God created the universe to have a place to manifest Himself, His glory. But far back in time before humans existed on the earth, God was betrayed (Isa. 14:13). He has an enemy who seeks to steal His glory, having usurped the world and made it his kingdom (Matt. 4:8-9). In response, God in His wisdom designed and formed Adam — although a weak and vulnerable vessel — to contain Him, express Him, and represent Him. God did not command Adam by force, but gave him his own free will to choose. Man would be His unique “tabernacle” — a vessel capable of being filled by and expressing His glory (Exo. 40:35) — for His retaliation against His enemy.
Although man became corrupted by God’s enemy, and God lost His expression of glory, that was not the end of God’s plan. Throughout human history, the Lord called out a people to gain His expression on the earth. In the Old Testament, God had a physical place where He would manifest Himself among His people: the Israelites built the tabernacle in the wilderness, followed by the temple in Jerusalem, and even later, after the temple’s destruction and their captivity, a small remnant returned to rebuild it (Ezra 9:15). In the New Testament, however, it was Christ Himself who came as the Word that became flesh and “tabernacled” among us (John 1:14). Finally the church was produced — God’s poiema, His masterpiece (Eph. 2:10) to express and represent Him. The church would be the woman whose seed will bruise the head of the serpent (Gen. 3:15). Since Genesis, God’s view never changed on how He would deal with His enemy. His victory would come through man. Thus, the church as the last, corporate Adam, the Body of Christ, is destined to fill the universe with His glory again.
Over the past two thousand years, the simplicity and glory of the early church has been degraded. Many Christians today live for something other than the Lord Himself, and many who claim to represent the church instead represent division, flesh, and hypocrisy. But saints, there is hope yet! There is a fine thread that we can trace through the centuries: God’s remnant boldly standing on the ground of the testimony of Christ — a chosen few, small in number, outcast from the world and religion, and living wholly dependent on God as His one Body. They are richly constituted and functioning as the salt of the earth, the light of the world (Matt. 5:13-14), upholding God’s glory and testimony throughout time.
Today we can boldly declare that, although the age is dark and dismal, His remnant remains! This same overcoming and glorious life that has sustained generations of true believers can still be found in His church today. Living by faith, we pitch our little “tent” outside the camp (Heb. 13:13), standing against His enemy and under His glory. It is not only our privilege and enjoyment; it is God’s original way to reclaim the universe. By such a living as the church, His multifarious wisdom is displayed to all rulers and authorities (Eph. 3:10). This is His unchanging, unstoppable way to thwart His enemy and establish His dominion and expression in the universe. Holding fast until He comes, His overcomers will be the ones who have authority over the nations, shepherding them with an iron rod (Rev. 2:27). Let us be those who freely choose to take our stand and be built into God’s dwelling place, hosting and expressing the hope of glory, which is nothing but this Christ in us (1 Cor. 1:27)!
(Above are notes of fellowship taken from a gathering on 2/16/2025, not reviewed by the speaker.)