1 Peter 2:4–5 (NIV) “As you come to him, the living Stone, rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him, you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” So far, in this series: • We’ve carried a burden • Examined the blueprints • Laid the foundation And today we begin to see the house take shape. A foundation without a structure is just a slab in the dirt, so today it’s time to build up. God is not just building individuals, He is building a Unified, New Covenant, Spirit-filled structure. The Holy Spirit is not only interested in making you strong; He’s making US ONE. GOD BUILDS WITH LIVING STONES 1 Peter 2:5 “You also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house…” In ancient buildings, stones were hand-shaped to fit together perfectly. Tell story of Deans grandfather’s house No bricks. No mass production. Each piece was unique. God is placing you where you belong. You are not a loose stone. You are a living stone. A living stone with purpose, position, and people you’re connected to. You are not the whole wall, but an integrated important custom stone. Longfellow’s 6th stanza: “Let us do our work as well, Both the unseen and the seen; Make the house, where God may dwell, Beautiful, entire, and clean.” This speaks of intentionality and excellence in our building. Every part matters. Every role, every gift, every sacrifice builds something God wants to dwell in. SPIRIT-FILLED STRUCTURE IS HELD TOGETHER BY UNITY Ephesians 4:16 “From him the whole body, joined and held together… grows and builds itself up in love…” The Holy Spirit doesn’t just empower individuals, He joins them. Unity is not optional, it’s structural. The walls of Jerusalem would never have stood if every worker refused to stand next to their brother. We need to fight for: • Unity in doctrine • Unity in diversity • Unity in mission Side note: When you FIGHT for something, the expectation is you plan to WIN. When you DEFEND something, the assumption is that there is a possibility of losing. Here at GPHC, we need to FIGHT for what God is building & bringing together! Don’t just show up to church. Show up in alignment with your place in the structure. Imagine a beautiful stone wall. But half the stones are missing. Even worse, some stones want to be somewhere else. A Spirit-filled church isn’t just about gifting, it’s about fitting. SPIRITUAL GIFTS FORM THE FRAMEWORK 1 Corinthians 12:7 “Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.” The structure of the Spirit-filled church is built through: • The fruit of the Spirit: Character • The gifts of the Spirit: Power • The offices of the Spirit: Leadership You can’t build the church with just bricks (people). You need: • Beams (Leaders) • Windows (Visionaries) • Nails (Faithful Intercessors) • Lights (Teachers & Evangelists) You were never meant to be a solo ministry. You were made to fit into the spiritual house God is building. This is one block, strong, solid, with potential. But by itself, it doesn’t build anything. Now watch what happens when we start stacking blocks together. A Jenga tower starts with balance and structure. Every block is placed intentionally. But as we keep playing, we start removing blocks to see what the structure can tolerate. And that’s a picture of many churches today. We remove character to keep charisma. We pull out accountability for comfort. We sacrifice unity for individualism. We chase platforms and forget foundations. At first, the tower still stands. But eventually, it starts to wobble. Because even strong blocks, when moved out of place, can bring the whole thing down. The Spirit-filled Church isn’t built on clever stacking, it’s built on connection. Ephesians 4:16 says “From Him the whole body, joined and held together… grows and builds itself up in love.” That means we don’t just build with what we like or where we want. We build where the Spirit places us. So, if you’ve been tempted to pull away from the structure God placed you in. Realize, you’re not just affecting yourself. You’re affecting the strength of the whole. WE BUILD WITH PURITY AND EXCELLENCE Let us do our work as well. Make the house; beautiful, entire, and clean. The structure God desires is: • Beautiful, marked by love and worship • Entire, everyone doing their part • Clean, holy, pure, undivided We don’t cut corners when building God’s house. This includes: • Relational purity- forgiveness, no gossip • Financial integrity • Moral holiness The Spirit doesn’t dwell in structures that are impressive but pure. THE SPIRIT BUILDS THROUGH SUBMISSION, NOT STARDOM Ephesians 2:21 “the whole building is joined together and rise” We rise together, not by competing, but by submitting to the Spirit and one another. The modern Church is not a platform for performers, it’s a construction site where every worker matters. The church is not built on the talents of a few, but the sacrifices of many. Mission Statement: 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 place for the glory of God. You Fit into the Framework Maybe you’ve felt disconnected from the body. Maybe you’ve been resisting your place in the wall, wanting someone else’s place or refusing to be placed at all. Maybe you’ve lost your excellence in what you do for the Lord. Today, the Holy Spirit is saying: “Let Me place you where you belong. You are a living stone. You are not wasted. You are not forgotten.” This house needs you. Ask the Spirit to reveal your place. Ask the Spirit to restore unity. Ask the Spirit to purify the structure. Closing Prayer: “Holy Spirit, place us where we belong. Help us not just be stones on the ground, but a house for Your glory. Purify our motives. Unify our hearts. Let this be a house beautiful, entire, and clean, where You dwell in power. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”