Let’s begin by turning to Ephesians 2:19–22: “Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.” Matthew 6:33: “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you.” Luke 17:20–21: “Once, on being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied,“The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed, nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is in your midst.” Colossians 1:13–14: “For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” Last week, we began our new series “The Builders,” and we explored the first part titled: The Burden to Build. We learned that before there’s a vision, there is a burden. Before there’s movement, there’s intercession. Before the building, there is a manifestation of the vision provided by the burden. This week, we’re stepping into part 2: What Are We Building? The Blueprints of the Kingdom. Ever tried building amazon furniture without the manual? You get all the pieces… but no picture, no process. It’s the same when building a structure. Many Churches today are building with passion but without the proper blueprints and the result is often chaos or burnout. The New Covenant message is that blueprint. And the Kingdom is what we’re building. But not by ambition or hierarchy. The Blueprints of the Kingdom of God are provided by: • The finished work of Christ • The instructions in the word of God • The prompting of the Holy Spirit. Once the burden has been received, you don’t build without a plan. God is not only the Builder, but also the Architect. And the Holy Spirit is the Contractor, executing the divine design in us. Blueprints come from the master builder.God never asks us to build without giving us a plan. Ephesians 2:20: “built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.” If Jesus is the cornerstone, then the entire structure must align with Him. The church is not built on charisma or personality. The church is not built on talent or gifts. The church is not built on lights, smoke machines, or buildings. It is built on the Cornerstone of Christ and the blueprints of the Kingdom. Jesus said: “I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” But what kind of church is He building? Not a passive audience, but a living temple. 1 Peter 2:5: “You also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house…” That is you. You are a part of the divine blueprint. The Spirit-filled church is a building in progress Ephesians 2:22: “You too are being built…” The language here is present tense. It means this is still happening. A Spirit-filled church isn’t just one that sings with passion or prays in tongues. It’s a church that is submitted to the ongoing construction of God. We’re under renovation. God’s not just making us better versions of ourselves, He’s making us a dwelling place for Himself. What are the blueprints Let’s look at four pillars of Kingdom construction. You cannot build a Kingdom church without understanding its framework. FOUNDATION: The Word of God The apostles and prophets built their lives on Scripture and Spirit. Every Spirit-filled church must be anchored in the truth of the Word. You don’t build revival on emotion. You build it on revelation. CORNERSTONE: Christ-Centeredness Jesus is not an add-on or change order. He’s not just a Savior. He’s the structure itself. Every message, ministry, and meeting must point back to Him. Everything we do must be centered on the one lost sheep for which He died. FRAMEWORK: Spiritual Gifts & Unity The Spirit gives gifts for the common good. For the corporate good. The church is a body, and each member matters. You can’t build with just bricks. You need beams, nails, supports, windows. We need each other. And the Spirit gives each of us a role in the architecture of the church. PURPOSE: A Dwelling Place for God It’s not a performance space. Not a social club. The church is the dwelling of God. “Make the house where God may dwell; beautiful, entire, and clean.” (Longfellow, The Builders) Let’s return to our poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow from last week “The Builders”. Stanza 3: For the structure that we raise Time is with materials filled Our to-days and yesterdays Are the blocks with which we built This reminds us that time itself is our building material. Your todays and yesterdays, your choices, obedience, disciplines, they are the bricks in your spiritual structure. You build daily. Every prayer. Every act of love. Every time you say “yes” to God. You’re laying another brick. This stanza warns us that time is not neutral. You’re always building something. The question is, what? Stanza 4: "Truly shape and fashion these; Leave no yawning gaps between; Think not, because no man sees, Such things will remain unseen." Here Longfellow touches something deeply spiritual. Integrity in the hidden places. You can fool people, but you can’t fool the Architect. The Holy Spirit fills the unseen places. So, we don’t cut corners. We don’t leave gaps. What kind of foundation are you laying when no one’s looking? The Spirit-filled builder lives with eternal accountability. We shape our work, knowing God sees everywhere. The Spirit-filled Church Builds with Generational Vision Ephesians 2:21: “The whole building is joined together and rises…” The Kingdom is rising. It’s not finished. We are building for something greater than ourselves. That means we must: • Build for our children and their children. • Make room for the next generation’s anointing. • Hand tools to younger builders and teach them to build well. Legacy is not what you leave behind. Legacy is who you build up. Seek First the Kingdom, but Where Do You Start? This isn’t a hustle verse. It’s a priority verse. You seek it first by receiving His righteousness, not earning your own. Kingdom building starts by being made right, through the New Covenant, not works. We’ve been moved from the domain of darkness into Kingdom light, not by effort, but by redemption. This is the starting point of the blueprint: Union with Christ and His finished work. In Kingdom pursuit we must be careful in the understanding. The Kingdom isn’t in our buildings, brands, or positions. Apostolic churches don’t build monuments, they build people who carry Christ within. You don’t build a building — you build in people. If Christ isn’t being formed in people, you’re not building the Kingdom. We inherit, not earn, the Kingdom The Kingdom is not a promotion, it’s a promise. You don’t graduate into the Kingdom by personal or ministry success. It was prepared for you before you did anything. Our natural strength, ambition, and striving can’t produce Kingdom fruit. Transformation precedes participation. We need spiritual rebirth and identity first. Here is where charismatic churches have gone wrong. We moved from Pentecostal legalism to Kingdom language, without first establishing an identity in the New Covenant and Jesus. This created a generation of strivers instead of sons and daughters. Kingdom talk without New Covenant foundation leads to: • Striving for position • Comparing anointings • Burnout in leadership The Kingdom flows from union, not performance. From the blue print we must build on Christ and not credentials. Ephesians 2:20: “Built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the cornerstone.” Kingdom churches build with: • Christ as the Cornerstone • Identity as the framework • Union as the atmosphere • Service, not self-promotion Are we building based on ambition or alignment? If we’re not building on the blueprint of the New Covenant, we’re just busy, not fruitful. We must rest in the blue print. Lay down: • The need for titles • The need to “arrive” • The spiritual competition Invite people into: • Resting in identity • Trusting the slow, deep work of the Holy Spirit • Recommitting to build people, not platforms Are you building from union, or striving for position? Are you following the blueprints of the Kingdom? Or are you building with your own plans? A Spirit-filled life is a Spirit-directed life. A Spirit-filled church is a blueprint-obeying church. Let’s recite our Builder’s Mission Statement again, with fresh understanding: I am a builder. The Holy Spirit has placed a burden in me, to restore what’s broken, to strengthen what’s weak, and to prepare a dwelling for the glory of God. Prayer: “Father, we thank You for the divine blueprints. We confess and ask for forgiveness where we’ve built without your guidance. Holy Spirit, empower us to build with precision, purpose, and purity. May our lives and our church be the place where You dwell. Let us build today, so tomorrow may stand. In Jesus’ name, Amen."