Living Stones

“The true church is not an organization controlled by the rules of men, but a holy collection of living stones with Jesus Christ as the Cornerstone.”

- Brother Yun

You also, as living stones, are being built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices to God through Jesus Christ.

- St. Peter, 1 Peter 2:5

St. Peter tells us that Jesus is the Living Stone, who was rejected by men, but chosen by God and precious to Him (1 Peter 2:1). Because Jesus is the Living Stone (capital ‘L’, capital ‘S’), Peter tells us we are to be living stones (lower case ‘l’, lower case ‘s’). But, what does it mean to be a living stone?

The word “living” comes from the Greek word zoe and refers to “life in all its forms.” It is speaking of active life; both resurrection life in this world and eternal life in heaven. The Living Stone is Jesus Christ, who, through His resurrection from the grave, became the Rock upon which God’s church would be created and flourish.

In Matthew 16:18, after Peter declared that Jesus was the Messiah, the Son of the Living God, Jesus said to Peter,

“You are Peter (Petros, in Greek), and upon this Rock (petra), I will build my church.”

What Jesus is saying is that you, Peter, will play a significant role in the establishment of my church, which Peter did on the Day of Pentecost when he declared the presence of the Holy Spirit as tongues of fire came down from heaven and everyone heard the truth in their own language. But, Jesus did not say that the church would be built on Peter. The petra (rock) upon which the church would be built was not Peter, but Peter’s statement of faith regarding Jesus: “You are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God.”

And now, in Peter’s letter to the churches in Galatia (and to us), he carries forward that concept from Jesus, reminding us that we, too, are living stones.

We are not the rock upon which the church will be built, but like Peter, we play a significant, even critical, role in the establishment and flourishing of God’s church.

In verse 9, Peter declares that we are “a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that we may declare the praises of him who called us out of darkness into his wonderful light.”

That last line is so key! It is not just about who we are - living stones - but what we are to DO as living stones.

We are to declare the praises of our God to the world around us and be witnesses, both in word and action, that we have been called out of the darkness and into God’s wonderful light.

It is a huge privilege to be a living stone, but it is also a tremendous responsibility. We are living representatives of Jesus, and how we choose to live our lives, whether good or bad, will speak volumes to those around us as to who Jesus is and whether they want to be in relationship with Him.

May we live our lives in such a way that exalts the Living Stone (Jesus) and causes others to see Him though us (the living stones) and want what we have.

Pastor Ken

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