In the first chapter of John’s Gospel we get kind of parallels to parts of Genesis. The first and most obvious is:
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. Gen 1:1f
With its parallel in:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. Jn 1:1-3
But its not long in John’s gospel before we come across this verse:
‘And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth’. Jn 1:14
The word ‘dwelt’ is the translation of the Greek ‘skenoo’ which some versions translate as ‘tabernacled’ or ‘made His dwelling’.
How startling is this? Jesus comes and there is a house of God where there is a massive display of the glory of God. A thin place that isn't a place but a person, no less than the Son of God becoming incarnate, made flesh and living among us. Wow!
Jesus became the House of God on earth.
If your still not sure about this just look at what happened at Jesus’ baptism:
Now when all the people were baptised, and when Jesus also had been baptised and was praying, the heavens were opened, and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, "You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased." Lk 3:21f
The first thing to notice here is that God is clearly from South London because He is ‘well pleased’!! But more seriously, just read it again, the heavens were opened! Jesus is the initial fulfilment of the Genesis 28 House of God.
Now lets go back to the first chapter of John:
Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!" Nathanael said to him, "How do you know me?" Jesus answered him, "Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you." Nathanael answered him, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!" Jesus answered him, "Because I said to you, 'I saw you under the fig tree,' do you believe? You will see greater things than these." And he said to him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man." Jn 1:47-51
Nathaniel is going to see great and amazing things, the portal, the heavens opened, angels ascending and descending, the thin place of thin places, the house of God, Jesus.
John goes on recording Jesus’ later words:
So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, "If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples... Jn 8:31
Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. Jn 15:4-11
Everyone who abides in Jesus lives in a thin place and has an open heaven. And will see the supernatural of God breaking in from the Kingdom of Heaven to earth. So Jesus is able to say of himself and of His followers:
“I am the light of the world” “You are the light of the world”
“I do miracles” “You will do miracles”
“I cast out demons” “you will cast out demons”
“I heal” “You will heal”
“I love” “You will love”
He is the temple We are the temple
He is the priest We are priests
Jesus is the House of God, and now the Church is the House of God. The portal. But it doesn’t end there. If we go back to Genesis 28 we see:
And he was afraid and said, "How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven." Gen 28:17
The house of God is the gate of heaven and earth. A gate is the transition place between one place and another.
So Jesus again said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. Jn 10:7
Remember earlier we looked at ekklesia and said that in the Old Testament the elders could be said to be an ekklesia. Gates were places where the elders sat to control who came in and went out of the city. When we look back to one of the verses where Jesus uses the ekklesia word we see:
And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church (ekklesia), and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." Matt 16:18f
It certainly looks like we are onto something here that isn't the usual understanding of church at all. Jesus is the initial expression of the kingdom gate, being fulfilled on earth, but he is saying that his ekklesia will be a new expression of this Bethel, house of God, where the supernatural of the Kingdom of heaven will powerfully burst onto the earth. Bill Johnson’s book title “When Heaven Invades Earth’ certainly seems most appropriate.
If our theory is true then we should see signs of this in the rest of the New Testament. In fact we don’t have to go far before we come to the Acts of the Apostles
When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. Acts 2:2-4
If that isn't a sign of the believers being a thin place, the house of God, then I don’t know what is. 120 people become that body, the ekklesia, the gate, the house of God. And as we read in the rest of Acts the entire atmosphere changes in that region. Thousands get saved, healed, set free etc.
So the church, or rather we should say for clarity, the ekklesia, is the people of God, who are the house of God, who are the gate of heaven where the supernatural comes down, including angels. So we bind what is bound and release what is released in heaven, and pray let your kingdom come. And it comes through the gate.
And we can do all of this because Jesus has sent His Holy Spirit to fill us and flow through us.
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