He’s still doing that. God has chosen believing human hearts to inhabit so that His presence in this world might be seen. That is an incredible thought. Satan thought it was such a good idea that he counterfeits it with demon possession and a vast array of emotional and psychological oppressions. But the counterfeit should never distract us from the real thing. God put His Spirit within redeemed human flesh in order to be seen, heard, and felt.
“Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst?” (1 Corinthians 3:16)
There are two implications to that thought: one is that we as individuals are filled with God’s Spirit; the other is that the church in the world is filled with His Spirit. In this verse, the Apostle Paul addresses the latter dynamic. He is speaking of the church and rebuking those who would divide it. How dare anyone split the Body of Christ into subsections, Paul argues. They are messing with a sacred, divine body. The dwelling place of God on this planet cannot be splintered without serious consequences (v.17). No one has the exclusive rights to God.
Let’s always remember that. We love our categories, and they can be helpful to understanding God’s truth, but they can never become anything other than descriptive. Among our denominations that adhere to the core of the gospel, we cannot define them in terms of “us and them.” Everyone in The Kingdom of God is “Us.” There Are No Exceptions.
Let’s learn to see the church in this world as God’s visible expression of Himself, His dwelling place for the benefit of the lost and broken. Let the temple – His church which we are a part of – become sacred. And let us never, ever seek a division of the sacred.
Have a holy weekend. Make it better by worshiping The Lord with those who are aware that they are the very temple of God and live to make Him always feel at home.
All For Jesus – Nothing More, Nothing Less, Nothing Else.
Vic Alvarado 