Dear Bros in Christ,

BUILDER OR DESTROYER

JULY 2006

Proverbs 27:17 As iron sharpens iron, So a man sharpens the countenance of his
friend.

Brothers in Christ, this monthly email is sent and meant to be an encouragement to

all and to build up and edify in the Lord Jesus Christ. Oikodome means "Builder". The
Lord has put this on my heart to send out a monthly Iron Man Oikodome {oy-kod-
om-ay'} to build up and encourage the men who love and follow Jesus Christ in their
walk with Him.

Romans 14:19 Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace and the
things by which one may edify another.

Luke 9:56 *For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men's lives but to save
them."

So many times, you always hear folks say that they are afraid that if they accept
Jesus they will lose their life or He will ruin or destroy their life. However, it is really
quite the opposite. Of course, the old man will have to be destroyed to build a new
man in Christ that is a fact. In one sense, they are right their life that they knew will
have to be destroyed to save them; they will lose that life that leads to death.
Nevertheless, gain that new life in Christ that leads to eternal life.

Moreover, just as a vessel cannot contain salt water and fresh water and be pure
water for sustainability in your life. In other words, you cannot mix salt water and
fresh water and sustain your life. We cannot be double minded or live with one foot
in the church and one outside of the church. Eventually we will be doing the splits
and get broken like a wishbone; one side is going to end up being longer or shorter.
You can guess who will receive the short end of the wishbone…
Therefore, you have to be rid of one so the other can sustain your life, in the same
way the old man must die. He is a killer and will continually keep trying to destroy
what God wants to do in your life. I know he can keep trying to come back to life but
he cannot he is dead and buried and will never produce life only the pathway to
death. You cannot be a dead man walking when you are walking in Christ- He is
alive! Our God is a builder; he builds us according to His specs and He saves us
according to His Grace. Therefore, whatever was existing (old man) is man made
and will not last (dead man walking), that is why we need to be God made (new
creation). A new creation in Christ and a new man in Christ old things have passed
away…
2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed
away; behold, all things have become new. Notice “old” things “the old Man is an old
thing”…
Resurrected from the dead old man by Him (beauty from ashes); made alive in Him,
saved by Him, built by Him, trained by Him, equipped by Him, armed with the sword
of the Spirit and the whole armor by Him and sent out by Him.
Remember we had to be destroyed for us to be saved by our builder Jesus Christ.
You see He destroyed our earthly fleshly life when we invited Him into our hearts
and lives, that one life that is without Him on a path that leads to a destiny of
destruction for eternity. The life He gives us here on earth is approximately 70- 80
years give or take a few years either way. If we were to keep living on in the flesh,
that would be it for us a few decades. However, He gave us life more abundantly,
eternal life with Him. Therefore, why would we not want Him to take out the old
man, he is a loser anyway and he is headed straight for hell. What kind of deal is
this, where the One who is called Savior is also the destroyer of an old man who use
to be a part of us so very near and dear to us so we thought. However, that old man
was always a back stabbing, double-talking, lying, cheating stealing, conniving self-
seeking hypocritical maniac who was so in love with him self it was sickening and
even frightening. Well I will tell you what kind of a deal it is, it is the once in a
lifetime greatest deal in the whole universe to have the grace of God descend upon
our lives through the life changing power and blood of Jesus Christ.

I guess you could say it is better to have Him destroy the old man put him out of his
misery before it becomes an on going eternal thing… I say get it over with the old
man is a nuisance always trying to get his foot in every door. All he needs is a crack
to get his toe in and pry the door open, just a little vulnerability on our part and bam
he is back into our lives in a major way practicing his destruction front row and
center stage he goes mainstream so he can make you scream.
Poking his nose into Christ’s business, always trying to grieve your heart and the
Holy Spirits by trying to get you to come back to him for a few more times of
pleasure that he says are fun. Never giving in or giving up but lurking around every
work of God in your life. You can hear him breathing right now outside the door,
waiting, just waiting for the opportunity when the time is right and the guard is
down.
When you have missed a few bible studies or prayer meetings, fellowshipping or
breaking bread with the bros or just been to busy to get in the Word or get on your
knees to seek our mighty God.
He sees God wanting to do something with you in your life and he wants some of
the glory for himself, he is shameless, guiltless and utterly despicable. Who likes the
old man? I will tell you who, the devil likes the old man, in fact the devil loves the
old man; they are old friends and the cream of his crop. Do not let him have any
time to practice his destruction with you.

1John 3:8 He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning.
For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of
the devil.

The devil has sinned from the beginning, God sent His Son to make us new men,
new creations in Christ, to put away the old man that is a puppet of the devil and for
Christ the purpose given by God was this; to be a destroyer of the devils works. God
sent in His destroyer Jesus Christ. Therefore, our Mighty God is both a Builder and
Destroyer… A builder of those who call on the name above all names Jesus Christ
and receive His eternal life and a destroyer of those works of the devil that lead to
eternal death. Jesus came to destroy the enemy, the enemy came to destroy us
“our Lords work”

Hebrews 3:3-4 For this One has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses,
inasmuch as He who built the house has more honor than the house. 4 For every
house is built by someone, but He who built all things is God.
Who is building your house? Are you letting God build your house? Do you give God
the glory more than yourself? Is He the God of your house? He has to be the God of
the house. He is a Master Builder, Who builds with His truth and light and He will not
use the old man in His building, which will cause it to burn up. God hates bad
building materials; self centeredness, self-absorbed, prideful, arrogant, high self-
esteem builder of oneself, self-seeking worldly lover & flesh serving mentality,
inferior and faulty motives, promoters of self, strong willed, defiant for things to be
done your way- none of these flesh materials will meet His specifications or
standards. He wants the humble new man a new creation in Christ to build on and
build up, so He can see His reflection in the finish product with His love and mercy
and grace looking back at Him with gratitude and humbleness of heart and prayers
of thanksgiving. He builds from the heart out, not from the flesh; He is not a flesh
builder….

Hebrews 11:10 for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and
maker is God.

He will build you if you let Him… remember He is the Master Builder and Creator of
everything! We have a solid foundation in Him.
I do not know about you but I want to follow in my Fathers footsteps to be a builder.
Build up in Him, by Him and for Him and remember Jesus is the One who said if you
destroy this temple I will rebuild it in three days… They said it could not be done! He
is the Master Builder; no one can give a guaranty like that and then fulfill it that is
except our mighty God. So why not trust Him to completely and fully build your
house… Your foundation will be on the Solid Rock Jesus Christ.

Are you a builder of others sharing the things of God with them, building them up in
Him, exhorting others in Him, pointing them to Him, letting them see Jesus in your
walk, talk and all your ways? Are you more like the Builder Jesus Christ today or the
old man who tries to make a come back to destroy what Jesus is building…
We are either Builders or Destroyers….What are you today? You can be a new
creation in Christ today if you let go and let Jesus build you, invite Him in to do the
work, He will kick the old man out and bury him, He is the Master Builder…
Romans 6:4-11 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death,
that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we
also should walk in newness of life.
 5 For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we
also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, 6 knowing this, that our old man was
crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no
longer be slaves of sin. 7 For he who has died has been freed from sin. 8 Now if we
died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, 9 knowing that Christ,
having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over
Him. 10 For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He
lives, He lives to God. 11 Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to
sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

May He build you and make you a builder for His Kingdom,
Daniel Wright
Iron Man Oikodome
Proverbs 27:17

To add a friend to the Iron Man Oikodome monthly devotional simply forward their email address
to this link ironmanoikodome@att.net