We need to be enlightened by and fully saturated with the thought that in the universe God is doing only one thing — building His eternal habitation — Bethel (Gen. 28:10-22; Matt. 16:18; Eph. 2:21-22; Rev. 21:2-3).
In this universe today God is doing only one work: He is building His eternal habitation.
In the past, God carried out the work of creation (in six days He created the heavens and the earth, see Genesis 1-2) and the work of salvation (in 33.5 years Christ accomplished redemption and brought in salvation, see the four Gospels), and today He is doing only one thing, “I will build My church” (Matt. 16:18).
The work of creation has been accomplished in six days, the work of salvation took 33.5 years, but the work of building still takes place more than 2000 years after it was begun.
This building work is going on still, and it is God’s primary work. God’s work of creation was to prepare the materials for the building; God’s work of salvation was to restore the condition of the materials for the building; God’s work of building is to fit, knit, build up, and organically blend the materials God created and Christ redeemed into God’s house, the eternal Bethel, God’s habitation.
Not many of God’s people have the view of God’s central and unique work in this age today, and because of this God’s work of building is much hindered. Many Christians emphasize saving people, edifying the believers, healing, works of power, spirituality, etc, but they don’t have a clear realization that God today is doing a building work, and what He desires is to gain a building.
When the Lord Jesus came on the earth He told His disciples, I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it (Matt. 16:18). As the Lord is carrying out His building work, the enemy hates this, and he does his best to fight against this and frustrate this work. Satan hates God’s building work much more than he hates God’s salvation work, because he knows that it is the built up church that will defeat him.
Many people believed into the Lord Jesus and received Him as their Savior, but not many see what the building work of God is. There’s a fierce battle going on right now between Satan (the gates of Hades) and God’s building work.
Satan comes in not merely through persecution and opposers but through the self, the soul life, and the natural man, and he tries to frustrate God’s building work. We need to deny the self, lose the soul life, and take up our cross in order for the church to be built up so that God may have a dwelling place on earth!
We need to see the vision of God’s building work, realize that God today is doing only this ONE thing, and pay the price to be dealt with, transformed, and broken, so that God would gain the building He desires. The building of God requires transformation, and our transformation is for God’s building.
Being Enlightened to See that God is Doing Only One Thing: Building His Eternal Habitation!
Matt. 16:18 And I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.
“We must be enlightened by and fully saturated with the thought that in this universe God is doing only one thing — building His eternal habitation. He is not interested in anything else. Creation and salvation are both for this purpose. Whatever blessings He has bestowed upon us are also for this purpose.” (Life-study of Genesis, p. 989)
Apparently God is very active on earth today doing many “works”: He saves man, sanctifies him, does some works of power, heals people, uplifts certain rulers while putting down other, etc. But actually, God is doing only one work today: He is building His eternal habitation.
This is seen from the very beginning of the Bible to the very end – the first vision God gave man is God’s dream, His desire to build a house for Himself in man by mingling God with man (see Gen. 28:10-22).
Our “homeless God” is seeking to obtain a home to dwell among His people, and for this He regenerates millions of believers so that they would be transformed into the precious materials for His building.
When the Lord Jesus was on earth, He was rejected by His own people; however, He revealed Himself to His disciples as being “the Christ, the Son of the living God”, and then He said, “I will build My church.” If we see that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God, we should also realize that Christ today is building His church upon Himself and upon this very revelation of Himself.
The entire Bible speaks of one thing: God’s work of building Himself into man and building man into God so that God would have an eternal habitation in man and man would dwell in God (Eph. 2:21-22, 4:16). At the end of the Bible we see the final product of God’s work throughout the ages – the New Jerusalem, the holy city (Rev. 21:2-3).
What God desires to obtain is not a mass parade of spiritual giants who do works of power in God’s name and have great spiritual experiences, but a built-up city, the New Jerusalem, where all His believers are built up and blended together with God to express God corporately and be God’s eternal dwelling place.
As we preach the gospel, feed others with Christ, teach the Bible, perfect others, and prophesy for God in the church meetings, we need to have the clear realization that it is ALL for this – the building of God! We need to be enlightened by God and fully saturated with this thought: in the universe God is doing only one thing, building up His eternal habitation!
Lord, enlighten us and cause us to realize that in this universe You are doing only one thing: building Your eternal habitation! May we focus on Your unique work today and may we be fully saturated with the thought that You desire to obtain a building of God in man and of man in God as Your eternal habitation. Lord, save us from seeking individual spirituality apart from Your building. Grow in us for the building. Transform us for the building. Gain Your building!
The Entire Bible is a Book of Building; the Main Subject of the Bible is the Building of God
Eph. 4:16 Out from whom all the Body, being joined together and being knit together through every joint of the rich supply and through the operation in the measure of each one part, causes the growth of the Body unto the building up of itself in love.
What kind of Bible are you reading? What do you read in the Bible? What do you seek to find when you read the word of God? Is the Bible to you a “manual for preaching the gospel”? What is the entire Bible about? The entire Bible is a book of building, and the main subject of the Bible is the building of God.
From the very first book of the Bible, in the first chapters we see the precious materials in the flow of the river flowing out from the garden of Eden – gold, bdellium, and onyx stone. These materials are scattered, un-built up.
After man fell, God came in and called Abraham and promised him the land (the place for God’s building) and the seed (the material for God’s building). Later, Jacob saw the vision concerning Bethel, the house of God (Gen. 28).
Through Moses, God rescued His people from Egypt and brought them into the wilderness, giving them the law and the design to build the tabernacle. In the tabernacle God met with His people and His people met with God.
Later, in the good land the people of Israel built the temple, a more solid structure for God to dwell among His people and for His people to meet Him and dwell with Him. Due to their unfaithfulness, God’s people were carried away in captivity for 70 years, after which many returned to re-build the city and the temple of God.
In the New Testament, when the Lord Jesus came, He was the tabernacle of God with man, God manifested in the flesh, God brought into man (John 1:1, 14). He was the real dwelling place of God with man, the real temple of God.
In Matt. 16 He revealed that He will build up His church, and in John 14-17 He spoke concerning a mystical entity called, “the Father’s house”, the Son’s vine, and the new child of the Spirit (the new man); then, He prayed for this. Throughout the Epistles we see the building up of the church as God’s house.
Peter rebuked the Jews saying that they rejected Christ as the cornerstone for God’s building (Acts 4:11). Paul tells us that we are the house of God (1 Tim. 3:15) and God’s building (1 Cor. 3:9). Christ is the living stone and we become like Him living stones for God’s spiritual house (1 Pet. 2:4-5).
In Revelation we see the Holy City, New Jerusalem, the consummation of God’s building for eternity. The entire Bible is a book of building, and the central thought of the Scriptures is that God is seeking a divine building as the mingling of Himself with humanity.
The building God is after is not something physical but the mingling of God with man, a living composition of persons redeemed by God and mingled with God. This is the desire of God’s heart and the goal of His salvation. What pleases the Lord the most is not our overcoming of sins or being spiritual and victorious, but when we are built up together in spirit by being more mingled with God!
Lord Jesus, open our eyes to see the main subject of the Bible: the building of God. May we realize that God is seeking a divine building as the mingling of Himself with humanity. Lord, mingle Yourself more with us today for Your building. Save us much more in Your divine life for Your building. Blend us with the saints and build us up together in spirit for Your building. May there be more mingling of divinity with humanity in our being today. Lord, we care for Your building, Your mingling with man to obtain Your habitation!
References and Hymns on this Topic
- Inspiration: the Word of God, my Christian experience, bro. James Lee’s sharing in the message for this week, and portions from, The Building of God (chs. 1-4), as quoted in, the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, Crystallization-Study of Genesis (3), week 3 / msg 3, Transformation for God’s Building (you can buy this morning revival book here).
- Further reading: see life-study of Genesis msg. 77, by Witness Lee.
- Hymns on this topic:
# Do you know what you were saved for? / Do you ever wonder why? / What is God’s intent and purpose? / Why has Christ become your life? … You will ne’er be fully satisfied, / Or be content inside, / Till Jesus has His Bride. / Did you know the Lord is seeking you / To build into His building true? (Song on the Unique Work of God)
# Both in the garden and the city bright / Three kinds of precious substances are found; / There are the gold, the pearls, and precious stones / Which for the building work of God abound. (Hymns #975)
# O hallelujah, one new man, / The building of God’s plan! / God’s plan throughout eternity— / Not man, but men built corporately. / This man cannot be beat, / All things beneath his feet, / Christ and the church one man complete. (Hymns #1231)
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