In the entire Bible we see that God is seeking a building. The very first vision in the Bible, which sets the principle for all the following visions in the Bible, is Jacob’s dream in Gen. 28 – a vision of Bethel, God’s dwelling place. All the spiritual visions in the Scriptures are with God’s building in view (the building of the temple, the tabernacle, the recovery of the temple, Christ as God’s tabernacle, the church as the building of God, and eventually the New Jerusalem).
The central thought of the Scriptures is that God desires to have a building – and this is what fulfills God’s purpose in creating, redeeming, and saving man. Genesis 1:26 is fulfilled by a corporate people built up to be God’s building, who express God in His image and represent Him with His authority by dealing with His enemy.
This is the central work of God – there are many works, many things that God does, and many things that we can do for God. In all the other works, we may “reserve something for ourselves”, but in the work of God’s building, being built up and being buildable material that the enemy would withdraw and we may recover the earth – such work can be accomplished by some in whom the enemy has no ground, and they have NO SELF!
The goal of God’s salvation is God’s building! In Ephesians chapter two – which encapsulates the entire book of Exodus in its major points – we see that we were dead in our sins, under the power of the world, labouring there without meaning, but God prepares the apostle/Moses, we eat the Passover, we get out of Egypt and we are in the wilderness to eat manna and be reconstituted – the goal of all these is the building up of the tabernacle, the temple, the building of God.
In Eph. 2:21-22 we se that we are a holy temple and the dwelling place of God in spirit! God saved us not just to rescue us from perdition and not even to bring us “to heavens” – no, God saved us for His purpose, for His heart’s desire, for His building! The entire Bible can be summarized in these two words – LIFE(which is Christ Himself to us as our life) and BUILDING(Christ increasing in us and being expressed through us in a corporate way).
To be a part of the building, a part of the corporate expression of the Triune God, we need to be corporate in our constitution – no longer independent, isolated, an island by yourself, individualistic…
We may assemble together but still not “be corporate”; rather, we have the sense of separation, distance, lossness in ourselves. When we are saved in life and when we are being transformed from glory to glory into the same image (2 Cor. 3:18), we become the fulfillment of John 17 – one in the divine glory, one in the corporate expression of the Triune God!
God’s work is not to make us SPECIAL – to be an exhibit of top spiritual-ness for all to admire in a “cosmic spiritual superstore”; NO! God wants us to be a PART of His corporate expression. His central work today is to build Himself into us and to build us into Himself.
Is this YOUR central work? Yes, we need to do all kinds of things in the church life and for God – we need to preach the gospel to save people, we need to shepherd the saints, we need to cook for the saints, have a proper administration, etc – but these need to be in line with God’s central work!
May whatever is in His heart for us He may accomplish – may God build Himself into us more and build us more into Himself so that we may be built up and be buildable material for His building! [enjoyment based on message 11 from the Crystallization-Study of Isaiah(2)]
Lord, don’t let us remain the same – we don’t want to remain individualistic and not-built-up! Have mercy on us, Lord, and build Yourself into us more! Build us more into Yourself! Build us up with the other saints, and make us buildable material for Your building! Grant us to see Your central work, Lord, what is that You are really after! Gain Your building! Gain a built up Body for Christ! Gain the corporate expression for the Triune God! Gain Your glory, Lord!
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