Impossible. Right?

There are few passages of Scripture more power packed and beautiful than this:

 

 3:14 "For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, 16 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, 17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may be able... to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— 19 to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

20 Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, 21 to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen."

 

God's desire and plan is to reveal His character to the universe through the theater of His church. That's why Paul is on his knees. The thought would put anyone on their knees. My favourite author puts it this way:

 

"Christ is waiting with longing desire for the manifestation of Himself in His church. When the character of Christ shall be perfectly reproduced in His people, then He will come to claim them as His own." (Christ's Object Lessons, 69)

 

Seems crazy, impossible, preposterous, heretical even, yet there it is.

 

Jesus is the riches of God's glory (character). If you have seen Jesus you have seen God. The simple carpenter kneeling beside the sick, eating with the cast offs of society, touching lepers, crossing borders and cultures, respecting women as equals, treating foreigners as friends - this is God.

 

Paul is saying God's plan is to have His Spirit live in us and then live out through us to others. In the Old Testament the presence of God was smoke and fire living in a tent. He was always on the outside and at a distance. Because of Jesus the barriers are gone. Sin no longer holds Him away. We are no longer unclean. The restraining order has been lifted. We are not in quarantine. However we choose to express it or understand it the truth is we are now able to be fully and completely His.

 

His chosen place of residence is no longer a distant mountain top or a man made temple. He wants to be "one flesh" with His people. While we ponder this seeming impossibility tomorrow we'll take the same passage and go deeper. I'll leave you with 3 words: Faith, hope, and love.