“And when the queen of Sheba had seen all Solomon’s wisdom, and the house that he had built, and the meat of his table, and the sitting of his servants, and the attendance of his ministers, and their apparel, and his cupbearers, and his ascent by which he went up unto the house of the LORD, there was no more spirit in her. And she said to the king, ‘It was a true report that I heard in mine own land of thy acts and of thy wisdom.’” —1 Kings 10:4-6

When the queen of Sheba visited Solomon’s house, she was absolutely astonished because of its excellence. The church must present to the world an excellent house.
The word of God tells us that we are one body with many members. It also tells us that we have many afflictions because we are the righteous. We are dealing with some of the same things at the same time that are trying to destroy the church. But in this last day and hour, when it seems the church is on a spiritual and moral decline, there must be a determined body of believers who operate and shine in excellence.
When the queen of Sheba decided to visit King Solomon’s house, she had heard how blessed he was. However, when she arrived, she experienced the fullness of what had been spoken. Everything was in such a splendid condition that she almost fainted.
The church should be in a place where the positive, powerful and blessed testimony of others is on full display when people come into the house of God. There should be a lasting impression of just how good God is because His presence is felt in the house.
The queen of Sheba heard, experienced and left with a powerful testimony of her own.
If there is going to be an excellent house, there must be excellent people within the house. President John F. Kennedy once stated, “Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.” What can we do to make our church better? How can I support the vision of the ministry?
When we find our place and support in excellence, the view of the whole house begins to shine brighter. When it comes to the things of God, we must possess a sincere desire for better. In the Old Testament, Daniel distinguished himself because of his excellent spirit. Having this spirit of excellence puts us on a pedestal and separates us from being the ordinary to being the extraordinary.
Luke 14:23 says, “‘Well, then,’ said his master, ‘go out into the country lanes and out behind the hedges and urge anyone you find to come so that the house will be full.’” Every church has been assigned a specific territory outside the walls of the church. People are dying without the word of God; a generation is being lost to sexual immorality, alternative and synthetic drugs, divorce and poverty.
Let us strive to present an excellent house so that when they come into the house of God, they find Christ represented in excellence!

Hayes is the pastor of New Day Community Church and president of the United Ministerial Alliance.