“Thou son of man, show the house to the house of Israel, that they may be ashamed of their iniquities: and let them measure the pattern. And if they be ashamed of all that they have done, show them the form of the house, and the fashion thereof, and the goings out thereof, and the comings in thereof, and all the forms thereof, and all the ordinances thereof, and all the forms thereof, and all the laws thereof: and write it in their sight, that they may keep the whole form thereof, and all the ordinances thereof, and do them. This is the law of the house” (Ezek. 43:10-1210Thou son of man, show the house to the house of Israel, that they may be ashamed of their iniquities: and let them measure the pattern. 11And if they be ashamed of all that they have done, show them the form of the house, and the fashion thereof, and the goings out thereof, and the comings in thereof, and all the forms thereof, and all the ordinances thereof, and all the forms thereof, and all the laws thereof: and write it in their sight, that they may keep the whole form thereof, and all the ordinances thereof, and do them. 12This is the law of the house; Upon the top of the mountain the whole limit thereof round about shall be most holy. Behold, this is the law of the house. (Ezekiel 43:10‑12)).
Ezekiel’s Pattern and Law
Ezekiel was the prophet of the captivity; he was speaking to the people of Israel when they were held in captivity because of their iniquities. There are two things the prophet was told to do. First, he was to show them the pattern “of the house.” Then he goes on to say in substance a second thing: “If these people are ashamed of the way they have departed from the pattern, you may go on and show them the law of the house.” There are then these two things: (1) the pattern of the house, and (2) the law of the house.
God has His house, and He has His principles for the administration of His house; you cannot have a pattern of your own, and then try to work that pattern on God’s principles. Hence, unless the people repented, the prophet had nothing more to tell them, but if they did repent, if they owned that they had departed from the pattern, he could tell them the law of the house.
God’s House Today
Coming now to New Testament times, we find that God has still His house upon earth. From Ephesians 2 and 1 Timothy 3, it is very evident that God’s house today is not formed of material stones. It is a house formed of living stones, of believers. Moreover, God has given us the pattern of His house, as well as the law — the principle — on which His house is administered. Now in order to bring before you the immense importance of this great truth, let us briefly see what a major place the house of God has in the New Testament.
1. In Acts we see the pattern exemplified in a practical way.
2. In 1 Timothy we find the pattern of the house in a doctrinal way.
3. In 1 and 2 Corinthians we have the law of the house — the divine principles for the administration of the house, such as association, fellowship, holiness, liberty, love, edification and separation.
4. In Revelation 23 we get the prophetic history of the church as the house of God in the responsibility of men, and the resulting judgment.
5. In 2 Timothy, we get instruction how to walk in a day of ruin.
6. In Revelation 21, in the vision of that magnificent city, we have presented to us symbolically the house of God in millennial display.
From these scriptures you will see that a very large part of the New Testament is taken up with instructions as to the assembly, viewed as the house of God.
The Pattern in Acts 2
Turn to Acts 2 for a few definite facts that bring before us the pattern of God’s house in a practical way. As we look around today, we see Christendom broken up into innumerable sects, each having a special form of church government, holding distinguishing creeds and conducting services according to special forms and ceremonies. We see, too, vast numbers of societies and organizations for sending out missionaries and generally conducting religious work, and in them all we see devoted men for whom we can truly thank God.
But as we see all this vast machinery for carrying on the service of God, we may well ask ourselves, Is it according to the pattern? This, surely, is a proper question to ask, and in order to answer this question we must go back to the Book to see the proper order for the house of God. To get a true conception of the house of God, we must seek the pattern of the house of God as presented in Scripture, going back to Pentecostal days. We hear a very great deal today of going back to the outward power of Pentecost; they would like to get back to tongues and healing and miracles. I have no such thought of trying to go back to the outward power of Pentecost, yet I would seek to get back to the divine principles of Pentecost. The Holy Spirit is still here.
Three Great Facts
In the opening chapter of the Acts we are faced with three great facts. First, redemption is accomplished. Second, the Lord Jesus Christ is received up into glory, and, third, the Holy Spirit is received upon earth. The church could have no existence apart from the accomplishment of these three stupendous facts. Redemption must be accomplished to remove everything that would hinder God having His church, then the Lord Jesus Christ must take His place in glory, and the Holy Spirit must come down to earth. Today there is a Man, a real Man, in the glory, and there is a divine person on earth. They are perfectly adequate and perfectly competent to show these things to you and me.
Seven Practices in Acts 2
Now, I want to present to you in a simple way seven statements in Acts 2 that I think will give us an idea of the pattern of God’s house. The first great thing that comes before us in this chapter is the presence, power and control of the Holy Spirit. The instant the Holy Spirit comes, everything that these disciples do is in the power and under the control of the Holy Spirit. They proclaim the glad tidings “as the Spirit gave them utterance.” The Holy Spirit is present in the house of God to take entire control. Let me say also that where the Holy Spirit is, there can be no room for the flesh.
The second great statement that comes out in this chapter is that the house of God is the place where the disposition of God towards men is made known. This is one great, leading thought in the house of God. When the house of God is formed, men begin to hear the wonderful works of God. When the house of God is formed, there goes out from the house this wonderful message which tells to the world the disposition of God to those very people who had cast out His Son. The house of God is the place where God is made known. Brethren, if we give up the gospel, we depart from the pattern of the house.
A third statement is in verse 41. The house of God was formed by a people who were separate from this world. It says, “Then they that gladly received his word were baptized.” They were a separate company. Baptism presents the idea of separation. The converts were separated from this world’s circle and were brought into the Christian circle by baptism — the figure of death.
A fourth statement is in verse 42: “They continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine,” or the apostles’ teaching. The house of God is the place of divine teaching. We have the apostles’ doctrine in the epistles. We have the whole revealed mind of God in the Scriptures, and especially in Paul’s epistles. We want to get back to the Word and have our thoughts formed by the apostles’ teaching.
The fifth statement is that they continued in “fellowship.” It is the fellowship of Jesus Christ our Lord — not only fellowship with His Son, but the fellowship of His Son. Fellowship is a very simple thought; it means that we participate in common, and that involves a bond which binds us together. We participate in common in the dominion and administration of the Lord Jesus Christ, we own one Lord, He is the bond of our fellowship, and, beloved brethren, we are responsible to be true to that fellowship.
The sixth statement is: “They continued . . . in the breaking of bread.” In the breaking of bread we formally commit ourselves to fellowship in the death of Christ. “The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?” When we take the Lord’s supper, it is something we do. We formally commit ourselves to the death of Christ. We remember Him in His death.
The seventh statement is: “They continued . . . in prayers.” Here then is the last great mark of the house of God. It is marked by being a place of prayer. It is a place where we can get in touch with God. It is a place where we express our dependence upon God.
May the Lord give us a deeper sense of the pattern of the house according to His own mind, and may that pattern be transferred from Scripture to our hearts and minds so that we may seek to walk and live according to the principles and pattern of God’s house!
H. Smith, adapted from an address