As saved ones, we all admit that once we were clay but that we have become stones because of the Lord’s salvation. However, it is not enough simply to be stones; we still need to be built. No doubt, we are living stones, but a question remains: “Have we been built?” This is a serious question. If we have been built, then we, as stones, cannot be independent. Instead, we need to be dealt with and joined together with other stones.
Brothers and sisters, we must ask ourselves, “Have I been built? Am I connected with others? Am I in coordination with others? Or am I a stone, independent and isolated?”
Brothers and sisters, in these last days God intends to recover this matter. God wants to recover not only the ground and the testimony of the church but also the building of the church. Whoever receives grace and mercy will bow his head and say, “Lord, have mercy on me, and have mercy also on my brothers and sisters. Build in us.”
We must see that to be saved is one thing, but to be built is another. To be called by the Lord is one thing, but to be built by Him is another. To be placed in the Lord’s hand is one thing, but to be willing to be broken in His hand is another. To be brothers together is one thing, but to be built with one another, to be built together, is another. For all to serve together is one thing, but for all to be coordinated is another. We need to be broken, dealt with, and delivered from our seclusion. We must see to such an extent that we cannot live, be a Christian, serve God, manage the church, preach the gospel, or edify the saints by ourself. We must see to such an extent that we need others in every step of our actions and in every aspect of our living. Without others, we should be paralyzed. Without others, it should be hard for us to walk even one inch. We need to realize this to such an extent in order to be built with others...
Brothers and sisters, forgive me for speaking of my own experiences. Many times when I knelt down to pray, I longed to seek out a few brothers to pray with me after praying only a few sentences. Sometimes I needed a number of brothers and sisters to pray with me in order for the burden within me to be discharged. I could not do it alone. Sometimes I could not understand a chapter of the Bible, no matter how much time I spent reading it. Then I realized that I had to seek out some brothers. It was not enough to find one brother; I had to find several brothers to study together. Amazingly, I was able to understand what I read in a short period of time when I studied with the brothers.
If we really know the church, we will see that the church is a built-up entity, not merely something put together. The church is not put together with many believers, all of whom are in their original condition. Rather, the church is built with believers who have been dealt with and broken. Without building, there are stones, but there is no house. Without building, there are believers, but there is no church. Without building, the testimony, the ground, the warfare, and the victory are not possible. Without building, there is no defeat of Satan, nor is there the ruling of the heavens. Therefore, the building of the church is crucial to the testimony of the church. To have the testimony of the church, there must be the building of the church. And to have the building of the church, we need to be built. May the Lord have mercy on us!
- Witness Lee, The Testimony and the Ground of the Church (ch.5)
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