The Church is Built on Jesus Christ
John 1:42: “Looking at him, Jesus said, You are Simon, the son of John; you shall be called Cephas (which is interpreted, Peter).” The name Peter is from a Greek word petros which means stone¹.
The Lord Jesus told Peter that he was a stone (John 1:42) and reminded him in Matthew 16 that he was a stone (v. 18). He also said that He would build His church. Today the Lord is doing a building work. From the day of Pentecost the Lord began to build the church with you and me as stones based upon God’s divine nature. The stones are built upon the golden base, which is the site. All the materials are built upon this site, and the site is the base. The base for the Lord’s building today is God’s divine nature. It is not your knowledge, your education, your good character, your kindness, your humility, or even your love. The base is the nature of God.*
We easily understand that our bad characteristics will not be part of New Jerusalem. And neither will our good characteristics, because they are of the old creation. We have been regenerated and transferred into Christ. In Him we are a new creation.
We have been put into the new creation but we still need to deny ourselves and lose our soul-life to have and live the reality of the new creation. Then we are suitable for God’s building work.
In Matthew 16 the Lord declared He will build His church and that He would go through death and into resurrection. Then He applied this to us in telling us to deny ourselves. We do this by letting the Spirit apply His death in us so that we can be brought into resurrection where the building work takes place.
¹ In Matthew 16:18 Jesus said, “I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church.” Here in Greek is the name petros and also the different word petra. Petra refers to Christ Himself and the heavenly revelation concerning Him; the church is built on this rock, not on Peter.
* From chapter 29, Witness Lee, God’s New Testament Economy, published by Living Stream Ministry, © Witness Lee, 1986.
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Posted by Don on January 9, 2023
