The Church's One Foundation: March 19th Devotional

The Church's One Foundation

Matthew 16:13-18

March 19th Devotional

On this day in 1882, the first stone is laid for one of the most breathtaking churches in all of Europe, the Sagrada Familia Basilica, located in Barcelona Spain.  The brainchild of the church was a bookkeeper named José María Bocabella.  Jose or Josep was enchanted by the huge, Gothic-style churches in Italy and felt that Spain would be best served by replicating one for itself.  Bocabella was a devout Catholic and wanted to create a place to worship the ‘holy family’, thus the name Sagrada Familia.  The first stone was laid on this day by the original architect named Francisco Paula del Villar.  Villar was a well-known Spanish architect who was familiar with designing and building churches.  He quit the project shortly after it started due to disagreements with Bocabella.  The task then fell onto the shoulders of a Catalan-born Spanish architect named Antoni Gaudi.  Gaudi is considered to be the most prolific Spanish architect of all time and would turn the project on its head.  The original design of the church was meant to be simple, but Gaudi would create an architectural masterpiece. The 31-year-old architect was already considered a genius and integrated his bold, unique style into the Sagrada Familia. His vision was beyond huge.  The church was designed to have 18 towers, 3 facades, and most artistic flair than any other religious structure.  Gaudi was a deeply devout Catholic who wanted the church’s design to tell a story.  The three facades would represent the nativity, passion, and glory of Christ. Gaudi would tragically die before he could complete the structure but left detailed plans on how to finish it.  The church would endure difficult times through the years.  It suffered through a fire that was started by rebels and countless other delays. Incredibly, after 141 years, the church remains unfinished.  An estimated finish date of 2026 has been set, but most people feel it will take much longer.  The Taj Mahal, the Great Wall of China, and the great pyramids were built faster than this church.  When it is finished it will be the tallest religious structure in all of Europe. Over four million tourists flock to this beautiful piece of art each year.

      I had a chance to visit the Sagrada Familia in 2002 and it was beyond breathtaking.  There are more details than my eyes or brain could ever process. There is one major problem with the Sagrada Familia.  It is built on a poor foundation, and I don’t mean the ground upon which the mammoth structure is built, I mean the spiritual foundation.  The church is gorgeous and glamorous, but it’s dead.  It’s dead because the Gospel is not the focal point of the ministry.  Any church that does not have the Gospel of Jesus Christ as the foundation is dead.  Many beautiful structures are dead while there are many tiny churches in the hollers of Appalachia that are alive. Churches adorned with stained glass windows might not share Christ while Chinese Christians meeting in dark caves are in love with Jesus.  Churches with great music and wonderful entertainment and large programs might miss the mark of the Gospel while people meeting in the open air of jungles are worshipping the Savior.  A lot of Western Christians have almost created an idol out of our building.  We fight over the color of curtains, carpets, and even the type of toilet paper the church purchases.  Jesus spoke about the foundation of the church in Matthew 16. He asked His followers who they thought He was, and Peter rightly affirmed, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God.”  Most of us are familiar with Jesus' response in verse eighteen, “That thou art Peter, and upon this rock, I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”  Christ will build His church on a foundation, but what foundation?  Stone?  On Peter? No.  Christ builds His church upon Himself.  The church isn’t about buildings, programs, music style, how you dress, or where you are located, instead it is built upon Jesus Christ alone.  Our physical churches are stationary, they don’t move.  The real ‘house of God’ isn’t an address, but people who come to worship Christ.  May we as believers not forget that.  My prayer is that God would open our eyes beyond the place of worship, to the person of worship.  Let’s not focus on drapes and curtains, but on the Gospel and the Word of God.  Let’s be more concerned about the people outside of the building instead of the building itself.