Rebuilding Faith: Moving Beyond the Starting Blocks in Christ

Nov 02, 2025

Devotional

Day 1: Building on the Foundation of Christ, Not Just Getting Saved

A life in Christ is meant to be built upon, not just begun.

Many people treat salvation as the finish line, but it is actually the starting block of a lifelong race. Just as an Olympic runner would be foolish to stand still after the starting gun, so too are we called to move forward, letting God work in us and through us. The Christian life is not about looking back at what we left behind, but about giving God more room to work, experiencing His grace in new ways, and allowing Him to build something lasting and eternal in us. Are you content to stand still, or are you ready to run the race and let God shape your life for His purposes? [41:15]

1 Corinthians 3:11 (ESV):
"For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ."

Reflection: In what area of your life have you been standing still spiritually, content with “just being saved,” and what is one step you can take this week to let God build something new on the foundation of Christ in you?

Day 2: The Word of God is Living and Active

God’s Word is alive, powerful, and meant to transform us.

The Bible is not just a historical record or a set of facts to memorize; it is living and active, like yeast that causes dough to rise. When you engage with Scripture regularly, it begins to change you from the inside out, awakening your spirit and giving you new understanding. Even reading the Bible aloud or picturing Jesus speaking directly to you can open your heart to hear God’s voice in fresh ways. Don’t let difficult passages or unfamiliar names discourage you—keep digging, because God wants to speak to you personally through His Word. [53:36]

Hebrews 4:12 (ESV):
"For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart."

Reflection: What is one way you can approach your Bible reading this week with fresh anticipation, asking God to make His Word come alive to you?

Day 3: Salvation is a Continual Journey of Confession and Belief

Salvation is not a one-time event, but an ongoing process of faith.

Confessing Jesus as Lord and believing in His resurrection is not just a box to check once in your life; it is a daily, ongoing proclamation and trust. The process of being saved involves continually turning to God, confessing with your mouth, believing in your heart, and allowing your faith to grow deeper. This journey is not about perfection, but about persistence—returning to God again and again, letting Him shape your heart, and trusting that He is working even when you stumble. [01:00:24]

Romans 10:8-10 (ESV):
"But what does it say? 'The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart' (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved."

Reflection: When was the last time you openly confessed your faith in Jesus to someone, and how might you make this a regular part of your walk with God?

Day 4: The Holy Spirit Empowers Us to Speak and Act

The Holy Spirit fills believers with boldness and power to live out their faith.

After Jesus’ resurrection, He told His followers to wait for the promised Holy Spirit, who would empower them to speak and act in ways they never could on their own. When the Spirit came, ordinary people began to proclaim God’s truth in ways that reached every heart. The Spirit is not just for the apostles, but for every believer—He gives us courage, wisdom, and the words to say. If you find yourself silent or hesitant about your faith, ask God to fill you with His Spirit so you can boldly share and live out the gospel. [01:14:42]

Acts 1:8 (ESV):
"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."

Reflection: What is one situation or relationship where you need the Holy Spirit’s boldness to speak or act for Christ this week?

Day 5: Keep Building—Don’t Settle for Spiritual Stagnation

God calls us to continually grow, change, and build upon what He’s started in us.

It’s easy to become complacent, holding on to old ways or thinking that change is unnecessary. But God desires to transform us, to move us from the patterns of this world into the light of His kingdom. Like a seed planted in the ground, we are meant to grow, multiply, and bear fruit. Don’t be content with what you’ve already experienced—ask God what He wants to activate in you next, and be willing to let go of comfort for the sake of becoming more like Christ. [01:22:10]

Romans 12:2 (ESV):
"Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect."

Reflection: What is one area where you sense God calling you to change or grow, and what practical step can you take this week to respond to His invitation?

Sermon Summary

Today’s gathering was a call to move beyond the starting blocks of faith and into the fullness of life that God intends for each of us. It’s easy to settle for the comfort of salvation—knowing we’re “on the team”—but God’s desire is not just to save us, but to transform us, to build something lasting and eternal with our lives. Like a runner who never leaves the starting line, many believers miss the adventure and partnership God offers after salvation. The invitation is to experience not only the grace that saves, but the grace that empowers and sustains us as we run the race.

We reflected on the importance of building our lives on a solid foundation—Christ himself. Just as a house built on unstable ground will eventually collapse, so too will a life built on anything other than Jesus and his teachings. The world is unstable, but Christ is our stability. Building on him means not just remembering his story, but actively applying his teachings and those of the apostles, letting them shape our daily lives. This is not a one-time event, but a continual process of growth, obedience, and transformation.

The Word of God is not a static history book, but a living, active force. When we engage with Scripture regularly—more than just once or twice a week—it begins to change us from the inside out. The Spirit of God uses the Word to awaken us, to give us new desires, and to empower us to live differently. We’re called to approach the Word with childlike wonder, expecting God to speak, to challenge, and to encourage us.

Faith is not a “one and done” transaction. The biblical language of salvation is ongoing: confessing, believing, trusting, and calling on the Lord are all things we are to continue doing. This is how we grow strong, how we become “towers” that others can look to for hope and strength. The early church in Acts modeled this: they listened, learned, changed, and kept building on what God revealed. They didn’t cling to tradition for tradition’s sake, but were open to the Spirit’s leading, even when it meant change.

Ultimately, God is calling each of us to keep building, to keep running, to keep listening. He wants to activate the “dirt” of our lives, to bring forth fruitfulness and transformation. The question is not whether we’re in the race, but whether we’re running it with all our hearts, letting God’s Spirit and Word shape us into people who reflect his glory and love in a world that desperately needs it.

Key Takeaways

1. Salvation is the starting line, not the finish. God’s grace is not just for saving us from our past, but for empowering us to live transformed lives now. Like a runner who must leave the blocks, we are called to move forward, letting God work in us and through us for his purposes. [41:15]
2. Building on Christ means more than just believing in him; it means actively applying his teachings and those of the apostles. Our stability in an unstable world comes from this foundation, and everything we do for Christ has eternal significance, while what we do for ourselves is fleeting. [48:43]
3. The Word of God is living and active, not just a book of facts. When we engage with Scripture regularly and with expectation, it becomes a seed that grows, changes, and empowers us. The Spirit brings the Word alive, and our openness to it determines how much it transforms us. [53:36]
4. Faith and confession are ongoing, not one-time acts. The biblical call is to keep believing, keep confessing, and keep trusting—this is how we experience the fullness of salvation and become strong “towers” for others. Stagnation comes when we settle for a past decision rather than a present pursuit of God. [61:37]
5. The Spirit’s presence is essential for boldness and fruitfulness. The early church waited for and received the Spirit, who empowered them to speak, act, and change. If we find ourselves silent or stagnant, it’s a call to seek the Spirit’s filling, so that our lives become living testimonies of God’s ongoing work. [74:42]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[40:39] - Building on Grace, Not the Past
[41:15] - The Race: Moving Beyond Salvation
[42:29] - Prayer for Awe and Wonder
[46:13] - Shag Carpet and Unstable Foundations
[47:30] - What We Build Lasts Forever
[48:43] - Building on Christ and His Teachings
[50:35] - 1 Corinthians: More Than Salvation
[52:58] - The Word of God: Living and Active
[54:48] - The Transforming Power of Regular Scripture
[56:39] - Childlike Anticipation and Optimism
[59:04] - Romans 10: Confession and Ongoing Faith
[61:37] - Faith That Grows and Builds
[67:07] - The Book of Acts: Actions of the Early Church
[72:13] - Keep Building: The Spirit and Obedience
[74:42] - The Spirit’s Boldness and Our Response
[81:35] - Are You Building or Settling?
[85:23] - Letting God Activate the “Dirt”
[86:45] - Responding to God’s Call

Bible Study Guide

Bible Study Discussion Guide

Bible Reading

1 Corinthians 3:10-15 (ESV)

> According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it. For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— each one's work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone's work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.

Hebrews 4:12 (ESV)

> For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

Romans 10:8-13 (ESV)

> But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Observation Questions

In 1 Corinthians 3:10-15, what does Paul say is the only true foundation for our lives? What are some of the materials he mentions that people might use to build on that foundation?
According to Hebrews 4:12, how is the Word of God described? What does this tell us about how we should approach Scripture?
In Romans 10:8-13, what actions are connected to salvation? Is salvation described as a one-time event or an ongoing process? ([01:00:24])
The sermon compared salvation to a runner at the starting blocks. What point was the pastor making with this analogy? ([41:15])

Interpretation Questions

Why do you think Paul warns us to “take care how we build” on the foundation of Christ? What might it look like to build with “gold, silver, precious stones” versus “wood, hay, straw” in our daily lives? ([48:43])
The pastor said that many Christians settle for “being on the team” but never run the race. What are some reasons people might stop at salvation and not pursue transformation? ([41:15])
The Word of God is described as “living and active.” How does this challenge the idea that the Bible is just a history book? What does it mean for the Word to “change us from the inside out”? ([53:36])
The early church in Acts was open to the Spirit’s leading, even when it meant change. What are some ways we might resist the Spirit’s work in our lives or in our church? ([01:10:56])

Application Questions

The sermon emphasized that salvation is the starting line, not the finish. In what areas of your life have you been content to “stay in the starting blocks”? What would it look like for you to “run the race” this week? ([41:15])
Building on Christ means actively applying his teachings. Is there a specific teaching of Jesus or the apostles that you struggle to put into practice? What is one step you could take to build on that foundation this month? ([48:43])
The pastor encouraged us to engage with Scripture regularly, not just once or twice a week. What is your current pattern of Bible reading? How could you increase your engagement with God’s Word in a way that feels doable and meaningful? ([54:10])
The Word of God is “living and active.” When was the last time you approached the Bible with childlike wonder, expecting God to speak to you? What might help you recover that sense of awe? ([56:39])
Faith and confession are ongoing, not one-time acts. Are there areas where your faith has become stagnant or routine? What would it look like to “keep believing, keep confessing, and keep trusting” in your current season? ([01:01:37])
The Spirit’s presence is essential for boldness and fruitfulness. Have you ever asked God to fill you with his Spirit for a specific situation? What difference did it make, or what difference do you hope it would make? ([01:14:42])
The pastor said God wants to “activate the dirt” of our lives and bring forth fruitfulness. What is one area of your life that feels unproductive or stuck? How can you invite God to bring transformation and growth there? ([01:25:23])

Closing Prayer Suggestion:
Invite the group to pray for a fresh sense of awe and wonder at God’s Word, and for courage to keep building and running the race God has set before each of you.

Sermon Clips

“We have a tendency to go back to our normal life instead of experiencing the eternal life that he wants us to begin with right now. Eternal meaning that it will last forever. that everything we do in the name of Christ and on his behalf is something that will be eternal. Everything we do for oursel and and it's not a condemnation or anything that way, but whatever we do for oursel, this is it. We get to enjoy it here. But the things that we do with Christ in mind and we do for him or because of him.”

“But when you read it four times a week, it changes your life. Uh we've got several here that the past year has been their year of getting into the word. And uh I know several of them. I mean it's fun because they come tell me, "Did you know?" And I don't know it all. So it's fun. But I love seeing it, you know? I mean it's like, man, that's not boring at all hearing people getting excited.”

“But the picture here is is that he's giving us this anticipation. And he's trying to tell these Corinthians, he said, "Man, why are you stopping? Why have you gone ahead and been saved and you're turning around and living a normal worldly life? There's so much more. And you haven't begun to taste all that God's got for you." And yet salvation's pretty good, isn't it? It's a good flavor. It's a good taste. But he's saying, "Don't be content just now that you're saved."”

“Because God’s calling you. He’s got things for you to do that nobody else has your name, has your fingerprints, that he's called you uniquely to do and to accomplish with your life, however long or short it may be on this earth. Let him. And he goes through down through there and basically it's this picture of man, what I want to encourage is you ever hear anything from God? Not just, you know, first of all is in the word.”

“And so the stability of our life though is based upon Christ that no matter what, he knows. And that a part of our faith is trusting that okay, he saw this coming and I may not enjoy it or like it, but God will do what? work everything to good. Not to my good and my pleasure. It doesn't say anything about that. But to good in the sense of the overall eternal life of the entire population that's ever walked or walked on this earth.”

“But for some odd reason, people are looking for this little short note thing and they're trying to go check, check, I did this, I did this one time. Well, if that would have been the case, Peter wouldn't need to come back to Jesus to go ahead and become the one that would preach on in the book of Acts because he followed him once, twice, even for almost three years in fact. Wasn't that enough? But you see, God wasn't done with that was just the beginning.”

“You're to have faith. You're saved by faith, right? But what kind of faith? A faith that just is one and done? No, it's a faith that begins but begins to grow more and more greater and greater. And that's the part that I'm just saying. I think that's why some of you are bored with Christianity. I will tell you right now, I mean, I'm more um excited about Christ than I've ever been.”

“But man, the word of God compels me and it compels me to not quit. And so he does say, so these are things these are these are things that we need to do. We need to confess, but it's this word of faith. So verse 9 again, confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord and keep confessing and believe and keep on believing in your heart that God raised him from the dead. Then you will be saved. Then it becomes an absolute.”

“And so my encouragement to you is reading this book of Acts that you see these guys go through it on their own. And Jesus tells them to wait and that they will receive power. And they don't even know what that's going to look like, feel like, or otherwise. And so they wait. And while they're waiting, they're praying. And while they're praying, they're talking. And they're praying some more. And they're sharing scriptures.”

“But the greatest thing to me about it is is every single one of these guys when they came across a teaching that they had missed out on, guess what? Well, I don't believe that. No, they didn't ever say that. They changed and they brought that teaching in with them and they started applying it to their life and started telling other people about it, too. You can't find one place here that anybody folded their arms and go, "Well, that's not what my mom and dad believe.”

“And that's what the Holy Spirit will do in you and me. And so I will challenge you, not in a dog, double dog dare you type thing, but man, if you don't ever want to speak about Christ, I want to encourage you to pray to God and say, "God, did I receive the spirit?" Because the spirit is who gives us the boldness to speak up on God's behalf. It's the spirit that stirs within us to where we can't keep our mouth shut.”

“But when the spirit's working in you, what he will bring forth will be the word of God. And whether it's recall of the scriptures themselves or insight or understanding, wisdom, etc., etc., to discernment. The spirit wants to go ahead and to activate the body so that we really do run the race and we keep on running. We continue to build in our lives.”

“But we as Christians sometimes, man, we got to hold on to what we grew up with. acting like any change is wrong. No, that's what I'm saying is we've told God too long, keep the change. He's saying, "No, I want to I won’t want you any longer conform to the pattern of the world." That’s right. I want you to be transformed in the kingdom of light. And you're afraid of it. Come on, passion. Come on, team Jesus. Huh?”

“But I want to encourage you to be a people will get your nose in the book and read it just from a childlike perspective. Says, "God, I don't know what you've got." My favorite story, and it's one that I shouldn't tell, but I loved and you know, one of my most famous birthdays was when I turned six and granddad got me that pony. I had no idea. Just blew me away. So, I had now my boots to go with the horse or the pony.”

“And so when we read it and he speaks to us, we ought to react. And so today, what I want to begin doing is building for you a little bit more on top of this foundation of Christ. And I want to encourage you to be one of these that don't believe for one moment that you understand it all. Now, most of you, if I gave you a test, you would say, "There's no reason me take that test. I don't know much at all."”

Ask a question about this sermon