Although I came from a heathen land, China, I was born and raised in Christianity. From my youth I heard preachers, pastors, and ministers speaking concerning Peter, preaching that the Lord called Peter to be a fisher of men (Matt. 4:19). This is certainly true, but I never heard one preacher say that the Lord made Peter a stone. The first time Peter contacted the Lord, the Lord did not tell Peter that He would make him a fisher of men. The Lord spoke this word to Peter in Matthew 4:19, which is a record of the second time Peter contacted the Lord. Peter was called by the Lord twice because, like us, he was weak in his faith. The first time Peter came to the Lord, the Lord said to him, “You are Simon, the son of John; you shall be called Cephas (which is interpreted, Peter)” (John 1:42). The name Peter means “a stone.” Hence, the first time Peter came to the Lord Jesus, the Lord immediately promised Peter that He would make him a stone. However, Peter did not stay with the Lord. Instead, he went back to his old profession, fishing. Thus, in Matthew 4 the Lord went to the seashore where Peter was fishing and called him again. This second time, the Lord said that He would make Peter a fisher of men. Thus, being a stone precedes being a fisher of men.
Later, when Peter was following the Lord, the Lord asked the disciples, “Who do you say that I am?” (16:15). Peter took the lead to answer, saying, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (v. 16). The Lord replied to him, “I also say to you that you are Peter” (v. 18). It seems that the Lord was saying, “Do not forget the new name that I gave you; you are a stone.” This must have been the reason that when Peter was older, in writing his first Epistle, he told the believers, “You yourselves also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house into a holy priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (2:5). Thus, we can see that when Peter first came to the Lord, he was impressed that he would be made a stone. Later, when Peter was with the Lord, the Lord reminded him that he was a stone. Eventually, when Peter stood before the leaders of the Jews, he told them not only that Jesus Christ, the rejected One, is the Savior but also that He is the cornerstone (Acts 4:11-12). Peter preached Christ not only as a Savior but also as a stone.
Christ is the Savior for our salvation, and He is the stone for God’s building. Christ meets our need by being the Savior, and He fulfills God’s purpose by being the stone. Christ saves us for God’s building; He has no intention to save us for heaven. The Bible tells us that eventually heaven will be vacated. Revelation 21:2 says, “I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God.” Many Christians are trying to go up to heaven, but God is preparing to come down to earth. Thus, these Christians are trying to go in the opposite direction from God. We must see that our Savior is a stone. It is not that He is the stone so that He can be the Savior; rather, it is that He is the Savior so that He can be the stone. In other words, the building is not for salvation; salvation is for the building. We have been saved for God’s building, not for going to heaven.
Noah was charged by God to build the ark (Gen. 6:13-14). The New Testament believers are charged by God to build the church (1 Cor. 3:10, 12; 14:12, 26; Eph. 4:12, 16), which will eventually consummate in the New Jerusalem (Rev. 21:2, 9-10). In each locality many dear saints are building the church by leading new ones to salvation, helping them to be transformed, and fitting them into the building. Although these saints may not be conscious of it, their labor is the building of the New Jerusalem. I expect that one day when we are in the New Jerusalem, we will recognize those whom we brought into the church and realize that we built them into the New Jerusalem. Some in Christianity may not accept this word. They may even consider it to be heretical, but this is what is revealed in the Bible. This is not a traditional Christian teaching; it is the heavenly vision. When we see one another in the New Jerusalem, we will realize that what we were building in the churches was the New Jerusalem.
God did not build the ark by Himself; neither will God build the church by Himself. God built the ark through the building of Noah. Today the Lord is building the church through our building of the church. Many saints who love the Lord and give everything for the church life do not realize it, but they are building the New Jerusalem. The ark that Noah built was merely a type. The New Jerusalem is the final ark, the eternal ark. Today we are building the final ark, which will save us from the present evil age in the old heaven and the old earth and usher us into the new age in the new heaven and the new earth.
I am bold to say this because in the Lord’s recovery we have seen the vision of the church. As a result, we know what the Lord is doing today, and we know what we are doing today in His recovery under His vision. We are not blindly preaching or ministering, trying to help others while we ourselves do not know where we are going. We have a clear goal, the New Jerusalem. Therefore, we have the full assurance and the boldness to say in faith that our building of the church today is the building of the New Jerusalem for God’s eternal purpose. Peter saw this vision, for in his preaching on the day of Pentecost, he indicated that Jesus Christ is not only the Savior for the salvation of God’s chosen ones but also the stone for God’s eternal building.