Therefore, the New Jerusalem is not merely man. Rather, it is man mingled with God. Furthermore, it is not only man mingled with God but also God and man mingled with heaven, the three mingled into one. This is truly a mystery, showing us that the way of the eternal abode is the way of life. Do not think that even if we do not grow today or as men of clay we are not transformed and remain what we are, then one day we will simply enter into the New Jerusalem. Can a man of clay who has not been transformed be put among precious stones? Is he worthy of such a thing? Of course he is not. This is not the case. It is by our growth in life and by our being transformed continually unto maturity that we will one day become fully mature, issuing in the New Jerusalem. It is not a matter of entering in or going up but of allowing God to build us and work us into the New Jerusalem. This is the way of the New Jerusalem, the way of life.
Do you want to be a part of that eternal abode? If so, you must let God work in you to such an extent that you become a part of that eternal abode. Some saints have said that they truly want to mature but that they do not know the way to reach maturity. In the past they thought that everything would be all right if they only believed in the precious blood of Jesus. They did not care about their condition or whether they overcame or failed. They thought that as long as they were saved and were justified in His blood, they would definitely “go to heaven.” However, now they are worried, because they realize that to be a part of God’s eternal abode requires maturity in life. How can we mature? What is the way to become mature? The answer can be found in 1 Corinthians 3:9, which tells us that we are God’s cultivated land, God’s building. God’s building is His cultivating. This means that the way to grow unto maturity is to let God build within us and to allow God to work within us. This is not a heavy doctrine but a very personal experience. We have to allow the Spirit to work within us, to touch our difficulties, to hew our corners and sharp edges, and to move and operate within us. If we do not allow Him to work within us and do not let Him build within us, we cannot have the growth and maturity in life. His building is our growth; His work is our maturity.
We have to pay the price to answer His demand within us. What is the way to maturity? The way is to let God work in us. He is a living God. He is in us ruling, restricting, touching, motivating, and turning us. In order to be willing to let Him be everything to us, to work in us, and to build in us, we have to pay the price. How do we pay the price? We pay the price by following His feelings within us. We need to follow whatever we sense in our spirit, the deepest part within us. If we let God work and build in us, then we will be blessed. We will be the stones prepared and ready in God’s hands. When the Lord comes, our life will be manifested. He will have built us together one by one. One stone will be Peter, another will be Paul, and another may be you or me. Thus, the city, the New Jerusalem, is being built piece by piece. Therefore, the eternal abode is not something we enter into but something we grow into. If we let God work within us, then we will grow, become mature, and ultimately grow to be the New Jerusalem.