As Armstrong Auditorium was being constructed, we saw a great deal of work done over a long period of time on the foundation before the structure itself was ever erected. The foundation for Armstrong Auditorium is what architects call “pier and beam.” The pillars are anchored to bedrock. This ensures that the building won’t shift and crack. The pillars, working in conjunction with the beams, are the foundation for Armstrong Auditorium. The pillars and beams really support a lot of weight when they are working together in unison.
Foundations are vital in your life too. The kind of foundation you build for your life determines how well you will stand against the earthquakes, storms and floods that are coming. Will you stand firm?
Just as with a physical building, there are two major foundational components of a real Christian life.
1. Believe in God
The first foundational component of your life is to believe in God.
But which God?
Lesson 35 of the Herbert W. Armstrong College Bible Correspondence Course, which talks about the major religions of the world, is pure gold. One section is called: “A World in Religious Confusion.” None of the world’s religions actually teach the truth of God, but their adherents don’t know that. We are truly privileged to know what we know.
1 Chronicles 16:26 tells us that the gods of the people are idols. Idol means “good for nothing; by analogy, vain or vanity; something of no value; a thing of naught.” What is the evidence that their beliefs are naught—useless? Christ said you can judge a good or bad tree by its fruits. How can you tell that someone does not believe in the right God? You go by the fruits.
The fruits of this world are unspeakably evil: “Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God” (Galatians 5:19-21).
God doesn’t want us to have fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness (Ephesians 5:11) This world sees everything backward, calling darkness light and bitterness sweet (Isaiah 5:20).
The only true God brings you to the light, to clarity in your life. He brings you peace, no more anxiety. Living the wrong way creates a lot of stress. It may look so good, but the fruits tell us which god—God or Satan—is inspiring it.
The Sabbath is the sign that separates us from other people (Exodus 31:13). That identifies you. You are saying: Yes, I am a child of this true God. I carry this sign, and I’m going to hang on to it no matter what—whatever it takes.
When you allow the Spirit to lead you, you manifest good fruit (Galatians 5:22-23). The Spirit does not force you like wrong influences do. You need to seek after wisdom. If you take the step to ask, then you will receive (Matthew 7:7).
Are you sure you know that this God exists? Could you stand up to someone who tells you that God isn’t real? Those people don’t like the idea of God because they don’t like to be under government. They want to do what they want to do. Like the hippies say, If it feels good, do it. You have been chosen to be different. In today’s world, you are peculiar (1 Peter 2:9).
Why is God’s marvelous light so great? Because it is the light of understanding. Any doctrine that you really want to prove is in one of the Church’s booklets or the correspondence course. We are in the light of God. This whole world is in darkness, and this little remnant is the only light. God has called us out of the darkness and into His light. For whatever reason, He has chosen you. You are a chosen generation. If that is so, it behooves you to build on solid bedrock—to dig deep and establish these pillars.
One of those pillars is Mystery of the Ages. Dig and dig until it goes all the way to your foundation. Malachi’s Message is another pillar that shows where God is working today.
2. Believe God-Inspired Scripture
The second foundational component of your life is to believe in God-inspired Scripture.
Lesson 15 of the Bible correspondence course is about the authority of the Bible. It shows that the Bible is the most popular book in the world. There are more copies of the Bible than any other book, and it has been translated into over 300 languages. Peter Waldo would have never dreamed that the Bible he was copying in the late 12th century would become so widespread.
God preserved the Bible for you—for this generation.
What is the biggest proof that the Bible is the Word of God? Fulfilled prophecy. You can see that prophecy has been fulfilled in awesome, dramatic ways. Prophecy is being fulfilled as you read this right now. If you’re watching and praying, you know that many prophecies are being fulfilled today. Consider the Daniel 2 image. How could Daniel have known that there would be a European Union in this time that will be comprised of 10 nations—10 toes? Isn’t that exciting?
We see that the terrible times are coming. Think of your life as a house of God. There are storms around, but that building is designed to weather the storms. It is a strong, beautiful structure. We should want to be like that—with beautiful landscaping, a gorgeous inside, elegant decor, and constructed with the best materials. Pastor General Gerald Flurry has said we need to strive for excellence. Remember Matthew 5:48.
You want to be a structure like Armstrong Auditorium. Build your life like that—with a solid foundation sitting on bedrock, with this pillar-and-beam structure solidly beneath you as your foundation. How do you show your belief? With your actions.
The Armor of God
A construction worker has to wear certain clothes: a safety helmet, steel-toed boots, tool belt, etc. If a construction worker showed up without proper attire, our site manager, Roger Brandon, would not let him on the building site! As a Christian, you need special attire too, and it is called the armor of God (Ephesians 6:11-18).
There is a war going on between your ears, in your mind. Satan wants to control your mind, but you want God to illuminate and fill your life. We wrestle—we battle—something that is unseen, the rulers of darkness that want to convince you to go over to their side (verse 12). They call good bad and bad good. To fight that assault, you must put on your spiritual armor every day.
Are you going to go dressed properly? For a real Christian, this is your attire. Your fight is against three daily enemies: 1) your own carnal nature; 2) the sinful society around us; 3) Satan the devil.
Pray and study daily. Organize your life so you can do these important things. That is how you show that you really believe in God and that you really believe that the Bible is the Word of God. That is how you can build this solid foundation so you can enjoy the beautiful building you made of your life.
There is no end to the blessings God has in mind for us. Take this armor and put it on daily because that’s what a real Christian does.
And dig deeply into the bedrock. Get your pillars set up, believe in God, and study God-inspired Scripture. When you do, God will build on that foundation, making a stunningly beautiful structure out of your life that has been designed by God Himself.