Psalm 127:1 says, “Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain.” For the past several weeks, our church family has been laboring to build a home for the Quintana family in Penitas, Texas. We are partnering with Buckner Missions for our first ever “Project Homebuild” at ABC. It has been an exciting missions project, and 100+ volunteers have gotten in the game to help with the construction process. I’m proud to say that the building phase is now complete and beginning next week our volunteers will transition to disassemble the structure into strategic sections that we can ship. Later this fall, ABC will send a mission team to Penitas to help assemble the home for the Quintana family. But before we begin that load-out process, I would like to invite you to partner with us for a special time of dedication this weekend.
Solomon reminds us in Psalm 127 that our building efforts are in vain without the Lord’s blessing, so this Sunday, I’d like you to join me in asking for God’s special blessing over this home. Before and after our worship services and BFG’s, you will have an opportunity to write a favorite scripture and/or prayer on the home. We will write scripture on the floors, and we will pray that God’s Word will serve as the foundation for this family for years to come. We will write verses and prayers on the walls, and we will pray that God will protect this family and always be their source of strength and place of refuge. Our staff will have lots of sharpies available for you in the Great Hall, so please come ready to help us dedicate this home to the Lord. I do believe this house will serve as a great blessing to the Quintana family, but I also believe God’s presence and love is the greatest blessing they could have inside their home.
While we have been diligently working on the Quintanas’ home, we have also been working on our own homes these past few weeks. Last Sunday in our “Homebuilders” series, we studied God’s instructions for wives in Ephesians chapter five. This week, we will transition to God’s instructions for husbands, and I pray that each of us will receive these instructions and then get to work. The reality is each of our homes has work that needs to be done. This is why Paul tells us that we need to constantly take off the old and put on the new (Ephesians 4:22-24). I encourage you to remember Solomon’s words for your own house today: “unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain.” We cannot build Christ-centered homes without the enabling grace of Jesus Christ Himself every day. So I encourage you to also dedicate your own home to Him today. Commit to let God’s Word serve as your foundation and guide. When you do, you will discover that you are building a house on solid ground.
I look forward to seeing you this weekend in worship. Invite a friend to join you because you never know how one simple invitation could change someone’s life. Have a great week, I’ll see you Sunday.
Onward and upward,
Jonathan Spencer
www.jonathanspencer.org 