In the first chapter of John, the Lord Jesus was introduced to the people by John the Baptist. After this, two of John’s disciples followed the Lord Jesus. One of these was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. Then Andrew brought his brother to meet the Lord. “And he brought him to Jesus, and when Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon the son of John: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone” (John 1:42). It is remarkable that when Jesus looked at Simon, He gave him a new name. This meant that He was going to change him and rearrange him to make him something else. The Lord was going to make him a stone for God’s building.
What a difference there is between the clear words of Jesus and the concept of today’s Christians. We are not saved for some minor things. We are saved to be stones for God’s building. We are stones, and we need to be built up into God’s building. It is certain that Simon Peter did not forget this word. This is why he tells us in his epistle that we are living stones to be built up as a spiritual house. “Ye also, as living stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ” (1 Pet. 2:5).
There is also another matter related to God’s building in the first chapter of John. Nathanael was brought to the Lord by Philip, and the Lord told him: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man” (John 1:51). Jacob in Genesis 28:12-19 had a dream, and in that dream Jacob saw a ladder on the earth rising into the heavens. And the angels were ascending and descending on the ladder. This meant that the ladder was the connection between the heavens and the earth. Jacob called the name of that place Bethel, which means the house of God. Jesus told Nathanael that he would see the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of man. This means that Jesus Himself is the ladder that connects the earth to the heavens, and He is going to make all of us stones for the building up of Bethel, God’s house on the earth.
In John 2, the Lord told the Jews, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days? But he spake of the temple of his body” (John 2:19-21). Jesus meant that the Jewish people would kill Him, but He would raise Himself in resurrection. They killed one Jesus, but in resurrection millions were resurrected with Him. One was killed on the cross, but millions were raised up in resurrection. When Jesus was resurrected, we were all resurrected in Him and with Him (Eph. 2:6), and it is by this resurrection that Jesus will build up a spiritual house for God. It is in resurrection life that we are built together as Bethel, the house of God.
John chapter three is a most familiar chapter. Everyone knows that it speaks of the matter of regeneration, but very few Christians realize that this chapter reveals that regeneration is for the producing of the Bride. After Jesus was recommended by John the Baptist, people began to follow Him. Yet John the Baptist still practiced his ministry of baptizing. Because of this there were two groups: one following Jesus, and the other following John the Baptist. This caused some trouble. There was no problem as far as John was concerned, for he fully understood what he was doing, but his disciples did not understand. Therefore, they came to John and complained that Jesus was getting a bigger following than he. They were jealous for John (John 3:22-27). Then John said, “Ye yourselves bear me witness, that I said, I am not the Christ, but that I am sent before him. He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled. He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:28-30). John was clear that all the people should go to Jesus. He was the Bridegroom. He was the One who came for the Bride. Everyone must go to Him. In this way we see that regeneration in John 3 is for the producing of the Bride. I am afraid that many people today are not clear why they are saved, why they are regenerated. The reason we are saved and regenerated is for the purpose of being built into His Bride. The Lord is preparing us for the Bride. He is the Bridegroom, and we are the Bride under preparation.
The Lord’s preparation of His Bride is not outward. It has nothing to do with outward teaching, instruction, adjusting, or improving—this is not the way of the Lord’s preparation. The Lord prepares us by being in us! He is unsearchably rich within us, and this rich One is doing a transforming work. He is not changing us outwardly, but inwardly. It is a kind of metabolic change. Something of His element is wrought into our being to replace all our oldness. Then we will be renewed and transformed for the building of His Bride. This Bride which the Lord has prepared will be so glorious. It will not be prepared by teaching or adjusting, but by an inward metabolic change.