In every day and generation God has desired His proper place amongst His people:
Days of Moses He dwelt in the Holiest of Holies, over the mercy seat of the Ark of the Covenant in the midst of His people, the tribes camped around the tent of His Presence.
At the beginning of a period in the history of the nation of Israel marked by revival, days which marked the end of departure and decline and which heralded victory for the people of God under the guidance of a godly Samuel, the event which marked the revival in the fortunes of Gods people was the return of the Ark, of the presence of God, there linked with 2 names: Joshua (1Sam6:18) and Bethshemesh (House of the Sun). There the presence of God linked with those names heralded a mighty revival amongst Gods people (1Sam7), here was a foretaste of heaven (Rev21:22,23) for heaven indeed is the place of the presence of God, the presence of Christ, of the Lamb in the House of the Sun! It is when God has His rightful place amongst His people that revival comes!
In this present day the place that God desires is not in a tabernacle, nor in a field but in the lives and in the hearts of the believer!
This is the apostles prayer in Eph3: “That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith.”
You may think that a strange prayer for you may recall that the same apostle in Roms 8:9 wrote: “But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his… if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.”
Why indeed does Paul pray for what we already have? In Rom 8:9 when Paul tells us that the Spirit of Christ ‘dwells’ in us he uses the word: “oikeō” but in Eph 3:17 he uses the word ‘katoikeō’ – a deeper word. Perhaps we get a hint of the difference in meaning between the 2 when we notice that in Eph3:17 this is a dwelling rooted and grounded deep in the “heart” whereas in Rom 8 that dwelling is linked not so much with our heart but with our body “quicken your mortal bodies.” Paul prays not simply that Christ may be present in our bodies – which He is but rather that He may dwell deeply in our heart.
I would like us to notice this, that it is always the power of the presence of Christ in our life that brings the testimony of Christ with power to the world,
My testimony of Christ will only be as effective as my experience of Christ in my life!
Miss this and we miss any opportunity to be truly effective in testimony for Christ.
We will only be to men what we ought to be if Christ is to me what He ought to be.
So it is in 1 Peter 2, the background to this section on practical Christian living and testimony lies in our 3 fold relationship to Christ in 2:1-11, the power of testimony flows from the sanctuary! It is only as I am:
Feeding On Christ (2:2-3)
Founded Upon Christ (2:4-8)
Carrying a Fragrance of Christ (2:9)
That we can be truly effective for Christ.
For if you examine the consistent features of this testimony a very interesting pattern begins to emerge: wether it be our testimony amongst:
Sinners (2:12)
Sovereign (2:13-17)
As Servants before our masters (2:18-21)
As Spouses before husband or wife (3:1-7)
The features of effective testimony are the same:
Submission (v13, 18, 3:1)
Suffering (2:19-21)
Service (2:18)
Sanctification (Holiness) – (2:11,12,15,20-22,3:4)
These are strange features of effective testimony! What about power evangelism? What about organisation? What about methods? What about music? What about numbers? What about literature? Surely there is no power in submission, in suffering, in service and in sanctification? If there is no power in these things then there is no power in Calvary! For these are the features of Christ (Phil 2)! These are the very marks of Calvary!
You see the believer who is: feeding On Christ (2:2-3), founded Upon Christ (2:4-8), who is Carrying a fragrance of Christ (2:9) is now marked by the features of Christ!
With the features of the one who became ‘subject’ to His earthly parents (Luke2:51) – same word used, the one to whom all things were made ‘subject’ (1Co15:27,28; Heb2:8; 1Peter3:22), the one whose life and death were a path of ‘suffering’ (2:21) and of ‘sacrifice’ and marked in all things by total holiness and sanctification (2:21,22).
Power does not lie in routines, nor regulations, nor rules nor meetings power lies in Christ! Those who live out this life in 1 Peter 2 are those fresh from the sanctuary: feeding on Christ, founded on Christ and carrying a fragrance of Christ!
Is there power in that? Let the ungodly answer! “These that have turned the world upside down.” (Acts17:6). Not human power – that’s not sufficient for my need – this is Divine Power!
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