Steven A. Bush - August 25, 2024
A Church of Living Stones
1 Peter 2:2-5 says: "Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment, now that you have had a taste of the Lord’s kindness. You are coming to Christ, who is the Living Cornerstone of God’s temple. He was rejected by people, but He was chosen by God for great honor. And you are living stones that God is building into His spiritual temple. What’s more, you are His holy priests. Through the mediation of Jesus Christ, you offer spiritual sacrifices that please God." (NLT) From dead stones to living stones! It's extraordinary to think that God's people are made to be living stones which are being built together as His temple, the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit. How can this be?! Such a privileged distinct honor is not one we deserve or ever could earn or afford; it has been purchased for us by the blood of Jesus Christ which the Scriptures declare as priceless! Ephesians 2:19-22 affirms it like this: "Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of His household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the Chief Cornerstone. In Him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in Him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by His Spirit." (NIV)
Scripture References: 1 Peter 1:17-21, 1 Corinthians 3:16-17, 1 Peter 2:1-12, Ephesians 2:19-22