When it was built for an international exposition in the last century, the structure was called monstrous by the citizens of the city, who demanded it be torn down as soon as the exposition was over. Yet from the moment its architect first conceived it, he took pride in it and loyally defended it from those who wished to destroy it. He knew it was destined for greatness. Today it is one of the architectural wonders of the modern world and stands as the primary landmark of Paris, France. The architect, of course, was Alexandre Gustave Eiffel. His famous tower was built in 1889. In the same way we are struck by Jesus' loyalty to another structure the church which he entrusted to an unlikely band of disciples 2000 years ago, whom he defended, prayed for, and prepared to spread the gospel and build the church. To outsiders they (and we) must seem like incapable blunderers. But Jesus, the architect of the church, knew his structure was destined for greatness.