Main Scripture: “You also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” 1 Peter 2:5.

During the relentless pressures exerted by society, it is all too common to feel compressed and fashioned into shapes that don’t truly reflect who we are. Just like trying to fit “square pegs into round holes”, we often find ourselves attempting to conform to norms and regulations that don’t align with our values and beliefs.  The prevailing sentiment is that a sense of disconnection, confusion, and disorientation prevails.

Amid this search for genuine purpose and significance, we often traverse misguided paths, seeking fulfilment in all the wrong places. Much like wanderers without a homeland, citizenship, community, or family, we all feel adrift. It’s as if we’re seeking a place to belong, yearning for an anchor that secures our identity in a rapidly changing world. 

Here is the GOOD news!!! 

YOU HAVE A HOME!!! 

Becoming Children of God and Finding Our True Home

John 1:12-13 (NKJV): “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”

Romans 8:14-17 (NKJV): “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, ‘Abba, Father.’ The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.”

1 Corinthians 12:12-13 (NKJV): “For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit.”

Ephesians 4:15-16 (NKJV): “But, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ—from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.”

2 Corinthians 3:18 (NKJV): “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.”

Romans 8:29 (NKJV): “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.”

Colossians 3:10 (NKJV): “And have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him.”

In these Scriptures, we find the beautiful revelation that becoming children of God through faith in Christ grants us a true home in the heart of God’s family. We are not aimless wanderers but embraced as beloved sons and daughters, heirs of God’s promises. As we function within the body of Christ, we contribute to the building of His spiritual house, each unique member essential to the whole. And by abiding in the image of Christ, we find our ultimate purpose and home—a transformational journey of becoming more like Him, radiating His love, compassion, and grace in a world yearning for true meaning. 

This usefulness is not determined by people; God moves you and equips you for a certain task in His Body. He determines our legitimacy.  In all other groups, you must prove your loyalty by your performance and supposed value to the group.  This leads to disillusionment when you pass your expiry date of usefulness and then get abandoned.  

#1: The Tower of Self-Sufficiency

No thriving home nourishes its inhabitants and helps family members flourish without Jesus Christ being the axiomatic cornerstone of values, habits, mindsets, and actions.  Isaiah 28:16: “The stone that I have laid as a foundation, a tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation.”

Tragically, since the fall of Adam and Eve, man seeks to build his own Eden, Garden, City, Nation, and culture without God.  TODAY THE WORLD IS OVERTLY BECOMING MORE AND MORE ANTI-GOD. 

In Genesis 11:1-9, the Tower of Babel was a city where people sought to build a tower to “reach the heavens”. Their ambition was self-centered, attempting to establish their authority and significance without God’s guidance.  The inhabitants of the Tower of Babel city sought to reach the heavens through human effort alone, using molded bricks to build a monument of human pride and self-sufficiency.

This reminds us of the pitfalls and dangers of depending on substitutes without God: worldliness; secularism, self-idolatry and self-promotion. Also, the folly of centralized control and worldly dominance. 

Unity without Christ becomes CONFORMITY.

Power without Christ becomes DOMINANCE.

Riches without Christ become INDULGENCE.

Love without Christ becomes LUST. 

Servanthood without Christ is SLAVERY. 

Freedom without Christ makes you a PRISONER of your passions. 

Good works without Christ become SHORT TERM BENEFITS with long-term devastation. 

#2:  The Folly of Change by Human Effort 

Turning our gaze back to the Old Testament, we learn God’s instruction to construct the altar of the Tabernacle with natural stones. It was to be untouched by human tools (Exodus 20:24-25). These stones symbolize authenticity and purity, dynamically contributing to our willingness to cooperate and be considerate of one another. The Spirit of Christ then draws us into the unity He brings in the Body of Christ.

The Church, as a spiritual dwelling, should be assembled with stones that have not been “chiseled by human hands”, but by the refining work of the Holy Spirit. Thus, as a community of believers, we are called to discern and recognize the presence of Christ in one another as a supernatural flow of intimacy with Him in our own lives. As we thus unite in our focus upon Him, His anointing of connectedness flows as “living sacrifice”, just as the Old Testament altar received offerings.

This bond of love grows through His holiness. “Be ye holy as I am holy” (1 Pet. 1:16) is a spiritual dimension in Jesus we cannot attain individually but corporately. As we are developing in loving maturity as a body of believers, we see from the first church in the book of Acts that the Holy Spirit brought sharp discipline to those who had not realized that deeper unity brings a “fear of the Lord”.

The Holy Spirit, therefore, conserves unity and maturity by the application of His discipline. Without correction, there is no growth into the image of Jesus and corruption will breach the unity for growth. Read Heb 12:3-7. “God disciplines whom He loves”. This caution comes from personal experience: the changes enforced by man under the guise of religious zeal hurt people.  When the Spirit prompts the act of discipline, one finds the discipline to be “holy” – with divine intent, biblical justification, and consequential godly repentance – the true “fruit of repentance” (Matt. 3:8).  Surely not everyone whom Jesus corrected received His correction; remember the Rich young Man? (Matt. 19:6-22).

#3: The Danger of Misguided Dominance and Control 

Revelation 13:1 “And I saw a beast rising up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and on his horns ten crowns, and on his heads a blasphemous name. Now the beast which I saw was like a leopard, his feet were like the feet of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion.” 

The “beast coming out to the sea” symbolizes nationalist dominance through tyrants like Alexander the Great. Also, Genghis Khan (1162-1227), founder and leader of the Mongol Empire, known for his brutal conquests and territorial expansion. Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821) was Emperor of the French, who aimed to establish a dominant French empire across Europe during the Napoleonic Wars. Adolf Hitler (1889-1945) was leader of Nazi Germany, responsible for initiating World War II and seeking global domination through aggressive expansion. Benito Mussolini (1883-1945) was a Fascist dictator of Italy and Mussolini sought to revive the Roman Empire’s glory and expand Italian influence. Joseph Stalin (1878-1953) was a Soviet leader who aimed to spread communism globally through the influence and control of the Soviet Union.

Revelation 13:11: “Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb and spoke like a dragon. And he exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence, and causes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast“. This beast operated much through the list of world leaders above and symbolizes how these national movements always used organized religion to empower and condone its actions.  King Henry VIII is often credited with starting the Church of England. His decision to break away from the Roman Catholic Church and establish the Church of England was primarily driven by political and personal reasons, including his desire to annul his marriage to Catherine of Aragon. This eventually led to the English Reformation, and Henry VIII became the Supreme Head of the Church of England in the 16th century.

Throughout history, we find examples of the false religious church joining hands with secular power, leading to oppression and darkness. The two dragon beasts, one from the sea and the other from the land symbolize this unholy alliance.

When the church loses sight of its true purpose and aligns with earthly powers, it becomes a tool for tyranny rather than a beacon of light.

#4: Radiating the Image of Christ

Romans 8:29: “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son.”

In a world that seeks to mold us according to its own desires, we are called to radiate the presence of Jesus.  He is our only IDENTITY that does not change because of age, status, rank, position, role, gender, age, or ethnicity.  Some people’s identity is locked in being “forever young” – the reality is we grow old, very old, and lose our splendid youthful looks, ease of movement, and vitality.  Some build their identity on their wealth or status, which can all be lost in a day.  

Only finding His identity within leads to maturity in all aspects of our humanity: spiritually, intellectually, emotionally, socially, habitually, economically, and vocationally. 

#5: The Apostolic and Prophetic Gifts

Ephesians 2:20-22: “Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.  

Every society requires a cornerstone, a foundation that shapes its values and priorities. Christ is the cornerstone of our spiritual house, providing the alignment we need for a just and righteous society. Yet, throughout history, people have forsaken this cornerstone, seeking other foundations that crumble under the weight of human ambitions.

God uses the apostolic and prophetic gifts to shape us by the Holy Spirit into “living stones”. He is forming us to fit perfectly alongside one another. Just as skilled craftsmen sculpt stones to create a harmonious structure, these gifts help us find our rightful place within God’s spiritual house.

Conclusion: Becoming Living Stones in God’s House

In Christ’s enigmatic and paradoxical nature, we discover a character that can be likened to the property of antinomy that defies simple categorization. An antimony is a toxic metallic element that exists in two allotropic forms and occurs principally in stibnite. The stable form is a brittle silvery-white crystalline metal that is added to alloys to increase their strength and hardness and is used in semiconductors.

Christ embodies being both the perfect man and God and is the stable form of our volatile humanity. He is the purity that brings strength and endurance to our souls. He is both the judge and the compassionate friend, seamlessly encompassing both divinity and humanity. He walks the path of amicability and strictness, simultaneously being servant and king, revealing Himself as both the Lion and the Lamb.

In His creativity, He adheres to timeless religious practices like prayer, scripture study, and synagogue attendance. His rationality is coupled with a refusal to repeat miracles in the same manner. He cherishes solitude while embracing the company of His people. This very essence, embodied in Christ’s multifaceted identity, adopts the concept of LIVING STONES.

As we continue to become more fit and agile in the way of the Spirit, we become like what John 3:8 describes: “The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

The course of the Holy Spirit and how He creates the rebirth of the human spirit cannot be preordained, charted, or controlled. There exists no predefined mold or rigid form to which we must conform. Instead, our obedience is called forth within the context of each unique moment, place, and encounter.

The way of the Spirit transcends the confines of being ensnared in extreme paradoxes. It beckons us to be flexible, embracing Christ’s multifaceted nature in every circumstance. This is the heart of being a living stone—responsive to the Spirit’s leading and finding Christ’s redemptive work woven into the tapestry of every situation. 

In these moments, He CONSTRUCTS and BUILDS His TEMPLE of LIVING STONES. 

Let us continue with:

• hearts attuned to the Spirit’s whispers
• ready to embody the paradoxical beauty of Christ
• responding with faithful obedience, no matter the circumstances 
• resistance to the allure of self-sufficiency
• avoiding misguided alliances
• placing Christ as the cornerstone of our values
• embracing the apostolic and prophetic shaping in your life, and let God chisel you into a reflection of His Son.
• finding our place in God’s grand design and so contributing to a society rooted in justice, compassion, and the image of Christ.