Thoughts from "Paul, the Spirit and the People of God." by Gordon D. Fee.

Hendrickson Publishers.1996

Questions to answer before reading the blog on Chapter 1.

1. In the Old Testament where did God's Glory visit our forefathers Adam and Eve? ……………………………….

2. What single unique nation on earth did God live among them?...……………………………

3. Where did He dwell on earth and reveal His Glory?...……………………………………….

4. What does [echabod] mean in 1 Samuel 4...…………………………………………………

5. How is the Presence of God manifested in the world today...……………………………….

………………………………………………………………………………………………….

ch.1.  Theme : The Presence of God.

Reading Exodus 33:15-16 "If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth." NIV.

N.B. 1. The LORD had said, "My presence will not go with you; and I will send an angel; because Israel had greatly sinned with making the calf idol. Now Moses was pleading with Go.d to change His mind.

2. The Israelite nation was identified as the only people on the whole earth where the Presence of God dwelt among them in the tabernacle in the Wilderness and then in Solomon's Temple in Jerusalem.

3. The Most horrific thing to happen was when the Glory of the Presence of God departed from them in 1 Samuel 4. [Echobod] - the Glory has departed.The Ark of the Covenant had been captured by the Philistines; Eli,the High Priest, was dead and his two sons slain. Ezekiel also  saw the Departure of the Glory of the Lord from the temple in Jerusalem because of their idolatry and wickedness. See Ezekiel 10.
4.Today,  the Presence of God in the earth is manifest in the church and the life of the Individual Believer through the INFILLING and INDWELLING of the Holy Spirit.

1Co 6:19  Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit in you, whom you have of God? And you are not your own,
1Co 6:20  for you are bought with a price. Therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's.

2Co 6:16  And what agreement does a temple of God have with idols? For you are the temple of the living God, as God has said, "I will dwell in them and walk among them; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people."

It is through the Temple Imagery that Paul shows that the Spirit of God in the church and in the Individual is the RENEWED PRESENCE OF GOD among His People.1Co 6:19  Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit in you...
The Holy Spirit, for Paul, is not merely an impersonal force or influence or power. He is the fulfillment of the promise of God, Himself, that He would once again be present with His people.

Application: We should be looking more for the EVIDENCE of the Spirit of God in the believer and in every corporate gathering of believers. "Where two or three are gathered together in My Name, there am I in the midst of them."