The church has the charge of the world entrusted to it. When Christ had finished his work on earth, and went to heaven to carry it on there, he spoke of two powers to whom the continuation of the work on earth was to be committed. He spoke of the Holy Spirit, who, equally with God himself and the Father, should come in his name to convict the world of sin, and be a divine power in his disciples to reveal himself in them, and so make them witnesses for him to the ends of the earth. He spoke of his disciples as those whom he sent into the world, even as the Father had sent him. Just as entirely as he had lived to do the FatherÂ’s will in saving men and women, was his Spirit to do that work too. And just as wholly as the Spirit was to be devoted to that work, was the body, the church, to be set apart for it too. The whole body of believers, and every individual believer, was to be like Christ, the light of the world, placed in the world with the one definite, exclusive object of enlightening its darkness, and bringing men and women out of darkness into light
"Heaven is my throne...Isaiah 63"
GOD'S REJECTION OF ALL MATERIAL TEMPLES. There was a time when it could be said that there was a house of God on earth. That was a time of symbols, when as yet the Church of God was in her childhood. She was being taught her A B C, reading her picture-book, for she could not as yet read the Word of God, as it were in letters. She had need to have pictures put before her, patterns of the heavenly things. Even then, the enlightened amongst the Jews knew well that God did not dwell between curtains, and that it was not possible that He could be encompassed in the most holy place within the veil It was only a symbol of His presence. But the time of symbols is now passed altogether. In that moment when the Saviour bowed His head, and said "It is finished! " the veil of the temple was rent in twain, so that the mysteries were laid open. So, one reason why God saith He dwelleth not in temples made with hands, is, because He would have us know that the symbolical worship is ended...
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