Church, is where do you see yourself in the building process? Perhaps for some here today, the land of your lives is still being prepared. You’ve never acknowledged Christ and accepted the foundational work he has done for you. Your spiritual birth has not yet occurred, you’re searching for answers, for a foundation in your life. If that’s the case for you, I encourage you to come to Christ today. I would join with Paul in saying to you, "there is no other foundation for your life than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ."

For some of you, it might be that Paul is speaking to you when he says, "you should be ready for meat, but you’re still an infant in need of milk." The foundation is in place, but very little building has been going on, or what building has taken place is of inferior quality—works of wood and straw, not works of silver and gold. I encourage you to start building. Be a disciple!

Dallas Willard is a pastor and a philosophy professor at the University of Southern California. He is also the author of several books, many on the topic of discipleship, including The Spirit of the Disciplines and The Divine Conspiracy. In an interview with, appropriately, Discipleship Journal, Willard responded to a question about what was wrong with the prevailing understanding of the Christian life. "Churches today are full of people who haven’t been invited to become disciples. Being a Christian has come to mean going to church and being saved when you die. The ministry of the church is given over to ‘making the final cut’ and solving problems, not to discipleship. In the New Testament, discipleship means being an apprentice of Jesus in our daily existence. A disciple is simply someone who has decided to be with another person, under appropriate conditions, in order to learn to do what that person does, or to become what that person is. What does Jesus do that I can be discipled to do? The answer is found in the gospels: He lives in the kingdom of God, and He applies that kingdom for the good of others and even makes it possible for them to enter it. Discipleship involves doing everything as if Jesus were doing it. As disciples, we say, ‘Yes, I will learn to do all the things that Jesus said to do.’ That’s when we become His students. Through this process we learn things we never thought about. Our sense of the scope of the commitment grows. We build lives that are not just ours, but God’s as well."

I want to suggest to you today, that being a Christian is much, much more than "going to church and being saved when you die." How long does it take to become a Christian? A moment…and a lifetime. The moment when Christ is recognized as Savior in your life. And, a lifetime of building on the foundation of Christ as Lord over our lives. We were created to move in discipleship growth from the milk of the gospel to the meat of the gospel. We were created, as disciples, to build on the foundation of Christ in our lives. Yes, make sure the foundation is established in your life. But, then, move on to building from there. It’s almost as if God says to us, "The foundation is in place. Now, don’t worry about that anymore. Get to work in building!"

I encourage you to seek opportunities for growth in your own faith life, and look for opportunities to build good works of faith in the lives of others.

As a staff, we have discussed ways to portray the image of the journey of a disciple. There are lots of metaphors for that—the image of milk and meat; or the agricultural image of preparing soil, planting seeds and watering the plants; or the construction image of building—all metaphors Paul uses in this passage. Rick Warren, pastor of Saddleback Church in California and author of The Purpose-Driven Church and The Purpose Driven Life, uses the image of a baseball diamond—the perfect metaphor, I’m sure we’d all agree. Paul certainly would have used that had baseball been around in the 1^st century, A.D.! For Warren’s metaphor, first base is the foundational move and the growth occurs in movements toward second base, third base, and home. In our staff discussions, we came up with the metaphor of a mountain climb—seemingly appropriate to our setting and our name. You might recall seeing "Discipleship Mountain" on the cover of our first Program Guide. "Base Camp" is the starting point of foundation in Jesus Christ. "Camp Growth" is the next camp established on the journey—focusing on growing in our faith through instruction and learning. Next is "Camp Serve" where we build with acts of service, serving Christ and serving others through the ministries and missions of the church. And then comes "Camp Share" where we invite others to join in the journey. And even as we reach the "Summit," there is a new climb ahead. In all of the metaphors there is an ongoing journey of discipleship, a lifetime journey. A disciple, ready for the meat of the Gospel, continually needs to be fed and to be feeding others. Plants need cultivating, weeds need to be removed, and new plants planted and grown. A second floor can be added to a building, new wings built on while maintenance and upkeep of the first floor takes place. Successfully making it home and scoring a run doesn’t end the journey—another "at bat" comes around, or a new game begins. A successful climb brings satisfaction and a noting of what has been accomplished—then new mountains, new challenges are identified and another climb begins. The journey is ongoing…until that "Day" arrives. Whatever that "Day" might look like, it is a day where we stand before Jesus and give an account of the work we have done. Remember, the foundation, "Base Camp" assures us of our right standing with God. Once in place, it’s there. Don’t worry about that. But, what will Jesus say about how we’ve built on that foundation?