The administration of the church and the ministry of the word, week 6, chapter 9, Saturday

THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE CHURCH

AND THE MINISTRY OF THE WORD

CHAPTER NINE: THE MEANING OF BUILDING

IS IN THE BUILDING OF GOD’S AUTHORITY

OVER MAN

WEEK 6 - SATURDAY

Bible Reading: 1 Kings 8:10-11; 1 Corinthians 6:19

Read and pray: "Or do you not know that your body is a sanctuary of the Holy Spirit who is in you?" (1 Corinthians 6:19)

THE BUILDING OF THE TEMPLE IS THE BUILDING

OF THE BLENDING OF GOD WITH MAN

Building the church, the Body of Christ, is a general expression in the Bible. A more specific and better-defined expression is the building of the temple and the city. The emphasis of the temple is on the presence of God, on the blending of God and man. For this reason, to build the temple is to build the blending of God with man.

To begin with, 1 Corinthians 6:19 says, "Or do you not know that your body is a sanctuary of the Holy Spirit who is in you?" We are the sanctuary or temple of God, and the Spirit of God dwells in us. This is the blending of God with man. The temple concerns the blending of God with man. After the temple was built, the glory of the Lord filled the entire temple (1 Kings 8:10-11). This temple represents the people of Israel as God's dwelling place; God dwelled among them.

In the administration of the church and the ministry of the word, we are building the church. We are building the blending of God with man in people. The purpose of the church administration is to produce the blending of God with the human being. The purpose of our ministry of the word is also to produce such a blending. If we produce the blending of God with man, we build the temple.

This principle can be applied to many situations. Perhaps two brothers live together but do not get along. They do not quarrel and are polite, but there is no building between them. I ask, "Is the presence of God with them? Is the temple of God there?" If there is no building between them, they do not have the presence of God or the temple of God with them. They are independent persons, and neither of them cares about the matters of the other. They are just two brothers who serve the Lord together and live in the same house. They do not have the presence of God, His temple.

If we have already been built up and have learned the lesson of building, we will realize that there is a lack of blending among these brothers. Both have a large amount of ego, and thus there is not much blending with the Lord. For this reason, our task is to build them up so that Christ may be more blended with them. We need to pay more attention to the part of their being that does not allow them to be blended with God. If they allow these parts to be worked on, they will be blended with God, and thus the temple of God will be within them. The extent of our union with others depends on how much we have been blended with God. This is the building and the temple of God with His presence.

Whenever we provide true spiritual help to people, we enable them to be more blended with God. The more they are blended with God, the more they will be united with other members of the Body of Christ. Those who lack the element of God cannot be one with other believers. Therefore, the brothers who speak from the pulpit must ensure that their words result in God being more blended with the saints.

If we work with the young people, the messages we preach must lead them to be more blended with God. If our messages do not produce this result, our work will not be a work of building. We will not build the temple. The work that builds the temple is the one that allows God to obtain a dwelling place for Himself. It allows God to dwell within the innermost being of man. Our work must cause God to dwell even more in man and be blended with him.

Enjoy more: Hymn 374