It was Abraham’s quest to find the city that God is building, not men. In regard to the church, once we see what God is building, it is easily distinguishable from what men are building, regardless of how much men may claim that what they’re building is for the Lord, done in His name. History verifies that when any truth gets institutionalized, it will get corrupted, just as this happened with the gospel.

       The Reformation led to 500 years to free God’s people from this corruption. The Reformation, named this because it is a reformation of the church, is far from over. After 500 years, the church the world knows is still mostly built on a foundation of human endeavors, and it is far more man-centered than Christ-centered. It is more of an organization than a family, which His church is called to be.

       By his remarkable faith, Abraham had to leave all that he knew to pursue what God is building. By this, he became a bridge to all who sought the Lord. It is still the quest of those who seek God to seek what He is doing, and what He is building. As the prayer in Psalm 90:17 says, “Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and confirm for us the work of our hands; yes, confirm the work of our hands.” It is the favor of God to confirm that our works are His works, not just our own good intentions.

       As impressive as the institutions that men build can be, and the good works they can do, God is building people, not institutions. God’s church is called to be His family first, not an organization. Following God is not the same as following a religion. One of the most interesting factors is what God is building at this time does not last very long on the earth. Why?

       This is explained in Hebrews 13:14: “For here we do not have a lasting city, but we are seeking the city which is to come.” As shocking as this is to understand to those who are earthly minded, this is a key distinction to discerning what God is building from what men are building. This is why true sojourners are not seeking “a lasting city” here. They know that the eternal city is a heavenly one. This is why His city, which is also called His bride at the end of Revelation, comes down out of heaven, not up from the earth. What comes up out of the earth in Revelation are “beasts” that are opposed to God and His true people.

       The Great Commission is to make disciples, not just converts. The main devotion of a disciple’s life is to know the Lord and His ways, to become like Him, and to do the works that He does. Being His disciple includes being in right relationship with His body, the church, because it is not possible to be connected to the Head without also being connected to His body. However, this is His church we must be joined to, not man’s.

       In this age, the congregations on earth are like the quarry where the stones were prepared for Solomon’s Temple. The temple’s stones came together so perfectly they did not even make a sound when they were joined. The body of Christ in this age is His quarry for His living stones that He is using to build His heavenly city. His body here will be used to prepare the way for the Lord’s coming by preaching the gospel of the kingdom and demonstrating Christ to the world.

       We begin to know our place in His body as we begin to experience koinonia fellowship. This is a fellowship in the Spirit first. This transcends any earthly fellowship. According to 1 John 1:7, having koinonia fellowship is how we walk in the light as He is in the light. When there is an attempt to institutionalize koinonia, we will lose it. True love cannot be institutionalized, and it is lost as soon as we attempt it.

       If we truly seek Him, we will find that only a small percentage of what the world, and many of His people, think of as the church really is His church. His true disciples and His true body are rare and hard to find, and we need a revelation to find it. The Lord has allowed this so that only true seekers will find His true body.

       We may think this contradicts the fact that the Lord desires all to be saved and come to the knowledge of His truth, but it does not. This is necessary to keep His true work away from all of the distractions, deceptions, and compromises that are, at best, imitations of what God is building. This includes most of Christianity at this time, which is why the Lord called His followers a “little flock” (see Luke 12:32).

       If people are presently in congregations that men are building, not the Lord, that does not mean they are not true Christians. Those not in His true church are not likely walking in the fullness of salvation that He paid for us to have, but even if they are presently part of “the Great Harlot,” they can still be God’s people. As we’re told in Revelation 18:4, there will be a time when He calls for them to, “Come out of her, My people.” He wouldn’t say this if He did not have people in it.

       In spite of so many—probably even most—being in counterfeit congregations, God can use them there and do the work on them that prepares them for when they’re called out to be a part of what He is building. As we’re coming to this great transition when so many will be coming out of the organizations and institutions that men have built, not God, we need to be prepared to help them find their places in His true body. This will be a big part of the first stage of the coming harvest.

 

© 2026 Rick Joyner. All Rights Reserved.