Jesus - The ONLY True Reference Point

When we moved to North Texas I learned that there were terms used in everyday language here that just aren’t used in other places. It’s that way in lots of places.

One term I learned was especially fun to say: “wampejawed”.

According to the Urban Dictionary it means “Something is not put together well; not level; doesn't look right; something that has something wrong with when looked at.”

One of the most frequent causes of something being wampejawed is that whoever put it together or whoever did it failed to consider and obey the design of the thing.

Often, the building or doing of it starts off wrong….and, therefore, everything after that is wrong as well since it uses the first step as a reference point.

In ancient times builders would start with something called a cornerstone. The cornerstone was solid and carefully constructed so as to be perfectly square and true. It was laid down first and the builders would use its lines to build everything else in the building.

The cornerstone was the reference point and when it was utilized and honored, the completed building would be perfectly square and solid.

Speaking of Jesus, Peter said this:

“Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture, "Behold, I lay in Zion a chief cornerstone, elect, precious, and he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame." (1 Peter 2:4-6)

The Word says that Christians are “living stones” and that we are being built up “a spiritual house.” This means that we are being assembled by God to be ONE house and that when He establishes any of us in any geographical place we are intended by Him to connect with the other living stones of HIS choosing in the manner HE chooses to form that house.

Leaders in the Body of Christ are, then, “builders”, if you will - and the term has nothing to do with erecting buildings or organizations.

Neither of these are to be found AT ALL in the New Testament.

The term “builders” refers to those leaders who cooperate with God in building HIS House - which has to do with assembling people the way He arranges that.

There are just two kinds of builders: wise builders and unwise builders.

The Apostle Paul referred to himself as one of those :

“For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, you are God's building. According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it. For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 3:9-11)

When Paul would go into a place he never came with hero worship or human agendas or worldly strategies, systems or schemes. He laid only ONE cornerstone:

“And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.” (1 Corinthians 2:1-2)

Jesus was and IS the chief cornerstone in all that Paul did. He was a wise master builder.

When we were born again we weren’t saved because we joined the right denomination or because we read the right version of the Bible or because we somehow stumbled into the perfect building or across the right person preaching.

When we were born again we were saved because we trusted in the only Person who could save us: Jesus, the Christ.

Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture, "Behold, I lay in Zion a chief cornerstone, elect, precious, and he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame." (1 Peter 2:6)

We “believed on” or “placed our faith in” Jesus.

If our faith was in the building we were in or the person sharing the Gospel with us or in our own ability to find the perfect place…..then we weren’t saved.

Only Jesus can save us.

When we “believed on” or “placed our faith in” Jesus He became the Chief Cornerstone in us….in the building God was constructing in us.

When we as Christians and when leaders in the Body of Christ to whom we submit remain true to Jesus….as the Chief Cornerstone…the building that results is true, perfect and solid.

It cannot be shaken.

Hebrews 12:28 speaks of God’s Kingdom being one which cannot be shaken. This is the building God is constructing and we are a part of it….when and if we remain true to the Chief Cornerstone.

Happily, many leaders and other Christians adhere to Jesus as THE Cornerstone.

Sadly, though, many do not….with predictable results.

"Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who are disobedient, 'The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone,' and 'a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense.' They stumble, being disobedient to the word, to which they also were appointed.” (1 Peter 2:7-8)

Peter referred to Jesus as the Chief Cornerstone. Jesus is the Cornerstone and reference point but He will only yield order in the One Church He established and in our individual lives if we use only HIM as our reference point.

When we don’t, the building that comes to be will be wampejawed.

In other words, it will not be put together well; it won’t be level; it won't look right; people will be able to tell just by looking at it that it has something wrong with it.

Brothers and sisters, if we look around us we can see that the Body of Christ is largely wampejawed.

People who are born again are far too easily shaken. Christians are overrun with fear, anxiety, depression and panic. The world captivates too many of us.

Many, surely not all, leaders have not held to the true lines of Jesus, the Chief Cornerstone.

They supplement Him and His Word with earthly marketing schemes, training techniques, advertising and lures. They fail to research what they say and do to make sure that it agrees with the Word of God.

Then they assure the people that turn to them for the truth that all is well because their one subset of the Church is just fine.

And the people, who, as “living stones” are ultimately responsible for their own cooperation with the Lord in building HIS House, let the leaders do this to them.

Speaking of himself and the members of his teams as faithful builders on God’s behalf, Paul said this:

“For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, you are God's building. According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it. For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 3:9-11)

To the leaders and those who follow them who do not trust in themselves, or in people, or in worldly systems to walk with God in the building of His House, I say, “Well done.”

I also say to you and to myself, “Be wary”. The enemy is relentless in his efforts to draw us off the true lines of the Chief Cornerstone.

Run everything past the Lord and listen to Him. Let’s use Him and only Him as our reference point.”

To leaders and others (including myself) who find or have found themselves and their lives wampejawed because they have not held to the true and unwavering lines of Jesus, the Chief Cornerstone, I say, “Have heart! Repent. It’s never too late! Man can never mess anything up beyond God’s ability to fix it. Repent! Agree with God! He isn’t surprised to discover we aren’t perfect. He knew that when He chose us.”

Please be assured that I am not writing this because I consider myself to have been a perfect builder in my own life or in the lives of others as a leader in the Church.

I have not been a perfect builder. I’ve made many mistakes.

I’m grateful for the Lord’s forgiveness and for the grace extended to me when I’ve confessed this to those over whom I watch.

Sometimes a builder will realize he’s accidentally gone off in his building. When he does, the wise builder just starts over and adjusts back to the Chief Cornerstone.

One of my favorite verses in the Bible is this one:

“Retain the standard of sound words which you have heard from me, in the faith and love which are in Christ Jesus.” (2 Timothy 1:13 - NASB)

The word “retain” means to “hold tightly onto”.

I quote this verse a lot in my writings because it means a lot to me but also because I need it.

Jesus is the ONLY TRUE reference point. His Word is true.

We would do well to familiarize ourselves with how He conducted Himself in the time He was on the earth and with how He IS eternally as revealed in the Bible.

But reading it to merely take in information is not enough. The Word of God is meant to reveal Jesus so we can effectively utilize Him as that Chief Cornerstone.

After all, what use is a standard if we don’t use it (HIM) in our daily lives?

Please join me in a commitment to actively heed Jesus as our reference point.

I want to be built up by Him, resulting in a sound spiritual "building".

“As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving. Beware lest anyone CHEAT you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.” (Colossians 2:6-10)

What do YOU want?

We will know what we want by how we live in Him.

Let’s live with and for and BY our King.

Pastor Mike McInerney

Mike McInerney Ministries, Inc.

Decatur, Texas

© July 28, 2016

(for use with permission)