Introduction
Laying the Foundation
Ezra 3:10–12
Now when the builders had laid the foundation of the
temple of the LORD, the priests stood in their
apparel with trumpets…to praise the LORD.… They
sang, praising and giving thanks to the LORD…all the
people shouted with a great shout when they praised
the LORD because the foundation of the house of the
LORD was laid.
The Temple Builders
book has become a life-long labor. The labor started
in 1985 when God began teaching me during a study in
scripture about true ministry. At that moment God
called me to become a temple builder. I had no idea
what a temple builder was nor had I heard the term
used. After God called me, my journey took me to
unlikely places that would define Christian maturity
from a unique perspective.
One year later at Bible college, God spoke to me
about writing a book called Temple Builders. As with
most words spoken to us from the Lord, I speculated
that God would fulfill this specific prophecy right
away. I researched, compiled notes, and wrote essays
through 1989, always thinking that I was close to
finishing. Yet, in reality, I was still far.
In 1989 I wrote the first computer version (though,
somewhat short) of what is now the book Temple
Builders: The High Calling. Afterward, I
unexpectedly entered into a different phase of my
life: a wilderness, sometimes an extreme fire
designed to test the Temple Builders message and,
assuredly, its messenger. Additionally, the
distractions of life grabbed my attention, diverting
my focus.
For several years I stopped writing, and the only
message written was one of developing true character
in my life. Many times we learn a teaching before
acquiring wisdom and character; afterward, we
achieve wisdom and character equal to the same
teaching learned. Many assume they arrive at a
higher call when they receive the message of God,
but God’s true calling requires us to attain
experiential wisdom and Godly character. Indeed,
this principle—when understood—propels us to become
a temple builder.
In 1996 I started writing this version, publishing
it on the Internet in dozens of drafts so many could
immediately learn from the wisdom of God. The
testimonies came quick from all over the world, but
I could not stop writing, and my ongoing personal
wilderness journey changed the character of the book
during the final years of writing. “What is your
biggest obstacle?” you ask. In our wilderness
journey, we are always the biggest obstacle,
even as we drive towards the Promised Land.
Having learned the fear of God to some degree, the
labor continued with caution, with much prayer, and
with much pain. This final release is given as a
gift to the people of God, who are characterized as
ones panting after Him they call Master.
What
Can We Expect in this Book?
This journal of my journey becomes a traveling
experience for every reader God calls. For me, it
has been a journey of witnessing the demonstration
of God’s love, wisdom, and power in my life—not to
mention the lives of those around me. Grievingly, it
has also been a witnessing of the lack of God’s
love, wisdom, and power, even its counterfeits in
the lives of those around me.
What makes this book different from other Christian
writings is the uniqueness of the journey chronicled
throughout each page. Not only is the journey itself
distinct, but the nuggets of wisdom found along the
way are simply one-of-a-kind. Each journeyer can
identify with some of these nuggets, but for some
journeyers the nuggets may be life or death to their
Christian service. Sometimes the wisdom nugget is
simply a balanced perspective concerning a doctrine
or Christian practice; at other times it is the
fruit of enduring severe tribulation. At the least
it is an insight into the mysteries of God I am
compelled to share.
The
Calling of a Temple Builder
A temple builder hungers for God, craving the pure
milk of His words, yet not content with only His
milk, a temple builder covets the strong meat God is
providing as well. In relationship, a temple builder
pants for intimacy with Jesus, pining away for the
next opportunity to spend with Him and aching every
moment spent away from His presence. We think all is
well if we experience these qualities; however, we
find these desires dissipating because of the
distractions of the world and thwarted by a lack of
fruit bearing. Frustrated and sick of our
ever-present carnal nature, we scream to God, “there
must be more.” Alas, we find in our lives an
inability to grow up in Christ. Looking around in
high expectation, we search for other Christians
living the Gospel, but disappointment consumes us.
This message ministers to these people of God who
have come to a desert place—a desert place God
designs—a desert place with a void God fills when we
know His destiny for our life. This dry place drives
us to the end of our own abilities and ideas, having
opened our heart to hear from heaven. As we wait, a
voice comes—a voice where we must be attentive and
active to hear, not precluding what form it may
appear, for it is a voice not of this world. Earthly
opinions originate from the god of this world, but
God’s voice does not spring from the emptiness of
opinions. Instead, as we walk through our destined
desert, God’s voice fills us with His living water
and bread. Hearing His voice is a necessity to
complete our journey. If you are not confident in
hearing God’s voice, I pray that the Spirit speaks
loudly to you as you read.
A temple builder truly desires to mature in Jesus’
ways, convinced he or she fell short of the goal to
fully please Jesus (compared to early church
examples found in scripture). Not settling for
complacency, a temple builder wants to apprehend all
God has. These qualities indicate a passion in
Christ willing to go higher than most Christians
typically venture.
Temple Builder Abandonment
Venturing to God’s highest requires us to abandon
the ways of man and examine God’s blueprint that
builds His true temple. To obtain this clear view of
His blueprint, the Lord tears down areas of our
knowledge—uprooting areas of self-opinion. This
process is painful to each of us, and some abandon
better than others do.
So the process begins: Every time we heard a
teaching and held it as true, we built our house.
Many times we built using the wrong blueprint. So,
our first task is getting the right blueprint. This
in itself is a laborious task, but God sends us
scripture and His Spirit to assist. Now—we exchange
building materials resembling man’s house for
building materials reflecting God’s true temple.
Oops, don’t forget the tools: …not by might, not by
power, but by the Spirit do we build.
I have a blueprint the Architect gave me, materials
that fit perfectly, and tools that fasten and
assemble—let’s build. Hold on! Unfortunately, we
poured the foundation and built on it using a
mixture of the Architect’s blueprint and man’s
opinions of that blueprint. We found building
materials that were not appropriate for God’s house,
though well suited for our house. Making
matters worse, we wielded tools with all our
strength, tightly gripped in our hand, fastening
together our building materials without anointing,
without His might. In our dilemma, we face the
prospect of disassembling parts of our house.
Without this tearing-down-process, we are building a
new edifice of knowledge based on the true blueprint
but on a faulty foundation. As well, we try to join
temple building materials to man-made materials,
both adorning our house. Erecting new construction
to an unstable or faulty foundation causes it to
topple. The result is pride preceding a great fall.
Even more, welding together mismated materials
results in a monument instead of a habitation—one:
honoring man, and the other: honoring God.
In our lives, therefore, we must tear down false
edifices of knowledge that do not conform to the
image of God, digging up the foundation that this
false edifice rested. Most Christians previously
built immature foundations in themselves and others,
seeing dimly the true blueprint. But when we see a
vision of the true blueprint of God, we have ability
to build maturely.
A wrestling of wills ensues in all of us when God
selects an area of our life to uproot; will we allow
it? All of us have accepted traditional views of
scripture interpretation with its source in
wrongly-read-scripture, but it takes courage to sort
it out. It is a challenge to forfeit our will in
such matters; however, God gives grace to us if we
say, “Lord, if there be anything in me not of You,
uproot it.”
Untangling the mess of conflicting doctrine requires
us to receive ample grace from the Lord.
Wrongly-read-scripture gives us our faulty
foundation, an edifice not resembling the temple of
God in great measure. In those hungering and
thirsting for truth—is a wisdom found—an ability
that reads scripture right. Hungering and thirsting
for truth is a temple builder attribute that we will
constantly
aim for.
Dealing with Issues
Setting the path straight demands us to address
touchy issues. The greatest challenge is dealing
with church issues or widely accepted
doctrines—setting them straight—yanking them out. No
doubt, uprooting issues hits a spiritually sensitive
spot in most of us, much like removing a decayed
tooth without Novocain. This is where we need the
most courage! Despite this, however, God does not
leave us comfortless, without hope in these things.
He sends a helper—Himself, the Spirit in us.
To multiply our arsenal, God gives us one physical
source to examine His ways: scripture. The Temple
Builders message is only an interpretation and
expounding of these scriptures, bringing edification
to others—nothing more. If, indeed, we added other
sources—not in line with God’s Word—maturity eludes
us.
A
Challenging Message
If you counted the costs to get to the top and now
want to climb this challenging Everest of Christian
teaching, this message is for you. This climb is an
experience that possesses hardship but also the hope
and satisfaction of reaching
the top.
The final fruit we can anticipate by being a temple
builder is a new confidence to hear from God
concerning His intention—when He penned scripture.
We will no longer be solely dependent on ministers
for our meals, for we have learned to approach God,
partaking without encumbrance. When we do partake of
God’s vessels, it will be in the most edifying way,
causing the fruit of joy to explode in the growth of
the harvest season. In this effort, in this journey
upward, we bend every ounce of energy, every second
of thought, around becoming a priest unto our God,
having bypassed the middleman of distorted voices.
This theme is a distinct note heard throughout this
trumpet blast.
Prevalent Obstacles
All that matters
with respect to Christian messages is the fruit that
remains after the fire. If a message is a true
representation of Jesus, be assured, it does not
return void. This word is actively proceeding from
His mouth—now. Thus, through God’s life, my utmost
hope is that God’s trumpet blast message becomes an
experience of growing up for you.
When I was born again and water baptized on October
21, 1979 I saved the church bulletin for that day.
In the bulletin it said, “If a hypocrite is between
you and God he is actually closer to God than you
are.” I kept that saying as a trademark of my life
to prevent the misbehavior of other Christians from
separating me from Jesus. In spite of these
convictions, I had valleys where I allowed
separation to occur anyway. Disillusioned with the
current church and ministry wineskin I disassociated
myself from Jesus’ body. After restoration I saw the
problem was never the church, the ministry, or the
hypocrite. The problem always resided in my heart;
God deals with my heart, and God is dealing with
your heart—in any issue. No matter how many attacks
from other believers you have endured and no matter
how many poor witnesses confronted you, never allow
that to hinder your relationship with Jesus and the
race He has called you to finish.
The Temple Builders message gives hope in finishing,
in being accepted in His love, and in being fitted
into His true body. Instead of becoming bitter about
church immaturity, God gives grace to become better,
and that grace causes us to be an instrument
bringing light to His ways, instead of remaining
disillusioned by ministry immaturity. Our enemy is
never our brother; our primary enemy is always what
we allowed to enter into our heart. Truth sets us
free from this enemy if we allow God to circumcise
our hearts.
Finally My Brethren
Finally, I believe this message is a forerunning
message. These truths are fresh insight to vague or
misunderstood scripture. It is not new revelation as
if God is speaking something He’s never spoken. It
is simply God uncovering and unveiling scripture
hidden to the mainstream church in this generation.
This unveiling has been occurring all through the
20th century through many of God’s servants who have
been forerunners of truth. As well, God is mounting
up many more servants who handle His present truth,
unveiling it to the 21st century believers.
Our challenge is to abandon old wineskins, receiving
God’s new wineskin, full of the fruit of the
vine—changing our thinking and changing our course
to match this new thinking. It is not enough to
learn these things; God destines us to walk in all
these things if we choose Jesus’ way instead of
man’s way. The Apostle Paul said, “I have finished
the race.” We must come to a place where we follow
this example Paul set. The temple builder sees God’s
view of the race, obtaining ability to run that
race.
Let’s
Start Our Journey
As deep calleth unto deep, so God’s Spirit is
calling out to a place within the depth of our soul;
this is our experience as we proceed. As we read
from beginning to ending, we build steps up to the
top of the mountain. If we do not have our
foundation built beneath us, the higher elevations
are harder for us to traverse.
My ultimate desire is that you are humbled before
God, having your heart dealt by Him—having an ear
listening to His voice—even as you read. I am
convinced: If you desire to know Jesus unreservedly,
the Spirit of Truth shows Him to you. Jesus sets you
free; He heals the broken places of your heart; He
shows you His way—that you may walk in it—even as
you read.
May the grace of the Lord be with you,
John Robert Lucas
—John Robert Lucas
"Temple
Builders: The High Calling" Prophetic Book
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