Wednesday, October 15, 2008

God Needs a Body

11:31 AM by Christi Bowman

I Corinthians 6:13 The body is ...meant for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.

In his new book, Rob Bell talks about why God chooses people to be His house instead of buildings. Here is an excerpt from "Jesus wants to save Christians".

"In Exodus 7 Moses was going to confront Pharaoh and command that he let the people go. The text reads, "Then the Lord said to Moses, 'See I have made you like God to Pharaoh.' "

Like God?

God is telling Moses that Pharaoh will see him as God, or at least "like God"?

And this is not Moses' idea; it's God's idea. What's going on here?

The answer leads to a universal truth: God needs a body. God needs flesh and blood. God needs bones and skin so that Pharaoh will know just who this God is he's dealing with and how this God acts in the world. And not just Pharaoh will know but so that all humanity will know.

...This God is inviting these people to be priests, to show the world what this God is like through their lives. This God doesn't need images in the form of wood or stone or marble, because this God has people.

This God is looking for a body.

...They are how the world will know who this God is. God's reputation is going to depend on them and how they "carry" God's name. ...it is far more about how Israel carries herself as those who carry the name of God.

...God is inviting, God is looking, God is searching for a body, a group of people to be the body of God in the world."

God allowed for a temple, because of His love for David...still He didn't want one.

I Chronicles 17:4-6 & 10 You are not the one to build me a house to dwell in. 5 I have not dwelt in a house from the day I brought Israel up out of Egypt to this day. I have moved from one tent site to another, from one dwelling place to another. 6 Wherever I have moved with all the Israelites, did I ever say to any of their leaders whom I commanded to shepherd my people, "Why have you not built me a house of cedar?" '

..." 'I declare to you that the LORD will build a house for you' "

The house God wants to build for us is a house of people; a community in which He dwells. We dwell in His house (community) and He dwells in us, His mansions. We of course dwell in our mansion with Him because the mansion is our body. He prepared our bodies to hold Him and ourselves at the same time, and we dwell with Him in Heaven on earth when we dwell in community the way he intended...and it has NOTHING to do with going to church on Sunday mornings, maybe evenings, and even Wednesday nights. God left buildings when He died and He chose people to be His house...but not just any people.

Hebrews 3:6 Christ is faithful as a son over God's house. And we are his house, IF we hold on to our courage and the hope of which we boast.

(Continued)

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