Blog In Audio:
Greetings,
Today I am home after a long journey of a month from home. My trip was very fruitful, but being home is a blessed reward. I did a prophetic training here on Saturday and it was wonderful assisting and watching people released in the prophetic flow of Christ’s life. I am looking forward to the week that is ahead.
We are called to be dwelling place of God by His Spirit. As His dwelling place, we find our identity, testimony, and purpose in Him. We take on the attributes of our foundation—our foundation is the life-giving stone of Christ.
1 Peter 2:4 Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, 5 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. 6 Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture, “Behold, I lay in Zion a chief cornerstone, elect, precious, and he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame.”
Isaiah 28:16 Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: “Behold, I lay in Zion a stone for a foundation, a tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation; whoever believes will not act hastily.”
When Solomon built the temple, he used large stones, costly stones, and hewn stones (1 Kin. 5:17). Large stones are tried stones, costly stones are precious stones, and hewn sones are sure stones—they are cut to fit with other stones. In the story of the tower of Babbel, mankind sought to build a city unto themselves. The materials of their structure did not exhibit the characteristic of the life-giving stone—Jesus. They used bricks and bricks do not have the strength of being tried stones. They are formed to match other bricks but they don’t have a strength to endure the many tests found in life.
Baked bricks are fired bricks, and they have a hard exterior. They give a surface appearance of being strong, but inside they are the fragile material of clay. These bricks symbolize a life that is concerned with how things look on the surface. People with the quality of fired brick are concerned with how they look and like baked bricks they can only reflect the image of self when gazed upon. On the inside they are brick and they depict a life that is natural in its thoughts. These bricks represent a hardened life, not a living one. They are conditioned to withstand the surface elements of life, but they don’t reveal any real quality within.
Costly stones are precious stones. They are stones of extremely high value. They reflect the builder’s heart, because only an extravagant builder would use such materials. The material of a house reflects the values of the builder. Costly stones reflect the glory of God. They magnify the life and light of God. They give honor to God and to their adjoining stones. Costly stones are symbolic of lives that reveal the passions and attributes of the Father’s heart. These are life-giving stones for a spiritual house.
Costly stones have gone through the pressure and fire of the earth and thus they are transparent and translucent in their quality. Costly stones are made in the hidden places of the earth and then revealed in the common ground of men. They are not found in the place they are formed; they are found in common ground as a testimony of where they came from. Costly stones come from the depth through a work of fire and pressure in the earth. They have gone through the chamber of destruction and have come through with a testimony of life that cannot be destroyed. The pressures of the earth did not destroy them; they revealed who they really are. Our future is not determined by what we make it to be; our future is determined by what we allow God to make it become. A precious stone reflects the glory of light; a fired brick dimly reflects the image of the person who looks upon it. The dreams and visions of our own hearts are not the testimony of God’s true glory. The dreams and visions of God birthed within us are the testimony of His glory.
Asphalt represents lives that are connected to others by common material interests. The real value of their connection is in the glue of the material between them. There is no real value for true relationship. They are stuck together because they are part of the same ministry. They are stuck together because they like the same sport. They are glued together because of the same job. Some common interest has stuck them together. Those who seek connection with others based upon common interests do not really see the need for relationships.
Stones in a living house are sure foundations. They are like the hewn stones of Solomon’s temple. These are relational stones. They are cut to fit together by divine shape and form. Hewn stones are polished and finished. They have a relationship with one another. They provide a place where God can dwell and thus provide a ‘sure foundation’ and a ‘sure structure’. These stones are cut to meet the needs of others. Friendship is the result of their connection and brings strength of their connection. Hewn stones find their place of fit in the wall, and they support the strength of the house.
Blessings,
Ted J. Hanson
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House of Bread Ministry
3210 Meridian St.
Bellingham, WA 98225-1728
