September 26 - Kingdom of God: House of God

The third theme that Howard Snyder speaks about in his book Kingdom, Church and World is "The House of God."

What an amazing concept this is when followed through the Old Testament and then into the New Testament. 

Do you think about how much God desires to dwell with us?  How He has created things so that the relationship He has with us is intimate?

When Adam and Eve walked away from the Garden of Eden, God no longer just showed up to hang out with them.  (Genesis 3:8-10)  He had enjoyed the time He spent with them - they were His creation, His children.

We saw that He spent time with Abraham, but as the years passed and the earth became more and more filled with sin, God's presence wasn't immediately with His people.  Then, He pulled them out of Egypt and it was another chance for Him to dwell among His chosen people.  They built a tabernacle to His specifications and He began traveling with them.  What a joy this had to be for Him.  Then, when Israel settled and made its home in Jerusalem, the Temple was built by Solomon so that God would have a permanent home among His people. 

All of this changed as the people once again pulled away from a relationship with God. 

Then ... He sent His Son.  Jesus came.  John 1:14 says "The Word is made flesh and dwells (tabernacles) among us."

God has returned to live among His people. 

When Jesus died and was resurrected, everything changed again.  We became part of the family of God and this is what we read in Ephesians 2:19-22:  "Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.  In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built togther to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit."

We have become the Temple of God.

From the very beginning, God has desired to dwell among His people.  He has gone to great lengths to make this happen.  While we have the physical experience to look forward to when the New Heaven and the New Earth are brought together under His reign, right now we have the great opportunity to welcome Him into our hearts and allow Him residence.  This is His tabernacle.  His home.