Apostolic Mandate #5: The Call of James and Solomon
We’ve talked about pattern-makers, trailblazers, and spiritual parents… but now we get to one of the most rewarding apostolic mandates: the builder.
Builders get the satisfaction of seeing the job done. They don’t just talk about structure, they live it. Think of Solomon in the Old Testament and James, the brother of Jesus, in the New.
And let me just say, if you’re a builder, you’ll get James. I mean really get him.
James: The Apostle Who Stayed
You’ve got Peter out there blowing things up for Jesus, and Paul laying down the framework for the New Testament Church. They’re moving constantly, trailblazing, battling, breaking ground. But then you have James. The one who stayed home and made sure the work actually got done.
James pastored the Church in Jerusalem. It became the apostolic hub of the Early Church. Even Paul, with all his heavenly patterns and big revelation, came back to Jerusalem to make sure his race wasn’t run in vain.
“...when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that had been given to me…” – Galatians 2:9
James was a pillar. A builder. A stay-at-home apostle. The guy who lived with the people every day, established the culture, and kept the fire burning at home.
Solomon: The Builder with Bling
Now jump back to Solomon. He didn’t fight wars like David. But what did he do? He built. He took David’s battle-won land and made it into a kingdom that couldn’t be uprooted.
David cleared the land. Solomon planted on it.
“He shall build a house for My name, and he shall be My son…” – 1 Chronicles 22:10
Solomon didn’t come up with the pattern for the temple. But oh boy, did he rock it. He added the gold, the carvings, the cedar walls, he bedazzled the blueprint!
That’s what builders do. They take the pattern and make it shine.
The Price of the Builder
But let’s talk about the price, because every apostolic type has one.
For the builder, the price is consistency.
You don’t get to run away when it gets hard. You don’t get the thrill of trailblazing or the glamour of being “sent to the nations.” Your feet are planted. Your sleeves are rolled up. You're in the trenches with people, every. single. day.
You're the one who picks up the pieces after the revival dies down. You're the one turning a vision into systems, into culture, into discipleship. You work with resistance, day after day, week after week.
You build while others run. You finish what others start. You stay when no one else wants to.
Are You a James or a Solomon?
If you find that every time you try to “go,” God keeps grounding you and saying, “Build,”… you might just be a James. Or a Solomon.
You’re practical. Hands-on. You want to see the pattern lived out and not just talked about. You’re not content to leave a blueprint on a table, you’re picking up a hammer and saying, “Let’s make this happen.”
You’re probably the kind of person who looks at dysfunction in the church and thinks, “Guys, why are we acting like this?” That’s what James did! Read James 4 and you’ll see it.
“Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure...?” – James 4:1
You Don’t Have to Travel to Be Sent
We hear “apostle” and immediately think of missions, nations, and passports. But James was commissioned by Jesus Himself, and he didn’t leave Jerusalem.
He was sent… to stay. To build.
And thank God for the James in our midst! While others run out to war, we need someone to keep the home fire burning. A safe place for the Peters and Pauls to return to. A covering. A center. A place of belonging.
The Builder's Mandate
If you’re called to be a builder, then own it. You may not be the one to receive the pattern, but you sure know how to make it work. You make it beautiful, lasting, and practical.
You don’t just “have vision.” You establish it.
So whether you’re putting up spiritual walls or laying down culture in a team, know this: your work matters. Builders may not get the glory of the first brick, but they get to see the house stand.
I highly recommend getting Apostle Colette Toach's The Apostolic Mandate, as she dives deeper into this topic. There, she explains how to function in this mandate:
