John 11:49-52. But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all, nor do you take into account that it is expedient for you that one man die for the people, and that the whole nation not perish.” Now he did not say this on his own initiative, but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus was going to die for the nation, and not for the nation only, but in order that He might also gather together into one the children of God who are scattered abroad.
Ephesians 2:19-22. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord,  in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.
Ephesians 4:11-16. And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ,  from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.

Caiaphas the high priest cannot have been aware of the true significance of his prophecy, because his motive in uttering those words was murder. However, the statement added by the Holy Spirit informs us of God’s purpose in allowing this deed to be carried out, ‘and not for the nation only, but in order that He might also gather together into one the children of God who are scattered abroad’.  In these words also lies the fulfillment of the promise made to Abraham so long before, “In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.” Genesis 22:18.

We cannot doubt that God’s great purpose to gather together all who believe, both Jew and Gentile into one, will indeed be fulfilled. Jesus died for this. We Gentiles, who have found faith in Jesus, ‘are no longer strangers and aliens, but….are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household’.

The passage from Ephesians 2 continues, ‘having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord,  in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit. The process of gathering together all the individual members of God’s household will result in them all ‘being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit’. Once all the parts of this dwelling of God are built together they will never be separate individual parts again. This is God’s intention and determination.

In Ephesians 4 we read how God has planned to accomplish this work of building all the saints together as ‘the body of Christ’ which will be ‘a holy temple in the Lord’ and ‘a dwelling of God in the Spirit’. We note that whereas an earthly building is constructed of inanimate and passive parts, it is God’s intention that this holy temple be worked on and participated in by every single living believer in Jesus. There are to be no spectators. All are builders. There are greater gifts and lesser gifts, yet all have a vital part to play.

The greater gifts of apostles, prophets, evangelists and pastors and teachers have an essential role, ‘for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ’, yet it is not mentioned or implied that they be rulers over those they encourage and influence. For later we read that ‘the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies’. Every member is necessary to the completion of the holy city, new Jerusalem, both as a part and as an active builder. It is ‘according to the proper working of each individual part that causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love’.

At the dawn of eternity all those built together will possess a collective consciousness of being the bride, the wife of the Lamb. What an unimaginable prospect.

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