In 1 Corinthians 3:12 Paul said that we should build upon Christ as the foundation with gold, silver, and precious stones. He speaks not merely of stones but of precious stones. We must see that the ultimate consummation of the church is the New Jerusalem. In the New Jerusalem there is no clay, and there are not even stones. The New Jerusalem only has precious stones. Merely to be a stone is not enough; the stone must be precious. Do not consider this matter as mere doctrine. The Lord needs a church of precious stones today. The Lord does not want wood, grass, and stubble; what He wants is gold, silver, and precious stones.
If we carefully look at the New Jerusalem, we will see that the pure gold is mostly not used for the building; rather, it is for the base of the city. Revelation 21 tells us that the street of the city is pure gold (v. 21b). This does not mean that the street is paved with gold. Instead, it means that the entire base of the New Jerusalem is a gold mountain. The entire mountain is pure gold. Hence, strictly speaking, gold is not for the building. What, then, is used for the building? Precious stones are used. The building’s main emphasis is on the walls, which are built with precious stones. You have been saved and I also have been saved, so we all have pure gold in us. The brothers and sisters who have been saved in the denominations also have pure gold in them. Furthermore, even in the Catholic Church, as long as people have been genuinely saved, they also have pure gold in them. However, we must see that those who are in the Catholic Church and in the Protestant denominations are not being built up with those who love the Lord, because the building depends not on the gold but on the precious stones.
We have been saved and have the gold in us. It is possible for the element of gold in us to increase because the element of God increases. This is not transformation but addition. However, whether we are clay, just a stone, or a precious stone is not a matter of addition but a matter of transformation. The gold within us needs to increase, while as a lump of clay and a piece of stone, we need to be transformed. Today Christians in general do not have the reality of the church. They are the church in name but not in reality. Where is the reality of the church? The reality of the church is in the gold and precious stones. The gold needs to increase, and the stones need to be transformed.
The ultimate aggregate of the golden lampstand is the church, and the church is the reprint of the golden lampstand. The golden lampstand is first the pure gold and then the precious stones. Today’s church must first have the pure gold and then have the precious stones. Pure gold is very much lacking among Christians. Today we may meet a denominational Christian, and although he has been saved, it may take more than three hours to touch a tiny fragment of pure gold in him. Unless we contact him for a longer time, we are not even sure whether he has been saved, regenerated, or has God’s life. How can that small “chip” of gold be sufficient for the church and the New Jerusalem? It is not possible. However, sometimes when I visit a church in the Lord’s recovery, although I see the pure gold, I do not see much stone. Rather, I see much clay, even mire. Without stones, how can the church be built? I want to speak a frank word to you, brothers and sisters: We should be conscious to not go on in this way year after year. We need to bring forth the stones and the precious stones. We must not only wash away the mud but also transform the clay into stone. The mud should be washed away, but the clay should be transformed. We must see that the church is first a lampstand, then a stone, and then a precious stone.
Today the Lord has sent me neither to flatter nor to offend people. Rather, He has sent me to minister life to others and burn them with the seven lamps of fire to dry up the mud, turn the clay into stones, and turn the stones into precious stones. We must not do an ambiguous work with great “mounds of clay” having no stones or precious stones in sight. I hope that the young generation among us will rise up and go out. What the Lord wants today is the church. I have no burden to come back to Taiwan to give a few messages. I did not come back at this time to make your days peaceful. For so many years we have been giving messages every week, yet not one stone has been brought forth. Should we still give messages? Now is not the time for us to give messages; what we need today is to wash away the mud and transform the clay into stones and the stones into precious stones. The pure gold needs to increase, the clay needs to be transformed, and even the stones need to be transformed into precious stones.
If anyone builds upon the foundation, let him take heed how he builds, whether it is with gold, silver, and precious stones or with wood, grass, and stubble. If we build with wood, grass, and stubble, the more work we do, the more fuel for fire we have; we would be better off doing less. We need to work out the precious stones. We are not here to merely drift along. We do not have time for this! The Lord is very near. We should bear a burden. If we have mud, we must empty it and dry it up; if we have clay, we must transform it into stones and precious stones. Thank the Lord that the lampstand is first pure gold and then a stone. Please remember that when we come to the stone, it is not merely a matter of redemption. The matter of redemption is with the Lamb. When we come to the stone, it is a matter of the topstone. The stone has been placed on the top of the temple, and the building has been completed. Therefore, everyone can shout, “Grace, grace to the stone!” (Zech. 4:7). Only upon this stone can there be grace.
We need to come back to the Lord, for the time is short. Today in the Lord’s recovery the light has been intensified, so it is not possible for anyone to drift along blindly. Everyone’s eyes are clear. To do something just to get by is completely worthless, and to go through the motions without sincerity is valueless. We must do the work of precious stones. We need to lead others to be saved, but that is not enough. We must see that our work is also to inject life into people, injection by injection, that the clay may become stones and the stones may become precious stones. This is the building which the Lord is after today.