I was in a vision, walking of ancient stones. I saw the Cornerstone the builders rejected.
Quarry cutters shaped the stones blueprints. But, the assembly occurred without blueprints. The most vital part of the construction appears a mistake. The builders rejected the chief cornerstone or capstone because they lacked blueprints.
I walked among the ancient stones. Archeologists had marked each stone now scattered on the ground. Each dis-assembled stone appears important. Without the blueprints, they appear part of something mysterious.The stones say that leaders built something strategic in the place. But, no one can assemble the numbered stones again without a blueprint.
The rejected stone appears odd now as it did in the original. The assembly blueprints would reveal its value. That blueprint design would reveal it is indispensable.
All other stones may be exactly as the quarry blueprints. But, the entire building cannot stand in systematic integrity without the Cornerstone. The assembly blueprints tell us what these ancient stones build when assembled. The building is a spiritual eco-system, lying about in pieces. It has no function or operation. The assembly blueprints alone can fit the pieces together.
The archeologist’s numbered inventory system has no vision for assembly. It recognizes that they are part of a building. But, the inventory system has no blueprints for the building.
The quarry was the place of their shaping. The building was not built at the quarry. Individual cut the stones to specification with blueprints. Others were to assemble the stones with another set of blueprints.
“Where are the assembly blueprints?” I asked in the vision. “Where are the leaders who know how to rebuild the original building?”
Someone with blueprints for individual stones could prepare the stones. Someone with blueprints for the building could position them for assembly.
The vision says, “Prepare and position the stones. Accumulating stones is not the same as assembling stones. Preparing stones for display or inventory falls far short of purpose.”
- To assemble unprepared stones is to accumulate stones.
- To prepare stones without blueprints for positioning is to accumulate stones.
- To assemble unprepared stones is to build an oddity.
We assemble prepared stones by positioning them. We finally realize we need the rejected stone.
The rejected stone becomes a finishing stone.
No matter how well we prepare and position stones, the structure cannot operate in integrity without the finishing stone.
The sense in which Jesus is Cornerstone of the Building is the same sense in which Jesus is Head of the Body. It is the same sense in which Jesus is the Groom of the Bride. He is the foundation but installed at completion. He is groom but installed when the Bride is ready for the wedding. He is head who directs when the Body achieves functional integrity.
The St Louis Arch holds the installed final section in place by the sheer pressure of the opposing arms. It is not bolted or welded into place. They pulled the two opposing arms apart and inserted the final section. At that moment, the entire Arch could fully function.
There is a blueprint for preparation. There is a blueprint for assembly. Having lost the one, we have altered the other.
Are we now preparing ourselves a people when we should be preparing the Lord a people?
Ecclesia is an assembled spiritual eco-system. Jesus designs and defines the assembly. The Ecclesia is a His people in a place. To know and recognize Ecclesia, it must assemble. When it is, the finished assembly awaits the Chief Cornerstone.
He is the finishing piece. He is already prepared. We prepared each stone to fit Him. We position each stone to accommodate Him. We assemble the whole and He completes it. Only then does the entire eco-system begin to hum with Ecclesia energy.
How long has it been since we have seen a completed Ecclesia?
When we stopped assembling the Ecclesia, we began accumulating stones. We discovered no blueprint for assembly, so we stopped using blueprints for preparation. We designed a building to fit the stones as they are instead of preparing stones for His blueprints.
We lost the blueprints for the assembly. We forsook the blueprints for the stones. We set a pedestal for the Cornerstone. He doesn’t want to be a pedestal. He wants to be the operating system for the eco-system.
