Acts 4
By Pastor Brad
Water. Fiber. Rock! Sand. Rock! Sand. Water. Rock! Sand. Repeat 400 times.
It’s not rocket science, but that’s how you make concrete when you’re on a mission trip in Juarez, Mexico.
I’ve had the privilege of participating with Casas por Cristo and TFNAZ on three separate mission trip experiences. Together we have built three homes for three deserving families that live just beyond the US boarder of El Paso, Texas. It is truly amazing what can be accomplished in just 3 days. I’m reminded also what happened to Christ in just 3 days, but that’s another story.
The most important day of construction is Day 1. It’s on this day that we prepare the ground by raking, shoveling and leveling the dirt. Concrete forms are placed, squared, leveled and fastened securely. Then, the tedious, repetitious, backbreaking process begins.
Foundation.
The formula for this foundation is a bucket of each: water, fiber, rock, sand, rock, sand, water and sand. And that is just for one wheelbarrow of concrete. We did that between 200 & 400 times depending on the size of the house being built.
The foundation of the house is the most important part. If you don’t get it right—the rest of the house won’t be right either.
In Acts chapter 4, Peter and John are before the “greatly disturbed” Sanhedrin. They asked Peter and John as to what power or name they had healed the crippled beggar sitting at the temple gate called Beautiful. This is Peter’s response found in verses 8-12.
Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: “Rulers and elders of the people! If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a cripple and are asked how he was healed, then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. He is “’the stone you builders rejected, which has become the capstone.’ Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”
Jesus is the Capstone, the Cornerstone, The Foundation of Salvation. If we do not build our lives on Him….our house will surely fall.
It’s not rocket science. The formula for this foundation:
read the Word,
pray the Word,
live the Word,
sing the Word.
Repeat daily.
The following video is a time elapsed still photos taken in the course of the 3 day house construction in Mexico.
Double click box below to see the 3 day house construction.
