The Awesome Glory of God
Lloyd Gardner
And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent, rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting… And they were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. And everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles (Acts 2:2, 42, 43).
Now when Solomon had finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices; and the glory of the Lord filled the house… And all the sons of Israel, seeing the fire come down and the glory of the Lord upon the house, bowed down on the pavement with their faces to the ground, and they worshipped and gave praise to the Lord, saying, “Truly He is good, truly His lovingkindness is everlasting” (2 Chron. 7:1,3).
When I read these and other passages in the word of God, I am impressed that the awesome glory of God expressed in His people is a life-changing experience that causes the people of God to respond with worship and praise. I have also been impressed in recent years with the obvious truth that the glory of God is not being experienced by that which we are calling the church. It is the desire of my heart and that of all who truly seek Him, to see the restoration of the awesome glory of God to His living temple, the church, the body of Christ. It is with this sense of awe that I approach this subject in this message. May our hearts bow to His will as we seek to know what the Spirit is telling us about this glorious truth.
Solomon, the son of David, had been given the commission of overseeing the building of the first temple of God in Jerusalem. After seven years of construction the temple was completed. Our text relates how King Solomon and the people of Israel came together in a solemn assembly to invite the Lord to come forth and dwell in the newly completed temple. They had brought forth the ark of the covenant, in which the presence of God was manifested, and had set it in its place in the temple. Solomon, representing all of Israel, led the assembly in a prayer. At the end of his prayer he declared, “Now therefore arise, O Lord God, to Thy resting place, Thou and the ark of Thy might; let Thy priests, O Lord God, be clothed with salvation, and let Thy godly ones rejoice in what is good” (2 Chron. 6:41). At this invitation by the king we are then told that, “…fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices; and the glory of the lord filled the house. And the priests could not enter into the house of the Lord, because the glory of the Lord filled the Lord’s house” (2 Chron. 7:1,2).
The Old Testament temple is a beautiful physical symbol of the living temple of God, the church, in this era in which we are living. On several occasions Paul wrote of this glorious truth. He told the Corinthian believers, “For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said, ‘I will dwell in them and walk among them; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people’” (2 Cor. 6:16). In another passage he wrote, “Do you not know that you are a temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” (1 Cor. 3:16). Peter tells us that we “…as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 2:5). The writer of the book of Hebrews tells us that as spiritual priests in God’s house, we are to have boldness to come to the throne of grace, the holy place in His spiritual temple (Heb. 4:16, 10: 19).
We are God's temple, containing His glory
What does all this mean? It means that we are the present day expression of God’s temple. The physical temple in Jerusalem does not exist on the temple mount in Jerusalem at the present time, though many believe that it will be rebuilt in the last days. Each believer is an individual temple of the Holy Spirit in that God dwells in each of our spirits (1 Cor. 6:19). God has even created us as tripartite (three part) beings in keeping with the three segments of the physical temple: outer court, holy place, and holy of holies (1 Thess. 5:23). The outer court corresponds to our body by which we have a connection to the earth and the physical realm. The inner court or holy place relates to our soul with its mind, emotions, and will. The holy of holies corresponds to our spirit by which we are able to experience God and have fellowship with Him. The ark of the covenant represents the presence of God in our spirit, enabling us to be made alive by the spirit and new living creations in God (2 Cor. 5:17).
When we are born again the presence of God enters our spirit and we are born again and made alive in Christ and we become citizens of the heavenly kingdom (John 3:5). It is as if the ark of God’s presence is brought into our spirit as God takes up actual residence inside of us. Only God can dwell in the human spirit in the same way that the holy of holies was the secret dwelling place of God in the temple, and the high priest could only enter once a year on the Day of Atonement. A huge veil separated the holy of holies from the holy place where the priests performed their sacrificial duties. On the day of Christ’s crucifixion the veil was torn from top to bottom by the hand of God, signifying that Christ’s atoning blood opened the way into the presence of God. We now have free access to the throne of God and the new birth experience has reconnected us with Him. We can now walk freely with God and have open fellowship with Him as Adam did in the garden because our sins have been atoned for in Christ.
Even though each of us is individually a temple of God, He is building a corporate temple made up of the individual members of His body. Peter wrote, “You also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 2:5). God takes each of as living stones into His mighty hands and shapes us according His will and prepares us to fit next to other believers in the corporate construction of His end time spiritual temple. God is building a temple that will be the place where His glory is manifested for all the world to see. Speaking of this manifestation of God in the church Paul wrote, “For God, who said, ‘Light shall shine out of darkness,’ is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the surpassing greatness of the power may be of God and not from ourselves” (2 Cor. 4:6,7). This passage is saying that the purpose for our existence individually and corporately is to shine forth the light of God’s glory that is reflected in the face of Christ who dwells within us. God has put the treasure of His glory inside of us that His power may overwhelm our natural glory and shine forth His presence.
We are to emit the aroma of God
In another verse Paul puts it this way: “But thanks be to God, who always leads us in His triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place. For we are the fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing” (2 Cor. 2:14,15). This extraordinary statement is telling us that we are called to be those who emit the aroma of God to a world discouraged by the decaying smell of a dying world. We are to emit this fragrance of Christ both to the saved and to the perishing. In the days of the temple in Israel the people from throughout the world could come to the temple in Jerusalem to witness the glory of God, for it was there that He manifested Himself ( 2 Chron. 6:3,33).
In the book of Acts, when the Holy Spirit was poured out on the day of Pentecost, there were people from “every nation under heaven” (Acts 2:5). They had no doubt come to the temple in Jerusalem seeking the glory of God. Little did they know that on this day they would witness the creation of a new spiritual temple in which God would dwell. When Pentecost came, “Suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent, rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance” (Acts 2:2-4). Now God was creating a temple made not with stone but with people who had surrendered their lives to His purpose. The glory of God had filled His temple once again but not as they expected. Now it was not King Solomon who dedicated the temple with prayer, but a group of one hundred and twenty faithful believers who sequestered themselves away and sought God in unified prayer (Acts 1:14). In that glorious moment they became the spiritual temple of God on earth and the place of God’s manifestation. God’s glory had filled His temple and the world would never be the same.
God’s purpose has not changed. He still seeks to have a spiritual temple of faithful believers who give themselves for His purpose. Paul told the Roman believers, “…present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God which is your spiritual service of worship” (Rom. 12:1). He is telling them to present their bodies to the corporate sacrifice of the body of Christ. The word “bodies” is plural but the word “sacrifice” is singular. We are each presenting our individual bodies or selves to the corporate sacrifice that is well-pleasing to God. Of course, as we present our bodies to God we become an individual sacrifice in that we are laying down our lives for His will, but the end result is the construction of His church, the body of Christ. This is why the rest of chapter twelve of Romans is addressing the question of how to conduct ourselves in the body of Christ. We bring ourselves to the altar of God and there present our bodies to Him as priests unto God and He causes us to become part of His glorious temple that contains and reflects His glory to the world.
The glory brought a sense of awe
The results of the outpouring of God’s glory on the day of Pentecost were astonishing to say the least. First, there was a sense of awe. Luke wrote “Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe” (Acts 2:43). When the glory of God filled the temple of Solomon, the people bowed down and worshiped God (2 Chron. 7:3). The priests could not enter into the house of the Lord because the glory was so strong (7:2). Paul said, “For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison” (2 Cor 4:17). When God is able to use the afflictions of this world to shape our character, it produces a “weight” of glory that is manifested in our lives and actually exhibits the presence of God in us. This presence of God’s glory produces a sense of awe to those who witness it. They are drawn by this glory and attracted to the God who indwells His holy people, the church, His spiritual temple.
God's glory brings wonders and signs
Secondly, there were wonders and signs taking place. When the eternal God of the universe manifests Himself through the lives of His people, the laws of heaven overrule the physical laws of this earthly realm. This results in manifestations of humanly unexplainable phenomena that we refer to as wonders and signs. Signs and wonders are not the ultimate evidence of God, for even Satan can perform deceiving signs and wonders. But this is not to say that signs and wonders are not part of the expression of God’s life in His people. Satan counterfeits everything that God does. Let us be diligent to discern the source of the miraculous while maintaining a desire to see God’s miraculous hand upon His people. Signs and wonders have not ceased because God has ceased working miracles, but because the people of God have stopped being a people of the miraculous. A thorough search of scripture will show clearly that miraculous manifestations were common in the lives of God’s first century people and should be commonplace in our lives today as well (Acts 3:7,8; 4:30; 5:2; 8:6-7; Mark 16:17,18).
Human barriers fall away
Thirdly, the disciples were continually together and had all things in common (Acts 2:44). Human barriers to unity such as personality, race, gender, social status, etc. were falling away and these people were sharing their lives with one another. They were not being motivated by the materialistic economy of the world but by the loving, open, sharing economy of God. These people were not gathering in clique groups based on their fleshly characteristics, but were coming together on the basis of their common experience of Christ through the Holy Spirit. The things of this earth were growing strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace. When God’s glory is allowed to descend upon His people, all earthly distinctions quickly fall away.
God's presence brings a heavenly attitude about money
In the fourth place, the believers in Jerusalem were swept into a heavenly attitude about money. The account says, “they began selling their property and possessions, and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need” (Acts 2:45). Paul warned us not to be conformed to this world because he knew that this would lead us away from the glory of God into the false prosperity of Satan’s world system. They were so spiritually connected with their brothers and sisters that they were selling what they owned in order to be able to share with those who had need. Today’s church has substituted the tithing system with all of its legal manipulation for the miraculous sharing of finances that we see in scripture. In order to pay for our selfish programs we use the financial system of the world with its fleshly schemes that lead away from the glory of God into the glory of men. When God’s glory is manifested we simply love one another so much that we cannot bear to see our fellow believers in need.
God's glory produces unity in His people
Luke says the early believers were “day by day continuing with one mind in the temple” (Acts 2:46). A wonderful sense of oneness was being expressed in Jerusalem as the believers came together as often as possible. Unity is a mark of God’s glory on His church. When His glory is manifested the people of God will be unified around their common experience of our awesome God. Doctrinal issues take a back seat to the life of God being expressed through His people. Doctrines are merely an attempt to explain the life of God and how it works as believers walk in God’s glory. We have come to think that life follows doctrine in that we feel that if we just get the explanations right that God’s glory will fall. To the contrary our desire must be to simply go to the source of life, God Himself, and let His radiant glory have its full effect on our lives. Then, when we stop to explain it, the doctrines will come forth as they are presented in the context of God’s expressed glory.
Enjoyment of life follows the glory of God
While following Christ is a serious matter that should not be taken lightly, let us remember that God has always intended that it would be the most enjoyable life on earth. The believers were “…breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising God, and having favor with all the people” (Acts 2:46,47). These Christians were having a good time together. They were making their way from house to house eating together with happiness of heart and the whole city was caught up in their joy. The expression “sincerity of heart” means that the believers had hearts that had experienced the purifying, cleansing, effect of the new birth. This new openness of heart had freed them to be the happy, joyous people that God had called them to be.
Supernatural outreach is the result of the glory of God
The early church, growing and prospering in the glory of God, did not need an outreach program. Luke says, they were “praising God, and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved” (Acts 2:47). When God’s glory is expressed through His people, unbelievers will be attracted to them. People will be saved merely by coming into contact with the saving life of God. Salvation is an easy sell when the world can see the glorious benefits of it expressed in the joyous lives of unified believers praising God and openly enjoying the life provided to them by Him. Today, in most cases, we have no evidence to offer those to whom we present the gospel. We walk around in our defeated state and wonder why the world is not beating a path to our door. The church, walking in God’s glory, is the ultimate evidence that life in Him is wonderful beyond comparison.
No doubt, there are many of you thinking that this is all a thing of the past and that such glorious expressions of God will never come again. Let me remind you that, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today, yes and forever” (Heb. 13:8). The same Jesus who walked among the early Christians is with us today. God does not change. We are the ones who change. We have turned our backs on His glory and have re-explained His life through the lifeless forms of dead religion. It is time for His temple to be rebuilt. Let us fall on our faces and cry and mourn for the condition of God’s spiritual city. But then let us lift our eyes toward heaven and rekindle the fires of revival. Let us open once again to the wonders of God’s glory. He yearns to fill us to overflowing and pour forth rivers of new life to this dry, parched, land. Let the people of God rise up in the name of Jesus and invite God to come in glory and fill His spiritual temple, the church of the living God.
Lloyd Gardner
And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent, rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting… And they were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. And everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles (Acts 2:2, 42, 43).
Now when Solomon had finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices; and the glory of the Lord filled the house… And all the sons of Israel, seeing the fire come down and the glory of the Lord upon the house, bowed down on the pavement with their faces to the ground, and they worshipped and gave praise to the Lord, saying, “Truly He is good, truly His lovingkindness is everlasting” (2 Chron. 7:1,3).
When I read these and other passages in the word of God, I am impressed that the awesome glory of God expressed in His people is a life-changing experience that causes the people of God to respond with worship and praise. I have also been impressed in recent years with the obvious truth that the glory of God is not being experienced by that which we are calling the church. It is the desire of my heart and that of all who truly seek Him, to see the restoration of the awesome glory of God to His living temple, the church, the body of Christ. It is with this sense of awe that I approach this subject in this message. May our hearts bow to His will as we seek to know what the Spirit is telling us about this glorious truth.
Solomon, the son of David, had been given the commission of overseeing the building of the first temple of God in Jerusalem. After seven years of construction the temple was completed. Our text relates how King Solomon and the people of Israel came together in a solemn assembly to invite the Lord to come forth and dwell in the newly completed temple. They had brought forth the ark of the covenant, in which the presence of God was manifested, and had set it in its place in the temple. Solomon, representing all of Israel, led the assembly in a prayer. At the end of his prayer he declared, “Now therefore arise, O Lord God, to Thy resting place, Thou and the ark of Thy might; let Thy priests, O Lord God, be clothed with salvation, and let Thy godly ones rejoice in what is good” (2 Chron. 6:41). At this invitation by the king we are then told that, “…fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices; and the glory of the lord filled the house. And the priests could not enter into the house of the Lord, because the glory of the Lord filled the Lord’s house” (2 Chron. 7:1,2).
The Old Testament temple is a beautiful physical symbol of the living temple of God, the church, in this era in which we are living. On several occasions Paul wrote of this glorious truth. He told the Corinthian believers, “For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said, ‘I will dwell in them and walk among them; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people’” (2 Cor. 6:16). In another passage he wrote, “Do you not know that you are a temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” (1 Cor. 3:16). Peter tells us that we “…as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 2:5). The writer of the book of Hebrews tells us that as spiritual priests in God’s house, we are to have boldness to come to the throne of grace, the holy place in His spiritual temple (Heb. 4:16, 10: 19).
We are God's temple, containing His glory
What does all this mean? It means that we are the present day expression of God’s temple. The physical temple in Jerusalem does not exist on the temple mount in Jerusalem at the present time, though many believe that it will be rebuilt in the last days. Each believer is an individual temple of the Holy Spirit in that God dwells in each of our spirits (1 Cor. 6:19). God has even created us as tripartite (three part) beings in keeping with the three segments of the physical temple: outer court, holy place, and holy of holies (1 Thess. 5:23). The outer court corresponds to our body by which we have a connection to the earth and the physical realm. The inner court or holy place relates to our soul with its mind, emotions, and will. The holy of holies corresponds to our spirit by which we are able to experience God and have fellowship with Him. The ark of the covenant represents the presence of God in our spirit, enabling us to be made alive by the spirit and new living creations in God (2 Cor. 5:17).
When we are born again the presence of God enters our spirit and we are born again and made alive in Christ and we become citizens of the heavenly kingdom (John 3:5). It is as if the ark of God’s presence is brought into our spirit as God takes up actual residence inside of us. Only God can dwell in the human spirit in the same way that the holy of holies was the secret dwelling place of God in the temple, and the high priest could only enter once a year on the Day of Atonement. A huge veil separated the holy of holies from the holy place where the priests performed their sacrificial duties. On the day of Christ’s crucifixion the veil was torn from top to bottom by the hand of God, signifying that Christ’s atoning blood opened the way into the presence of God. We now have free access to the throne of God and the new birth experience has reconnected us with Him. We can now walk freely with God and have open fellowship with Him as Adam did in the garden because our sins have been atoned for in Christ.
Even though each of us is individually a temple of God, He is building a corporate temple made up of the individual members of His body. Peter wrote, “You also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 2:5). God takes each of as living stones into His mighty hands and shapes us according His will and prepares us to fit next to other believers in the corporate construction of His end time spiritual temple. God is building a temple that will be the place where His glory is manifested for all the world to see. Speaking of this manifestation of God in the church Paul wrote, “For God, who said, ‘Light shall shine out of darkness,’ is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the surpassing greatness of the power may be of God and not from ourselves” (2 Cor. 4:6,7). This passage is saying that the purpose for our existence individually and corporately is to shine forth the light of God’s glory that is reflected in the face of Christ who dwells within us. God has put the treasure of His glory inside of us that His power may overwhelm our natural glory and shine forth His presence.
We are to emit the aroma of God
In another verse Paul puts it this way: “But thanks be to God, who always leads us in His triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place. For we are the fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing” (2 Cor. 2:14,15). This extraordinary statement is telling us that we are called to be those who emit the aroma of God to a world discouraged by the decaying smell of a dying world. We are to emit this fragrance of Christ both to the saved and to the perishing. In the days of the temple in Israel the people from throughout the world could come to the temple in Jerusalem to witness the glory of God, for it was there that He manifested Himself ( 2 Chron. 6:3,33).
In the book of Acts, when the Holy Spirit was poured out on the day of Pentecost, there were people from “every nation under heaven” (Acts 2:5). They had no doubt come to the temple in Jerusalem seeking the glory of God. Little did they know that on this day they would witness the creation of a new spiritual temple in which God would dwell. When Pentecost came, “Suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent, rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance” (Acts 2:2-4). Now God was creating a temple made not with stone but with people who had surrendered their lives to His purpose. The glory of God had filled His temple once again but not as they expected. Now it was not King Solomon who dedicated the temple with prayer, but a group of one hundred and twenty faithful believers who sequestered themselves away and sought God in unified prayer (Acts 1:14). In that glorious moment they became the spiritual temple of God on earth and the place of God’s manifestation. God’s glory had filled His temple and the world would never be the same.
God’s purpose has not changed. He still seeks to have a spiritual temple of faithful believers who give themselves for His purpose. Paul told the Roman believers, “…present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God which is your spiritual service of worship” (Rom. 12:1). He is telling them to present their bodies to the corporate sacrifice of the body of Christ. The word “bodies” is plural but the word “sacrifice” is singular. We are each presenting our individual bodies or selves to the corporate sacrifice that is well-pleasing to God. Of course, as we present our bodies to God we become an individual sacrifice in that we are laying down our lives for His will, but the end result is the construction of His church, the body of Christ. This is why the rest of chapter twelve of Romans is addressing the question of how to conduct ourselves in the body of Christ. We bring ourselves to the altar of God and there present our bodies to Him as priests unto God and He causes us to become part of His glorious temple that contains and reflects His glory to the world.
The glory brought a sense of awe
The results of the outpouring of God’s glory on the day of Pentecost were astonishing to say the least. First, there was a sense of awe. Luke wrote “Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe” (Acts 2:43). When the glory of God filled the temple of Solomon, the people bowed down and worshiped God (2 Chron. 7:3). The priests could not enter into the house of the Lord because the glory was so strong (7:2). Paul said, “For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison” (2 Cor 4:17). When God is able to use the afflictions of this world to shape our character, it produces a “weight” of glory that is manifested in our lives and actually exhibits the presence of God in us. This presence of God’s glory produces a sense of awe to those who witness it. They are drawn by this glory and attracted to the God who indwells His holy people, the church, His spiritual temple.
God's glory brings wonders and signs
Secondly, there were wonders and signs taking place. When the eternal God of the universe manifests Himself through the lives of His people, the laws of heaven overrule the physical laws of this earthly realm. This results in manifestations of humanly unexplainable phenomena that we refer to as wonders and signs. Signs and wonders are not the ultimate evidence of God, for even Satan can perform deceiving signs and wonders. But this is not to say that signs and wonders are not part of the expression of God’s life in His people. Satan counterfeits everything that God does. Let us be diligent to discern the source of the miraculous while maintaining a desire to see God’s miraculous hand upon His people. Signs and wonders have not ceased because God has ceased working miracles, but because the people of God have stopped being a people of the miraculous. A thorough search of scripture will show clearly that miraculous manifestations were common in the lives of God’s first century people and should be commonplace in our lives today as well (Acts 3:7,8; 4:30; 5:2; 8:6-7; Mark 16:17,18).
Human barriers fall away
Thirdly, the disciples were continually together and had all things in common (Acts 2:44). Human barriers to unity such as personality, race, gender, social status, etc. were falling away and these people were sharing their lives with one another. They were not being motivated by the materialistic economy of the world but by the loving, open, sharing economy of God. These people were not gathering in clique groups based on their fleshly characteristics, but were coming together on the basis of their common experience of Christ through the Holy Spirit. The things of this earth were growing strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace. When God’s glory is allowed to descend upon His people, all earthly distinctions quickly fall away.
God's presence brings a heavenly attitude about money
In the fourth place, the believers in Jerusalem were swept into a heavenly attitude about money. The account says, “they began selling their property and possessions, and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need” (Acts 2:45). Paul warned us not to be conformed to this world because he knew that this would lead us away from the glory of God into the false prosperity of Satan’s world system. They were so spiritually connected with their brothers and sisters that they were selling what they owned in order to be able to share with those who had need. Today’s church has substituted the tithing system with all of its legal manipulation for the miraculous sharing of finances that we see in scripture. In order to pay for our selfish programs we use the financial system of the world with its fleshly schemes that lead away from the glory of God into the glory of men. When God’s glory is manifested we simply love one another so much that we cannot bear to see our fellow believers in need.
God's glory produces unity in His people
Luke says the early believers were “day by day continuing with one mind in the temple” (Acts 2:46). A wonderful sense of oneness was being expressed in Jerusalem as the believers came together as often as possible. Unity is a mark of God’s glory on His church. When His glory is manifested the people of God will be unified around their common experience of our awesome God. Doctrinal issues take a back seat to the life of God being expressed through His people. Doctrines are merely an attempt to explain the life of God and how it works as believers walk in God’s glory. We have come to think that life follows doctrine in that we feel that if we just get the explanations right that God’s glory will fall. To the contrary our desire must be to simply go to the source of life, God Himself, and let His radiant glory have its full effect on our lives. Then, when we stop to explain it, the doctrines will come forth as they are presented in the context of God’s expressed glory.
Enjoyment of life follows the glory of God
While following Christ is a serious matter that should not be taken lightly, let us remember that God has always intended that it would be the most enjoyable life on earth. The believers were “…breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising God, and having favor with all the people” (Acts 2:46,47). These Christians were having a good time together. They were making their way from house to house eating together with happiness of heart and the whole city was caught up in their joy. The expression “sincerity of heart” means that the believers had hearts that had experienced the purifying, cleansing, effect of the new birth. This new openness of heart had freed them to be the happy, joyous people that God had called them to be.
Supernatural outreach is the result of the glory of God
The early church, growing and prospering in the glory of God, did not need an outreach program. Luke says, they were “praising God, and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved” (Acts 2:47). When God’s glory is expressed through His people, unbelievers will be attracted to them. People will be saved merely by coming into contact with the saving life of God. Salvation is an easy sell when the world can see the glorious benefits of it expressed in the joyous lives of unified believers praising God and openly enjoying the life provided to them by Him. Today, in most cases, we have no evidence to offer those to whom we present the gospel. We walk around in our defeated state and wonder why the world is not beating a path to our door. The church, walking in God’s glory, is the ultimate evidence that life in Him is wonderful beyond comparison.
No doubt, there are many of you thinking that this is all a thing of the past and that such glorious expressions of God will never come again. Let me remind you that, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today, yes and forever” (Heb. 13:8). The same Jesus who walked among the early Christians is with us today. God does not change. We are the ones who change. We have turned our backs on His glory and have re-explained His life through the lifeless forms of dead religion. It is time for His temple to be rebuilt. Let us fall on our faces and cry and mourn for the condition of God’s spiritual city. But then let us lift our eyes toward heaven and rekindle the fires of revival. Let us open once again to the wonders of God’s glory. He yearns to fill us to overflowing and pour forth rivers of new life to this dry, parched, land. Let the people of God rise up in the name of Jesus and invite God to come in glory and fill His spiritual temple, the church of the living God.
