THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE CHURCH
AND THE MINISTRY OF THE WORD
Read and pray: “By faith he lived as a foreigner in the land of promise, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, co-heirs of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.” (Heb. 11:9–10)
Most people think that building enables us to act in coordination with one another so that we are no longer separate individuals, but a corporate Body. However, the true meaning of building is to build Christ into the believers. When Christ is built into the believers, they become His Body.
In Ephesians 4:11–12, Paul says that God gave the church various gifts for the building up of the Body of Christ, the building of the church. In 1 Corinthians 3, he refers to the building of the Body as the building of the dwelling place of God. The Body and the dwelling place are exactly the same. Paul tells us to use gold, silver, and precious stones for the building. If we build with wood, hay, and straw, our work will be consumed (vv. 12–15).
Verse 12 of chapter three shows us that the materials for building are gold, silver, and precious stones. Gold represents the divine nature of God the Father, silver represents the redemption of Christ the Son, and precious stones represent the transforming work of the Spirit. This teaches us that the material to be used in building is the Triune God—the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. In other words, the building is constructed with the divine nature of the Father, the redemption of the Son, and the transforming work of the Spirit. This verse, however, does not tell us what we are building. For example, brick, stone, or wood refers to the material used in construction, but house, classroom, or auditorium refers to the building itself.
According to the Bible, there are two aspects of God’s building in the universe: one refers to a dwelling, and the other to a city. Everything related to building is connected to either a dwelling or a city. Whether God or man builds, there are only these two aspects of building: the dwelling and the city. Dwelling, temple, and palace all refer to the same one thing.
A temple is a dwelling place, and so is a palace. With the exception of the tower of Babel, every construction mentioned in the Bible refers to a dwelling or a city. Today, God is building a dwelling. The church is His dwelling, His house. When this building is completed, it will become a city: the New Jerusalem. According to Ephesians 2:22, God is building a dwelling, and according to Hebrews 11:10, He is building a city with foundations.
THE BUILDING OF GOD’S TEMPLE
In the Old Testament, the holy temple typifies the dwelling place of God, and the holy city typifies the New Jerusalem. When the people of Israel entered Canaan, from their point of view, they received the blessing of a land flowing with milk and honey. But from the divine point of view, they were building a temple and a city for God (1 Kings 8:12–21). The Israelites took the holy temple and the holy city, Jerusalem, to be their center.
When the people of Israel entered Canaan, their task was to build the temple and the city. All of God's relationship with His people in the Old Testament was related to the temple and the city. That is why the psalmists frequently spoke of the holy temple and the holy city. This is the central matter between God and His people.
Satan, God's enemy, did everything he could to destroy God’s relationship with His people. He did this by destroying the holy temple and the holy city. After the destruction of the temple and the holy city, there was a restoration among the people of Israel. The building had to be restored. The holy temple and the holy city had to be built. This shows that the building up of the Body of Christ is the building up of God’s temple on one hand and of God’s city on the other.
On one hand, the Body of Christ is the house, the dwelling, and the temple of God; on the other hand, it is the church and the bride of Christ. In Revelation 21 we find a city—the New Jerusalem. The holy city is the bride. Therefore, the church relates to both the temple and the city. To build the church is to build the temple and the city of God.
Enjoy more: Hymn 349
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