26.2 Place and Display
© 2018 Christ Revealed Bible Institute
Here is an incredible statement from Patterns of Home as found in the last lesson. “Try not to see the materials themselves as either good or bad. Instead, it’s important to look more closely at how they are used in the design, how they relate together, and especially how they are allowed to display their innate qualities and characteristics. There are no good or bad materials—everything depends on how you use them.”
You see, when we say, “the House of God” as in “Father at Home,” what we really mean is “the knowable appearance of the Personal substance of God inside of and by our own heaven/earth persons together through the unfolding of time.”
A Fountain of Water. In this lesson we want to look at three things. First, how God uses each one of us in particular in the design of His House, that is as His expression, God seen and known. Second, how we relate together as that expression of God. And third, how each one of us, by displaying our own innate qualities and characteristics, are expressing the very qualities and characteristics that are God’s Story of Himself.
Now, when I think of Father in me, I think of a fountain of water springing up into age-unfolding life (John 9:14b). But when I think of His story unfolding in me, I think of Christ as Spirit Word written through all the pathways of my heart.
Through Faith. Know that I am in the Father and you in Me and I in you. The extent of meaning found in these words is without end. Christ lives in your heart through faith. – And again!
The “faith” part is really, really most extraordinary. God wants me to know that I am an expression of His own consciousness, His own Story of self. Yet, in spite of that fact, God always treats me as a distinct person and with the highest respect. God fills all things with all of Himself, but He never presses that knowledge on anyone. Our knowledge of God is dependent entirely upon our seizing hold of His Word coming into us through faith. Father’s Person fills our person to the extent that we say, “Let it be to me according to Your word.”
Fountain, not “Fate.” Now, since writing the last lesson, I am envisioning Father as a fountain of water springing up in me to the unfolding of His thoughts concerning me, that part of God that is becoming me. This is how we must envision God’s self-story unfolding as ours, rather than as “fate” as it is defined in darkness.
You see, “fate” would hold that my future is fixed before me and it is coming my way whether I like it or not. And thus, because we feel “out of control,” we seek to impose control.
God’s infinite thoughts concerning me are not a “fixed future.” Rather, the ages of my future unfold out from this Fountain through my faith and one step at a time. My “future” is my walk with Father one step at a time.
My “Future.” God gives us only a dim view of the outline of our future as it is in the ages to come, for that is mostly irrelevant to the unfolding of Father together with us. Rather, that unfolding of Father’s thoughts concerning me comes one step at a time as I take that step entirely inside the love of God and in my confidence that Father is taking that step entirely together with me.
My “future” is my next step. Thus my next step is completely in my control as I believe in Father sharing all things with me. And because Father never violates me, but shares His unfolding into visibility entirely with me, I have no need to “control” anything.
An Inexhaustible Treasure. And so, as I think of myself now, I think in terms of an inexhaustible treasure house of God’s thoughts, His Story of self inside His own Spirit self-awareness, all belonging to me, all bubbling up in me as I receive Word through faith. Thus, when I say, “I,” I cannot think of anything other than all of God’s thoughts concerning me, that is, all that I am right now inside of God’s all-here-now Pro-Knowing.
I am an inexhaustible treasure house of wealth and glory, artistic design and gentle service, scientific brilliance and an immense amount of laughter. I am filled with good and with good times. But most of all, I am Father’s Heart unveiled, sharing Hheart with God, carrying all inside the care of Love.
Immense Wealth and Wonder. Then, I think about you. And when I think of “you,” I think only of all of God’s thoughts concerning you. And God’s thoughts concerning you, that is, Substance flowing into your appearance as a Fountain together with you, are an entirely DIFFERENT set of thoughts than those belonging to me. Yet those thoughts become you through the same Jesus that is in my heart as well.
Thus, it is impossible for me to think of you as anything other than an unending unfolding of immense wealth and joyous wonder, of innumerable good things to come. You are already every thought of God concerning you, and those thoughts are unfolding as you entirely through your faith.
Clarify the Connections. I see that I have addressed the third point first, that is, “how each one of us, by displaying our own innate qualities and characteristics, are expressing the very qualities and characteristics that are God’s Story of Himself.”
Let’s go on to the second point next, and then finish with the first point in our list. (From Patterns of Home.) “Clarify the connections between the parts of the building. The visible connectors of the different building elements… should be emphasized to explain the transfer of forces or change in materials.”
Even though God’s strand of infinite thoughts concerning each one of us is distinct from all others, yet He weaves our respective stories together as His House.
Contrast. When we look at the list of points regarding “Composing with Materials,” we see that contrast is a primary rule.
Here is the list again but altered just a bit. 1. Emphasize the qualities of individual people by contrast. 2. Use the different colors and textures of each one (no sameness). 3. Emphasize the beginnings and endings of individual people in their places. 4. Clarify the connections between two and among many. 5. Contrast raw beauty in one with refined beauty in another. 6. Celebrate aging and wisdom. 7. Renew the tired person until he or she is sparkling. 8. Use people’s gifts in new and interesting ways.
And each individual person is an unending display of God’s own Story of self.
We Do Not Know. When I am entirely by myself, my own expression of God’s thoughts through me is somewhat limited and confined. You see, you cannot be what you do not know.
Suddenly we see John’s words in an entirely different light. Beloved, we are now children [birthed out from] God, and it has not yet been made visible {in outward appearance} what we will be (1 John 3:2). You do not know what you are; you do not know most of that infinite number of thoughts inside of God right now that are you.
So how will we access what we do not know? A huge part of discovering ourselves comes from being knit together, through every joint of supply, according to the energeia inside the sharing from every part (Ephesians 4:16)
Expressions of Father. We are NOT moral beings choosing between right and wrong. And thus our walk together is NOT for the purpose of “learning to do better.” We are expressions of Father unfolding Himself as a Fountain of water inside of us and through Word entering into our hearts by our ongoing permission. And that expression that we are is without end.
For that reason, our walk together is not just God made visible as He is, but how we discover many of the vast vistas of what we are as individual persons. You ARE incredibly MORE than you have ever thought or imagined.
Speaking to One Another. Be filled with Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your hearts to the Lord, speaking good grace at all times (Ephesians 5:19 – JSV).
This isn’t just a “praise service.” By speaking Christ into one another, we are doing much more than causing each one to know Jesus as them, rather, we are discovering together the endless vistas of Christ that we are. God has placed us together in His Church, not just to know Him, not just that He might express Himself through many, but also, so that we can know who on earth we are! And we know who we are by “speaking to one another.”
Energeoing inside of Us. And now we see another verse in an entirely different light. Now to the One who is able above all to do hyper-abundantly more than we ask or think, according to the power energeoing inside of us, to Him be the glory inside the Church and inside Christ Jesus, to all the generations, to the unfolding of ages. Let it be so [in me as You speak] (Ephesians 3:20-21 – JSV).
The “power energeoing inside of us” is our own personal unfolding of all that we already are inside the Pro-Knowing of God. And this energeoing of our own personal unfolding is glory INSIDE the Church, coming into us by our response to Word, “Let it be so in me.”
An Ocean of Beauty. That means that when I look at you I am seeing the infinite wealth that you ARE. Your appearance might be “a drop in the bucket,” but your substance, that is YOU inside of Father, are as oceans of wealth and beauty, artistic expression and scientific discovery, laughter and tears, warmth and goodness – forever.
You are one incredible person.
And to have the opportunity to walk together with you for whatever season is found in our stories together is a privilege beyond all comprehension. By walking together with you, I will know Father as never before, and I will discover myself in ways I could not know otherwise.
“How You Use Them.” How I think of the least Christian IS my thinking of God. If I were to call another Christian “unclean,” I would be treating God like dirt.
From Patterns of Home: “There are no good or bad materials—everything depends on how you use them.” The flesh, the outward human appearance, as we have learned, is neither good nor bad. The flesh is a vessel, either filled with God or filled with a false story of self. And every member of our being is neither good nor bad in itself, but entirely how we use them. I learned this from John Eldredge, that “sin,” is just a potentially good human trait turned in the wrong direction (missing the target).
“Big Enough” for God. And so our first question was – how God uses each one of us in particular in the design of His House. I have SOOOOO much to give you, and you have SOOOOO much to give me. Who we are is endless, our life is endless, our supply is endless.
Yet, although each one of us are without end, yet by ourselves, we are not “big enough” for God. It is as we fit together in the weave of the unfolding of our stories out from this Fountain always billowing up inside of us that we together become “big enough” for God to show Himself as He is. We have never known Him; we have never seen Him.
But that is about to change.
Speaking Father’s Story. Let each one speak truth {the good things of Christ} together with his neighbor BECAUSE we are members of one another (Ephesians 4:25 – JSV). – Let each one be the unfolding of Father’s own Story together with his neighbor because we are members of one another.
Father’s Story cannot be spoken except through each one of us as highly regarded individual persons. Father’s Story cannot be spoken except through us together because we are part of one another.
Knowing Each Other. I want to look at one more point in “Composing with Materials” – “Emphasize the beginnings and endings of individual parts.” – It is only when we are together with one another, fitted together as One Body, that our own distinction as individual persons becomes clear.
You see, collectivism and individualism pretend to be in opposition, yet one cannot exist without the other. The two are as much a part of each other as the false dichotomy of good and evil or right and wrong. Life together is something entirely different.
When we are “by ourselves” life appears all the same, but when we are together, with clear boundaries, that is, the highest of respect for one another, then we come to know ourselves as we really are. By knowing each other, we know ourselves.
And as we know ourselves together, so we know God.