Living Stones Larry W. Peebles June 1, 2018 18.14
The last twenty years of my career in land development and home building was spent in the Florida market. When Hurricane Andrew roared across south Florida in mid-August 1992, the way homes were built in Florida changed forever. Based on historic hurricane travel paths and wind speeds, together with all the data gathered in the aftermath of Andrew, minimum design standards were established county-by-county. New homes would now have to be designed and built to withstand hurricane winds expected in that county. For example, coastal counties had a higher design standard than inland counties where the effect of a hurricane would diminish by the time it arrived. South Florida counties encountered hurricanes more frequently than north Florida counties, so that was also taken into account in the design standards.
It took a few years to get those design standards in place, and there have been a series of updates. The resulting design principles used metal straps set in concrete to tie the wooden roof trusses to the masonry walls. More concrete and steel re-bar was prescribed to build a stronger wall, and then the methods were improved to tie the wall into the foundation built in the ground. The new codes also required better methods to attach the roof to the roof trusses, and stronger windows and doors with improved installation. Most of the homes in the more hurricane- susceptible parts of the state are built of strong masonry block. When those blocks are properly tied together, and tied into the other major structural components of the home, they have the strength to withstand the storm. Homes built after these code revisions are much stronger.
There is a spiritual comparison here to the church of Jesus Christ. I am not speaking of a branch or denomination of the church, nor am I speaking of any one church or church building. I am speaking of the collective body of believers and followers that Jesus called the church. We know that Jesus is the cornerstone of the church. We read in Ephesians 2:20- “The cornerstone is Jesus Christ Himself.” Earlier in that same chapter we read that all who believe in and follow Jesus- Jews and Gentiles, Catholics, Methodists, and Pentecostals- are united as one people, and are members of the family of God. As such, they are his house/temple/church. The qualifier has not changed, and is the same one Peter expressed when asked by Jesus who He (Jesus) was—“You are the Messiah (Savior), the Son of the Living God.” When Peter confessed this, Jesus said He would build His church on the rock of that revelation. He also said that response was not learned from a man (or a church). It was revealed to the individual by the Holy Spirit. All who make that confession are part of the Church of Jesus. They have had a life-changing encounter with Jesus, and have received the revelation of who He is from the Holy Spirit. Again, this is the spiritual church, not a denomination, a movement or a branch, and certainly not a building. Those who make that confession establish that Jesus is the Lord and King over their own lives, and invite His Spirit to live in their hearts. At that point, they individually become the temple of God. When they gather together as believers and followers, they become the church of Jesus.
Specifically, relative to the church, every individual believer is referred to as a “living stone”. In 1 Peter 2:3-5 we read- “If indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious, coming to Him as to a living Stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” When we come to Jesus, the foundation/cornerstone/living stone of our faith, the relationship is so close and intimate that we too become living stones, one with Him. 1 Corinthians 3:11 says- “For no other foundation can anyone lay than which is laid, which is Christ Jesus.” This is the church for which Jesus will come to take as His bride. Ephesians 5:25-27- “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.” It should be pointed out here that this is not a wish. It is done. We are simply watching it play out. Jesus will have His glorious church for His bride, holy and without blemish. When I hear those who complain about the current condition of the church, I remember they are looking at man’s institutional church, not the spiritual church Jesus is referencing.
Here are some things we should know about this spiritual church of Jesus Christ:
1. Like the temple Solomon built, the living stones of this church will come from all over the world. This church that will be the bride of Christ will not come from any one denomination or institution or country. Jesus has “born again” believers all over the world. They will have different personalities, backgrounds, races, and strengths. They know Him personally and intimately, and have been touched and renewed by His Spirit.
2. These living stones may have different shapes, sizes and purposes. Again comparing to Solomon’s temple, some of the stones may be ornamental, some plain. Living stones may be precious stones, or common ones. Some may be structural—load-bearing, or lintels over windows and doors. No matter their purpose, shape, or place in the structure, when Jesus has put His living stones together to form His church, they will fit together tightly and form a spiritual structure that will endure and bring glory and honor to the King.
3. These living stones have been or will be carefully put into the proper place in the structure, and will have been shaped to the proper size. The stones are not identical in size, but they have each been cut, chipped, ground and shaped to conform to what is needed for their selected place in the wall of this spiritual church. The process can be harsh. Suffering is a part of quarrying, sizing, polishing, and preparing the living stones for their role in God’s kingdom. Valuable stones lose as much as 60 percent of their initial size and mass before they become a precious jewel. True living stones for Jesus will sacrifice significant parts of their lives, habits, cultures, reasoning and values to be transformed into a gem fit for the Master.
4. The stones are joined together by His Spirit. A pile of stones lying on the ground does not make a wall or a structure. The Holy Spirit is the mortar that holds the spiritual church together. The Holy Spirit gives believers the life and desire to follow Jesus wholly, to the point of becoming like Him. No opposition is too great, no sacrifice is too much. Every living stone in that church is sold out to Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit.
When we look around, our lives may appear to be a loud, dusty quarry. Blasting and jack hammers may be required to separate us from where we are embedded. Saws, chisels and grinders may be needed to shape and polish us, and give us the precise dimensions to fit into the exact place we are needed in the intelligent plan of God. But one day, Jesus will have his Holy and glorious bride, the Church. Confess Jesus, Son of God, as Lord and Savior. Then ask Him to become one of those living stones in a structure that will endure for eternity.