2 Timothy 2:1-2 - "My son (Paul writing to Timothy), be strong in the grace that's in you in Christ. The things that you've heard from me, among many witnesses, commit to faithful men and who can teach others".
In the church, Paul was a pattern of a spiritual father. He had someone committed to learn from him; he taught him, and he said: now the things I teach you, impart to the next generation, who will impart to the next generation. In other words, his whole mindset is: think generationally, you're to be a builder.
A lot of people are in church just to get blessed. I want to get a good message; I want you to pray for me. That may all be fine, but it's not the purpose. All of that is to lead you to become a builder - to take what you've got, and give it to someone else. Take what God gave you. If you got saved, then share your salvation. If you've got healed, share your healing. If you've got delivered, share about your deliverance. If you've got a breakthrough, share about your breakthrough. It's not just for you, it's to pass on to the next generation.
The plague in the church is people that are just me, me, me; they're self centered - they never give what they've got to anyone else. It violates the purpose of God. It unfaithfulness, is what it really is.
Every believer is empowered to be a builder.
1 Corinthians 12:7 - "Now to everyone is given the gift of the spirit (everyone, no exclusion). It's given freely to you, so you may profit others".
God's intention is for every believer to benefit, add value, and profit other people. To do that, he gives you the empowering. If you have no intention of building anyone else, then there will be little flow of empowerment; but if you commit to become a helper, a builder, a strengthener of others, God will make available for you the flow of His spirit - prophecy, words of knowledge, healing, all of these kind of things. They're available to meet needs of people. It's God's intention that every person does that.
Ephesians 4:16 - "The whole body is built by what every joint supplies"
Joints are relationships. When you gather in a small group, you form relationships. If something goes wrong, people around you know you well enough to know you're not good, and contact you. Some people form no relationships, then when they're in trouble, they're on their own - nobody cares for me. Well, you never did what you're supposed to do. Connect, build relationships and connections, and grow together, and love together, and walk through hardship together, and help one another - that's the church. That's what it looks like. It's concerned about helping, about growing, and so on. Every believer is a minister of God. That's the church Jesus is building.
In all of the pattern of building, the foundation is first. I must be born again. I must come to Christ, and receive his life into my heart, through repentance, and alignment with him. That makes me a child of God; and then I'm called to be a builder. God will give me a pattern. The pattern is always found in the word and principles of God. You've got to learn to read the word of God, study the word of God, take notes on the word of God, be a person who loves the word of God. That's where the patterns are. If you want answers for life, read the word of God. Build, based on how God says to do it. That's a smart way to build your life.
Personal prayer is strengthening your relationship with your father, so that you are empowered, and guided, and led. If you need wisdom, ask God, he will give to you, and help you. If you're going to be a builder, then build prayer into your life. Build the word into your life.
Here's a fourth principle: Build long-term. Don't just do things just for the moment, or for the next big hit or thrill; build long-term. Think about long-term building. Don't run around wasting your energy everywhere. Focus your energy on where you can produce fruit. Think about that, and then have an expectation, that if I do what God's called me to do, he's going to bless it and fill it. He will bless it, and fill it.