God Dwells Among Us

Icons do not point to themselves, but icons usher in a far greater reality. Similarly, we represent God so that our presence ushers in the presence of the Almighty God wherever we go.

We glorify God by multiplying images of him who are crowned with his glory; we glorify God by multiplying disciples.

Like soldiers on the field, Christians must know their commander’s intent. In order to fulfill our commander’s intent in the changing and challenging situations of our lives, we must take time to form a compelling biblical picture of it. The Bible articulates our commander’s intent by painting a picture of our “mission accomplished” in Revelation 2

Jesus glorified God by making disciples who kept God’s word. The mark of these disciples was obedience. Similarly, we glorify God by our mission in making disciples who keep God’s word.

Next, God’s permission is minimized. While God lavishly allows to “eat of every tree of the garden,” Eve reduces this gracious invitation to “the fruit of the trees of the garden” and minimizes God’s generous invitation. Also God’s prohibition is maximized. God commanded that they could not eat only from one tree, but Eve adds, “neither shall you t

When the protection of God’s word is removed, the temptations of this world grow far stronger.

Remember that believers are not merely like a temple in Christ but really are the beginning fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies of the true end-time temple. Christ is a high priest and “minister in the holy places, in the true tent that the Lord set up, not man” (Heb 8:2).

God’s purpose to expand his presence to fill the earth is not based on the adequacy of his servants, but on the promise of God’s presence with those servants. Despite the prevalence of sin, God’s own plan and presence guarantees the expansion of that temple presence to the ends of the earth.

In this way, this abundant imagery reminds us how God’s presence brings life so that our hearts may not corrode with sin, our lives are sustained with strength and our identities might be properly grounded in our preciousness before him.