"Know ye not that ye are the Temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?" 1 Corinthians 3:16
“When the priests withdrew from the Holy Place, the cloud filled the Temple of the Lord. And the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the Glory of the Lord filled His Temple.” 1 Kings 8:10-11 In the Old Testament there was a physical building known as the Temple of God, it was made of wood, stone, and precious metals. It was built to the exacting standards that our Father had prescribed and when Solomon had completed the work given to him, God filled this man made building with His Glory. The Glory of our Father was so great that the priests were unable to work because of it. Mere men were unable to work because of the Glory of our Father that was present. With that in mind remember what Jesus prayed for us to have in John 17? Remember how He prayed that we would have the exact same Glory that He has. Jesus prayed that we would have the magnificence of God, the Excellency of God, the Dignity of God, God’s preeminence, God’s grace, His majesty, and His splendor; that is His glory, dwelling within us! These are the descriptions of what filled that man made Temple and as the glory of God filled that room it completely overcame the Priests and they were unable to work.
Now here is the really cool part, man can’t work in the presence of God’s glory! “For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from His.” Hebrews 4:10 Yet as the Temple was used by our Father, so are we! How exactly are we used? By our Father working through us! We are now strong by the Anointing of Christ that has strengthened us. Our flesh has been quickened, or made alive in Christ, and our Father is now able to do all things through us! As He is so are we in this world and through the power of Jesus we now are the vessels that are used by God to bring His glory and fruit to the world!
“When the priests withdrew from the Holy Place, the cloud filled the Temple of the Lord. And the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the Glory of the Lord filled His Temple.” 1 Kings 8:10-11 In the Old Testament there was a physical building known as the Temple of God, it was made of wood, stone, and precious metals. It was built to the exacting standards that our Father had prescribed and when Solomon had completed the work given to him, God filled this man made building with His Glory. The Glory of our Father was so great that the priests were unable to work because of it. Mere men were unable to work because of the Glory of our Father that was present. With that in mind remember what Jesus prayed for us to have in John 17? Remember how He prayed that we would have the exact same Glory that He has. Jesus prayed that we would have the magnificence of God, the Excellency of God, the Dignity of God, God’s preeminence, God’s grace, His majesty, and His splendor; that is His glory, dwelling within us! These are the descriptions of what filled that man made Temple and as the glory of God filled that room it completely overcame the Priests and they were unable to work.
Now here is the really cool part, man can’t work in the presence of God’s glory! “For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from His.” Hebrews 4:10 Yet as the Temple was used by our Father, so are we! How exactly are we used? By our Father working through us! We are now strong by the Anointing of Christ that has strengthened us. Our flesh has been quickened, or made alive in Christ, and our Father is now able to do all things through us! As He is so are we in this world and through the power of Jesus we now are the vessels that are used by God to bring His glory and fruit to the world!
“That they all may be one; as Thou, Father, art in Me, and I in Thee, that they also may be one in us; that the world may believe that Thou hast sent Me. And the glory which Thou gavest Me I have given them; that they may be one, even as We are One: I in them, and Thou in Me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that Thou hast sent Me, and hast loved them, as Thou hast loved Me.” John 17:21-23
Our own works, our dead works, our carnal mind, the enmity of our flesh, our sinful natures are destroyed by the Glory of God that now dwells within us! Yet we live, but it is no longer us that lives, it is God’s Anointing within us that lives, and it is now our Father working through us! The Light has driven out the darkness and God can now do all things through us by the strength of His Anointing that is upon us!
When our Father was having Paul write this, the people knew of the power of the Glory of God that once lived in that man made Temple. They knew that if a man would enter into the Holy Place without being first cleansed with blood, he would fall over dead from the power of the Glory that had filled the room. When Paul was writing that we are now the Temples of God, it meant something to these people. It meant that through Christ we are cleansed; it meant that the Blood of Jesus has been permanently applied to our lives. It meant that we are now all High Priests.
When our Father was having Paul write this, the people knew of the power of the Glory of God that once lived in that man made Temple. They knew that if a man would enter into the Holy Place without being first cleansed with blood, he would fall over dead from the power of the Glory that had filled the room. When Paul was writing that we are now the Temples of God, it meant something to these people. It meant that through Christ we are cleansed; it meant that the Blood of Jesus has been permanently applied to our lives. It meant that we are now all High Priests.
“For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: How much more shall the blood of Christ, Who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?” Hebrews 9:13-14
The Blood of Christ has cleansed us, so that we may be filled with the Glory of God and the Glory of God dwelling within us allows us to serve Him in fullness of the Spirit! The glory of our Father now lives within us, we are united with it, covered in it, and filled with its fullness! The glory of God has stopped our work, it has purged our dead works, and praise be to God it has enabled Him to fully work through us! The Glory of our Father now does the works through us that it did through Jesus and even greater works, because Jesus has gone to be with the Father! Faith comes form us hearing this Truth, and the Truth sets us free!
There are so many needs in this world, fear, sickness, hatred, unforgiveness, lack of unity, and doubt. All of these things and so many more are needlessly being allowed to flourish. The world needs us; we need God to be Who He is within us. So many try so desperately to do what is right on our own, yet even with their best intentions they can never do it, only God can do it through us!
As I am writing this, the world is being assaulted by the hatred and bitterness of radical Muslims. They are killing and destroying so many. The anger and hatred of hundreds of years of strife are overflowing through murder and terrorism. America and Europe are spending billions of dollars and young men and woman are given their lives to try and end it. The news media is preaching hopelessness, the World is divided on the answer, and many believe there is no answer. Yet there is and it is God within us, Him doing the works; the works of love, the works of power, the works of reconciliation. Money will not solve this problem. How many billions have been spent already? Islamic faith is not the answer, look at the bitterness that it has caused, this sect of Muslims are killing that sect of Muslims, there is no unity there. Yet love, the love that God has for Jesus, the love that now abides within us can change it. The love and the glory of God that have made their home within us will change it. Through our unity with Christ, the world will believe!
How many of us where filled with hatred, anger, drugs, lust, whatever, and then Christ came to us, He called us, and then we where home, and He was at home within us. Our old self was destroyed and behold all things became new for us. The hatred and bitterness of the past was removed and replaced with the abounding hope that was shed abroad in our hearts by the power of the Holy Spirit! Most of us can credit a mother, grandmother, friend, child, or spouse for praying continually for us. There is the answer, the weapon of our warfare, the Spiritual force that will bring down the stronghold, love, and we are now the home of it. The Glory of God that stopped them dead in their tracks under the Old Covenant, now empowers those of us under the New Covenant of Jesus Christ.
Jesus taught that the greatest man ever born of a woman was John the Baptist. Yet He went on to say that the least in the Kingdom of God was greater than John, Mathew 11:11. The reason Jesus said this was because John was under the Old Covenant. The Power and Glory of God had not yet come to dwell within man, but it has now, and God is now able to work through the least of us far greater than He was ever able to work with John! The Kingdom of Heaven is now! Now is the Day of our Salvation, now we are the Temple’s of God, and now the Spirit of God dwells within us! So as Jesus proclaimed, “And as ye go, preach, saying, The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.” Matthew 10:7-8
Our Father can do all of these things through us and so much more, because greater is He that is in us, than he that is in the world! “And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God. Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.” Ephesians 3:19-21 Our Father can stop the lies of the Muslim Clerics who preach hatred and destruction, without a shot ever being fired and without a bomb ever being dropped. He can use us to stop the lies of abortion and the deceitfulness and destruction of a homosexual lifestyle. Through prayer, by looking to Jesus to Author and Finish our faith, and by allowing the power of the love of our Father to freely and completely flow through us, we can cause the governments of the world to be glorious and honorable, workers of righteousness. Through Christ we are now a royal priesthood and a peculiar people. We are a united nation of believers, united in the Spirit, whose fruitfulness will overflow to every corner of the earth. We are the Temples of God, and His Spirit now dwells within us! Our consciousnesses of unforgiveness, of hatred, and revenge have been purged from us! We now pray for them that hate us, and we now bless them that curse us, freely we have received and freely we now give! "Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular." 1 Corinthians 12:27
There are so many needs in this world, fear, sickness, hatred, unforgiveness, lack of unity, and doubt. All of these things and so many more are needlessly being allowed to flourish. The world needs us; we need God to be Who He is within us. So many try so desperately to do what is right on our own, yet even with their best intentions they can never do it, only God can do it through us!
As I am writing this, the world is being assaulted by the hatred and bitterness of radical Muslims. They are killing and destroying so many. The anger and hatred of hundreds of years of strife are overflowing through murder and terrorism. America and Europe are spending billions of dollars and young men and woman are given their lives to try and end it. The news media is preaching hopelessness, the World is divided on the answer, and many believe there is no answer. Yet there is and it is God within us, Him doing the works; the works of love, the works of power, the works of reconciliation. Money will not solve this problem. How many billions have been spent already? Islamic faith is not the answer, look at the bitterness that it has caused, this sect of Muslims are killing that sect of Muslims, there is no unity there. Yet love, the love that God has for Jesus, the love that now abides within us can change it. The love and the glory of God that have made their home within us will change it. Through our unity with Christ, the world will believe!
How many of us where filled with hatred, anger, drugs, lust, whatever, and then Christ came to us, He called us, and then we where home, and He was at home within us. Our old self was destroyed and behold all things became new for us. The hatred and bitterness of the past was removed and replaced with the abounding hope that was shed abroad in our hearts by the power of the Holy Spirit! Most of us can credit a mother, grandmother, friend, child, or spouse for praying continually for us. There is the answer, the weapon of our warfare, the Spiritual force that will bring down the stronghold, love, and we are now the home of it. The Glory of God that stopped them dead in their tracks under the Old Covenant, now empowers those of us under the New Covenant of Jesus Christ.
Jesus taught that the greatest man ever born of a woman was John the Baptist. Yet He went on to say that the least in the Kingdom of God was greater than John, Mathew 11:11. The reason Jesus said this was because John was under the Old Covenant. The Power and Glory of God had not yet come to dwell within man, but it has now, and God is now able to work through the least of us far greater than He was ever able to work with John! The Kingdom of Heaven is now! Now is the Day of our Salvation, now we are the Temple’s of God, and now the Spirit of God dwells within us! So as Jesus proclaimed, “And as ye go, preach, saying, The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.” Matthew 10:7-8
Our Father can do all of these things through us and so much more, because greater is He that is in us, than he that is in the world! “And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God. Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.” Ephesians 3:19-21 Our Father can stop the lies of the Muslim Clerics who preach hatred and destruction, without a shot ever being fired and without a bomb ever being dropped. He can use us to stop the lies of abortion and the deceitfulness and destruction of a homosexual lifestyle. Through prayer, by looking to Jesus to Author and Finish our faith, and by allowing the power of the love of our Father to freely and completely flow through us, we can cause the governments of the world to be glorious and honorable, workers of righteousness. Through Christ we are now a royal priesthood and a peculiar people. We are a united nation of believers, united in the Spirit, whose fruitfulness will overflow to every corner of the earth. We are the Temples of God, and His Spirit now dwells within us! Our consciousnesses of unforgiveness, of hatred, and revenge have been purged from us! We now pray for them that hate us, and we now bless them that curse us, freely we have received and freely we now give! "Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular." 1 Corinthians 12:27
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