Image: Mecha model by Legomatic on Mecabricks
Part 1 – Check the Instructions
Failure to construct well is a setup for deconstruction.
In an infamous Lego Masters episode, a team had put painstaking hours into an impressive build, only to watch it fall apart as they rushed it into place. It goes without saying how much easier it is to wreck a build than to maintain a build. Anyone who endeavors to make a large-scale Lego build will take certain precautions to avoid inevitable disaster.. Well, anyone who has toddlers, cats, or clumsy visitors anyhow… Or anyone who wants to transport their build to somewhere other than a sacred room. Failure to plan is to plan for failure, as the saying goes. Such is the case in planning a secure build. Failure to construct well is a setup for deconstruction. Maintaining that construction involves the four-letter word “work”, as does anything worthwhile. If your relationship with God goes deeper than a cross necklace or a social media profile, then you desire to avoid deconstruction. The love of Christ also compels you to instruct others in love.
In a previous blog, we discussed how vital it is to build on the right foundation, that foundation being Christ. Jesus used the illustration of a man building on sand. Such a man doesn’t even require much effort to deconstruct his house, since the shifting sand will do that well enough on its own. There are many pitfalls that could lead away from the foundation. A person might build on an impressive philosophy or hold to great political values. And yet we are told that if those ideals begin to shift away from the Truth – Jesus – then our build is at risk for disaster. It’s fine to listen to Christian voices, but how often is it filtered through the precious red letters of Jesus’ voice?
…And in order to make my set match the awesome picture, I would need to go back and find just what I had missed in the instructions.
A sense of accomplishment filled me, as I thought I had completed a big Lego set. I can’t even remember which set, but I remember my frustration. I had ended up with extra pieces, and I noticed the subtle flaws in my work. I knew that somewhere along the line, I had not been very careful. And in order to make my set match the awesome picture, I would need to go back and find just what I had missed in the instructions. So it is with the Bible. Western culture has become all too sloppy by mishandling the most critical of instructions for mankind. And then it’s assumed the Bible is the issue – which would be like me blaming the Lego instructions for my mistakes. Satan utilized an effective deconstruction strategy when he took verses out of context. That is, it would have been effective against the ill-prepared. Jesus was so saturated with the Word – because He is the Word – that He was able to counter each passage and line it up with the whole counsel of God. Then, Jesus went on to live out the principles He so firmly stood on. If the behaviors of your life were put into a big mosaic, how much would it resemble the instructions of the Bible?
In our study on deconstructing brickwork, we’ll discover good, bad, and ugly builds. 1 Corinthians 3:10-15 uses the allegory of building on the foundation of Christ, and goes on to describe valuable versus worthless construction. Yes, we can begin in Christ and try to heap vain philosophies and stagnant lifestyles atop that foundation. We ought to do something about these errors, but please do not walk away from the solid foundation! The wisdom of Ecclesiastes says there is a time for everything, including “a time to tear down and a time to build”. We are also instructed to dismantle any thought that challenges the knowledge of God (2 Cor. 10:4-5). From what I’ve seen in the deconstruction movement, as today’s churches drift from the Bible, many let downs are more due to churchianity than actual Christianity. If you must deconstruct, take aim at the many half-baked arguments or misrepresentations of Christ. I have been diligent to do so, and have found the foundation standing strong as ever.
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