We All Need Somebody to Lean On ...

“Together, we are His house, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets. And the Cornerstone is Christ Jesus Himself.” (Ephesians 1: 20)

We must never forget that we are “together,” in these “Heavenly” experiences. Many of the Christ-followers Paul dealt with were Jewish. Some of them insisted that Gentiles could only be accepted into this new Community – the Church – if they complied with all the requirements of Judaism. Paul adamantly insisted that Christ has “reconciled both – Jew and Gentile – to God by the sacrifice of one body on the cross … And it is through Him that both of us now can approach the Father in the Spirit.” (Ephesians 2:16 -18 Phillips)

No one has greater privilege than another in this “Kingdom.” Oh, I am the King’s “house.” His “Spirit,” “the Spirit of Truth,” is “in” me. But He’s “in” you too. We are “His house,” “together.”

This metaphor, the imagery of our being God’s house, is more than just a young concept. Paul’s reference to Christ as the “cornerstone” – the most important stone in the foundation on which this “house” is built – is taken from the Psalms. An ancient songwriter wrote, “the stone which the builders rejected has become the capstone …” (Psalm 118: 22) Not only Paul, but Matthew, Mark, Luke, and Peter each take this to be a reference to Christ the foundational Person in the Kingdom of God.” (See Matthew 21: 42; Mark 12: 10; Luke 20: 17; Acts 4: 11; 1 Peter 2: 7.) Jesus Himself took the idea that He is the foundation of His Church and gave it a whole new meaning. He told Peter, “… you are Peter, and on this rock – Petra – I will build my Church, and the gates of Hades, will not overcome it.” (Matthew 16: 18) So there would be no confusion – no tendency to make Peter more prestigious than all other Christ-followers – He said to a multitude of people; potential members of that invincible Community, “everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had it foundation on the rock.” (Matthew 7: 24 & 25)

Like the “apostles and prophets,” we, “trained” in Christ’s teaching and by His example; guided and empowered by the “Spirit of Truth” within us, become “foundational people.” We become stabilizing influences. In his book, “The Great Divorce,” C. S. Lewis calls heavenly people “Solid people.” And so we are. More than a metaphor, we become, here and now as well as there and then, stones in the foundation of the Church. Yes, Christ is the “chief” stone. But He has chosen us to be, like Himself, “people a person can count on,” “someone to lean
on;” “foundational;” “strong;” “stable;” “solid” people.