From everywhere we hear the cry of the world that the Church is dead. People are leaving the Church because there is so little life left in the Church. I think if we can write an obituary about the Church, it will probably be as follows:
For many years the Church was in a battle for survival. Through al these years she had many highs and also many lows, but finally death also came and stood at her door. Her life was not always easy. The biggest problem she always faced was the lack of commitment from her members which every time had the effect that finances came and press her precious life out of her. Luckily there were also many times of prosperity and joy. It was times when commitment came to the fore and joyful singing and praise and worship was heard in her midst. But unfortunately finances always came to ruin the joy and happiness and put his deadly fingers around her, pressing the little bit of life that was left, out of her.
A few times in her life people came in and violated her beauty, breaking in and stealing from her, but that which hurt her the most was the times when her members did not love one another as they were supposed to do. Every time that her members gossip about each other, she became weaker and weaker. Although she tried very hard for reconciliation between her members, they were not concern about her but rather about themselves.
There were also times when she experienced so much joy when her members came to visit her, just to be forgotten in a short while, just because her members came, not for her, but for the program that she offered. Today she is so weak that she cannot hold two services on a Sunday anymore.
Is this maybe also a description of your Church? Can we just sit by and let she be put in a grave? Or isn’t it time for us as members of our churches to resurrect her back into a life of prosperity and happiness?
Read with me 1 Peter 2:4 – 10.
We all know that we are being described in the Bible as the temple of God, but Peter says in this Scripture that we are also a spiritual house. It is important to notice that this house consists of living stones, which are you and I. That means that the only reason a church is dying, is because her living stones are not alive anymore. Yes they are still there, but they do not have life in themselves anymore. A church is only alive to the extent that her stones are alive. When circumstances came and press the life out of the stones, the church is dying. I believe it is time that the stones of the church must be resurrected out of the grip of death en became once and again living stones in God’s spiritual house.
The first question that needs to be asked then is how can we become living stones again?
Verse 4 states it very clearly that we first of all must come to Christ, the Living Stone. First of all we must allow Him to be the centre of everything again.
Bible in Basic English: “To whom you come, as to a living stone, not honoured by men, but of great and special value to God;”
In God’s sight, He is of great and special value. It is time again that Christ is of great and special value to us again. He is the living stone that gives life to all the other stones. Without Him we cannot have life. The same life that is in Him must also be in us.
John 15:1 – 5.
The same juice that flows in the vine is the same juice that flows in the branches. The same attribute that is part of the vine is also part of the branches. Thus, the same life that is in Christ is the life that also must be in us. The only reason why the church is dying is because the life of Christ is no longer in her stones.
Romans 8:11.
In this passage lies the secret of life in the church. All that we need to do is to turn back to Christ so that He can make us living stones again.
The second question to be asked is what does a living church or rather living stones do?
1 Peter 2:5.
· We must be build up as a spiritual house.
Bible in Basic English: “You, as living stones, are being made into a house of the spirit…”
The Common Edition: New Testament: “you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house ……”
Twentieth Century NT: “and, as living stones, form yourselves into a spiritual House …”
Contemporary English Version: “And now you are living stones that are being used to build a spiritual house.”
Good News Bible: “Come as living stones, and let yourselves be used in building the spiritual temple,..”
Christians are both the spiritual temple and the priests of the temple. There are two Greek words for "temple"; hieron (the sacred place), the whole building, including the courts wherein the sacrifice was killed; and naos (the dwelling, namely, of God), the inner shrine wherein God peculiarly manifested Himself, and where, in the holiest place, the blood of the slain sacrifice was presented before Him. All believers alike, and not merely ministers, are now the dwelling of God (and are called the "naos," Greek, not the hieron) and priests unto God.
· We must be a holy priesthood.
Bible in Basic English: “You, as living stones, are being made into a house of the spirit, a holy order of priests, making those offerings of the spirit which are pleasing to God through Jesus Christ.”
Hebrews 13:15.
Contemporary English Version: “Our sacrifice is to keep offering praise to God in the name of Jesus.”
1 Peter 2:9.
King James: "But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:"
American Standard Version: “…. that ye may show forth the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:”
Bible in Basic English: “But you are a special people, a holy nation, priests and kings, a people given up completely to God, so that you may make clear the virtues of him who took you out of the dark into the light of heaven.”
A living stone is thus someone who is prepared to become a priest for God. In order to become a priest for God the Bible teaches us that we must be anointed.
Exodus 30:30 – 31.
What is this anointing oil?
Exodus 30:22 – 25.
The Bible teaches us very clearly that one of the main purposes of the Holy Spirit is to anoint those who partake in the service of God. This anointing oil described in this passage gives us a typology of the Holy Spirit.
The hin of olive oil in verse 24, symbolizes the One and only true God. With this as an ingredient, four different spices are added. In the Bible the value four are usually used to typify the creation by God.
Read Jeremiah 49:36; Ezekiel 1:5; Revelation 4:6 – 8 and 7:1.
These four spices consist each out of three units of 500 shekels, which typify the Holy Trinity. The second unit of 500 shekels are divided into two sets of 250 each, which points to the Second Person in the Trinity and to His crucifixion. But each of these spices also has their own special meaning.
The first spice, the liquid myrrh, was used in the Bible to anoint the body of someone who has died – John 19:39 – and point these myrrh then to the death of Jesus Christ. Cinnamon, with its very strong flavour, was used as a spice to be put in food but also as a perfume to neutralise bad odours. This spice points then to the effectiveness of the death of Jesus Christ, which can neutralise any negativity.
Cane, is a sweet smelling cane that grew straight up in water and symbolizes the resurrection of Jesus. Cassia, just as cinnamon, has a very strong smell and were used to keep away insects and snakes which symbolizes the effective power of the resurrection of Christ which can keep away all sin and evil.
Then all of these ingredients had to be blended together to form the anointing oil which symbolizes that everything that God is and ever will be, He will pour out on us and through Christ He can be for us what He wanted to be, God.
All that can make the stones alive again is this anointing oil of God, which is none other than the Holy Spirit in us. It is time for the stone to be anointed and to become once again priest for God.
Isaiah 32:14 – 15.
Just there were you are right now, just pray to God to anoint you afresh with His spirit so that you can become a living stone in God’s spiritual house.
