Building Together: People, Church, City

Introduction

Brendan White opens his message with a simple conviction: God never builds only buildings. He builds people, He builds His Church, and through His Church, He touches cities. He proposes three building projects to walk through together this Sunday: building up people, building the Church, and building cities. Three bricks laid side by side to build what Jesus is building.

Message Outline

1. Building Up People

• Brendan shares a memory from Christian school: a teacher, Mr. Solfield, gave him a book with a note inside: "God is going to use you, God is going to work through you." He never forgot those words.
• Later, when he was still young, someone in a church gathering spoke to him: "You're going to build the Church, you're going to go live in Europe." It wasn't new, but it confirmed what God had already placed in his heart.
• His conviction: God sees more in us than we sometimes see in ourselves. In the Church, we can learn to believe the best for one another.
• Jeremiah 1:4-7: God calls a young boy, and Jeremiah responds, "I am too young." We often have our own legitimate reasons; too young, too old, I come from such-and-such a place; but God sees beyond what we see.
• Bartimaeus, blind, cries out to Jesus; people rebuke him, but he cries out all the more. Jesus calls him and heals him. Jesus wants to heal, set free, and build up people.
• In Luke 5, men carry a paralyzed man on his mat, climb onto the roof, break through it, and lower their friend down to Jesus. Jesus sees their faith and heals him. A picture of what happens when a community builds others up and brings people to Jesus.
• A man who persecuted the Church was named Saul. Jesus transformed him into Paul, who went on to build the Church. God sees in our lives what we do not yet see.
• Building up practically means: telling people they are loved, they are accepted, that God has great plans for them. Speaking words of life, drawing out their potential.
• Building up does not mean puffing up with pride. It means helping people grow to maturity, to know Jesus better. Sunday services, welcome evenings, Connects, and evening courses are all places for this.

2. Building the Church

• A defining memory: in 1996, at Bible college in Australia, Pastor Gary Clarke; who would later become his pastor in London; asked his students to write down their dream. Brendan wrote: "I want to build a church in Europe." Gary looked at him and said, "That, you're going to do with me." Much later, it became a reality in France.
• We don't just attend church; we are the Church. Every member plays a part in making this bride more and more beautiful.
• Praying for buildings and campuses. Having faith that God opens real estate doors at the right time and in the right way.
• Jesus said He would build His Church (Matthew 16). We want to build what Jesus is building. We are living stones; He is the foundation.
• Ephesians 4:16: "From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work."
• 1 Corinthians 14:12: among spiritual gifts, Paul urges us to eagerly seek those that build up the Church. Each person finds the place where their gift can edify.
• Don't forget the mission. After 20 years, with the ups and downs, it's easy to lose sight of it.
• Luke 2: Jesus, at age 12, found in God's house, says, "I must be about my Father's business." Even as a child, He knew His mission.
• Matthew 16: "Who do people say I am?" Peter answers, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God." Jesus replies, "Flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven." The Church is born from a revelation received from the Father.
• Ecclesia: a people called together to be His Church. Acts 2: the early Church was of one heart and one mind, devoted to the apostles' teaching, to fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer; and the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

3. Building Cities

• Recent stories: a visit to Lyon, another to Lausanne. Each time, the joy of seeing what God is doing in those cities.
• Paris: a great, beautiful city, with many people and much history. Brendan sees it as a building site.
• Acts 16:4: Paul and Silas went from city to city, bringing the Word of God, preaching, and planting churches.
• Jeremiah 29: pray for the peace and prosperity of the city where God has placed you. Believe that God will make a difference through His Church.
• Making a difference where you are: in your family, your business, your workplace, your neighborhood. Being the hands and feet of God in this city.
• This year, look for a concrete way to serve the city where you live, especially through a social impact project led by the Church.
• Matthew 28: "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." The mission starts locally, but it looks toward all nations.

Key Takeaways

• God doesn't only build buildings: He builds people, His Church, and through it, He touches cities.
• God sees more in you than you see in yourself; and He is waiting for you to see that in the brother or sister sitting next to you.
• You don't just attend church: you are the Church, a living stone set on the foundation that is Jesus.
• Spiritual gifts are not given for their own sake; they are given to build up the Church. Eagerly seek those that edify.
• Praying for the city where God has placed you, seeking its good, making a tangible difference in your family and work: that's where the mission begins.

Personal Application

1. Who in my church community have I taken time to build up with my words in recent weeks? Who can I tell this week what God sees in them?
2. What "legitimate reason" (too young, too old, not trained enough, wrong background) am I still giving God for not answering His call?
3. Am I just showing up at church on Sunday, or am I taking responsibility for my part in building the body? Have I found the place where my gift can edify?
4. What is my personal revelation of who Jesus is today? Am I living the Church's mission out of a conviction received from the Father, or out of habit?
5. How will I concretely serve the city where God has placed me this year; in my family, my workplace, my neighborhood, or through a project led by my local church?

Verses Cited

• Jeremiah 1:4-7
• Mark 10:46-52 (Bartimaeus)
• Luke 5:17-26 (the paralytic)
• Acts 9:1-22 (Saul becomes Paul)
• Ephesians 4:16
• 1 Corinthians 14:12
• Luke 2:41-49
• Matthew 16:15-18
• Acts 2:42-47
• Acts 16:4-5
• Jeremiah 29:7
• Matthew 28:19-20
• John 3:16

Further reading

• How to Present a Volunteer Need Without Guilt-Tripping
• How to Introduce Your Church to Newcomers
• What to Say to a First-Time Church Visitor

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Brendan White mean by "building together"?

He refers to three simultaneous building projects that support one another: building up the people around us, growing the local church, and serving the city where God has placed us. The Church is not a place you consume but a people being built, each one a living stone set on the foundation that is Jesus.

Why start with "building up people" before talking about the Church and the city?

Because that is how God worked in Brendan's own life: a teacher, Mr. Solfield, wrote in a book, "God is going to use you," and a public word later confirmed his call to build the Church in Europe. A Church that builds always starts with people receiving words of life and a vision of what God sees in them.

Practically, how can I serve the city where God has placed me?

The pastor invites us to look this year for a tangible way to make a difference: in our family, our business, our workplace, our neighborhood, or by getting involved in a social impact project led by the local church. Prayer for the city, according to Jeremiah 29:7, is the first brick; asking God for peace and prosperity for the place where we live.