The House of Glory
by Francis Frangipane
When Glory Filled the Temple
The dedication of Solomon's temple offers us a picture of what God is seeking in the church. The temple was built, and in great pageantry and celebration, it was consecrated to the Lord. Solomon offered a sacrifice of 22,000 oxen and 120,000 sheep. Then, immediately after the king prayed, for the first time in over 400 years, the glory of God was manifested in full view of the people. We read, "Fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices; and the glory of the Lord filled the house" (2 Chron. 7:1).
If the Lord would honor the dedication of the physical temple with a visible manifestation of His glory, how much more does He seek to reveal His glorious presence in His living temple, the church?
But there were prerequisites that occurred prior to this appearance of the Lord. First, it was not until Solomon's temple was actually built, with all its separate aspects connected together and covered in gold, that the glory of the Lord appeared.
Likewise, we also must be built together and "perfected in unity" if we would see the fullness of the Lord displayed among us and the world believe in Christ (John 17:23). There is no other aspect of life more glorious or wonderful than this.
The next requirement deals with our worship. The Lord was not revealed until the singers, trumpeters and priests lifted their voices in praise and worship to God. We cannot overstate the need to be worshipers of God. Even now, in a number of church worship services, a faint, luminous glory is appearing, like a living cloud, drawn by the purity of the ascending worship.
However, there was another dimension of preparation which also preceded the revelation of glory. This prerequisite had to do with those in leadership.
"And when the priests came forth from the holy place (for all the priests who were present had sanctified themselves, without regard to divisions)...then the house, the house of the Lord, was filled with a cloud, so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the house of God" (2 Chron. 5:11-14).
Their divisions in the priesthood had been ordained by God according to individual families and unique purposes. These were not carnal divisions, born of jealousy or strife, but divisions of purpose, function and timing. Yet, when the priests entered the holy place, God required they "sanctified themselves without regard to divisions" (vs 11). In other words, when it came to building the temple and entering the holy place, the priests had to lower the priority of individual service, which in a sense divided them, and raise the priority of seeking God's glory, which united them. It was here, when they were "without . . . divisions" that the glory of God manifested.
So also today, God has appointed churches in each city with different functions, graces and talents, all of which are needed to meet the needs of a diverse surrounding culture. These differences, however, are not meant to divide us, but to complete us. But if we desire to see the glory of God return to the church, the divisions of purpose must be subordinate to the unity of Spirit.
Today, in meetings, conferences and prayer groups, in one-on-one visits over coffee, and in church altars and citywide outreaches, increasing numbers of Christians are returning to Christ "without regard to divisions." Indeed, over the last years, tens of thousands of God-hungry pastors are surrendering to God in fresh acts of holy consecration; they are seeking the glory of God. The outcome? The church is being "fitted together...growing into a holy temple in the Lord; in whom [we] also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit" (Eph. 2:21-22).
Notice these words: "fitted together...built together." The true house of the Lord is revealed when the church, "without regard to divisions" is "fitted together." Only then can the church truly be unveiled as the temple of the Lord, "a dwelling of God in the Spirit."
The Source Of Glory
"And the glory which Thou hast given Me I have given to them; that they may be one, just as We are one; I in them, and Thou in Me, that they may be perfected into a unit" (John 17:22-23 margin).Jesus is not coming to give us a new form of church government or new doctrines and programs. He is coming to be glorified in His saints and marveled at by all who have believed! (2 Thess. 1:10). It was for this that He called us; that we may gain His glory! (2 Thess. 2:14).
Let us each see that God is building something in this hour that will far exceed our current definition of the church. God is building us together into "a holy temple in the Lord," a place where His very glory shall be revealed!
Consider the words of the following prayer. It is our response to the Lord's call to build His house. God is calling us, not to lose our individual distinctions and callings, but to build something that fits us together, enabling us to build without regard to divisions.
If you see the vision of the house of the Lord, please pray with us...
Lord Jesus, I thank You for granting me a new opportunity to serve You. I repent of the areas in my heart where I allowed division and self-interest to guide my actions. Jesus, I want to see Your glory, even to abide as did Moses, in Your sacred presence. Master, I consecrate my heart without regard to divisions, to Your sacred service. Before You I sanctify my life and my church to build the house of the Lord in my city.
Amen.
Francis serves as senior minister of River of Life Ministries in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Francis' heartfelt prayer is to see the Lord fulfill His call to His church, and that He will continue to give grace until, in every city, Christlike pastors and intercessors are standing before God for their communities. |
 |