An Instant House

by R. Darke, Victoria, B.C. | Category: General | Nov 1974

It took 20 hours to build, and it is a tribute to what men can accomplish through a united effort. Over 300 tradesmen and management personnel were involved in the project. They gave their time, and using donated material they erected a 4-apartment dwelling in a small Canadian town in less than a day. The building of this "instant house" was quite an achievement, and it can be a lesson to God's people as to what can be accomplished through a willing and concerted effort.

Churches of God, of course, are not built in a day. The golden lampstand of the tabernacle teaches us this. The lampstand was of beaten work, and not of molten gold poured into a mould for instant use, as in the case of the humanly devised golden calf (Exod. 32:4). The word "beaten" indicates hammering with skilful lightness or with severity. God chose a man for this work named Bezalel, from the kingly tribe of Judah, and he was "filled with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, and in knowledge" (35:30,31). The lampstand was not of "instant" origin; it took time to make despite the skill, and knowledge, and patience of the craftsman, who began with a solid piece of pure gold over 100 pounds in weight. God in His wisdom did not disclose a size for this beautiful structure.

It is good for us in the house of God today to apply in a practical way the lessons of the golden lampstand. We need to be equipped spiritually with the four qualities that were granted to Bezalel; (1) the filling of the Holy Spirit; (2) wisdom; (3) understanding; and (4) knowledge, if we are to make something of the "gold", the redeemed souls which the Lord brings into our lives. Through the Spirit we must use the hammer of the Word on the gold to shape it, and this will involve wisdom, understanding, and knowledge. It is not a casual, makeshift job, for the work we are doing is that of making disciples. Souls are saved; disciples are made (John 4:1). Our work is not to form meetings of Christians. This is a comparatively easy task, similar to building an "instant house". We have been given the responsibility by the resurrected Lord Jesus to preach the gospel (Mark 16:15), make disciples, baptize them, and teach them (Matt. 28:20). This is what took place on the day of Pentecost when those who were saved and baptized were added together to form a church of God, and they continued steadfastly in the apostles' teaching, in the fellowship, in the breaking of the bread, and in the prayers (Acts 2:41,42).

God does not specify how large or how small a church of God should be, in the same way as there is no size given for the lampstand. But we do know that, whatever its size, it is of divine origin.

R. Darke, Victoria, B.C. | Nov 1974
General