The Need of Being Built

Have we been built?

This is the question that was posed by Witness Lee to a gathering of Christians several years ago. Do we realize the significance of building? Such a matter deserves  our attention even more today. This excerpt from The Testimony and Ground of the Church touches a fundamental but often overlooked aspect of our Christian life: the need for our being built together. Hope you enjoy it as much as I have. I can't post the entire chapter, but you can find the book here. More after the jump...

In Matthew 16:18, build and church are important words: “You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church.” In addition, 1 Peter 2:4-5 says, “Coming to Him, a living stone,... you yourselves also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house.” These words speak of the importance of building.

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. 

We must ask ourselves, “Have I been built?" 

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?” Although someone may be a gem, a diamond that is exceedingly beautiful and very precious, he still may be all alone, in isolation, and not built with others. This is not what a Christian should be. The real meaning of being a Christian lies not only in beauty but even more in building. Building is first; beauty is second. There are many brothers and sisters who still have not been built with others, who still prefer to be individually spiritual, pursuing the Lord independently, working alone, preaching alone, and being alone. I do not know how many among the children of God have a consciousness of togetherness, a consciousness of coordination, saying, “It is not enough that I am individually spiritual; the brothers and sisters must also be spiritual with me. I am not happy, nor do I feel beautiful when I am the only one who is spiritual. There is beauty only when the brothers, the sisters, and I are spiritual together. It is not enough to preach well by myself. Rather, the situation is good and effective only when I serve God together with my co-workers, my brothers and sisters.” 

A few paragraphs later, Witness Lee shares some testimony from personal experience. This is a very helpful application. The concluding paragraph is very sobering, and connects this matter to God's purpose. May this become our prayer.

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.  

"To have the building of the church, we need to be built." 

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