What is the most important thing right now? What should we be doing? What is God expecting us to do? The answer to all of these questions is the appropriation of the Lord into our lives. What He is must come forth in us, and that only happens as we take the initiative to partake of Him, drawing Him into our very being. Do you realize that much of the Christian world doesn’t even teach that? In fact, many of the popular teachings in Christianity are responsible for the separation between the Lord and His people.
Now listen to what I have to say before you throw this message in your trash basket. The Christian world, in general, teaches that the Lord is somewhere in the highest heavens of the sky and one day He is going to come back to earth. He is not here; He is up there, but we have Him in our hearts by faith. In other words, our lives are separate from Him, but at sometime in the future He is coming back. I realize that the doctrine of “the Second Coming” has become sacred among many Christians, and I’m not trying to destroy your belief in the return of Jesus Christ. But I want you to see a most important aspect of His coming that is overlooked by many today.
Satan is a master at taking a real truth in the Scriptures and using it as a barrier between the Lord and His people. All he has to do to accomplish that is to cause you to only relate to the Word on the natural realm when the reality of it is always found in the Spirit realm. While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal. II Corinthians 4:18. But the natural man receives not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. I Corinthians 2:14.
There are many Christians that are only looking for a literal return of Jesus Christ as an individual in bodily form, that know nothing of the spiritual coming of His presence and life. Consequently, they are separated from Him. Does that mean He will never return to His individualistic form? No! He can do that at any time He so desires. But if His life hasn’t first come forth in you, it may not be a pleasant experience. The most important aspect of the coming of the Lord is His coming forth in us. When He shall come to be glorified in His saints, and to be admired in all them that believe…Wherefore also we pray always for you, that our God would count you worthy of this calling…that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ. II Thessalonians 1:10, 11, 12. The hope of glory is not Christ in the sky or Christ on earth as an individual. The hope of glory is Christ in you! (Colossians 1:27). That doesn’t just happen automatically because we are Christians. It is our responsibility to partake of Him, to appropriate His life, to assimilate Him into our very being.
People tend to think in absolutes. It is either this or that, black or white. Either a person is saved or he is not saved. Our salvation is an ongoing thing. It is not completed yet. Neither is everyone at the same point in their spiritual growth. Some Christians grow faster than others; some do not grow at all. Likewise, the coming of the presence of the Lord in His saints is not an instantaneous event. It is a gradual coming, and the rate of change depends on the intensity of our appropriation of His life. Too many Christians do not realize how very important it is to learn how to appropriate the presence of the Lord. Yet, it is the one thing that leads to the fulfillment of God’s purpose for His people.
Exodus 25:1-2, 8 And the Lord spoke unto Moses, saying,
2 Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring Me an offering: of every
man that gives it willingly with his heart you shall take My offering.
8 And let them make Me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them.
Hear what the Lord is saying through Moses, “I want to dwell among My people.” In Exodus 19:5-6 He told Moses what kind of people He wanted to dwell in – a people that would obey His voice and be a peculiar treasure unto Him, a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.
God wants to dwell in His people! What agreement hath the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God; as God has said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. II Corinthians 6:16. 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. The mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to His saints: to whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Colossians 1:26-27.
Copyright © 2001 by Henry DuBose