LIVELY STONES ON THE ROCK

 The world of nature provides a remarkable illustration for "lively stones" being built into strong habitations: the little animals that build coral reefs (polyps). In many ways, the lives of coral polyps parallel the growth of a local church.

 Acts 2:42 And they were continually devoting themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayers... 47 Praising God, and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.

I Peter 2:5 You also, as living stones (KJV: lively stones), are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

I. All believers should be solidly attached to Jesus, the ROCK!

I Peter 2:4 <TLB> Come to Messiah (Christ), who is the living foundation upon which God builds.

The local congregation, "The ecclesia, or called out ones", is being built by Jesus only of people whose lives remain firmly established upon Him.

            A. Attached to Jesus the MESSIAH, I partake of HIS life.

In order to remain a vital, living part of the congregation, every "lively stone" must continually draw life from "The living stone".

            B. Attached to Jesus, I become one spirit with Him.

I Corinthians 6:17 But the one who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit with Him.

John 15:4 Abide in me, and I in you....

Coral polyps hatch from eggs, swim around for a few days, then attach themselves to a rock as a part of a coral colony. Their "cousins" the jellyfish, float around in the water and never accomplish any lasting thing.

EVERY BELIEVER is to become a part of what Messiah is building!

II. All Believers should be joined to other living stones.

I Peter 2:5 (NEB) Come, and let yourselves be built, as living stones, into a spiritual Temple.

            A. The Holy Spirit wants to attach every believer to a local congregation.

Ephesians 2:21-22 (TLB) We who believe are carefully joined together with Christ as parts of a beautiful, constantly growing Temple for God. And you also are joined with Him and with each other by the Spirit, and are part of this dwelling place of God.

Corals are not only attached to rock, they are attached to each other - to form beautiful, rocklike formations that beautify the oceans of many parts of the world.

WE NEED TO BE JOINED TO OTHERS

1) To obtain proper spiritual nourishment

Acts 2:42 And they were continually devoting themselves to the apostles teaching....

Ephesians 4:11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head; Christ

Each coral polyp extends his tentacles to grasp food from the waters of his environment. The local congregation provides an environment rich with spiritual food.

2) For our mutual benefit

            Acts 2:42 And they were continually devoting themselves to the...fellowship...

Ephesians 4:16 From whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by that which every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.

Hugh coral formations are built as a result of the mutual involvement of individual polyps. Strong congregations are not the product of leadership alone. MANY believers give of themselves to bring benefits to the other members of the congregation.

3) For worship experiences

Acts 2:42 And they were continually devoting themselves to the ...to the breaking of bread and prayer.

John 4:24 God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in Spirit and Truth.

B. The Holy Spirit is looking for communities of believers who will welcome additional Living Stones.

Acts 2:47 And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.

EVERY LOCAL CONGREGATION NEEDS TO BE INVOLVED IN:

1) WINNING SOULS FOR THE LORD

   Acts 1:8 And you shall be my witnesses....

    Mark 16:15 Go into all the world, and preach the gospel...

   Luke 14:23 Go into the highways and the hedges and compel them to come in, that My house may be filled.

2) TEACHING NEW BELIEVERS

Matthew 28:19 Go therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Teaching them to observe all that I commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Amen.

III. All believers should be involved in building the Spiritual Temple.

I Peter 2:5 (TEV) Come, as living stones, and let yourselves be used in building the spiritual Temple.

            A. Messiah (Christ) is in charge of building the Spiritual Temple.

Hebrews 3:4 For every house is built by someone; but the builder of all things is God. 6 But Christ was faithful as a son over his house; whose house are we, if we hold fast our confidence and the boast of our hope firm unto the end.

            B. Messiah provides us with "power tools" in order to be better builders.

I Corinthians 14:12 <AMP> Since you are so eager and ambitious to possess spiritual endowments and manifestations of the Holy Spirit, [concentrate on] striving to excel and to abound [in them] in ways that will build up the congregation.

God's gifts of power are not for the amusement of those who possess them, they are to be used for the purpose of building up the local congregation - in spirituality, in maturity, in solidarity and in numbers.

            C. Messiah has given us the secret of the Temple's growth - LOVE.

I Corinthians 8:1b <Jerusalem Bible> Knowledge gives self-importance - it is love that makes the building grow.

Ephesians 4:16 <TEV> The whole body grows and builds itself up through love.

John 13:35 By this shall all men know that you are my disciples, if you have love one to another.

            D. Jesus expects us to provide the facilities to minister to people.

Each coral animal gives himself - his cup shaped skeleton - to the enlargement of the life-sustaining reef. Every believer must be willing to give of himself to assure that the place of worship and ministry is equal to the need.

Romans 12:1 (AMP) And so, dear brothers, I plead with you to give your bodies to God. Let them be a living sacrifice, holy--the kind he can accept. When you think of what he has done for you, is this too much to ask? 2 Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but be a new and different person with a fresh newness in all you do and think. Then you will learn from your own experience how his ways will really satisfy you.