"Know you not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which you have of God,therefore glorify God in your body, which is God's."(1 Corinthians 6:19-20)

For Israel, the Tabernacle was the central thing in their lives by which they were made one people. So in this present age, the Lord has gathered a people to Himself. He becomes for us the center of everything. It is in Him that we are united as one people, and from Him we receive all our life and light. In Him we live, and move, and have our being. We have come to understand the meaning of the Presence of the Lord as seen in the tabernacle of Moses. We see that it was something presented to the people by God. God said, "See that you make all things according to the pattern shown you in the mount." (Exodus 25:40) The pattern was brought down from the mount and made known to the people. It was a presentation to them of that which was in the mind of God.

Hebrews 1:2-3 "God has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; who is the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, upholding all things by the word of His power."

God has given the pattern to us. In giving His Son, He has given the pattern of all things for His Presence. We are called to be the evidence of God's plan for the ages. We are saved by faith in the finished work of Christ. We show that the world does not exist for itself, but to become a dwelling place for God. Our faith is given expression in making for God a dwelling place in this world. We are learning how to build that dwelling, according to the pattern shown to us in the spirit through the preaching of the Word. We are convinced that what is being formed in the midst of our life is given of God to be the place where He appears, the place of relationship; the place of consummation.

"The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the LORD of hosts: and in this place will I give peace, saith the LORD of hosts." (Haggai 2:9) It shall be greater because it shall clearly reveal the full intent of God. "And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God." (Revelation 21:3) We take what we do very seriously. "We press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3:14)

This vision and pursuit of transformation did not originate in our mind. It did not originate in our will; it did not originate in our emotion. It did not come from our soul; it has come from the Lord, in every detail, just like the Tabernacle. In Jesus Christ, every detail has to come to us from God. When Moses called the people together, all the willing people brought what they had for this work. In that way, God put responsibility upon the people. The work still had to be completed; only the pattern came out from heaven. Then God said, "See that you make all things according to the pattern." He put responsibility for the work upon the people.

They had to understand the pattern and take the responsibility for the fulfillment of it. When they did that, then the glory of the Lord filled the house. We have been given much and of us much is required. The purpose of creation is to establish a dwelling place for God in this world. In order to fulfill this purpose, two things were necessary: the creation of a physical world and the ability of the physical world to be guided by God. This is accomplished in Jesus Christ. God wants us to live within this world and be above it at the same time.

The purpose of creation is the fusion of the two. John 17:15-18 "I pray not that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them through your truth: your word is truth. As You have sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world." Jesus went on to say: John 17:22-23 "And the glory that You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me." How did the Father love Jesus?

He loved Jesus so much that through His death, He was willing to forgive the sin and corruption of mankind and creation and restore it to Himself. Because Jesus was willing to take on form and dwell on earth, all that He said, did, or touched was affected according to His vision. Because the Father loved Him, Jesus' very existence on earth was an immeasurable blessedness. God's love extends to us, and He attributes a state of blessedness to our very existence, and the works that we bring forth, the ministry that we perform, the space that we occupy, the living dwelling that we inhabit, that which we speak, touch and do.

God said to Abram: Genesis 15:1 "I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward." The greatest gift God could possibly give us is Himself. He therefore desired to create a world in which He could bestow His goodness upon us. It is specifically through the creation of the physical world and the making of a dwelling for God that the creation can be the recipients of the revelation of God Himself. The world is waiting for a people to fully integrate the physical body into the expression of Christ in the world. The world is awaiting the manifestation of the Sons of God.

*For more information on this topic simply E-mail Michael Brod at: michaelbrod@hotmail.com