The Magnificent "City of God"

There is something about the idea of the City of God that has captured the imaginations of people from the time of Abraham, when he started to understand that even though he walked across and all over the land promised to his physical descendants, there was something far greater God was offering, and that was a city whose builder and maker was God Himself.

Just like the physical creation, all of that was simply types and shadows of a God who was real. That was the case with the promised land as well, where it was symbolic of a far greater reality, where when Jesus came He set all that aside for the truth that was and is His very person. That's why He is called the truth, or the reality. He is all that is real, and everything else is only a reflection of that reality. The exception is man, who was made in the very image of Jesus Christ.

So when Abraham was looking for a city whose builder and maker was God, he was looking for a city which had Christ as the architect, which is what builder really means, and those blueprints were Christ in and of Himself.

When we see New Jerusalem coming out of heaven and the elements that are described in the city, like the throne, golden street, Tree of Life, light and a river, all those are based upon who Christ is.
And looked at from the outside, we see the people of God described as gates and walls. All those precious stones are what those looking from the outside see, while those precious stones are what they are because of the work that is done on the inside, as represented by what was revealed that was inside of the city.

Abraham saw all of this and as a result always considered himself a pilgrim on the earth because he was not able to find that city, even in the physical promised land, because it was a city that would be built from the inside out based upon Christ who now dwells within us by the Holy Spirit.

All of that means that as long as there isn't a city whose builder and maker is God to be found on the earth, we will never find a place we think of as home. The longing will always be there, but the fulfillment of that longing will be frustrated.

The city of God can only be and be found where the foundation of who Jesus Christ is is the foundation of that city, or rather, is the chief cornerstone of that city.

When all is said and done, the city of God is nothing less than God's people conformed to the image of Jesus Christ in all that that entails. That is the culmination of the eternal purpose of God. That's what it means for His dwelling place to be among men; it's through a people sold out for Christ and seek to have all that He is built in them together in a locality on the earth.

What is called the Israel of God, as it applies to the new creation, is all that is of Christ universal expressed in the world, while the city of God is all of Christ applied to a local, specific geographic area of the earth.

Whether global or local, the point and importance is that Jesus Christ in His person and plan is to be expressed throughout the earth, as it increasingly is to be filled with His glory.

No matter where it is, what makes it magnificent is it'll be organically filled with Christ as His people are transformed into His very likeness; both in who He is and what He wants to be done.

That's another ways of saying we are to be filled with the Spirit of God as we respond to His life within us.

Being filled with the Spirit isn't simply having Christ in us in some type of lethargic, holding pattern, rather it is the same as the very power that raised Christ from the dead. That's the life. That's the power that indwells us, and He's not in any way neutral as to His purpose. He will have a people filled with who He is and doing His purpose on this earth.

This will not be done withing the confines or organized, institutionalized Christianity, but rather by those that go outside the camp and gladly bear His shame as we expose the devices of Satan as he attempts to have an imprint of his own on the world, even those in the religious world that look to the outward primarily and first, rather than the indwelling of the living God who then draws into real fellowship with one another so His work on earth can be accomplished.

Only a people in living fellowship based upon the person of Jesus Christ will fulfill this call. Only they can be that city that has been hidden in the heart of the Godhead since before the foundation of the world, but has now began to be built by God Himself as He brings His people together in living relationships in order to complete His work and satisfy the desire of His heart.

That's the passion of God and by extension my own. We all must live and commit ourselves to that end above all other things or people that may interfere with our lives.

The World Hates Christ: Don't Forget it!

There continues to be a large number of Christians who think if they cozy up to, and agree with, many things the world asserts, they will be considered more passionate and the world will then listen to them. This is a fallacy.

It won't matter what you do or say, the world will always hate those who truly follow Christ, because they in reality: hate Christ. It's something we as believers should never forget.

A significant number of Christians are becoming pragmatists.

In this post, when I speak of pragmatism, think of it in this way: concerned with practical consequences rather than theory. Just exchange the word theory with the phrase "eternal purpose," or "what's important to Christ," and you'll get where I'm going with this.

In the early years of my Christian life, I discovered how easy it is to be a people gatherer. You could display your gifts; be a great orator; speak to what they want to hear; among a number of similar things.

This is important, because when we serve God's eternal purpose, which He has deposited in His son Jesus Christ, being pragmatic isn't the way we will reach the purpose God created us for.

Unfortunately, in those who are now moving outside of traditional Christianity, this is becoming the norm. When you hear things like environmentalism; homosexuals are born that way; feminism; you know people are being pragmatic.

No matter how you spin it, there is no way this things are of any interest to God's purpose in Christ. You won't win people to Christ or what He's after by going to bed with the world. It never works!

That's why the scriptures teach that we aren't to love the world.

So if we want to become pragmatic in reference to responding to what's on the heart of the Father, we will become like the world, not like Christ.

Pragmatism could be worked out by embracing whatever the current fad in the world is, and then accept it in order to draw more people to whatever it is we're trying to build. This never works, because what inevitably always happens is the world ends up winning you to it, rather than the other way around.

Follow the narrow path. Being pragmatic or practical, in the sense of becoming like the world or addressing what it's interested in doesn't ever work. Don't compromise the eternal purpose of God to gain numbers. You may get the numbers, but what you'll be won't be built by God.

This doesn't mean we aren't to grow in numbers, but it must be done in the Lord, and not by watering things down so much that it makes the gospel of none effect.

Like Abraham, we're looking for a city who's builder and maker is God; a city that's a light on the hill. Becoming a city built on the premise and interests of the world isn't the way to achieve that goal.

Quit trying to please the world. Quit trying to be accepted by the world. Quit trying to impress the world. The world is dead, already judged by God. The only way out of it is through Jesus Christ. That's what the Greek word used for church meant: the called out ones, or being called out.

It referred to being called out of the world which was under the power and influence of Satan. Why would any of us want to stay there if we truly believe in Christ?