In Matthew 1:23 we read, “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”-which means, “God with us.”
“Immanuel: God With Us” was fulfilled 2000 years ago at the Advent of Jesus Christ. God literally clothed himself with frail humanity and lived among us for 30 years revealing His glory to humankind. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning…. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:1, 14).
Anytime the Lord reveals His glory to men it culminates in a people putting their faith in Him. “…He thus revealed his glory, and his disciples put their faith in him” (John 2:11b).
Today, God longs to reveal His glory to the world! He has chosen to do this through the Church which is His body and incarnate presence on the earth. Jesus declared during His High-priestly prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane, “I have given to them the glory and honor which You have given Me, that they may be one [even] as We are one: I in them and You in Me, in order that they may become one and perfectly united, that the world may know and [definitely] recognize that You sent Me and that You have loved them [even] as You have loved Me” (John 17:22-23 Amplified Bible).
Throughout his New Testament letters, Paul the apostle shares a profound revelation: we are the residence of God’s glory on the earth! Paul prays for the church in Ephesians 3:19: “…that you may be filled [through all your being] unto all the fullness of God [may have the richest measure of the divine Presence, and become a body wholly filled and flooded with God Himself]!” (Amplified Bible). Paul reiterates this truth that the Church is: “…His body, the fullness of Him Who fills all in all [for in that body lives the full measure of Him Who makes everything complete, and Who fills everything everywhere with Himself]” (Ephesians 1:23. Amplified Bible).
Make no mistake about it, the will and intention of God is that “…the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea” (Habakkuk 2:14). The way the Lord accomplishes this promise of revealed glory is through His people:
- “For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:6)
- “Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place” (2 Corinthians 2:14).
What is so desperately needed today is believers that are so saturated with God’s presence that they reflect the divine nature and the glory of God to the world! The apostles in the Early Church accomplished just this. What differentiated them from their peers was not their education, eloquence or expertise; it was their intimacy with the Holy Spirit. “Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. _And they realized that they had been with Jesus_” (Acts 4:13, Emphasis Added).
We are destined to be a people that are wholly filled and flooded with the life and glory of the Lord. As we walk in intimacy with Christ, His grace and glory will be revealed to the nations and those who do not know the Lord will encounter “Emmanuel: God With Us” and will fall down and worship at King Jesus’ feet!
