Shaken and Unshaken

As my family and I were watching a documentary by NOVA on the massive building "Hagia Sophia", pronounced Haya-Sophia the Holy Spirit began to speak to my spirit.  This massive church was first constructed by Emperor Justinas around 500AD to display his piety but also the power of the kingdom he had built.  We human beings have a desire to build, not just for the practical needs of housing and shelter but well beyond.

The documentary revealed the history Hagia Sophia, it was taken over and converted to a Roman Catholic Church, then later conquered by one of the Sultan's who turned it into a Muslim Mosque.  In our modern time it has become neutral as a Museum. Yet in the midst of all these tumultuous times, these were not the greatest threat to the mega structure.  Earthquakes were the greatest threat, since it was built on a very large fault line and there had been many great quakes that did not bring it down.  At one point in the documentary, they were trying to figure out how to strengthen the structure to keep it from falling so they built a model to be put on a shake table.  This shake table simulated earthquakes that would hit this massive structure.

This is the point where the Holy Spirit began to take me on a journey, to show me that the most important buildings are not buildings at all but people.  Paul points out that we are the Temple of the Holy Spirit, meaning that God does not dwell in buildings but in people.  The shake table reminded me of the shaking mentioned in Hebrews 12:26-28 (God will shake the earth and the heavens but we receive a kingdom that cannot be shaken).  Our lives are like being on the shake table when the model was being tested, the structures of the heart and mind that were built by human hands begin to crack (structures influenced by orphan living, the enemy, and the world).  At the same time as the these structures are being torn down (IE. lies, pride, self-righteousness, bitterness, and unforgiveness), structures of the kingdom are being erected by the Spirit of God (truth, humility, love, character and our new identity as sons and daughters).

We must learn as the shaking in our lives comes these are simply tests to help us build the structure of our lives on truth revealed by the Holy Spirit, so we can withstand when the real earthquakes come.  The structures of the flesh must come down since they are built on a sinking foundation of trusting in our selves, rather than trusting in Christ.  Orphan structures of the heart and mind are being shaken, while out of the ashes we as sons and daughters are arising.

Built on Christ,
Bret