Unless the Lord Builds the House

 

 This message was preached at Word Of Grace Church on June 22nd 2025 by Donald. For the audio & video please click here.  For the worship please click here. 

Unless the Lord Builds the House

Why Dedication to God Changes Everything

In a world that runs on ambition, deadlines, and self-made success, the ancient wisdom of Psalm 127 reminds us of a deeper truth: “Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labour in vain.”

This verse, shared during a recent Sunday sermon, reveals a profound and often overlooked principle — true significance is found not in what we build, but in who builds with us. Whether it's our careers, families, dreams, or homes, when God isn’t at the foundation, all our striving is ultimately empty.

Dedication Is More Than a Ceremony

We often associate “dedication” with a one-time event — a child’s dedication, a wedding, or a church service. But real dedication is daily. It’s choosing to say, “God, take my time, my resources, my talents — all of it is Yours.”

That dedication ripples through generations. It’s not just about the present moment, but about planting seeds for a legacy built on God’s truth.

The Illusion of Control

Modern life tempts us to believe that we’re the masters of our fate. We are encouraged to optimize, hustle, and “build our brand.” But as the speaker pointed out, “The lives we create for ourselves may keep others out,” boxing us into small, self-centred worlds.

Yet storms will come. And when they do, no amount of wealth, skill, or strategic planning will sustain us unless we’ve built on the unshakable foundation of God.

When God Builds, There’s Rest

Psalm 127 also speaks of God giving His beloved sleep. Not just physical rest, but peace of heart — a gift in a world full of anxious toil.

Rather than chasing vanity or success for its own sake, we’re invited to hand our ambitions to God. Like the boy who gave his five loaves and two fish, what we offer may seem small, but in God’s hands, it multiplies beyond our imagination.

A Call to Rethink What Matters

Is our life centred around God, or have we subtly adopted the world’s “me-first” ideology? Are we pursuing success in things that, in the end, don’t matter?

William Carey once said, “I’m not afraid of failure. I’m afraid of succeeding at things that don’t matter.” That’s the invitation: to shift our focus from vanity to purpose, from self-building to God-building.

So today, pause. Reflect. Ask yourself — who’s building your house?

In a world rushing toward success, wealth, and recognition, there is a quiet yet powerful truth that echoes from the words of Psalm 127: “Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labour in vain.”

This message was at the heart of a recent sermon — one that not only challenged the ideals of modern life but called us back to a life of eternal significance, centred on God, relationships, and legacy.

Don’t Just Build — Let God Build

We all build something: careers, homes, reputations, and dreams. But the speaker reminded us that unless God is at the centre of it, all our labour ends up in anxious striving. True rest comes not from what we accomplish, but from knowing that God is in control.

“Rest is a weapon,” he said. “The enemy hates it because he wants you stressed and occupied.”

When we trust God, we gain more than peace — we gain purpose. Even in chaos, we don’t have to act out of control, because our anchor is secure.

From Vanity to Value

In the age of likes, hustle, and superficial wins, the question we must ask is: What truly matters?

• Are we giving our best hours to work while our children receive our leftovers?
• Are we present with those we love, or simply performing life beside them?
• Are we building for ourselves, or leaving behind something worth inheriting?

True wealth isn’t in assets — it’s in relationships, in time invested, and in a life marked by faithfulness.

Children: Not Just Our Future, But God’s Gift

Psalm 127 describes children as “a heritage from the Lord… like arrows in the hands of a warrior.” They are not interruptions to our legacy — they are our legacy.

“Every child has the potential to inherit the kingdom of heaven… and it’s our responsibility to prepare them for it.”

Too often we treat children as background noise, burdens to manage, or projects to fix. Instead, the speaker challenged us to see every child as a carrier of God’s vision — one who must be shaped with love, not just correction.

• Do you notice the children in your life?
• Are you building a legacy they can build upon?
• Are you training them in the way of the Lord — not just with your words, but with your life?

Because in the end, children learn more from what we are than what we say.

Legacy Isn’t Luxury — It’s Discipleship

We spend our lives trying to leave behind fortunes and fame. But let us always remember this:

“The world leaves behind materialistic and atheistic ideologies. But God calls us to leave behind moral and spiritual foundations.”

What are we really passing on? Wealth that fades, or a faith that lasts. Are we raising kids who know how to calculate price — or value?

Let’s teach them what matters:

• How to walk with integrity.
• How to love deeply.
• How to seek God above all else.

Final Reflection: A Life Dedicated to God

It is not just about children or parenting — it is about living a dedicated life. A life where every relationship, every choice, and every dream are laid at God’s feet.

“Life is not all about children. But it is all about living for God.”

And in doing that, we will leave behind more than memories. We will leave behind a legacy of faith — one that shapes generations.

Are you building a house God can dwell in? Or one built in vain?

As we return to our daily routines, let us pause and pray:
“Lord, build my life. Help me invest in what matters. Let my legacy be shaped by Your hands, not mine.”

 Word of Grace is an Evangelical (Born Again),  Spirit-filled (Charismatic), Reformed, English-speaking church in Pune that upholds the Bible as God's inspired Word for life. We are a church community that has people from every part of India and parts of the world. We are here to put the Great Command and the Great Commission into practice by equipping and releasing every member into works of service.  Word of Grace is part of a wider international family of Churches called RegionsBeyond.To know more about us please log onto www.wordofgracechurch.org. 

Pictures of the Church - Part 1

 

 This message was preached at Word Of Grace Church on January 26th 2025 by Colin. For the audio & video please click here.  For the worship please click here. 

Pictures of the Church

Last week we looked at how to become a part of a church. 

The Church of Jesus Christ is not like any other club where you pay thousands and lakhs of rupees to get membership. It is open to anybody who recognizes they're sinners, repent put their faith in Jesus and decide to follow Him. They're born again and added to the body of Christ.

Our salvation is through faith which is called the Justification. But that's not the end of salvation. God now has a plan for our lives which includes becoming His disciples. Many haven't given themselves to obeying Jesus' commands. The Gospel has to transform lives. John the Baptist said to produce fruit by keeping up with repentance. 

None of us are perfect. We're all sinners. There has to be at least an attempt to change our ways. Faith is important but obedience must follow faith. 

Paul says that the Church is the body of Christ. Jesus is the head of the Church and the rest of us are parts of the body. 

1. Unity in the body

When we come here to attend the Sunday service, our whole body is here. We don't leave any part behind. We may have many differences but we are one. If you look around we are all different in several ways. The parts of our bodies are different too. The world divides people based on differences like race, language, region and others. All the wars that take place are because of these differences. 

Ephesians 4:6 NIV - one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

We are united by the Father. 

Jesus' prayer for his disciples is to be one. Before the crucifixion, Jesus prayed that all may be one. 

John 17:21 NIV - that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 

We see that there's deep unity among the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Jesus wanted His disciples to be in that deep unity. 

Galatians 3:28 NIV - There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 

This unity transcends all social, cultural and other barriers.

Why is this unity important? 

* God says so

When we share the gospel, we can't cause them to believe. That decision is with them. There's no forced conversion to Christianity.

John 17:21 NIV - that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.

When we are united, somehow the unbelievers will believe that God sent Jesus. 

John 17:23 NIV - I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.

In this verse, the same thing is repeated. 

If we want power in evangelism, we need to work to be one - loving one another and accepting one another. Seeing this, unbelievers will somehow believe that God sent Jesus Christ. 

When we are united, we have Jesus at the centre. That is the common thing. 

So let's have fellowship with one another. 

What can we do to promote unity in our church? 

It starts with greeting one another and then serving, loving, accepting, bear with one another. It is also expressed in doing things together and praying together. 

 

The Bible uses more than 90 metaphors for the body of Christ. From Genesis to Revelation, we see a unified story of God wanting a people for Himself. The story begins in a garden and ends in a city in heaven. Everything will fade, but the church of Jesus Christ will go on forever.

We are the Bride of Christ. Before anything was created, God had a bride in mind for His son.

We have been chosen not because of what we have done but because of what He has done for us.

Who did Jesus purchase with His blood – His body, the church.

What do you value most apart from God, your salvation and your family? It is your body.

Let’s look at 1 Cor 12.

We are far from perfect, but one day, we will be.

Heb 6:2 There are four baptisms – the indwelling of the Spirit at conversion, the baptism of water, the Holy Spirit and the baptism by fire which is suffering.

UNITY

God’s heart is that we all be united Eph4:4.

Ephesians 4:4 - There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called

John 17:21 -  that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.

Our unity helps others see the Father in heaven; therefore, we need to do all that we can to foster this unity in the church.

What can we do to be united in this local church? It is not just intellectual assent but doing what it takes, viz., participating in whatever the church is engaged in, like prayer, Gym groups, training, etc.

We are different but one. The church is the most diverse grouping of people on the Earth. In Christ, there is no Jew, Greek, or Gentile. What brings us together is Christ.

Let us build on unity and build up the Body of Christ.

DIVERSITY

The body is made up of many parts. We have different gifts, and we are all unique.

1 Corinthians 12:15 - Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body.

“I don’t belong” – inferiority complex, and these people can back away from interacting and integrating. We have been placed in this body by the Spirit.

1 Corinthians 12:21 - ²¹ The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!”

 “I don’t need you” is also a mistake if we think we are independent or superior. This is a sin of pride and independence. We need each other, and we cannot survive on our own.

1 Corinthians 12:22 - On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable

The weaker parts (those not seen) are indispensable.

Ephesians 4:16 - From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

The body grows up as each one does its part.

How do we practically work out this diversity? Encourage all who serve.

In India we can see everything that is wrong with everything. Let us be thankful people. It takes humility to encourage someone else.

Ephesians 4:29 - Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.

How am I using my gifts to serve the church? How am I building the church?

Do I value that I am a part of the body of Christ? We are privileged people and should not take this for granted. We cannot be ‘alone’ Christians. We have been placed in a body. God uses the church to put His manifold wisdom on display.

Word of Grace is an Evangelical (Born Again),  Spirit-filled (Charismatic), Reformed, English-speaking church in Pune that upholds the Bible as God's inspired Word for life. We are a church community that has people from every part of India and parts of the world. We are here to put the Great Command and the Great Commission into practice by equipping and releasing every member into works of service.  Word of Grace is part of a wider international family of Churches called RegionsBeyond.To know more about us please log onto www.wordofgracechurch.org. 

Setting Worthy Goals as a Church

  This message was preached at Word Of Grace Church on January 12th 2025 by Lasya. For the audio & video please click here.  For the worship please click here.

Setting worthy goals as a church

Last week, Colin encouraged us to set worthy goals from the passage of Philippians 1 which includes our personal goals – developing humility, growing in spiritual maturity, striving for holiness. Today we will look at some of the corporate goals that we need to set as the body of Christ. 

Why do we need to set corporate goals? 

When the New Testament refers to church, in 80% of the cases it is talking about a local church. We have this idea that the “church” is this abstract amalgamation of all believers from all times, but when Paul or Peter or Luke talk about the church, they are referring to the church in Ephesus, the church in Philippi, the church that meets in someone’s house… it is not either or, but it is focused on the local with a vision of the global and eternal. We are born on our own, but we are born into a family just as in the natural. This family that we are born into is the church. The church is not an organisation, it’s a spiritual body – it is the fellowship of the redeemed. Romans 12:5 “so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.”

We need the local church in order to obey Jesus. Both the great commandment (Matthew 22:37-39 “7 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”) and the great commission (Matthew 28:18-20 “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”) are rooted in a place. In fact, the promise is that when the holy spirit comes upon us, we will be witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and to the ends of the earth.  

You and I are here by design to meet the purposes of God in this place and time. So as we step into this new year, let’s look at what is the role of the this church in this place and how do we set ourselves up to obey God. 

Q. What are some of the new year’s resolutions you’ve ever set that have actually stuck? When you reflect on it, what is the difference between the resolutions that stick v. the ones that don’t? Illustrations of gym or eating healthy, etc. 

• Commitment 

• Custom 

• Compelling vision 

1. Commitment. 

Q. What is Jesus committed to? 

Matt 16:18 “And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

Q. What do we need to be committed to? 

Acts 2: 42- 45 – “And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers...And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need.”

So there were some things that the believers were committed to (devoted to) – to the apostles teaching, to fellowship, to prayer, to giving- and they did all this in the context of a community.  

a. Apostle’s teaching – not just doing our bible reading in our personal devotion, but corporately. Do we come expecting God to speak to us through the word each Sunday, or do we go searching online for whoever the latest or most favourite preachers? 

b. fellowship – not just friendship but an intentional togetherness. Illustration – fellowship of the rings. It is coming together for a purpose - for mutual edification. Ephesians 4: 15-16 “speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and help together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work” 

c. prayer – most underused gift of the church is corporate prayer.

d. giving – tithes and offerings belong in the local church first. Giving is beyond this – it is giving of your time, resources, meeting the needs in the church. Many times, the needs are not monetary. Are we a generous community? 

2. Custom – our commitments need to turn into custom 

just saying we are committed to something is not enough. the road to hell is paved with good intentions

Jesus and the disciples had certain customs:

Luke 4: 16 “And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read.”

Luke 22:39 “And he came out and went, as was his custom, to the Mount of Olives, and the disciples followed him” (prayer) 

Acts 17: 1-2 “7 Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. 2 And Paul went in, as was his custom, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures,”

Acts 2: 46-47 “ 46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people”

Q. What are some of our customs? 

Is attending church on a Sunday a custom, it is something that is non-negotiable? Is prayer a custom? Lets look at how to turn our commitments into customs. 

A commitment requires good intention, but a custom requires good planning. Illustrations - how can we make it to church on time/ be there for corporate prayer. 

3. Compelling vision:

Q. What is Jesus’ vision for the church? 

Ephesians 5: 25-27 “25 Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, 26 that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27 so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish”

Revelation 21: 2-4 “ 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place[a] of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people,[b] and God himself will be with them as their God.[c] 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.””

Q. What is our vision? 

Colin will tell us next week. 

But it has to do with being salt and light in this place. it has to do with loving God and loving our neighbours, it has to do with make disciples of the nations starting with NIBM, Undri, Pune and to the ends of the earth. In all this, we are the hands and feet of Christ. when God thinks about the darkness and evil that is prevalent in this area, his answer is, let me send word of grace church there. 

Word of Grace is an Evangelical (Born Again),  Spirit-filled (Charismatic), Reformed, English-speaking church in Pune that upholds the Bible as God's inspired Word for life. We are a church community that has people from every part of India and parts of the world. We are here to put the Great Command and the Great Commission into practice by equipping and releasing every member into works of service.  Word of Grace is part of a wider international family of Churches called RegionsBeyond.To know more about us please log onto www.wordofgracechurch.org. 

BACK TO BASICS PART 8 - LOVING ONE ANOTHER

 

This message was preached at Word Of Grace Church on August 4th 2024 by Colin. For the audio & video please click here.  For the worship please click here.

BACK TO BASICS PART 8

LOVING ONE ANOTHER

Rom 12:9-17

How do we love one another? In Romans, Paul lays a foundation of doctrine in chapters 1 to 11.

Rom 3:20  Through the law, we become conscious of sin, but obeying the law does not make us right with God.

Ch3:21 But now righteousness apart from the law has been made known….but through Jesus to all who believe. Jesus changes us by his Spirit.

Ch1-3 Talks about the sinful state of man.

Ch4-8 Talks about how to get right with God

Ch 9-11 Talks about the role of Israel after Christ

And then comes chapter 12 with the big ‘therefore’.

Romans addresses both Jews and Gentiles who are believers and how they should live as children of God.

There are more than 1000 commands and instructions in the New Testament. Some think there are no commands in the New Testament except to love one another. Yes, the whole law is summed up in the two great commands.

There are over 100 ‘one another’ commands in the New Testament. How do we relate with fellow believers and those in the world? How we treat people is a reference to how we relate to Jesus.

Matt25:35-30

What does love look like?

V9. Love must be sincere –‘agape’ which is unconditional (The same word is used in Rom 5:8, i.e. God demonstrated His agape to us in this that while we were yet sinners…)

Matt 10:37 Anyone who ‘loves’ – Stergeo love which is family love

Jn11:3 the word used is ‘Phileo”, which is for friendship.

And then we have Eros love, which is romantic love.

Rom 12:9-10 Mentions agape, storge and philio

V10a Brotherly love – we should be like family and friends.

V10 Be kindly affectionate. The church is our family, and we should love each other in a manner we bear with each other. All families have squabbles; we must know how to handle them and makeup.

V18 Keep the peace as far as it depends on you

V10b Honour one another (ESV says outdo one another in paying the price). Are we willing to pay the price to honour one another, i.e., everyone? We take the initiative and do not wait for others to honour us.

We can show this in deeds and words.

DEEDS Greeting one another. The command to greet one another are repeated five times. Rom 16:15 with a holy kiss. 2Cor 13:12 ..holy kiss.

Lev19:31 says Rise in the presence of the aged – revere your God. I am the Lord.

Rom 13:7: “If respect then respect..”

How do we do this biblically?

Phil 2:3 Consider others better than yourselves. We are the light of the world – how? We are light by our deeds, behaviour and words. We are called to be thermostats and not thermometers.

WORD – appreciating people. Start in the home between spouses and children.

V12 Share with God’s people in need. Practice hospitality.

V16 We need to honour everyone across ethnicity, language and cultures

Revelation 7:9 People from every tribe, language and tongue are before the throne of God. When we do this, the manifold wisdom of God is on display, and the people will see that the Father sent Jesus.

Rom15:15 Admonish one another i.e. caution or reprove gently

If we care for one another, we need to warn our brothers and sisters in love and gentleness with much humility and grace.

Col 3:16

You can only do this if you have a relationship.

People do not want to know how much you know till they know how much you care.

Word of Grace is an Evangelical (Born Again),  Spirit-filled (Charismatic), Reformed, English-speaking church in Pune that upholds the Bible as God's inspired Word for life. We are a church community that has people from every part of India and parts of the world. We are here to put the Great Command and the Great Commission into practice by equipping and releasing every member into works of service.  Word of Grace is part of a wider international family of Churches called RegionsBeyond.To know more about us please log onto www.wordofgracechurch.org.