The book of Hebrews shows us how to solve the problem of the Jewish religion. Since Christ has already nullified Judaism, those who are in the church of Christ must not remain in the Jewish religion.
The book of James shows us how to balance empty faith with genuine works. If we talk about faith but do not have works, then that kind of faith is dead. Real faith produces the fruit of works.
First and Second Peter speak about God’s discipline and dealing in the church, or in other words, God’s governmental administration. God not only rules over the unbelievers but even more governs His children. The children of God must live and walk according to the rules and regulations of the divine government in the universe. Sometimes the children of God suffer because they have violated the rules and regulations ordained by God and therefore receive God’s discipline.
The books of 1, 2 and 3 John are a supplement concerning the fellowship of life. When Christians are having problems or when the brothers and sisters in the church are having trouble among themselves, the reason is usually that the fellowship between them and the Lord or between them and other saints is not in a proper condition. Hence, there is the need to restore the fellowship of life.
Jude, the last of the supplementary books, mentions the problem of apostasy in the church. It shows us the situation and result of the apostasy that occurred among the children of God. This supplementary word gives us several warnings.
The last book of the New Testament is the book of Revelation. At the very beginning Revelation mentions seven lampstands, which are seven churches. Every local church is a lampstand. According to the Lord’s view, the church is a lampstand, and Christ Himself is the lamp. When the New Jerusalem is manifested, it will be a big lampstand with Christ Himself as the lamp within. Therefore, every local church is a miniature lampstand, a miniature New Jerusalem, for Christ to shine forth. This is the manifestation of the fully built up church.
At the beginning of Revelation are the seven lampstands, at the end is a great city, and in the middle is a long section concerning God’s judgment. God is always judging. He judges again and again to clear out all those who are not built into the church. Everyone who has not been regenerated and saved, who has not pursued spiritual growth, and who is against God’s building will be judged. In the end God will judge Babylon, the totality of Satan’s building. Recall that in the beginning we mentioned the two lines of building—the line of God’s building and the line of Satan’s building. In order to complete His building, God must judge Satan’s building. In the end God’s judgment will fall upon Babylon. Afterward, He will judge the great dragon, the ancient serpent, which is called the devil, and will cast him along with death into the lake of fire and brimstone. At this juncture the New Jerusalem will be manifested, and God’s building will be completed.
If you put together all the light in the Bible concerning the building of the church, you will clearly see that Christ was God who became flesh, passed through death, resurrection, and ascension, and in the Holy Spirit came into us, His believers, and regenerated us so that the Ark, which was made of wood overlaid with gold, the mingling of divinity and humanity, might be enlarged to be the tabernacle, the church. We who are the components of the church were formerly sinners, but by believing in Jesus Christ we were justified by God and transferred out of Adam into Christ. As we live in the Holy Spirit, we are being conformed to the image of God’s Son, and by our coordination with one another we are becoming the one Body of Christ. Although we still have the factors of division in our flesh, all the divisive factors will be nullified if we receive Christ and the cross. Furthermore, in the church there is the need for the leading of mature ministers like Paul. These are those who have passed through God’s beating and grinding, the cross’s breaking, and the Spirit’s constituting work and have become ministers for the building of the church. When the church is under the leading of such ministers, the saints are delivered from the law and their own works on the one hand, and on the other hand, they live in Christ, take Christ as their life, and let Christ grow and be formed in them. In this way the church experiences the real building up to be the Body of Christ and the dwelling place of God. Only such a church can be the man of the new creation, the counterpart of Christ, and the warrior of God. Only such a church knows the resurrection power of Christ and is being conformed to the image of Christ in His death by such a power. Hence, in such a church Christ has the first place in all things, and the church enjoys all the riches in Christ. Furthermore, we need to see that in such a church where there is the practical building, there should be an atmosphere of brotherly love, like Philemon’s love toward Onesimus and like the situation in the church in Philadelphia. Then the church that appears in each locality is a lampstand, a small model of the New Jerusalem, through which Christ shines forth.
Therefore, the church is like a lampstand. Christ is the lamp, and the light in the lamp is God Himself. In other words, God is in Christ, and Christ is in the church. The light is in the lamp, and the lamp is on the lampstand. This is exactly like the Ten Commandments being in the Ark and the Ark being in the tabernacle. It is always a matter of three layers. At the fullness of the times, the work of God throughout the ages will be accomplished. At that time, the twelve tribes of the Old Testament and the church, represented by the twelve apostles of the New Testament, will be joined together to become one entity, which will be the manifestation of the New Jerusalem in the universe. This is the consistent revelation throughout the entire New Testament.
Now we need to clearly see what kind of Christian we should be today to be according to God’s heart’s desire. May we as living stones be built together in the Spirit to become God’s dwelling place in spirit, and may we be Christ’s lampstands in this dark age in locality after locality so that the light of God in Christ as the lamp may shine forth from each locality until the appearance of the New Jerusalem. This is the accomplishment of God’s eternal plan and goal through our aspiration and consecration. May God bestow His grace upon us.