In Old Testament times God’s people built the ark, the tabernacle, and the temple, and rebuilt the temple after their captivity. All of these were physical buildings, symbols of the real building. Now, as God’s New Testament people, we are building the church, the Body of Christ. This is a spiritual building. The materials are the Triune God Himself and the Triune God deposited in and worked into humanity.
Here is a list of recent posts about the New Testament building with a few words from, and a link to, each one.
Jesus Said, I Will Build – In Matthew 16:18 Jesus said, “I will build my church.” All the following verses in this chapter are related to this declaration.
Christ Jesus Himself is the Cornerstone – In Matthew 21 Jesus quoted Psalm 118 referring to Himself as the cornerstone for God’s building. Acts 4, Ephesians 2, and 1 Peter 2 also speak of JEsus Christ as the cornerstone.
We Are Living Stones for God’s Building – In John 1 Andrew brought his brother Simon to Jesus. Jesus changed Simon’s name to Peter, meaning “a stone.” In his first epistle, Peter said that all of us are living stones for God’s building.
The Resurrected Jesus is the Temple – In John 2 the Lord told the Jews that His physical body, which they would “destroy” by crucifixion and He would “raise up” in resurrection, was the replacement for the Old Testament temple.
Jesus Invites Us: Come to Me to Have Life – Acts 20:32 tells us that the word of God’s grace is able to build us up. This is Jesus Christ, the living Word of God, who became flesh full of grace and reality for us to receive (John 1:1, 14, 16).
The Grace of Jesus Christ is with Your Spirit – The word of God’s grace is able to build us up and our spirit is the organ by which we receive and apply this grace. Philippians 4:23 says, “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.”
Receive the Word of God by Prayer – The word of God’s grace is able to build us up; we receive this word by our praying, giving thanks, singing, and praising.
Let Us Pursue the Things for Building Up – This exhortation is Romans 14:19 and is related to our serving in the Holy Spirit (v. 17-18).
We Are Growing and Being Built Together – In 1 Corinthians 3 we find milk and solid food for growth in life, with building up coming out of the growth.
Knowledge Puffs Up, But Love Builds Up – This is 1 Corinthians 8:1. Building up in love is also in Ephesians 4:16 and Jude 20.
We Prophecy for Building Up the Church – In 1 Corinthians 14 he who prophesies builds up the church. This prophesying supplies Christ as life and it is this life which builds us together.
Receive Grace and Give to Those Who Hear – In Ephesians 4:29 our words should be good for building up by supplying grace to those who hear.
We Are The Temple of The Living God – This is the proclamation in 2 Corinthians 6:16. God makes home in us and lives through us.
We Grow into Christ for His Building – Life and building are inseparable. Christ is our life, and growth in life is Christ being formed in us (Galatians 4:19).
We Are Growing and Being Built Together – Jesus Christ is the cornerstone for God’s building. In Him we are growing and being built together (Ephesians 2:19-22).
We Cooperate with Jesus Christ the Builder – The Lord Jesus said that He will build the church. He does this by working in and through each member; in Ephesians 4:12 we are being perfected for participating in His building work.
Holding Christ, We Grow unto Building Up – Ephesians 4:15-16 tells us that, as we hold to truth in love, we grow up into Christ our Head, out from whom comes a rich supply for building His Body.
The Rich Supply for Our Building Up – Ephesians 4:16 tells us that a rich supply from the Head, Christ, coupled with His operation in every Christian, causes the growth of His Body unto the building up of itself in love.
We Have the Life Supply for the NT Building – In Colossians 2:6 we have been rooted in Christ (for the life supply) and we are being built up (by this life).
Tasting & Coming to Jesus, We Are Built Up – In 1 Peter 2 we taste the Lord by receiving the spiritual milk, then we come to Him as a living stone. The result is that we, as living stones, are built up to be a spiritual house.
Freed from Self for God’s Building Work – In Matthew 16:18 Jesus said “I will build My church.” In verse 24 He told us to deny ourself, take up our cross, and follow Him.
How good it is for the Lord to give each of us a spirit of wisdom and revelation (Ephesians 1:17) to see life and building.
For online reading of more about life and building, select any of these titles in this list.
• The Building Up of the Body of Christ
• The Building Work of God
• Enjoying the Riches of Christ for the Building Up of the Church as the Body of Christ
Photo courtesy of U.S. Bureau of Land Management.
New Jerusalem - the Consummation 
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