Jesus and His Church
The Church fulfills the roles of Jesus’ manifest presence and dynamic activity in the world.
And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all. (Ephesians 1:22-23)
Strategically, our Father has determined to pursue His goal of filling the entire cosmos with His goodness through giving the Messiah to be head over all things to the church.
There is a difference between omnipresence and manifest presence. This flies in the face of those who are intellectual and mystical. Here’s something from Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s poem, Aurora Leigh, that illustrates this confusion:
Earth’s crammed with heaven,
And every common bush afire with God,
But only he who sees takes off his shoes;
The rest sit round and pluck blackberries.
Paul thought that he had vision, then he had an open-eye vision and was blinded. His knowledge of God, up to that point, was primarily intellectual. After he received his sight, he knew God’s manifest presence.
So Ananias departed and entered the house, and after laying his hands on him said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road by which you were coming, has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 9:17)
Like Paul, those who know the manifest presence of God honor God’s omnipresence.
for in Him we live and move and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we also are His children.’ (Acts 17:28)
Those who are familiar with the Biblical narrative know there was only one bush amongst many that was ablaze with God’s presence.
The angel of the LORD appeared to him in a blazing fire from the midst of a bush; and he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, yet the bush was not consumed. 3 So Moses said, “I must turn aside now and see this marvelous sight, why the bush is not burned up.” (Exodus 3:2-3)
The Lord’s people are to be ablaze with God. The Father has determined that the manifest presence of the Messiah would be present in the Church. The fullness of Him who fills all in all with Himself is intended to be experienced in the believing community.
Why might this take place? Because the people of God are increasingly grasping the love of the One who fills all in all.
and to know the Messiah’s love which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us… (Ephesians 3:19-20)
Let’s grasp this together: the omnipresent God in whom we live, move, and exist, loves us. Let’s seek to consciously live, move, and exist in His love. As we do we will be the location within creation where the Creator’s fullness resides.
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Also, David wrote a book about God’s love for the Jewish People called, For the Sake of the Fathers
Check out David’s new worship album, Looking for a City
