%PDF-1.7 1 0 obj << /Type /Catalog /Outlines 2 0 R /Pages 3 0 R >> endobj 2 0 obj << /Type /Outlines /Count 0 >> endobj 3 0 obj << /Type /Pages /Kids [6 0 R 20 0 R ] /Count 2 /Resources << /ProcSet 4 0 R /Font << /F1 8 0 R /F2 9 0 R /F3 10 0 R /F4 11 0 R /F5 12 0 R /F6 14 0 R >> /ExtGState << /GS1 15 0 R /GS2 16 0 R /GS3 17 0 R /GS4 18 0 R >> >> /MediaBox [0.000 0.000 612.000 792.000] >> endobj 4 0 obj [/PDF /Text ] endobj 5 0 obj << /Producer (dompdf 3.1.0 + CPDF) /CreationDate (D:20250906090845+00'00') /ModDate (D:20250906090845+00'00') >> endobj 6 0 obj << /Type /Page /MediaBox [0.000 0.000 612.000 792.000] /Parent 3 0 R /Contents 7 0 R >> endobj 7 0 obj << /Filter /FlateDecode /Length 1746 >> stream xX˒6+*-%oRiO!4pJ(j3r@āx493ŬQ&dX!V?i`[}{i@7Bq;쨂}lh WA9]buU@:HƺAꡕᕃ,A= jNZ;G^tl(d&.p I7S]A t)n:s}4t! pXgu Qe@\E w0$ 5󙁌}Ǿg<~CBuDЎ`-IQKS6Dp23'#0H[+h[P34w+ѽVdXƒSf!Twc-"  >Nđ?P7=XBv *h-ѓr u3=[9(LJw:@΃":΢ʝ5{Y,WQ' QCp#pD(Pl@YTBbٺFn2=ɖQ4pU!r>V SI}jA~ƨǡ.i-CB{qb2(4eIՈ,qEVnE僯'feLQ7/sɖQ+T[0I-h)bv#jː.bf8YfASxD0hE-|!xDkhb>OZC5JgYP{(Vuj- R=HiqKF:;BG 2$^$Up68 4eU>N%MhVFd$/ǀ5rD޿RpPՋymNpBaE>3FeH=qGL]oZޘ0B3%e'\}Rn'C9F;YGev]18H$8 N6H0Ux|&ĴI$8XUs=3nVF|< Tt(FVT Mtfe'իs w&:/v <;Isq 'a\P'vxt# Wb'ڍgHˋY Ut'3TqyEAοQQhHK1=#3N SY, / endstream endobj 8 0 obj << /Type /Font /Subtype /Type1 /Name /F1 /BaseFont /Helvetica /Encoding /WinAnsiEncoding >> endobj 9 0 obj << /Type /Font /Subtype /Type1 /Name /F2 /BaseFont /Times-Bold /Encoding /WinAnsiEncoding >> endobj 10 0 obj << /Type /Font /Subtype /Type1 /Name /F3 /BaseFont /Times-Roman /Encoding /WinAnsiEncoding >> endobj 11 0 obj << /Type /Font /Subtype /Type1 /Name /F4 /BaseFont /Helvetica-Bold /Encoding /WinAnsiEncoding >> endobj 12 0 obj << /Type /Font /Subtype /Type1 /Name /F5 /BaseFont /Helvetica-Oblique /Encoding /WinAnsiEncoding >> endobj 13 0 obj [6 0 R /Fit] endobj 14 0 obj << /Type /Font /Subtype /Type1 /Name /F6 /BaseFont /Times-Roman /Encoding /WinAnsiEncoding >> endobj 15 0 obj << /Type /ExtGState /BM /Normal /CA 1 >> endobj 16 0 obj << /Type /ExtGState /BM /Normal /ca 1 >> endobj 17 0 obj << /Type /ExtGState /BM /Normal /CA 0.3 >> endobj 18 0 obj << /Type /ExtGState /BM /Normal /ca 0.3 >> endobj 19 0 obj [6 0 R /Fit] endobj 20 0 obj << /Type /Page /MediaBox [0.000 0.000 612.000 792.000] /Parent 3 0 R /Contents 21 0 R >> endobj 21 0 obj << /Filter /FlateDecode /Length 827 >> stream xmUMs0W챝)?j;t rE-)Hr3g?FR۷V/)vEcDŽ%I_ӮvaR ˪ XO!X׫ ¹{x7p-M߀ЌB X|FBlipw}wr[2+#h`,/hhFut}`G>FKx6@"|kcpam$l[Fe(!`zG. \iՏ#AZV`!| [<_*KgYTͳBkر|*s7Ac=iÿ mKHyhp>ZK)q)TG gјԇ< 9c%7~E(R pBҵgOTh"IhG:t !/c{|\ǝ7tgcLӞCx][jbug6ʣ6܌@kn&AC$,Q1"7#ĕ9N#Fj=ЂY@@=z#ܺ}\x}K`mR1 ξ; MQdH&QQaqt+Lo=#h5Y)4\q}X}Dolf6؈;*oG(]>p4zhf P)щh|.P<|#pmυ[84XoaK6ҿvqDOy, gV2乹 ?g) endstream endobj xref 0 22 0000000000 65535 f 0000000009 00000 n 0000000074 00000 n 0000000120 00000 n 0000000401 00000 n 0000000430 00000 n 0000000579 00000 n 0000000682 00000 n 0000002501 00000 n 0000002608 00000 n 0000002716 00000 n 0000002826 00000 n 0000002939 00000 n 0000003055 00000 n 0000003084 00000 n 0000003194 00000 n 0000003251 00000 n 0000003308 00000 n 0000003367 00000 n 0000003426 00000 n 0000003455 00000 n 0000003560 00000 n trailer << /Size 22 /Root 1 0 R /Info 5 0 R /ID[<448e6862eda2abd83e0c0692638bb3cb><448e6862eda2abd83e0c0692638bb3cb>] >> startxref 4460 %%EOF Griffin Salutes The Builders | Caring Magazine
Read Caring Magazine Volume 29

Vol. #29

Hope in Action

Read Issue

Latest Impact StoriesView All

Popular Topics

PopularView All

Griffin Salutes The Builders

June 14, 1998
3 minute read
Total
0
Shares
0
0
0
Listen to this article

by Major Terry Griffin – 

“Castles in the air cost a great deal to keep up.” (Bulwer Lytton)

I tend to be a fairly conservative individual, not attracted to outbursts of excitement or loud demonstrations. In terms of Christian witness I have been “put off” a bit by those who carry signs which proclaim, “Repent!” or “Be prepared to meet your Maker!” However, I must give them credit for their boldness and desire to get people’s attention regarding eternal matters.

John the Baptist was a bold proclaimer for the Kingdom of God. I don’t think he carried a placard, but we hear him loudly announcing, “Repent, for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matthew 3:2)

According to Matthew, John “is the one referred to by Isaiah the prophet, saying, ‘The voice of one crying in the wilderness, “Make ready the way of the Lord, make his paths straight!” ‘ ”

I can see John standing on a street corner in one of our major cities proclaiming the good news, “The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.” We know that the kingdom John was proclaiming was centered in a person, Jesus Christ.

Watchman Nee, the great Chinese theologian, attended a conference at which the brilliant theologians of the day were gathered to discuss one subject, the Kingdom of God. At this conference they debated many hours as to what the Kingdom of God is. After listening to the arguments Watchman Nee got up from his seat and walked to the front of the room. He went to each person and placed his hands on their head and simply said, “The Kingdom of God is within you.” It is a simple and profound statement based upon Colossians 1:13-29. Two verses which stand out are Col. 1:13, “For he (Christ Jesus) delivered us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” And Col.1:27b, “Christ in you, the hope of glory.”

Somehow the vast majority of people in America have an upside down view of life. They (we?) have become architects and builders of “castles in the air.” Our time and money are spent on things that have little eternal value, while the world is dying in sin. Perhaps we need to take a new look at ourselves and our role in this world. The Kingdom of God is depending on me (us) because Christ is in me (us) and his life in me (us) may be the only hope for someone who is living in the “kingdom of darkness.”

“Builders of the Kingdom” are about to be ordained and commissioned. It is their role, and the role of each of us who claim to be Christians, to invest our time, our gifts, our energy and our money into building that which is eternal. The older I get the more I understand the temporary status we enjoy on earth. I want my life to count for more than having built a castle in the air. I want to build the Kingdom of God with the redeemed lives of men, women, boys and girls. This is the goal of the Builders of the Kingdom session. I have witnessed their dedication and commitment and I am proud of their dedication to Jesus Christ. May each of us be builders of the kingdom, God’s Kingdom, and not castles in the air.

Download this page as a PDF

You May Also Like