In this building every stone is important

We are going to look in the First Book of Peter chapter 2 that talks about the construction of a building because we are building a building but it is much more than that, God is building a people and we are living a historical moment, a moment of transition in life of this Congregation.

There are moments, the beginning of this Church in the South End, a small group of people there in Villa Victoria there worshiping God, when Pastor Roberto came here, that was something new, right? a new moment in the history of this Church when he became Pastor very early.

Then when he was in Cambridge and then when he moved from Cambridge when we crossed a river here, right? cross the river like Joshua, opening the waters and here we are at another key moment of transition.

All those who have come before, some who perhaps are not here because God has taken them to other places are part of this town, they are part of this process and each one who is the most recent arrival, there are many here who are their first day here in this Church; it's your first day: you are part of what God is doing. The Word of God says that the last will be the first so some who are the newest comers are the most important in this process.

But God is building something and yes, there is a physical structure and this is important but there is also a human, human emotional structure that God is making and you and I are part of it but it is something that we have to accept to be part of, it is not automatic. God asks us to say yes to His purpose at this moment in the life of this Congregation.

So let's read together or I'm going to read First Peter chapter 2 verse 4 onwards which says: "Come near to Him, a living stone rejected by men but chosen by God and precious. You also as living stones, be built as a spiritual house and holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ."

For which reason the Scripture also contains: "Behold, I place in Zion the chief cornerstone, chosen, precious, and whoever believes in Him will not be put to shame. For you who believe, He is precious, but for those who do not believe the The stone that the builders rejected has become the head of the corner and a stone of stumbling and a rock that causes people to fall, because they stumble at the Word being disobedient to which they were also destined.But you are a chosen lineage, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people acquired by God so that you may announce the virtues that He called you out of darkness into His admirable light."

"You who in another time were not a people but who are now the people of God, who in another time had not obtained mercy but now you have obtained mercy." And Lord, this is what we affirm today: none of us, this Congregation, deserve anything, we cannot claim anything before You by our own strength or goodness or fidelity, we claim instead of a right to be chosen, we claim Your mercy Lord, that You chose us despite everything and Lord we receive Your mercy on this day. We are a people built by You Lord, we receive it in Your Name and I ask You to speak to us through Your Word today, amen, amen.

I want to start with the end of this text. Look at the end it says: "You who in another time were not a people but who are now God's people, who in another time had not obtained mercy but now you have obtained mercy" your entry card into this Church is not to be a person decent but to be a person forgiven by the Lord, to be a person who knows that he needs to be forgiven by God.

If you don't need you don't need. This Church is for people who come knowing: I need Your mercy and this text comes out of a precious image from the Old Testament. How many of us know the story of Hosea? a prophet who was called to marry a prostitute, go figure. Please don't get ideas of going out to I don't know what: "Well God called me" well whatever. Hosea was called to marry a prostitute, they had two children and imagine those names.

The first name: lo-ruhama which means: "not loved" what name is not? poor. The second child was called: lo-ammi which means "not My people" messages that God had rejected the people of Israel for their sin, their idolatry, so these children were symbols of God's prophetic punishment on the people.

But then this woman named Gomer, she behaved badly and was unfaithful to her husband and committed adultery, God tells Hosea: now you know how I feel, my people have been unfaithful to me but now I want you to go and that you receive her again, that you forgive her and that you marry her again. And the Word says something precious, that in the place where he says: that I am going to marry you again, God says, I want to read this: forgive me.

Hosea chapter 2 verse 20 says, "I will betroth you faithfully to myself, and you shall know the Lord." There was a re-marriage, a remarriage, a renewal of vows and God says: this is what you and I are doing Israel and He says at the end: "I will have mercy lo-ruhama and I will say to lo-ammi, not my people that you are now My people and he will say: You are my God." Those who were not a people before are now the people of God, those who were rejected and not loved before are now chosen and loved and precious to God and that is the people of God.

We are a group of people with defects, weaknesses, and sins, but we are a people that has received mercy from Jehovah, that God has said: now you are My people, now you are loved; no matter what you have been called before, you are Mine. Mercy, is the basis of everything.

And so this text begins talking about a spiritual structure. He says that we come to Jesus and he compares Jesus to a stone, a stone called a corner stone, I am not a builder but I understand that the entire building is based on this stone, if this stone is bad the whole building is evil. Jesus is compared to our corner stone, the main stone in the foundation.

And it says that this stone was discarded by the men who were building but chosen by God and precious to Him and we are living stones that come to Him. A new building was built, it is being built even better said, there is still much more to do so don't stop fighting in that but God is building another kind of temple, He is building a building that uses peculiar bricks, that uses rare stones that are you and me, that we are living stones. You are the building of God, building of God.

And in this building each stone is important, it's easy in a large group to feel insignificant, that I come, I go and nobody notices but you know what? there is one who realizes, there is no one who does not have an importance here. I understand that most of the important systems are not visible, like in a body right? the most important organs are not the ones that are seen but the interior ones, maybe it is inside, maybe it is ugly but you die without that organ, right? that's how it is in the building.

Perhaps some may think: oh, I'm not worth whether I go or not, let's see what I do but no, you are a part that God wants to put in this spiritual structure and you are a living stone, which means that you have the option of resist being built or accept that the builder puts you where He wants you to be, amen?

So there are different parts. The heating system, I thank God for the heating system today, right? is working. Does anyone want to be a tube that is used for heating? Does anyone want to be a part of that? Do you want to be a wire, what is it called, a wire for electricity? maybe the pipe, how about plumbing who wants to be a part of building plumbing and pipes? but if you are not we all get wet. If the roof above is exposed to the rain, the snow, you can't see it but it's there and if it isn't we all get wet in here.

You are important, more than you think, you are not here by chance or because you chose to be here, you are here because there is a builder who has chosen you like a living stone and has a place to put you and you have to accept that. Some say: but I don't want to be a tube, I don't want to be a roof, I want to be, in the morning it occurred to me: I want to be a conga, amen? (laughs) I want to play conga with a microphone, make noise, be heard. You go where the builder puts you and it's important, it's important and if you're not there the building suffers.

We need each one in this time more than ever to place themselves there at God's disposal and say: Lord, I want to be part of this building that you are building. Now I understand that to prepare stones and rocks do not fit naturally, they have to be prepared. I guess you have to use a hammer, some good hammering and pounding I don't know if it's used for stones, pounding, sawing, jackhammer maybe God has to use a jackhammer to prepare you to fit, are you willing?

You would see if he has to undo metal things with terrible heat to aim them with others. If we really want to be united to the body of God, we have to undergo a process of preparation and formation by God and perhaps it will not be comfortable, what is more: I assure you that it will not be comfortable but it will be glorious because after you you are a beautiful part of a beautiful building. If you think a brick is so beautiful that you don't need the structure, well, you're going to be a very nice brick there in the field or I don't know what, in the street. I want to be part of something, we need each other in that, amen? built.

But what are we building here, what kind of building is being built? I was thinking that it is important that we think at this moment more than ever about our mission, our function, our identity as a temple, as a Church. One can arrive and see all the classes we give: oh but this is a school! No? and I believe a lot in education. Jesus taught a lot, a lot of teaching in His life, but are we a school? no, some say no, we are not a school.

We talk a lot about health, right? that people come to the Church, know Christ and God heals them from their ailments. I believe in that, we are a hospital. I put this in discipleship: we are like a hospital but we are not a hospital. How about we have missions that go out to society and do great things.

The ministry of academic resources goes to the public schools and has influence there. We have another ministry that helps immigrants, Alpha Agency. We have another ministry that helps young people make good decisions, Vale Esperar. Are we a social agency? well I love social workers, thank God for them but we are not a social agency.

Some say: well, are we madhouse? Well sometimes it seems, money is given. Are we a business? I hope not. Jesus overturned the tables and said: you have changed My Father's house into a den of thieves, right?

There is good music here. Are we a concert theater? nothing to see Then, what are we? The Bible says in verse 5 of First Peter chapter 2, it says: "You also as living stones, be built up as a spiritual house and a holy priesthood to offer acceptable spiritual sacrifices to God through Jesus Christ. We are not a hospital or a school or social agency or movie theater, we are a spiritual house, we are a house where the God of the universe lives.

We are a house that we can host for the King of the universe, look for this place, this town and say that My Presence will put there in them and they will be priests offering sacrifices before the Presence of God and this Presence will run through them and They are going to teach a lot, for this there are classes, they are going to teach children and adults how to be worshipers of the living God and how to serve Him and how to live for Him, for this there are classes. There is healthcare but it is not because we believe we are a hospital at all, no. The Presence of God is what heals.

The Presence is not negotiable. Moses said: Oh God Jehovah if you do not go with us do not send us from this place because what will distinguish us from the other peoples of the Earth if you do not go with us, if we do not have the Presence of God among us we are equal to any organization; but we are not an organization, we are a living organism with the Presence of a living God among us and this healthy Presence, this free Presence, this Presence of Jehovah transforms society and for this reason we leave here and do missions in schools and with the youth and with the immigrant community, we do that because the power of God flows through us to transform the world. We are a temple for the Holy Spirit and we are priests in this temple, thank God.

And we offer our bodies as living sacrifices so that when this sacrifice goes out into the world it will carry the Presence of God in it. If I work in a hospital there the light of Christ will be seen through me, if one works taking care of children the face of Christ will be seen in these children, if I work in a factory, there among all the people will see that there is something different in this person, he comes representing a living God; there is something different about us, there should be something different about us.

And all this is because we base ourselves on a special stone. Jesus is ours, what I said before: cornerstone. I understand that if this stone is not there the whole building falls down. Jesus Christ is our cornerstone in this particular temple, Jesus Christ is non-negotiable for us, amen?

Some will say: well that is obvious we are a Christian Church, of course Jesus is important. It is important to say it brothers because it is possible to go to Church and do religious things, sing songs, even read the Bible and Jesus is not in the thing. Jesus in the middle, Jesus directing, Jesus in charge of everything that is done, the whole building based on Him.

The Pastor has no right to do what he wants, who? discipleship level 1 who is the leader of the Lion of Judah Congregation? He is the King Jesus Christ, King of kings, Lord of lords, head of the body and the Pastor seeks to discern what He wants done, the Pastor seeks what to preach and he preaches this, we do not have the luxury of cutting the pages of the Bible that we don't like, amen?

This stone, Jesus, was a rejected stone and a scandalous stone, right? that caused people to stumble. If we want to be an acceptable Church, a normal, decent Church that does not scandalize anyone, we stop being a Church and go back to being something different. We are going to scandalize, we are going to offend. Jesus offended many people by His statements, His teaching, His Person.

Now: we must be sure to offend for the right reasons, right? We shouldn't offend people by being offensive people, I hope, right? for being rude, for being abrupt, for being arrogant, right? but we should not be afraid of offending because the Word of God teaches certain things that are not popular in society, we are going to be faithful to the Word whatever it is; our goal is not to be politically correct but biblically correct and so there is an anointing that flows. He is our rock and Jesus is non-negotiable.

So what kind of people are we going to be? How are we going to make this new community that God is building? I want you to think a little with me about your spiritual identity. Yesterday I was in the street with the brothers who go to the street every Saturday and minister there and the preacher, an excellent preacher from our Church, his name is Danny, he spoke to the people about his identity and he said: look, if you had an identification card right? what does this ID card say? And this is how you identify yourself to society. Well, God wants to take your ID card, and He wants to redo this card, and have new things read out that maybe you wouldn't have put there.

So let's look at our identification card in First Peter 2 verse 9: "But who are you? Chosen lineage" and what do you do, what is your job, what is your occupation? royal priesthood and your nationality, what is your nationality? holy nation citizen and what kind of person are you? oh I am a people acquired by God and what is the passion of your life? proclaim the virtues of the one who called me out of darkness into His admirable light. Our ID card, this is who we are.

In the Book of Exodus God gave these words to the people when He said: "You have seen what I did to the Egyptians and how I carried you on eagle's wings and brought you to Myself; now if you will give ear to My Voice and If you keep My covenant, you will be My special treasure over all peoples, because the land is Mine. You will be My kingdom of priests and holy people, a special treasure."

I don't know if you see the person next to you as a special treasure, I hope so. The person who annoys you, who annoys you, who I wish wasn't here, what kind of person is this? special treasure. Chosen lineage, that is well translated.

Did you know that the Reina Valera translation is excellent as a translation of the original? chosen lineage. This talks about your lineage, your descent, who your mom and dad and grandpa and great-grandpa are. I am descended from Italians, that's why I like good food and Germans, I'm supposed to like order, right? and have things in order but hey, I'm bad German. Italian and German right? This is my natural lineage, it is my natural lineage.

My ethnicity. Usually lineage or ethnicity or race comes with certain DNA, physiological traits that show you who you descended from, that's nice. We must love our race, our culture, our appearance, not be ashamed of anything; Look, I'm a gringo, it's okay, I'm who I am, okay? love our natural lineage but know that I became who I am, my unborn natural lineage. But there is another birth for the people of God.

It is called the spiritual birth. When you accept Christ in your heart the Spirit enters and you are born again and you are a new creature in Christ, the old things passed away; behold, all are made new, I am a new person and I have a new spiritual father. I still love my mommy, my daddy but I have another spiritual Father, I am a new person and now anyone who is the son or daughter of this same Father becomes my brother or my sister, no matter what they look like or what language they speak, It doesn't matter what country you come from or what food you eat if you love Christ and you are born again we are from the same family, amen?

This is why God, Jesus said do you remember the verse? that Jesus said: "If someone does not hate his mom and dad and does not follow me, he cannot be my disciple" have you read this verse, did you get confused with this verse? I don't expect you marked it with a question mark and talked to someone, no, that's fine. Jesus said it, I think it's not because we should hate anyone, especially mom and dad: please don't hate them, but Jesus was talking about my identity, that now I undo my natural identity in favor of a new spiritual identity. Now God's people become my family.

Now you will know, many of you that I am ministering a lot with the service in English now and with young people in the afternoon so they do not see me, some think that I am astray or indiscipline, Gregory, where are you, right? and I feel loved well everything is fine, but some say: Gregory I understand that you want to be with your people, what is that? My people are God's people, right?

If someone has decided: I am born of God, I am a chosen lineage, then I have a new race, my race is the people of God. It's not that I don't love my natural offspring, but my main identity is my spiritual offspring, amen? This is why we are a multi-ethnic Church, I don't know if I understand myself.

There are some churches where everyone is of the same race, where everyone is the same and this is nice, we are not judging these churches, they are good churches, God has called them to be like that especially with immigrant communities because they are always in another country and breathe free right? because you are with more well-known people so they are churches where they are all Chinese or all are Korean, or all are Guatemalan or all are Greek, whatever; it is a mono-ethnic Church. Not long ago I preached in a Dominican Church, now: this is not what the Constitution says but you could hear merengue music, praise, merengues there and everyone dancing merengue and the fragrance of so fried and garlic rising from the basement and throughout the clothes, my clothes even smelled of garlic, I got home and they told me: what happened?

A Dominican Church and it serves for a lot of Evangelism, right? I am going because Dominican people are going to arrive and they are going to feel: oh here I am at home, oh very well. And maybe they are more open to receive Christ, so nice; We do not criticize any Church, each Church has its special calling, right? and we are not better than anyone and I say that seriously believing it.

But we are called to be a mixed Church, a Church where there is a little bit of everything, right? We are called to be a Church with all kinds of Hispanic people, right? You know, I wandered through Latin America, I know the differences. Ordering a cup of coffee in Puerto Rico is a little different than ordering a cup of coffee in Guatemala, right?

I go into MacDonalds in Puerto Rico and the girl says: tell me and I say: give me coffee with milk and I'm going to Guatemala and it took me 15 minutes, if you would be so kind. All cultures are different right? There are differences, there are differences in food, in style, in rhythms that are different, but get ready, León de Judá, because what is already complicated becomes more complicated.

In the service in English now we have everything, there are Korean families that come and they are not Korean-Americans, they are Koreans from Korea, we have people of Asian descent, we have some European gringos like me, African-Americans, Haitians, from the Caribbean, everything. It is a crazy sancocho, it is a terrible mixture that is taking place there. When cultures mix, it seems nice, right? no, we are all a happy family together, it is not easy. There are differences.

People don't understand your sense of humor, maybe people don't like your food, they don't understand how you greet or how you dress and they get offended and judge you, this comes with a multi-ethnic situation, right? I told a story in the morning that very well illustrates the complications that come when we mix cultures.

I sent my son when he was one year old to a Dominican daycare in Mattapan, he was one year old and that child had never really eaten beans, right? and there was a grandpa there who gave him, gave him, gave him beans, beans, beans and my son was happy for life, he had never eaten so much fat in one meal, eating, eating happy, happy and he came home when he was one year old inflated like a balloon and we call the doctor and he says: don't worry it's going to be processed and that night, that night, we have carbon monoxide alarms in the house, the alarm went off and we had problems with the stove, we called the fire department and They realized that it was not the stove, it was the boy processing the Dominican beans, what a thing this is! (laughs)

That's for mixing cultures brothers, when we mix cultures strange things arise. There are smells, smoke, it's not going to be beautiful, it's not going to be pretty, it's not going to be easy, but it's going to be glorious because together, amen? because together a new family, we declare to the world that there is a new race in the world born of a new heavenly Father, it is a prophetic declaration and it is worth it, it is worth it. So we're going to be a multi-ethnic, multi-lingual Church and this is only going to get more complicated.

Also what is your job? I asked at the beginning, occupation now you can write: royal priest. Maybe you work in the world as a doctor or as a lawyer, maybe you take care of children, maybe a teacher, maybe an engineer and work with computers, maybe you don't have a job, but you know what? now you have a more important job: you are a priest of the living God. This means that your highest calling is to come before God and worship.

When you are here in the Church worshiping God you are doing the job for which God made you, a priest. This is why I was made to worship God, to lift His Name on high and then the priest proclaimed God to the people and then I speak to the people about Jesus because I am a priest, that is my occupation and because I am a priest of a God who is the King of the universe, there is something of His royal nobility that rubs off on me and I become not just any priest but a royal priest.

So maybe there are people who come with various levels of worldly status. Maybe because of having a big job, a lot of money, maybe some in society feel high status, maybe some who are struggling in life and don't have a job feel low status; for now there is a new class in the world. It is a class of people who are identified not by what they do in the world but by what they do for God, who are a people acquired by God, a special treasure, a royal priesthood.

This means that we are going to be a Church where a millionaire lawyer, I hope more of those come to finish the building, that a millionaire lawyer may be sitting next to a person who may not have a job or home and go to be both equal, priests sitting together, part of the same caste of workers because they are colleagues in the Spirit and I have seen that, brothers, this occurs here.

I remember when I teach discipleship in the materials, sometimes in level 1 there are people who come highly educated, with a lot of schooling, maybe masters or doctorates and others come who are struggling to learn to write and are the same, and there is a harmony between them because everyone is learning to be a priest and the joy is contagious.

We are going to be not only a multi-ethnic Church but a diverse Church with people from all walks of life in society. We are finally a new nation right? a holy nation, each of us will know that I am a citizen of the most important country in the world because it is not a country that is based on geography or politics or a president, it is a country that everyone identifies as having the same King. And for this reason people who are Korean or are from the Philippines or are from Guatemala or are from Argentina or are from Chile or are from Japan are now countrymen, a holy nation.

A nation set apart from every other nation in the world to be holy to Jehovah, so that when people meet you and see that you are growing to be more like Jesus they see: but this is a different nation, this is a holy nation.

Then he says that it is a people acquired by God. I don't know if you've ever heard a child cry out the word "mine!" when he has a toy and the little brother wants to take the toy and you tell him: you have to share and he does it, because the word mine is a nice word when God uses it for us, right?

I believe that holiness is simply knowing that we are his. God writes "mine" on my forehead. A nation and your passport is going to be this inscription that was inscribed on the forehead of the priests that said: holy to the Lord, holy to the Lord; you are a citizen of the Kingdom of God, let Your Kingdom come, let Your Will be done here on earth as it is in heaven, we live it here.

That is why we have to be a multinational Church. I am not satisfied with the 30 nations that we have, I want more, I am greedy about it. I want every nation represented in Boston here worshiping God in English, Spanish, Swahili, Korean, I don't care and that this temple be filled with people worshiping God in many languages, with many colors, in many styles and many rhythms because the Kingdom of God is being expressed here in this place.

In the world they try to unify people using liberal ideals, how nice that we are all together but we don't believe in that, we believe in a unity that comes because it is the same Spirit, the same King, the same Father that makes us a holy nation , a royal priesthood and a race chosen by God, a chosen lineage.

Brothers: we are called to this, this should fill each of us with a sense of dignity. I don't know how you have lived in life, how they have treated you, how they have made you feel as a person. You can walk with this new identity and know that I am not just any lineage, I am a chosen lineage, a special treasure for God; I am not just any nation but a holy nation, I am not just any, I don't remember what the other thing was, sorry but beautiful, real, holy and chosen by God.

Brothers: I want all of us to walk with our heads held high, not because we are proud, on the contrary, God clearly said it to the people of Israel: you are a special people more than all the peoples that are on Earth but not because you are Jehovah has loved you most numerous of all peoples and has chosen you because you were the most insignificant of all peoples, but because Jehovah loved you and wanted to keep the oath he swore to your fathers.

We are special not because of who we are but because of the God who chose us, because of the God we represent, for this reason we can have a healthy pride, a deep humility knowing: I am not worthy, I am a discarded stone but chosen by God and precious for Him.

Brethren, a new temple is being built here, a spiritual temple, and it is a time for each one of us as a living stone if we want to be part of that structure. I invite you: put yourself in the hands of the Builder, He knows how to mold you and how to put you in this structure, He knows what he is doing; if we allow ourselves to be built He will build and He knows how to do it.

So we pray together and I invite Pastor Roberto, young Pastor Roberto (laughs), it's a moment here in the new house. Let's pray, I invite you to stand up: Father, in the Name of Jesus Lord, we come before You at this moment, at this sacred moment, at this historic moment, Lord, and we renew our pact with You, Lord, to truly be the Church that You want us to be, to be the people that You want us, each one of us to be.

Father: I ask that these Your people reflect Your glory in a beautiful way, that the world has to recognize that there is a new Father, there is a new Spirit, there is a new King on Earth because it is seen in this town. Father, I ask you for a move of Your Holy Spirit here in this place and that Your people be built as You have determined. Lord, guide us in this process. We surrender to You Lord each one like a living stone and we say: Lord, build me up, mold me even if you have to use the hammer, do it Lord so that I am adjusted to this beautiful structure that You want to make. I place myself in Your Hands and I know that You are an excellent carpenter here on this Earth, but above all in the Spirit. We trust in You in Jesus Name, amen.