We are one Spirit with the Lord, we have the mind of Christ, we are clothed with Him in baptism, we are the temple of the Holy Spirit, we are joint-heirs with Jesus. These are all scriptural facts.
Jesus said in John 14:23 "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and my Father will love him, and We will come to him, and make Our abode with him."
Then, in verse 26, He explains how this will be done: "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you." He brings the word to our remembrance, so that we can keep it.
In other words, if we love Jesus and keep His word, we become the abiding place for the Trinity!
Ephesians 3:16-21 describes this in greater detail—the Father strengthens us with power in our inner man through His Spirit—this power is from His riches in glory. This power enables Christ to dwell in our hearts through faith, and allows us to be rooted and grounded in love.
Referring to John 14, this must mean that the Holy Spirit empowers us to love God and to keep the word. We will then come to a place where we can know, in all dimensions, the love of Christ, and be filled up to all the fullness of God.
Verse 20 reiterates how this is to be done—through the power that works within us! And verse 16 states that this power comes from the rich treasury of His glory [AMP] through the indwelling Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit living within us is the Spirit of God joined to our recreated, reborn spirit—we are an expression of the Godhead in flesh form, just as Jesus was!
And the whole Body of Christ comprises the fullness of God! Therefore we are together a living organism, designed to work together as the fullness of God in the earth, enforcing satan's defeat and putting him under our feet.
More Than We Ask Or Think
Verse 20 says that The Father can do more than we can ask or think...infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts hopes or dreams [AMP] through this power that works within us! Verse 21 tells us why He will do this—that the Father may be glorified in the Church [which is the Body of] and in Christ Jesus.
Verse 20 says that The Father can do more than we can ask or think...infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts hopes or dreams [AMP] through this power that works within us! Verse 21 tells us why He will do this—that the Father may be glorified in the Church [which is the Body of] and in Christ Jesus.
When we begin to walk in unity, in victory, enforcing satan's defeat through the power of the Holy Spirit, God will be glorified. He is not glorified through strife and defeat!
Ephesians 3:10-12 tells us the purpose of the church clearly:
'...in order that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places. This was in accordance with the eternal purpose which He carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and confident access through faith in Him.'
Ephesians 6:12 explains that our struggle is against these very rulers and powers in the heavenly places—however, in chapter 2 verse 6, it is emphatically stated that we are seated with Jesus in heavenly places. Ephesians 1:21,22 describe that as being
'...far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in the one to come. And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fulness of Him who fills all in all.'
Ruling Class
So it is clear that we were created before the foundations of the world to be the instrument to enforce satan’s defeat. We do this in union with God, empowered by His Spirit, seated in a position of authority and conquest. We are to exercise that authority over the defeated enemy, thus putting him under the feet of Jesus [under our feet, because we are seated with Him, and are His body].
So it is clear that we were created before the foundations of the world to be the instrument to enforce satan’s defeat. We do this in union with God, empowered by His Spirit, seated in a position of authority and conquest. We are to exercise that authority over the defeated enemy, thus putting him under the feet of Jesus [under our feet, because we are seated with Him, and are His body].
Psalm 110:1-3 prophesies this very scenario—Jesus ruling from and through Zion! Ephesians 1:10 states that we were chosen '...with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things upon the earth.'
We are to administrate the conquest of satan and his army in heavenly places and here on the earth! Knowing this is essential to victorious living—I John 5:4 says 'For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.' Since we know from Hebrew 11:1 that faith is '...the assurance [the confirmation, the title-deed] of the things [we] hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality—faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses.' [AMP]
We must believe that these things are true, that they are ours, and that faith in the spiritual reality of reigning in life through Christ is what brings about our victory! I John 4:4 says 'You are from God, little children, and have [past tense, meaning already] overcome them [evil spirits] because greater is He who is in you that he who is in the world.'
Who We Are
Individually, we are also the temple of the Holy Spirit—one Spirit with the Lord, with the mind of Christ, clothed with Him in baptism, the temple of the Holy Spirit—joint-heirs with Jesus. John 14:23 is written for individual believers, while Ephesians 3 is written to the Body as a whole.
Individually, we are also the temple of the Holy Spirit—one Spirit with the Lord, with the mind of Christ, clothed with Him in baptism, the temple of the Holy Spirit—joint-heirs with Jesus. John 14:23 is written for individual believers, while Ephesians 3 is written to the Body as a whole.
But for the Body to function properly, individual believers must first be walking in the fulness of God and in the victory of Jesus, or Body unity and victory will never be a reality. Just as our physical bodies are given life through the Spirit of Him Who raised Jesus from the dead, so it is with the Body of Christ [Body of the Anointed].
I John 4:17 says '...as He is, so are we in this world' and refers to the risen Jesus—we have died and been raised with Him and have already been recreated! Verse 16 of that same chapter states '...God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.'
Colossians 2:9,10 says 'For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority' We are in Him, and He is us, both individually and collectively as the Body of Christ.
Once we begin to understand, individually and collectively, that victory for us and for Him in the world has been God's plan from the start, we can have confidence in our position in Jesus. In Genesis 22:17, God tells Abraham that his seed will possess the gate of their enemies—in Galatians 3:16,He explains that the 'seed' is singular, not referring to the many natural offspring of Abraham, but to Jesus and His Body. Verse 29 reinforces that thought: 'And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise.'
We are each one the singular seed of Abraham, because we have been '...created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared before hand, that we should walk in them.' [Ephesians 2:10] Our work is to possess the gates of our enemies—to do victory on satan individually and collectively until he is completely under the feet of Jesus.
Then the end will come.
It Is Finished
However, we must understand this: these things are already accomplished. Jesus' defeat of satan was complete—we are taking back the natural world from him in the name of that defeat, and it will happen because God said it would.
However, we must understand this: these things are already accomplished. Jesus' defeat of satan was complete—we are taking back the natural world from him in the name of that defeat, and it will happen because God said it would.
We have already inherited the world—the last will and testament of Jesus says so. David was prophesying future events when he said '...the humble will inherit the land, and delight themselves in abundant prosperity.' [Psalm 37:11]
When we humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God, He will exalt us. [I Peter 5:6] True spiritual humility is not
in the dirt before God—He created us in His image, as creatures of dominion. True humility is simply the act of doing what Adam did not—believing God and obeying Him—choosing His ways over our own or over the devil's!
And in doing that, we are exalted to be joint-heirs with Jesus, children of the Most High God, seated at His right hand in Christ Jesus, reigning in life through Him.
Hallelujah!
