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Scripture Reading: 1 Kings 4:29-30; 6:1, 7
When we serve in the church with the saints, we are not merely serving together; we are being built up together. We should not only build up others; we need to be built up first. The extent of our being built up determines the extent of our service.
In the Old Testament the people of Israel did not serve God individually. Their service was corporate, involving all the people, and the center of their service was the tabernacle. Before the tabernacle was built, the Israelites did not have a corporate service. When the tabernacle was erected in Exodus 40, they became a coordinated unit of service. The Israelites were a priesthood serving God together, and the Tent of Meeting was the center of their service. This means that the corporate service, the coordinated unit of service, the priesthood among God’s people, was based on the building among them. Without being built by God, they could not be a coordinated unit of service. This corresponds to 1 Peter 2:5: “You yourselves also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house into a holy priesthood.” When we as living stones are built up into a spiritual house, this spiritual house becomes the priesthood. Then we can offer up spiritual sacrifices that are acceptable to God. Hence, the genuine service in the church is based on the building up among the saints.
In the wilderness the Israelites were not only a priesthood corporately serving God; they were also His army. In Numbers 2 the twelve tribes were encamped as an army on each of the four sides of the tabernacle (v. 2, footnote 1, Recovery Version). They were not only priests serving God but also an army fighting for Him. This reveals that genuine building enables God’s people to have a corporate service and to become warriors fighting for God’s kingdom. Our spiritual service and spiritual warfare depend on our being built up.
When the saints in a local church are not in harmony or one accord because they lack spiritual building, they are defeated before the enemy and cannot fight the spiritual warfare. They may meet together, but they will not have genuine service. Likewise, the responsible brothers may not argue, but if they hold unpleasant feelings toward one another and are not in one accord, they will not have genuine service, nor will they be able to fight for God, because there is no building among them. Our experience confirms this matter.
When a group of serving ones is in harmony, one accord, and is built up together, that is, fitly joined and firmly knit together, they will be able to have spiritual service and fight the spiritual warfare. Furthermore, Satan will have no ground among them, because they are priests of God and His warriors. The priesthood and spiritual warfare depend on the one accord and the building.
In order to be built up together by being fitly joined and firmly knit together, we need to be broken. First Kings 6:7 says that the Israelites built the temple “of finished stone, cut at the quarry, so that neither hammer nor ax nor any iron tool was heard in the house when it was being built.” All the stones were cut at the quarry; hence, no iron tool could be heard in the temple when it was being built. This means that the materials did not need to be dealt with or broken during the building. Because they had already been dealt with, the materials could be fitly joined and firmly knit together.
If the stones had not been cut and carved but had retained their original form, they could only have been piled together, not built together. Stones that are merely piled together cannot be joined together or knit together. In order to be knit, they need to be joined, and in order to be joined, they need to be dealt with and broken. No stone can remain in its original form.
We can apply this clear picture to ourselves. God created us from a lump of clay (Rom. 9:20-21); hence, we are earthy. However, when we received the Lord Jesus, the Holy Spirit entered into us (John 1:12; 20:22); thus, we have God’s nature (2 Pet. 1:4), and our nature is being changed. In God’s eyes we are spiritual living stones (1 Pet. 2:5). Peter says that every saved person is a living stone, because on the day that he received the vision of the Christ as the Son of the living God, the Lord called him Peter (Matt. 16:16, 18). In Greek the name Peter means a “stone.” Stones are used for building. Peter was deeply impressed and understood that every person who knows Christ as the Son of God is regenerated and will have a change in nature to become a stone for God’s building. Therefore, the purpose of salvation is to be built up into the spiritual temple of God. Our ultimate destination is an eternal habitation built up by God.
As living stones, it is inevitable for us to be dealt with and broken in order to be built. We need to be touched by the Lord. If instead of being dealt with and broken we retain our natural form, we can at most be piled together but never built up into the temple of God. May the Spirit give us the vision that a regenerated person has become a living stone. If, as living stones, we do not allow God to cut us through dealings and breakings, we will only be piled together with other Christians but not built up together with them into the house of God.
The outstanding characteristic of a person who has been dealt with and broken is that he does not have many opinions, nor does he like to express his opinions. The desire to express one’s opinions is a sign of a lack of dealing. For example, a stone that has not been cut has many sharp edges, indentations, and protrusions. Some brothers bring their opinions with them when they serve in the church. They are like stones with many sharp edges; hence, no one can touch them. A stone that has been cut and worked on is smooth and does not have sharp edges. Some brothers have been dealt with by God and therefore do not express their opinions when they serve. This does not mean that we should be closed and keep our opinions to ourselves by not expressing them. We cannot pretend. We may be able to temporarily hide our opinions, but one day they will be expressed. We need to be dealt with in God’s hand. Only those who have been dealt with by God do not have opinions.
The more lessons we have learned in the Lord and the deeper we are in Him, the fewer opinions we will have when we serve. It will not matter whether we clean the benches with a dry cloth or a wet one, nor will it matter whether we do it in the morning or in the evening. Those who have learned lessons and been dealt with do not have opinions about such things. However, when a matter is related to God’s interest, they have a proper measure. They can maintain and protect God’s testimony because they are stones that have been properly measured and cut. The measure of God that is with them is according to the pattern shown in the mountain (Exo. 25:40; 26:30). In contrast, some saints are so contentious over matters such as cleaning benches that they even stop serving. Such saints are weak and shrink back, and they easily give in to the enemy in matters related to God’s interest. This is evidence that they lack a proper measure because they have not been broken and dealt with by God.
This situation is rather common in the churches. We have received God’s grace, and we are willing to serve Him and please Him, but we often have different opinions, even over small matters. As a result, we lack the oneness, are not in harmony, and cannot be fitly joined or firmly knit together. We must keep in mind that the Holy Spirit leaves when we argue. In the Bible the Holy Spirit is typified by a dove (Matt. 3:16; Mark 1:10; Luke 3:22; John 1:32). A dove is very sensitive and easily frightened. If we are gentle, it will come to us, but as soon as we are somewhat violent, it will fly away. When we insist on our ideas, the Holy Spirit will leave. Brother A may win an argument, but Brother B will not say Amen within. Not only so, the other saints will perceive the argument, and as a result, their spirit will be affected. Furthermore, Brother A will not be able to touch the Lord’s presence, and the saints will not be edified.
Many years ago in the church in Shanghai a newly saved brother saw two elders discussing a certain matter. The younger elder suggested a way that was cumbersome, but surprisingly the other elder joyfully accepted the suggestion. Later, the new brother testified that he was edified in the first meeting he attended when he saw the building among the elders. He said that there was a harmony among the elders that did not exist among people in the world. That picture was etched in his heart. Hence, even a small matter can greatly edify people.
A person who has been dealt with will refrain from arguing not only when he is wrong but even when he is right. We must let the Lord break us to the extent that we can refrain from arguing even when we are the only person who is right. Very few disputes among us in the past were concerning God’s testimony. Most of the disputes and discord among us were related to minor things. Even if a dispute seems to be related to an important matter, we still should not argue, because by arguing we will lose the taste of sweetness, and we will lose the presence of the Holy Spirit.
The sense of harmony in the spirit of the saints is delicate and tender. Therefore, whenever there is an argument, we will lose the sense of harmony in our spirit. We need to keep the harmony in our spirit and not damage it. It takes only a slight discord for us to lose the harmony in our spirit. Even if we win an argument, God’s presence will not be in our actions. Only when there is harmony in the spirit of the saints will God’s presence and blessing be with us.
Hence, it does not matter whether our reasoning is right or wrong. When there is harmony and God’s presence, we are right. Without harmony and God’s presence, whatever seems right is wrong. His presence is what matters in our service. This is the tree of life, not the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. In everything that we do, including our service, we should not be concerned about methods; we should be concerned only with how to have God’s presence. We should take care of a matter in such a way that the harmony in the spirit of the saints is not damaged but rather upheld. Our experience testifies that a person who is broken and dealt with does not express his opinions but brings in harmony.
A person who has been dealt with and broken is also wise. Solomon was a wise man: “God gave Solomon wisdom and very much understanding and largeness of heart, even as the sand that is on the seashore. And Solomon’s wisdom was greater than the wisdom of all the children of the east and all the wisdom of Egypt. For he became wiser than all men” (1 Kings 4:29-31). This means that his wisdom could not be matched by the wisdom of any person on earth; his wisdom was God-given. This wisdom was not for Solomon to be crafty and sly but for him to have largeness of heart, even as the sand that is on the seashore. The sand is the limit, the boundary, of the sea; hence, the sand is greater than the sea. The sand on the seashore is a picture of the largeness of Solomon’s heart. This is to have wisdom. A person who has been broken and dealt with by God has a large and broad heart. He can accept any suggestion and any kind of person.
Some people may worry that it is dangerous to have such a broad heart. We must remember that regarding God’s building, a broken person will never depart from the pattern shown in the mountain but rather will insist on taking the pattern as his standard (cf. Exo. 25:40; Heb. 8:5). He would never abandon the principles in the Bible but would insist on keeping them. He can accept any suggestion that does not oppose the principles in the Bible or affect God’s testimony.
The Bible does not tell us when we should preach the gospel or study the Bible or whether we should use a dry or wet cloth to clean the benches, because such things do not affect the pattern shown in the mountain. Anything that is related to God’s testimony has a standard, the pattern shown in the mountain. If the suggestion of a brother or sister is contrary to the clear teaching in the Bible, the manifested revelation of God, or the pattern shown in the mountain, we should not accept it. For example, a brother may suggest that we rent the meeting hall to a social club on the days that we do not have meetings in order to collect some rent every month. We should stand against such a proposal for the sake of guarding the testimony of God.
Regrettably, the atmosphere of disharmony among us has mainly been due to saints insisting on differing views and ideas. This proves that we are not broken and have not been dealt with enough and that we are narrow and our heart is small. As a result, we are not willing to accept the views of others. A person who has been broken does not have opinions, is wise, and has a large and broad heart. Hence, he can accept any suggestion and any kind of person as long as it does not involve God’s glory or affect His testimony. Only such a person can be proper material for the building. When such material is being built up, the sound of hammers, axes, or iron tools will not be heard. But this is not our situation. Sometimes when the brothers are serving together, the sound of different tools is heard in their coordination, because each has a different opinion; that is, there is the sound that comes from the lack of breaking and dealing, because the materials being used for the building have not been dealt with.
Some people say that the situation described in 1 Kings 6 is a picture of the situation at the time of the Lord’s return. They say that it is not time for the building because the Lord has not returned. They also say that we are stones that are still in the process of being dealt with by God. In their view, when all the believers have been fully dealt with, the Lord Jesus will return to build us together, and then the sound of a hammer or an ax will not be heard, because we will no longer need to be dealt with. Such speaking is not according to the teaching in the New Testament. The New Testament says that we need to be built up, that is, to be joined and knit together (Eph. 4:16). The preparation of the stones at the quarry in 1 Kings 6:7 refers to our being dealt with by God in our daily living. If we are dealt with by God in our daily living, there will not be any sound when we come together as the church. Conversely, if we do not accept God’s dealing in our daily living, we will be loose and full of opinions. As a result, it will be inevitable for there to be sounds when we are together.
God desires that we experience dealings in our daily living. For many their family life is a “quarry.” If we can accept the breaking in our family and not be stubborn, we will not need further dealings, and there will be no sound when we are being built up in the church. A sister whose head is properly covered and has a quiet demeanor in the meetings may be above her husband at home. She may have the last word in every situation, and she may be like a tigress toward her maids. This condition indicates that she has not passed through God’s breaking in her “quarry.” Hence, when she coordinates with others in the church, there are still many sounds. She may utter wonderful prayers in the prayer meeting and give excellent praise in the table meeting, but her stubborn attitude will come forth as soon as she discusses matters with the brothers in the service meetings. The saints who have not been chiseled and cut in their daily living will maintain the sound of their “tools,” their opinions, when it is time for the building.
This fellowship concerning the building is not doctrine. I have closely observed the condition of God’s children. In many places there are good Christians who zealously love the Lord and are spiritual; however, very few Christians are built up. I have seen Christians who zealously preach the gospel criticize those who focus on reading the Word, and those who focus on reading the Word disapprove of those who preach the gospel with zeal. There is no harmony among Christians, and as a result, there is only tearing down, not building up. The views and ideas that Christians argue over do not concern God’s testimony on the earth, but because they are not broken, they dispute with one another and destroy the harmony.
The most disheartening thing is that even many spiritual believers are not in harmony with one another. They are spiritual as individuals, but there is no harmony when they come together. For this reason others cannot touch the presence of the Holy Spirit among them. Their meetings can be compared to a sunset that is full of gloom. They give their opinions, but they are not built up. There is no value in being spiritual if there is no building up. Such spirituality is not genuine. A person who is genuinely spiritual has been built up. The genuineness of a person’s spirituality can be tested by the building. Only those who can be built up are truly spiritual, and those who cannot be built up are not spiritual.
After seeing such situations in different places, I have a heavy burden, and I am determined to speak concerning the building wherever I go. Merely being spiritual has no value. Such spirituality will destroy and tear down God’s testimony and cause the church to lose the blessing. We do not want a type of harmony that comes from being fleshly or from having false spirituality. May the Lord have mercy upon us so that we would always keep the harmony and participate in His building.
If we want harmony, we need to be broken by accepting the breaking in the “quarry” of our daily living. Then there will not be any sounds when we come together. The presence of opinions, different speaking, criticisms, and being judgmental proves that we have not been broken and, hence, cannot be built up. We must understand that as soon as there are sounds in our coordination, everyone, including those who are not opinionated, will lose God’s presence.
The requirement for being built up is to accept the breaking. Then we will have the largeness of heart to receive others. As long as a suggestion does not damage the Lord’s testimony, we can accept it, and as long as a person does not damage the Lord’s testimony, we should accept him. The more we accept one another’s suggestions and are tolerant toward one another, the brighter our inner being will be, and the more we will be able to accept being adjusted by others. If a few brothers make an inefficient suggestion, and we accept it without arguing, the Holy Spirit will have the way to enlighten those brothers. They will sense that they were wrong without our adjusting them. Hence, if we can give up our personal views for the sake of keeping the harmony, the Lord will enlighten them at the right time. If their suggestion does not damage the Lord’s testimony or cause His name to suffer loss, we should keep the oneness. Then the Holy Spirit Himself will have the way to correct them. The correction of the Holy Spirit is a correction in harmony that results in mutual trust and building up. If we insist on our ideas instead of giving in to one another, we will lose the harmony and the presence of the Holy Spirit.
The more we try to force others to listen to us, the more they will not listen, but the more we learn to listen to others, the more they will listen to us. In our service we cannot assume a high position, put on airs, or demand that others listen to us. Such conduct is the source of many arguments. When we force others to listen to us, there will not be harmony. A forced listening does not build up; rather, it tears down the building. Hence, a co-worker should not have the attitude that the church and the elders must listen to him. Such an attitude indicates that he does not know how to build up others, because he has not been broken or built up by God. The work that he does with this attitude is not pleasing to God. The co-workers who can serve with others, listen to the brothers, and not be hasty to correct others can build up the saints.
Hence, we must learn to be broken, to drop our opinions, to be broad, and to not correct other people’s methods of doing things. Only those who are broad can accept the methods that other people use to accomplish things. It is a great skill to be built up together with others without the sound of iron tools, and only those who have been dealt with by God have such a skill. No matter what others say, the atmosphere of our service should be such that “neither hammer nor ax nor any iron tool was heard in the house” (1 Kings 6:7). This atmosphere proves that we have learned the lesson well. We cannot fathom the degree to which God’s presence will be with us if such an atmosphere were among us. The people who come into our midst would sense that there are no opinions among us and that we correct ourselves without arguing. Thus, whoever comes into our midst would be edified.
God wants a group of people who receive His breaking, have a large heart, and do not assume a high position, that is, a group of people who are being built up by Him. Those who are narrow-hearted think that others are narrow-hearted, and those who are crooked think that others are crooked. It is shameful for a believer to assume a high position, to lord it over the saints. It is despicable for a believer to desire to be first, to be the leader, so as to be above others. We must have a vision of the building and desire to be the same as the other saints. As long as a suggestion does not harm the Lord’s glory or affect His testimony, we should not only accept it but also follow it. This should be the attitude not only of the younger saints but also of the older ones and especially of the leading brothers. In the church we do not rule others or lord it over them. The church is entirely a matter of being broken and being built up.
The more we are willing to be broken and built up and to follow the saints and accept their suggestions, the more they will follow us and trust us. The Holy Spirit will operate in the saints to confirm that we are living in God and that we have His presence. However, if we argue to prove our case and fight to prove that our idea is reasonable and right, the Holy Spirit will not confirm us in the saints. As a result, the saints will not approve of us, they will not say Amen to us, nor will they support us in their spirit. May the Lord have mercy on us that we would be serious to learn the lessons in this matter.
May we all accept God’s dealing and breaking in our daily living. The more we accept the breaking, the fewer opinions and ideas we will have. Furthermore, we will have God’s measure. Having been dealt with by God, we will be broad-minded and able to accept others and coordinate with them. We will be built up, and we will also build up others. We may not agree with all the situations in the church, but if we do not argue concerning these situations, the Holy Spirit will work within the saints and bring all the matters onto the right track. We do not need to correct the situations; let the Holy Spirit do it. We must learn to always accept the saints and to reject the self; we must allow the Holy Spirit to build us up with the saints. The Holy Spirit will correct any inappropriate situation among the saints. The correction by the Holy Spirit is the building up that issues in the church being fitly joined and firmly knit together as the dwelling place of God in spirit.
