Another amazing teaching from Bill Johnson You Are God's Dwelling Place: How to Walk in Power and Presence. He teaches that God’s plan is to dwell in His people and express His presence through both Christlike character and Spirit-empowered mission. Jesus modeled holiness and supernatural authority together, then commissioned His followers to teach and do all He commanded, including proclaiming the kingdom with power. From Jacob’s ladder fulfilled in Christ to Pentecost’s wind and fire, Scripture shows heaven opening where people are yielded to God. The Church drifts when it lowers the standard, but renewal comes by returning to Jesus’ words, meditating on His promises, and living in obedient dependence that visibly transforms lives and communities.

The big picture: God no longer dwells in physical temples. He lives in His people.

Key passages:

"You are God's temple and God's Spirit dwells in you" (1 Cor. 3:16; 6:19)
"Living stones... built up as a spiritual house" (1 Pet. 2:5)
Fulfills Ezek. 36:26–27; 37:27; 2 Cor. 6:16

The progression: Gate of heaven (Gen 28:17) → Tabernacle → Temple → Christ (John 1:51)→ Church united to Christ (John 14:12)

Power and Character in Jesus

Why it matters: Scripture never separates moral excellence from supernatural authority.

Jesus' dual nature:

Character: "Holy, innocent, unstained" (Heb. 7:26)
Power: Authority over sickness, demons, nature, death (Matt. 4:23–24; Mark 1:27; John 11:43–44)
Summary: "Anointed with the Holy Spirit and with power... healing all who were oppressed by the devil" (Acts 10:38)

The Spirit produces both:

Christlike character (Gal. 5:22–23)
Empowerment for ministry (1 Cor. 12:4–11; Rom. 12:6–8)

Paul's balance: "Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching" (1 Tim. 4:16)

Character Before Power?

The reality: God empowers imperfect people.

Biblical examples:

Disciples sent to heal and cast out demons before full maturity (Luke 9:1–2; 10:1–9)
Peter preached at Pentecost shortly after denying Christ (Acts 2; Luke 22:54–62)
The twelve still jockeying for position while performing miracles (Mark 9:33–34; 10:35–45)

The pattern: Growth in character and participation in mission unfold together under grace (Phil. 2:12–13; 1 Cor. 1:26–29)

The call: Holiness remains the goal (1 Pet. 1:15–16; Heb. 12:14)

The Great Commission and Jesus' Commands

What Jesus commanded: "Teach them to observe all that I have commanded you" (Matt. 28:18–20)

"All" includes:

Proclaim the kingdom (Matt. 10:7; Luke 9:2)
Heal the sick (Matt. 10:8; Luke 10:9)
Raise the dead (Matt. 10:8)
Cleanse lepers (Matt. 10:8)
Cast out demons (Matt. 10:8; Mark 6:13)

Supporting texts:

Mark 16:17–18 (textually debated but reflects early expectation)
"Whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do" (John 14:12)
Acts shows apostles continuing Jesus' works (Acts 3:6–8; 5:12–16; 9:36–42; 19:11–12)

Returning to the Original Standard

The principle: Even slight departures distort the gospel.

Biblical warnings:

Paul: Any deviation from the gospel is serious (Gal. 1:6–9; 2 Cor. 11:3–4)
Jude: "Contend for the faith once for all delivered" (Jude 3)
Revelation: "Return to your first love" (Rev. 2:4–5)

The pattern: God's people repeatedly called back to covenant faithfulness (Jer. 6:16; Mal. 3:7; Acts 2:42)

Jacob's Dream and the House of God

Genesis 28:10–17: Jacob sees angels ascending and descending on a ladder connecting heaven and earth.

His response: "This is the house of God... the gate of heaven" (Gen. 28:17)

Jesus' interpretation: "You will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man" (John 1:51)

What it means:

Christ is the true meeting point between heaven and earth
He is the greater Bethel
He is God's embodied presence (John 1:14, "tabernacled among us")

Jesus as the Tabernacle

Old Testament foundation: Tabernacle = God dwelling among Israel (Ex. 25:8; 40:34–35)

New Testament fulfillment:

John 1:14 uses tabernacle language for the incarnation
"In him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily" (Col. 2:9)
Jesus fulfills temple imagery (John 2:19–21; Matt. 12:6)

The result:

Access to God opened through His death and resurrection (Heb. 10:19–22)
The Church becomes His Spirit-filled body (Eph. 2:19–22; 1 Cor. 3:16)

Pentecost: Wind, Fire, and Presence

Acts 2:1–4: The Spirit comes with wind and fire.

Wind symbolism:

Creative and life-giving (Gen. 1:2; Job 33:4)
Revival of dead things (Ezek. 37:9–14)
Unpredictable divine movement (John 3:8)

Fire symbolism:

Sinai and divine presence (Ex. 19:18; 24:17)
Purification and power (Mal. 3:2–3; Matt. 3:11)
God as consuming fire (Heb. 12:29)

Angelic involvement: While not explicit in Acts 2, angels frequently attend redemptive events (Luke 2:9–13; Acts 1:10; 5:19; 12:7; Heb. 1:14)

Public authentication: The supernatural "sound" gathers a multitude (Acts 2:6)

The "Sound" of Obedience

The pattern: Unified obedience precedes breakthrough.

Before Pentecost: "With one accord devoting themselves to prayer" (Acts 1:14; also 2:1)

The result: Spirit-empowered proclamation pierces hearts (Acts 2:37, 41)

Throughout Acts:

Bold obedience → societal impact (Acts 4:31–33; 5:42; 17:6)
"They turned the world upside down" (Acts 17:6)

Spiritual influence:

"You are the light of the world" (Matt. 5:14–16)
"The aroma of Christ" (2 Cor. 2:14–15)
Corporate witness affects environments (Acts 2:43–47; 4:32–35)

Meditating on God's Promises

Why it matters: Biblical meditation reshapes thinking and conduct.

Key passages:

Ps. 1:2–3: Delight in God's law → blessing and fruitfulness
Josh. 1:8: Meditation → faithful action → success
Ps. 119:11: "I have stored up your word in my heart"
Ps. 119:97–99: Meditation brings wisdom

Transformation texts:

Rom. 12:2: Renewal of the mind
2 Cor. 3:18: Beholding the Lord → transformation "from one degree of glory to another"
Col. 3:16: "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly"

The principle: Internalized promise produces outward obedience (Deut. 6:6–9; Ps. 37:31)

Summary

Core biblical trajectories:

God dwelling with His people (Ex. 25:8 → Rev. 21:3)
Christ as fulfillment of temple imagery (John 1:14; 2:19–21)
Spirit-empowered mission (Acts 1:8; 1 Cor. 12:4–11)
Obedience to apostolic teaching (Acts 2:42; Jude 3)
Transformation through God's Word (Ps. 1:2–3; 2 Cor. 3:18)

The resolution: Character and power aren't competing priorities. Both flow from abiding in Christ (John 15:4–5), who unites holiness and authority in Himself and shares His life with His Church (Col. 1:27; Gal. 2:20).

Psalm 119:45

Pages

2/17/26

Believers as God's Dwelling Place (Genesis 28:10-17, John 1:51)