“When the queen of Sheba had seen all the wisdom of Solomon, and the house (palace) which he had built, 5 the food on his table, the seating of his servants (court officials), the attendance of his waiters and their attire, his cupbearers, his stairway by which he went up to the house (temple) of the Lord, she was breathless and awed [by the wonder of it all].” 1 Kings 10:4-5 AMP
Some years ago, I was tasked with remodeling an area in the church I was pastoring, so I set out to get ideas that would help me create the perfect look. Walls had been torn down, electrical had been redone and everything was pretty much a blank canvas. This particular area was the large entrance area into the building, so I wanted to remodel it in such a way that would “wow” people as they walked through the door. You know the saying, “You only get one chance to make a first impression.”
The overall vison and idea of the look was clear. The church was in a rural area where folks loved to hunt, fish and enjoy the outdoor inner-banks area of NC, so I wanted to give it the “Bass Pro Shop” look, and sure enough we did. When it was finished, we were all amazed at how it had all come together. The big open colonnade area was dawned with cedar beams, a rustic wood floor, and an impressive stone fireplace with a beautiful handmade wood mantel. The “wow” factor had certainly been achieved! However, in the whole process the Lord showed me something.
In my mind, I wanted the building to look as good as things I had seen in the world, which was fine. But what He showed me was that we can’t “out world the world.” If we put an escalator, elevator, or impressive marble floors in our mega church building, although it may look great, the world already has all that. In fact, you can find all those things down at the local mall. But, what they don’t have is “the anointing.” And, it’s the combination of both excellence and the anointing that can make the biggest impression.
When the Queen of Sheba came to visit King Solomon and saw the magnificent structures, the impressive order in which everyone conducted themselves, in addition to their worship, she became “breathless.” She just simple wasn’t expecting to see the combination of excellence and anointing in the same place.
As believers, we should allow for both. God wants our churches, businesses and lives to reflect both His excellence and anointing. It’s there and then, when the world around us sees that powerful combination, that they become breathless too.