The Need for the Building of the Wall for the Protection of the Church as God’s House

There is a need for the building of the wall for the protection of the church as the house of God today.

We need to build up the church as the house of God, the temple of God, and also as the city of God, the kingdom of God; we need to experience Christ not only as our life for the church as the temple of God but also as our Head for the kingdom of God. Amen!

This week in our morning revival on the Crystallization-study of 1 and 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther, we come to another great crystal seen in the book of Nehemiah.

We will mainly focus on, Building the Wall of the City for the Protection of the Church as the House of God.

Nehemiah was a dispensational instrument in the hands of God, and he turned the age from the age of merely returning to the proper ground of oneness to build God’s house to have the kingdom of God on earth with the building of the wall of the city of Jerusalem.

He was a man filled with proper aggressiveness.

He was not a priest nor was he from the line of the kings, but he was a volunteer who heard of the dire situation of the returned captives and gave himself to the Lord to help bring in the kingdom of God.

Like Nehemiah, we all need to simply volunteer ourselves to the Lord, for we see that His house is not built and the kingdom of God is not yet here.

We want to see this week what does it mean to rebuild the wall of the city of Jerusalem in our Christian life and church life, and what does it mean to have a proper protection around the house of God so that the interests of God may be safeguarded and protected.

The completion of the church as the house of God is not the end; what God desires is not only a dwelling place on earth but a kingdom, the enlargement of His house, where He can rule and reign.

It is wonderful to have a sweet and enjoyable church life, where we all enjoy the Lord with the saints, we all serve in oneness, and we blend with other localities.

But is there the kingdom of God among us? Is there a divine order in the church life? Is Christ the Head, and are all the saints being headed up in Christ?

We are not here to have a utopia-kind of church life; we’re here to have the church as the kingdom of God.

When the church takes the lead to bring in the kingdom of God into the church life, the Lord has a stepping stone for Him to bring the kingdom of God on earth.

The kingdom of God, the church as God’s kingdom, is the enlargement of the church as the house of God.

The kingdom of God is the safeguard and protection of the house of God.

Many times the enemy just walks in and snatches people from the church, for there’s no protection, no wall, around the church as the house of God.

May we look to the Lord and be open to Him, allowing Him to shine on us and expose our lack today.

May we not be content in Zion, merely enjoying the Lord in His word and with the saints; may we advance with Him and cooperate with Him to bring in the kingdom of God on earth.

May the church today become the kingdom of God, the realm for Him to rule and reign on the earth!

The House of God as His Dwelling Place needs His Kingdom to be Established for its Protection and Safeguard

The center of God’s eternal purpose is the building of the church as the house of God and the city of God.

This building is not something outward or organizational; it is the mingling of God with man.

When Christ came into us, we were mingled with God and He was mingled with us, and this mingling of divinity with humanity is the church.

However, this mingling needs to be enlarged and consummated to the fullest extent so that we may have not only the church as the house of God, His dwelling place and home, but even more, the church as the kingdom of God, the safeguard and protection.

God wants to dwell in us and for us to dwell in God.

He wants a mutual dwelling place that is enlarged to become His kingdom on earth.

In the books of Ezra and Nehemiah, we see that the returned captives built the house of God; they had ups and downs, and there was much opposition, but they did build God’s house. This, however, was not enough.

God wants to recover not only the building of the church as the house of God for Him to dwell among His people and have a home but also the church as the city of God, the kingdom of God, for Him to have a realm where He can rule and reign.

For us to be in the church as the house of God, we need to take Christ as our life (Col. 1:27; 3:4).

Christ is in us, and He is our life. When we take Christ as our life day by day and live one with Him, taking Him as our daily life and life supply, we have the church as the house of God.

However, this is not enough.

We need to take Christ as our Head; when we take Him as our Head, we have the enlarged church to be the kingdom of God, the city of God.

After the recovery of the building of God’s temple, there’s still the need to build up the city of God.

Without the wall of the city, there’s no protection for the temple; the enemy can just walk in and do what he wants to do.

In the church life today we need to have an enlarged mingling of God and man by our taking Christ not only as our life but also as our Head to have the kingdom of God.

We need to not only have god’s presence among us as we meet and serve the Lord but also have Him as our Head and King, enthroning Him in our being and holding Him as the Head so that we may have the church as the kingdom of God.

When the Lord Jesus revealed the church for the first time, it was based on the revelation that Peter had of Christ as the Son of God (Matt. 16:18).

Right after this revelation, however, the Lord went on to speak concerning the church as the kingdom of God (v. 19).

On one hand, we need to see a revelation of Christ and be built up as the church on Christ and this revelation concerning Him.

On the other hand, we need to have the enlargement of the church as the house of God to have the kingdom of God.

In the Epistles, we see the house of God (Eph. 2:19; 1 Tim. 3:15), but in the last two chapters of Revelation, we see the city of God.

In the New Jerusalem, the holy city, there’s no temple (Rev. 21:22) because the city has become the enlargement of the temple.

For eternity what God will have is not just a dwelling place but an enlarged dwelling place to be the city of God, the New Jerusalem, for Him to have a kingdom on the earth.

We need to have this in reality today in the church life. Christ came into us to bring God into us, and we became the church as the enlargement of Christ and the increase of Christ.

All genuine believers in Christ are parts of Christ and members of Christ to be His increase on the earth.

As we enjoy the riches of Christ and take Christ as our life, we become the church as the fullness of Christ, for Christ is being increased and enlarged in us as His many members.

However, we need to go on and take Christ as our Head, even enthrone Him as the King, so that there would be a further enlargement of Christ and the church would become the kingdom of God.

The church must be enlarged to the extent that it becomes the kingdom of God for Him to not only dwell in but also have a kingdom, a realm for God to rule and reign.

Eventually, the church will become the kingdom of God, the city of God, and the house of God, His temple, will be enlarged to become the city of God for God to have not only His dwelling with man but also His kingdom among man (Rev. 21:2-3, 22).

Lord Jesus, show us the need for us to have the church as the kingdom of God today. May we realize that the church as the house of God needs His kingdom to be established for the protection and safeguard of the church! Amen, Lord, may we give ourselves to You to build up the church not only as the house of God, His dwelling place and home, but also as the kingdom of God! We take You, Lord, as our life for the church as the house of God. W take You as our Head and King for the church to be enlarged and be the kingdom of God on earth. Amen, Lord, gain the church as the kingdom of God! Enlarge the mingling of God and man in us and among us until You gain a realm for Your ruling and reigning! Bring us on with You, dear Lord, and grant us to take Christ as our Head in our daily life and in the church life for the church to become the kingdom of God on earth!

The Need for the Building of the Wall for the Protection of the Church as the House of God

May the Lord grant us to see the need for the building of the wall for the protection and safeguard of the church as the house of God.

In the first section of the book of Nehemiah, in chs. 1-7, we see the rebuilding of the wall of the city of Jerusalem under Nehemiah.

He was in Babylon, away from the holy land, when he heard and received the report that the wall of Jerusalem was broken down and the gates had been burned with fire (Neh. 1:3).

So he prayed, fasted, wept, and mourned, and he confessed the sins of his people and repented before the Lord.

He confessed before God that he and his house sinned, but that He should remember His word given to Moses and His promise to have His people return and rebuild His house.

He reminded the Lord that His people are His servants, whom He has redeemed by His great power and strong hand.

So he beseeched the Lord to be attentive and grant him favour so that he would do what God put in his heart to do.

Nehemiah realized that the wall of the city of Jerusalem had to be rebuilt, for the people of God had become a laughing stock for those around them because of the torn-down walls.

We need to realize that, unless the wall is built around the church so that the kingdom of God would come in, the people of God are reproached and have become a reproach. Oh, Lord.

We may have returned to the proper ground and we are building up the church as the house of God, His dwelling place, but unless we have the wall built around the church for the kingdom of God to be here, the enemy can do what he wants in the church.

May we have a proper aggressiveness to build up the wall for the protection of the church as the house of God. May we participate in the building of the wall around the church for the protection of God’s interests on earth.

Nehemiah realized that the walls were there, but they were burned with fire and were torn down, so there was no protection for the house of God.

We may have the church as the house of God, but what about the protection and safeguard of God’s house?

Is there zero security and safety around the house of God?

Do we see the need for the kingdom of God to come in so that the interests of God would be protected and the people of God would be kept safe?

We need to look to the Lord and ask Him to show us the real condition of the church as God’s house so that we may have a prayer of repentance and confession like Nehemiah had.

We need to confess our sins and the sins of God’s people and remind the Lord about His promises.

Then, we need to set our heart and eyes toward Jerusalem, the church as the house of God, and take Christ as our Head so that the church would become the kingdom of God, the city of God.

If we see the situation in the church on earth the way God sees it, we will be stirred up to build up the wall for the protection of the church.

We need to do the work of building of the wall in the church life today.

There needs to be a safeguard for God’s testimony. There needs to be strengthening and enlarging, and there needs to be the protection and safeguard.

We may really love to meet with the saints in different home meetings, group meetings, blending meetings, conferences, Lord’s table meetings, etc and we may love to enjoy the sweet, home-style church life.

But what about the protection and safeguarding of the church?

What about the wall around the church? Who cares for the protection and safeguard of the church so that the kingdom of God would come in? Oh, Lord Jesus!

Nehemiah was a pattern of one who saw the situation of the city of Jerusalem with the walls being torn down and the enemy having a free way to do what he wants, and he was desperate to build the wall for the kingdom of God to come among the people of God.

The book of Ezra is a history of the return of Israel’s captivity and the rebuilding of the temple.

The book of Nehemiah is a history of the rebuilding of the wall of the city of Jerusalem (Neh. 2:17-20).

The temple is the place of the Lord’s presence, where we meet and serve the Lord, but it needs protection.

The wall of the city is the defense of the temple; without the wall of the city, there is no protection.

Lord Jesus, gain the church as the city of God, the kingdom of God! Grant us to see the need for the building of the wall of the city around the church as the house of God. Oh Lord, Your house needs protection and safeguard! We come to You, Lord, and we remind You concerning Your word. Grant us the experiences we need for the church to be the kingdom of God. Save us from dwelling at ease in Zion. Save us from being content merely with a good church life in the church as the house of God. Lord, You see how Your enemy attacks the church. May we stand on the ground of the church, take You as our life and as our Head, and exercise the keys of the kingdom to bind and loose on earth what has been bound and loosed in the heavens! We don’t trust in ourselves, Lord; we trust in You. We want to be one with You to build the wall for the protection and safeguarding of Your interests in the church as the house of God!

References and Hymns on this Topic

• Inspiration for this article/sharing comes from the Word of God, the enjoyment in the ministry, a sharing by Minoru Chen in the message for this week, and portions from, Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1969, vol. 2, “The Recovery of God’s House and God’s City,” pp. 379-380, as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, Crystallization-study of 1 and 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther (2022 winter training), week 8, entitled, Building the Wall of the City for the Protection of the Church as the House of God.
• Further reading on this topic:
  – The order of recovery: the house of God and the city of God with Ezra and Nehemiah, a portion from, The Vision of God’s Building, Chapter 12, by Witness Lee.
  – How Do I Consecrate Myself to the Lord? Read this article via, The Bibles for America blog.
  – The separating wall – not just for protection but also for separation, a portion from, The Recovery of God’s House and God’s City, Chapter 8, by Witness Lee.
  – Msg 02 – Building the Wall of the City for the Protection of the Church as the House of God, a message by brother Rick given in the Metroplex USA blending time.
  – The Wall has God’s Image and Separates Us to Him, article via, New Jerusalem blog.
  – ShepherdingWords.com: Addressing Rumors and Presenting the Truth, article via, Living to Him.
• Hymns on this topic:
  – God’s kingdom is God’s reigning, / His glory to maintain; / It is His sovereign ruling, / His order to sustain. / He exercises fully / His own authority / Within His kingdom ever / And to eternity. / Upon the throne, the center / Of government divine, / God reigns, and with His purpose / Brings everything in line. / God’s headship and His lordship / He only can maintain / As King within His kingdom, / O’er everything to reign. (Hymns #941 stanzas 1-2)
  – Only Christ, our Person, must remain; / From our aims, our goals we must refrain, / Till the church be only Christ Himself / Built up as the one new man, / Thus fulfilling God’s great plan of— / Mingling fully with the human race / To obtain a proper dwelling place, / ’Stablishing His kingdom’s rule and grace; / Over all the earth. (Hymns #1180 stanza 2)
  – Thru the Church which is His Body / Christ as Head will sum up all; / All will fitly join together, / All things either great or small. / Under Christ, by His full headship, / All in union will subsist; / In the light the Church expresses / All in oneness will exist. (Hymns #981 stanzas 6-7)