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Acacia wood and fine linen are two materials that were used in the tabernacle. Both materials are from the plant life. In the Bible plants denote the humanity of Christ. In the tabernacle acacia wood denotes strength, and fine linen denotes fineness. Acacia wood signifies the Lord’s strong humanity, and fine linen signifies His fine humanity. The strong acacia wood is the framework of the tabernacle for its standing and holding up (Exo. 26:15, 26, 32, 37). The fine linen is for covering (vv. 1, 31, 36; 27:9) and typifies the perfect and fine covering of love. Acacia wood speaks of a character that bears others. In the building of the tabernacle these two materials typify two character traits, both of which are indispensable in those who are being built up. It is good for a believer to possess both character traits. However, a believer often possesses only one. For example, Martin Luther’s character was strong and unyielding like acacia wood. When the pope condemned him, he stood resolutely and was unyielding. But he might have lacked the fine linen. The Lord Jesus’ character possessed both the aspect of acacia wood and of fine linen. We need these two aspects in our character for the building of the church.
Furthermore, the standing boards of the tabernacle rest in sockets of silver (26:19). Silver signifies redemption; therefore, to rest in sockets of silver is to rest in the redemption of the Lord Jesus. The sockets of silver refer also to us. The fact that the supporting standing boards rest in sockets of silver indicates that those who are redeemed need to be worked on by God until they become the supporting strength of the tabernacle. These are some principles concerning building.
Throughout the ages Christians have served God without the concept or vision of building. The purpose of preaching the gospel was to preach the gospel, and the purpose of teaching the Bible was to teach the Bible. However, the issue of our service should be the building. Revelation contains a vision of the ultimate, great lampstand—the New Jerusalem. The New Jerusalem is a great lampstand. Verse 23 of chapter 21 says, “The city has no need of the sun or of the moon that they should shine in it, for the glory of God illumined it, and its lamp is the Lamb.” The Lamb is the lamp of the city, and God is the light within the lamp, so the New Jerusalem is a great lampstand.
At the beginning of Revelation there are seven small lampstands, which are the seven churches (1:20). As a great lampstand, the New Jerusalem is the totality and aggregate of God’s work throughout the ages. The beginning of Revelation speaks of the seven local churches which are in Asia (v. 4). Each local church is a golden lampstand. The lampstands being golden indicates that they are wholly of the divine nature. In nature the lampstands in chapter 1 are the same as the great lampstand in chapter 21. The only difference is their composition. A local lampstand refers to the church in a locality, which is composed of the saints in that locality, but the great lampstand includes all the believers in the church age and the twelve tribes of Israel, the redeemed in the Old Testament (21:14, 12). The difference between the lampstands in Revelation 1 and the lampstand in chapter 21 is a matter of composition; they are identical in nature.
God’s work throughout the ages is for building the ultimate great lampstand. But we need to focus on the local church we are in as the lampstand that God wants to build. In the realm of eternity, as long as our service is out of God and of value to Him, it is a part of the great lampstand. However, in this age God’s will is to build the saints in a locality into a lampstand in that locality. Christianity says that there is no need to care for local building, because as soon as a person is saved, he is material for the New Jerusalem. This understanding cares only for the great lampstand, not for the local lampstands, and is inadequate, because Revelation contains not only the great lampstand but also the local lampstands, which are lampstands in different localities. The great lampstand is the coming New Jerusalem, but the local lampstands are present today. The great lampstand is universal, but the local lampstands are in localities.
God wants us to build the local lampstands today. But the work done in Christianity disregards the local lampstands. The environment, atmosphere, view, and attitude in Christianity disregard the local lampstands. The apostles built lampstands in locality after locality. Peter did not build the great lampstand of the New Jerusalem directly, but he built the lampstand in Jerusalem in the land of Judea. The lampstands that we build will ultimately be incorporated into the great lampstand. The local lampstands are the constituents of the great lampstand; hence, the work of local lampstands is the work of the great lampstand. The view of building the great lampstand but neglecting the local lampstands is impractical. That is not God’s will or His way; rather, it is man’s way of avoiding difficulty. The work of the local lampstands is troublesome, but we should not avoid this difficulty or seek an easy way. It is easy to preach the gospel, bring people to salvation, teach the Bible, and hold retreats for individual spiritual edification. But if we want to build the church in a locality and bring the believers together for fellowship and coordination, we will encounter many problems. Therefore, it is easy to care for the coming New Jerusalem and disregard the building of the church in a locality; we avoid authority, order, and leading. The practice of merely telling people about Jesus and bringing them to salvation for the coming New Jerusalem is found in Christianity, but it is not according to God’s will.
Every aspect of the apostles’ work was for building up the local lampstands. Even though the Lord has the great lampstand as His ultimate goal, no Epistle was written to the great lampstand—the New Jerusalem. The Epistles were written to the small local lampstands in order to deal with their problems. The work of the apostles was for the local lampstands; the local lampstands were the object of their Epistles. The light concerning the local lampstands and the great lampstand is becoming brighter and clearer. We must be clear concerning our need to spend the time to labor on the local lampstands. If we do not know how to do the work of building up local lampstands, we should look at the model of the great lampstand. This model shows us how to serve in our locality. Our work must build the local lampstands, which ultimately become the great lampstand.
Let us now consider the relationship between gifts and building. According to Ephesians, the various gifts given by God are for the building (4:7, 11-12). We must note that the building depends not on what is done but on the goal and atmosphere. For example, building a house requires workmen with various skills, such as a mason, carpenter, and blacksmith. The mason builds the walls, the carpenter makes the doors, and the blacksmith forges metal. The work, gifts, and functions of the various workmen differ. But this is secondary in relation to building the house. The first and foremost matter is that the men have the same goal, which is to build the house. The goal of the blacksmith is to build the house, not to forge metal. Even though his work consists of forging metal, the purpose of his work is the building of the house. Likewise, the goal of the carpenter is to build the house, not to make doors. This also applies to the mason. Hence, although there are different kinds of workmen—some make doors, others forge metal, and still others lay walls—their goal is to build the house, and the atmosphere of their work is also to build the house.
Not all Christians work for the building; on the contrary, the work of some creates divisions. Some preach the gospel for the building, indicating that the building is the goal and atmosphere of their preaching the gospel. But when others preach the gospel, divisions are formed, indicating that divisions are the goal and atmosphere of their preaching the gospel. In the same principle, some Christians bring people to know Christ for the goal and atmosphere of building, but when others bring people to know Christ, their goal and atmosphere cause the building of the church to suffer loss.
Those who serve God must see the vision of the building. Until a Christian sees the vision of the building, the goal of his preaching the gospel is merely preaching the gospel, not building. After he sees the vision of the building, the goal and atmosphere of his work are for the building. His preaching the gospel is for the building. He preaches the gospel not merely to save people from the lake of fire but with the goal and atmosphere of building the house of God. Furthermore, the feeling of those who are saved through such gospel preaching is also the building.
Therefore, we emphasize the need to see the ultimate goal, the building up of the church. Perhaps a brother has the gift of an evangelist, another of a teacher, another of prophesying, another of managing the church, and yet another of healing. They can have different gifts, but their goal is the same. Just as different workmen have different functions, yet they all build one house, so our goal and atmosphere are for the building up of the church. The coordination of the various gifts is in the goal and atmosphere of building.
