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Building on the Rock

Building on the Rock

I remember, as a child, singing “The Wise Man Built His House Upon the Rock.”  The song is based on Jesus’ parable in Matthew chapter seven and teaches a spiritual reality through the object lesson of building houses with solid foundations. So what is the reality the parable is teaching, the true application of this parable to our lives?

Jesus said,

Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash (Matthew 7:24–27 NIV84).

First, I want to emphasize that regardless of where one builds, on the rock or on the sand, the storms will come. We all face trials, struggles, and problems in our lives, and as the second coming of Jesus approaches, the winds of strife will be let loose to blow upon the earth (Revelation 7:1–3) and the entire world will face ever-increasing “storms.”

We don’t have a choice to avoid the storms; rather, we get to choose what we build our lives upon. Where is our security, strength, and foundation for living—upon Jesus, the solid Rock, or on the shifting sands of this world?

The building that we are to accomplish is the development of our characters, and Jesus is to be the foundation of our character-building. When we build upon Jesus, He builds within us! Jesus is the Living Rock, and we are living stones that receive the life of Christ as we build upon Him. When we build upon Jesus, we become joined to Him and His life flows into us. We understand and love Him and His laws—the design protocols for life—and we are changed, reborn, into a new life.

As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by men 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 (1 Peter 2:4–5 NIV84).

Now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified (Acts 20:32 NIV84).

Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s 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 (Ephesians 2:19–22 NIV84).

Building upon Jesus means more than merely hearing His words; it is even more than believing His words. Building upon Jesus means choosing to put His words into practice. The words of Jesus are the words of truth. Jesus is the source of all truth, so those who build on the Rock of Jesus will develop minds that love truth, hunger after truth, and are eager to practice truth as soon as they comprehend it. They not only understand the truth, they also accept it, believe it, embrace it, and apply it to their lives—choosing to live out the truth, the principles they hold dear, in their everyday lifestyle, choices of friends, activities, and the methods they practice, especially in how they treat others.

But those who build on the sand show that they don’t love the truth; they are satisfied with their worldly views, ideas, perspectives, and they will practice the methods of this world, the values of this world—which are constantly changing, just like the shifting sands of a desert. They are on shifting sands because they are always motivated by fear and their hearts have been shaped to protect self and advance self at the expense of others. What one day they find immoral (such as a mandate that infringes on someone’s individuality), the next day they feel justified in doing in order to protect themselves.

Those who build on the Rock of Jesus build on the truth that Jesus revealed. And the greatest truth He revealed is: “Anyone who has seen [Jesus] has seen the Father” (John 14:9). By beholding God’s character of love as revealed in Jesus, we are transformed, renewed, won to trust, and built up by internalizing in our hearts the living Word of God.

In Jesus, we see God’s character and methods of love lived out. We study the life and teachings of Jesus and realize He taught that God’s kingdom, His government, is not of this world. God is Creator, and the Creator (who is love) builds reality, space, time, energy, matter, and life. And the Creator’s laws are the protocols upon which life operate. They are design laws.

But this world’s governments operate upon imposed rules that require external punishment to enforce them. This leads people to even greater fear and insecurity, greater injustice, greater willingness to harm others. The justice and security of human laws and government are constantly shifting, and those who build upon it will all fall when the winds of strife blow.

Building upon the Rock means we incorporate God’s design-law methods into our lives in how we govern ourselves. We don’t embrace and practice the methods of this world. Those who build upon Jesus experience a change in their confidence; they establish their lives, identities, and characters upon unshakable principles by which the universe is held together. They build upon the solid Rock, Jesus Christ, and in embracing the truth and trusting Jesus, they open their hearts for Jesus to build into them His unchanging, unshifting character, to write His design law of love, truth, liberty into their hearts and minds (Hebrews 8:10). We become united, at-one with God through Jesus, who builds us up as we choose to build upon Him.

We are truly alive only as we reconnect to the vine, Jesus Christ, and receive His life, His character, His methods, and His law is restored within us. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5 NIV84).

The Bible combines the metaphors of a living rock and a plant:

So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness (Colossians 2:6, 7 NIV84).

You are God’s field, God’s building (1 Corinthians 3:9 NIV84).

To build upon the Rock that is Jesus is to choose to trust Him, to surrender all to Him. The people who do this experience a transforming supernatural power that frees them from fear, insecurity, uncertainty, and doubt. Such people know God and have been transformed into His friends, who understand His character, methods, and principles—how reality works. They discern what is happening in the world, and they have surrendered their lives, fortunes, families, and futures into God’s hands. They do not live for self but live to glorify God in living out His methods and principles in all they do. They can make sure decisions because they know how reality works.

Then, when the storms of life rage and the winds of strife blow, the characters (houses) of such people will stand. They will stand firm revealing God’s character of love—they refuse to use the methods of the world: violence, propaganda, coercion, mandates, and control. Instead, they present truth in love and leave others free. They pray for those who persecute them, as they refuse to shrink from death. They refuse to give in to fear-provoked survival drives; they stand firm in the face of every trial, for their characters are built upon the solid Rock.

Therefore arm your minds with God’s full set of armor so that when Satan’s grand deception comes and it seems the heavens are about to fall, you are able to stand; and when you have done everything to present the truth and expose Satan’s lies–don’t falter; stand! Stand firm, with the truth of God wrapped around you like a belt; with a righteous, Christlike character developed within–like a breastplate; and the peace that comes from accepting the good news about God–like track shoes providing good traction and a solid foundation. Also, hold fast the shield of trust, which extinguishes all the burning fear and insecurity brought by the devil’s temptations. Take with you the helmet of a healed mind–a mind protected from the assaults of Satan; and attack the lies about God with the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God–the truth. And talk with God with an enlightened mind, intelligently, on all occasions, about all of your concerns, requests, plans, and issues. With all of this in mind, be alert and always keep praying for God’s people (Ephesians 6:13–17 The Remedy).

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Testimony 66

I am incredibly grateful for the transformative impact you’ve had on my life, and words cannot fully express my appreciation. Over the years, I have been an avid listener and follower of C&R and extend my heartfelt thanks for creating the C&R mobile app. It has allowed me to immerse myself in your lessons repeatedly, enabling me to grasp the profound significance about the Character of God, Design Law, the protocols for life, the reasons behind the current chaos, and Christ’s mission to restore everything. They have deeply touched me. Having studied with various churches, I came away with the perception that God is no different from the deities of ancient Greek or Roman mythology—demanding sacrifices and taking pleasure in bloodshed. Thanks to your transformative teachings, I have experienced a profound awakening to the true nature of God and the immense power of His love. It is truly a remarkable and liberating sensation to finally grasp the truth and embrace the empowering nature of God’s laws. My self-perception has become brighter and more infused with love. My journey of growth continues on a daily basis.

Chris P., Lake Mary, FL, USA

 

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Testimony 63

I’ve been very blessed by “The God Shaped Brain” and this ministry, through video and podcast, over the last few years. It’s truly opened up my eyes more to the truth about God and the importance of that truth in the present world. The message is so inviting, freeing and enlightening and MORE people need to know about it. I believe it is the last message that can truly, not only prepare a people for salvation and translation, but vindicate the character of God.

Michael V., Yonkers, NY, USA

 

Testimony 62

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Testimony 69

After reading your book, ‘Could It Be This Simple,’ someone was explaining Christianity in a way that made sense to me for the first time in my life. One morning, I simply prayed “I’m sorry and I love you.” As soon as I silently said that, I could literally feel God’s presence and light flood down on me from above and fill me up with love and joy. I sat there crying my eyes out, because I was so overpowered with this feeling of love and joy. It was just so incredible. I hope that more people can read this book and get a blessing from it. It’s really amazing.

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Testimony 61

I grew up in a prominent protestant church and had what I like to call religious anxiety. I’ve always had questions about God and Salvation that no one could seem to answer.  I didn’t know how to find resolution. During 2020, at the height of my anxiety, I fell to my knees and begged God to show me truth and light and to give me the hope that I’ve been longing for. Days later, I stumbled upon your online videos and it was like a veil was lifted and EVERYTHING made sense! For the first time in my almost 39 years of life, my religious/spiritual anxiety has lessened. I feel a sense of freedom and peace I’ve NEVER had before… and it’s all because my view of God has changed. Thank you!

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Testimony 25

I just want to say thank you so much for your conversations via YouTube. I regularly tune in to your lectures, “Let’s Talk” sessions, and many others. Through these I’ve found greater depth and meaning to God’s word. Thanks for all that you do and please continue. I’m currently working in the middle of Silicon Valley at Stanford University. I feel like God really has me in the right place right now and I’m sensing that your teachings might be part of it.

B. F., Silicon Valley, CA, USA

 

Testimony 29

Thank you for all of your work to correct misconceptions about God’s character. So many people that my husband and I have talked to seem to be against the natural law construct and view it as “errant” and “dangerous.” Having learned more about it through your blogs and lessons, I don’t really understand why they view it that way, except that it means they have to relearn theology they have known for their entire lives. But I’m so excited to relearn this. For the past few years I have been questioning how I could trust a God who punishes arbitrarily and is full of wrath for those who don’t obey His commands. That view made me afraid to “mess up” or “not be good enough,” even within my relationship with God. I really appreciated the point you bring out about God not wanting us to serve Him because we are afraid, but because we love Him.

Melissa H., IN, USA

 

Testimony 38

Since November 2015, when I started studying Gods word from this God Is Love point of view, my life has been transformed. My troubled marriage of 15 years has been healed and my husband and I are truly happy for the first time in 15 years. Now When I read the word of God I understand it so much better and I can’t help but see Gods love radiating through the pages to humanity. Gods word is living and active and I am blessed beyond measure to be having this amazing experience. God has given me a beautiful understanding of Jn 3:16 that amazes me more and more each day. Thank you again for your ministry.

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Testimony 26

Your teachings about our heavenly Father have changed my life. Thank you sooooooo very very much! I know He’s doing some serious healing in my heart and life and I look forward to each new day to learn something new about Him and to just hear you speak about Him. Thank you, forever.

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Testimony 42

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Testimony 17

The blessings of clarity and understanding you and your class inspire me to take from the word of God have impressed upon me so greatly the true, loving character of our Creator. I have found amazing freedom and joy through building a stronger, more intentional relationship with Him. What is new is that this is now a relationship built on love, reverence and respect rather than fear and obligation, and as such my eyes have been slammed OPEN as I am continually impressed by the manifestations of God’s true character in His provisions for fallen man.

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