For 45 years, I lived in Sydney, Australia, and during the seventies, Dorothy and I had a ministry called the Temple Trust, which God blessed in remarkable ways. We brought many speakers to Australia, especially from America, and while they were there, we often had the opportunity to show them around Sydney.

On one occasion, Dr. Benson Idashosa was in Australia for a crusade in Canberra with Harry Westcott. On his way back to Nigeria, he stopped in Sydney for a meeting on a Monday night. Earlier that day, he came to my office as I was to show him around the city. When he arrived, he presented me with a Nigerian gown (which I still have). He directed me to put it on, so I did and thanked him for this special gift. I was about to take it off when he said, “No, leave it on.” So once again, I did as he asked. We set off to see the Sydney Opera House. As we walked around the beautiful building, we must have looked strange to people walking by. For here, I was in a Nigerian gown and Benson in a Western suit with a collar and tie. It looked like we both had the wrong clothes on.

Nevertheless, I enjoyed showing Benson around the Sydney Opera House. Having taken others to see the Opera House, located on the edge of beautiful Sydney Harbor, I had heard many people comment about its spectacular beauty. However, I had never once heard anyone comment anything about its foundations.

Before becoming a minister, I was an architect and, as such, was involved in the construction field. I know from experience that every building needs a foundation, which, in most cases, people cannot see. The only time someone comments on foundations is when they see a building where it is clear that something is wrong with the foundation, like the Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy. It is then that they might ask the question, “What happened to the foundation?”

Just as a foundation is vital for a building, so are foundations essential in a person’s life. Over the next five weeks, I want to share the five foundations God showed me that were critical to my life and ministry. I trust they will be a challenge and encouragement to you concerning the foundations in your life.

A FOUNDATIONAL SCRIPTURE

The writer of Hebrews talks about foundations for spiritual life being laid in a believer’s life, mentioning six doctrines.

“The six doctrines are the foundational principles of the spiritual life. Foundations are not to be laid again but built upon. This cannot be done apart from dependence on the help of God” Hebrews 6:1-13 (Spirit-Filled Life Bible).

Most of these foundations listed in Hebrews are to be found in the list that I will unfold. The ones not specifically found in my list are ones I would embrace as well. However, I chose to keep my list short and thus centered on the five foundations that were particularly important to me. These five foundations are steps that I took and sought to build my life upon. It is to be noted that foundations are what we build our lives on, and if the foundation is not solid and true, you will have problems later on, like the Leaning Tower of Pisa. So, it behooves us to lay a solid foundation. I have not got it perfect, but these were the five foundations that undergirded my life and ministry. We will begin with #1 next week.

CLOSING THOUGHT – JESUS & FOUNDATIONS

Jesus knew about and taught on the need for a solid foundation to your life. He finished His Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 7:24-28) by contrasting two builders. The story involved a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain descended. The floods came and beat upon that house, yet it did not fail. Why? Because it was founded on the rock.

The other builder was a foolish man who built his house on the sand. The rains poured down. The floods came, and the wind blew and beat on that house, and the house collapsed. Why? Because it was built on the sand.

Rock is a solid material for a foundation; sand is not. We need to build our lives on a solid foundation. What are the foundation stones to your Christian walk? Are they rock, or are they sand?

HAPPY NEW YEAR

We at Kairos would like to take this opportunity to wish you a “Happy New Year!” God bless you one and all.