ELEMENTS OF SUCCESS 

Genesis 11:1-9 

Though these Babylonians were unsuccessful, this portion of scripture teaches us four important ELEMENTS FOR SUCCESS.

1.     Unified Goal

The people came together as one and decided to build this tower.  They were all committed to building the same thing and each knew.  Some of them did not think they were building castles or temples, while others thought they were building a tower.  An essential part of building anything is for everyone to be on the same page.  Amos 3:3 says “Can two walk together, except they be agreed?” If we can not agree on where we are going then we will get no where.  Throughout the Bible we can see examples of successful team work.  In the creation story, God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit in one unified goal created the heavens and the earth and all that was there in.  These three also work together in establishing the plan for man’s salvation.  The Father developed and initiated the plan.  The death of the Son was the mechanism of the plan.  And even now the Spirit is at work helping mankind to understand and accept the plan of God.

JOHN 17:11, 20-23

          Jesus prays first in verse 11 for the disciples, then in verses 20-23 he pray for those who will believe because of the teachings of the disciples.  That means that He is praying for us, for the body of Christian believers, for the Church.  What is He praying?  He prays that we would be one.  Not one individual, but one united in a common goal.  And in other scriptures He identifies for us that the goal is spreading the gospel and building the kingdom of God.

          So the church, like the Babylonians, has a common goal.  However, some of us have strayed away from the goal.  We are building buildings rather than the kingdom, we are spreading doctrines rather than Jesus.  We focus on religion rather than relationship with God.  Now hear me clearly, I am not saying that we should not have nice buildings, or that there should be no order to the church which is what denominations provide.  Nor am I saying that doctrines are irrelevant.  What I am saying is that these things should not have more value or a greater voice in the operation of the Church of Jesus Christ than does the Spirit of God.

          The Church has been given a goal and the Spirit of God is to direct us in achieving that goal.  The Church must united behind the Spirit, not the Spirit must unite behind the Church.  If the Church is to be successful, we must united around the common goal of building the kingdom of God and we must allow the master architect, the Holy Spirit, to set the plan. 

2.     Communication Skills

The Babylonians were all of one language.  They understood each other.  The plans for what they intended to do could be relayed to every person and each person could be directed to do a particular task.  They could communicate.  When the communication broke down the building stopped.  God divided their languages, they could no longer work together and their building came to a screeching halt.  Division is a hindrance to successful completion of a task. When we can no longer communicate, we divide. Division has slowed the progress of the Church. There is a difference in a group dividing because it has become too large and dividing because there is strife and miscommunication.  Dividing because the group has become too large is natural growth.  It promotes a spirit of family, of connectedness.  But dividing because of strife or miscommunication cuts the family, leaving a spirit of competition and separatism.  Division in this way breeds strife, anger, jealousy, fear and a host of other emotions. 

3.     Proper motives

                    This event occurs as the flood of Noah’s time.  After leaving the Ark, God commanded Noah and his family to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth just as he had told Adam.  Here the people had multiplied, and had they continued in the natural flow of growth, they would have spread and built new cities just from natural progression.  But the people did not want to separate from one another.  They wanted to grow strong and make a name for themselves.  As I read this, I wonder who they are going to make a name for themselves with.  Who is it that they want to impress?  At this time all the people are still together as one group.  So who are they trying to impress.  I believe that the answer to that question can only be God.   Now to make a name for oneself is to seek a place of power and position.  In foolish pride were these people preparing to take a stand against God?  Surely they knew the story of Noah and the Ark.  They knew that when God could no longer take the sin of the people He destroyed them.  Where they intent on banning together to prevent God from destroying them?  They wanted to build a city with a tower that reached into the heavens.  Why would they need such a tower?  Could it be that this tower was to be a watch tower, so that they could be warned when the enemy was coming?  But who was the enemy?  The answer can only be God.  Maybe this is another attempt of mankind to defy God.

                    This might explain God’s response to their actions.  Certainly God was not concerned that they might actually build a tower that would reach into heaven.  God knew we could not get there in that way.  But if this massive attempt to rebel against God went unchecked, the people would as one continue to think that it was possible to stand against God.

                    This is where the Babylonians messed up.  They were united, able to communicate and committed workers.  However their motives were wrong.  They were building a tower to act in rebellion against God. 

(I Cor. 10:31-32)

          All that we do and say should be done in such away that it glorifies God.  We here at Celebration must ask ourselves why we do the things that we do.  Is it just to keep the doors open?  What is our motive and does it coincide with the plan of God?  We can be standing as a united front, communicating with one another and working ourselves until we are about to drop, but if our motives are wrong we will not be successful. 

          I believe that improper motive may be a problem for the earthly church today.  Many churches focus on growing their numbers and that is a good motive because we want people in church.  However, if the people who are joining the churches are not saved and committed to Christ, then they do not add to the kingdom of God.  The churches goal is to build the Kingdom of God, which will result in building the earthly churches. 

4.     A selfless work force

         To build this tower, the Babylonians had to make and burn their own bricks, collect and mix the ingredients for their own mortar.  Pictures of these towers give you the feeling that they were the size of the great pyramids.  Without pull dozers and cranes the people had to carry huge amounts of bricks and mortar up above the ground to make the tower higher and higher.  They worked long hours, through the grueling heat of the day, day in and day out.  They were committed to the task.  As Christians we must have this same attitude.

MARK 10:34-37

         Any one who intends to follow Jesus must be willing to give his life to the cause of Christ.  In Bible days this meant the person should be willing to die.  Though we in America are not be slaughtered for our belief in Christ, we are still required to sacrifice all that we have and all that we are for the goal of building the kingdom.  Paul clearly understood this as he speaks Philip. 3:7-8 “But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ.”  Paul gave up everything that he had saying it all had the value of manure to him when compared to what he had found in Christ. 

         If we truly believe that we are working for God, then we must do so selflessly.  Look at the life of Jesus as our example, because that level of work and commitment is what God expects.  If we say we can not be like Jesus, then look at Paul.  Can we be like him?  Some say no, because Paul did not appear to have a family to provide for.  Well, can we be like Peter who had a family but trust that God really meant Matthew 6:33 - But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.  Some will just simply say “things were different in those days.”  I tried to think about what was different.  We still have God, the Devil and mankind.  We still have those who are committed to Christ and those who are not.  We still have families that need to be cared for as they did.  All I could come up with is that the wicked have become more wicked and the Christians have become more self involved (which equals selfish).  Friends this is where I believe the Christians of today are messing up.  We put too much effort into our own personal agenda’s and not enough into God’s agenda.  As a result of our selfishness we see very little progress on our parts to help in building the kingdom of God. (Challenge)

           Many times when we are witnessing to unbelievers all they can focus on is what they will lose or have to give up by becoming a Christian.  Until a person comes to know Christ it is almost impossible for him to understand the true worthlessness of all that is temporal.  If you are not saved today and by that I mean, totally committed and surrendered to God, ask yourself, “What am I giving in exchange for my soul”.  What is so valuable to you that it would cause you to miss God and Heaven?