Building With Burnt Stones

Unfortunately, today, it seems like many are trying to build their ministries with perfect stones. The Apostle Peter teaches us, “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, NKJV. Yet it doesn’t say those living stones are perfect stones. They’re not! Rather, they’re burnt stones who have been rescued and recovered from the trash heap of life. It’s those kinds of stones that produce the best buildings for God, for they are “tried stones”. That’s what I’d like to talk about in this post.

  In the book of Nehemiah, we see him facing an impossible situation. Like today, there were many adversaries who opposed the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem. Why? They wanted Israel to be open to attack. The Devil is always seeking an inroad to attack God’s people. When Nehemiah heard about the evils happening to his people, he “sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven”. Nehemiah 1:4. He didn’t criticize those who sinned. No, he sat down with them and said, “We have dealt very corruptly against thee, and have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the judgments, which thou commandedst thy servant Moses.” Nehemiah 1:7, KJV.

That’s where he started. But he recognized it wasn’t enough. He had to do more. The difference between Nehemiah and his critics was Nehemiah sought to lift up those who had fallen. And he did that in the most practical way. He went to them, helped them, and oversaw the rebuilding process. Amazing! That’s what a man or woman of God does: he or she helps those who have fallen to rebuild. Not that we don’t acknowledge wrongs done. But we respect people enough to give them an opportunity to raise their lives that have fallen into disrepair. We rebuild walls that have been broken down. We recover the burnt stones laying around when judgment comes. We don’t discard people because their broken, fallen human beings who sinned, for “All of us have sinned and fallen short of God's glory.” Romans 3:23, CEV.

As the Apostle Paul said, “There is none righteous, no, not one”. Romans 3:10, KJV.  That’s who we are sinners saved only by grace. We are fallen human beings desperately needy, broken people living broken incomplete lives. We are the burnt stones in Nehemiah’s story used to rebuild walls torn down through sinful conduct. And what better material could possibly be used than those who know the corruption and deceitfulness of sin to rise up and raise walls against sin than those burnt by it? Who better to tell others not to touch the hot stove of sinful conduct than those burnt by sin? Yes, burnt stones recovered by God’s grace used for God’s glory to protect God’s people.

“God recovers burnt stones, sinful men and women, and turns them into beautiful stones, living stones in His New Jerusalem.”—Scott Wallis

What is God looking to do in our day? Recover individuals burnt by sin and turn their lives into a story for His glory. Burnt stones being used to rebuild broken walls does that. Yes, God can and does do things like that. He’s doing it in our day. President Trump, love him or hate him, it’s an undeniable fact that he’s rebuilding the walls of America. The walls of America were in disrepair. America’s walls, like Jerusalem’s broken walls in Nehemiah’s story, were broken. That was fact. President Trump, a burnt stone recovered by the hand of God, has been used to rebuild America’s broken down walls. 

If God can and is doing that for America, can He not do that for His Church, His people? Yes, we can acknowledge the sinful conduct in our midst. Yes, we can see the real evidence of the damage done. It’s real. Yes, real evil was done. It’s time to repent. But can we not go further? Can we not recover those burnt by sinful conduct? Didn’t Jesus do that? Remember, all his disciples fled Him in His hour of need. The Apostle Peter, strong as he was, was no match for sin, he denied our Lord Jesus Christ. Ashamed, he scurried away, he hid behind his fishing nets once again. Yet Jesus didn’t leave Him there. He went to the Apostle Peter and said to this bruised, broken, burnt stone — “Simon son of John, do you love Me more than these?…Feed My lambs…Feed My sheep.” John 21:15-17. 

Jesus recovered burnt stones and used those burnt stones, the ones who turned from Him in His hour of need, and He used them to build His Church. Not great men. No! Sinners who turned from Him and His ways and run from Him in His hour of need. Yes, burnt stones were the bedrock of the foundation of Christ’s Church. And from the ashes of humanity’s heap rises burnt stones restored to glory in their proper place in walls of protection for God’s city, which is what we find in the New Jerusalem in the book of Revelation — “The wall of the city had twelve foundation stones, and on them were written the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.” Revelation 21:14, NLT. 
God recovered burnt stones to build the walls of His New city, His New Jerusalem. And that’s what God does — He recovers burnt stones, sinful men and women, and turns them into beautiful stones, living stones in His New Jerusalem. How amazing He is! Should we not love Him even more for doing things like that? In reality, all of us who believe in Christ are just that — burnt stones — abandoned, neglected, set aside, unusable. But God… He has different plans; He has different thoughts; He has different ideas. He sees building materials hidden behind burnt stones. Aren’t you glad?! 

I know I am. I’m a recovered burnt stone. If you are being used by God today, you are a recovered burnt stone. Now, go! Recover burnt stones for building. That’s our mission! That’s our assignment! That’s our responsibility! That’s our reason! That’s our purpose! Recovering burnt stones for building God’s walls and God’s Church. May we do that we honor and integrity  for His glory! Amen!


Let us pray!

—Scott Wallis