1 Corinthians 3:16 Do you not know that you are the Temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?
The Holy Spirit dwells in the Church. In the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, he tells them in no uncertain terms that they are the Temple of God. Do you not know that you are the Temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? (1 Corinthians 3:16)
In this Passage of Scripture, we find the word “you” used twice. In English, we read this to be singular, as in each person, but in Greek, one is singular and one is plural. The English language does not have a plural for the word you. I suppose that’s why the Southerners came up with the word ya’ll which simply means all of you.
In the Scripture we are discussing today, the first time we read the word “you” it is singular, meaning one person. The second time we read the word “you” it is plural, meaning all of you or a group of people.
Understanding the tenses of words allows us to have a far greater understanding of the Passage of Scripture. If I could take the liberty to rewrite this sentence, I would write: Do you not know that you, as an individual, are the Temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in all of you as a group?
Therefore, we find that the Spirit of God dwells BOTH in every saved, born-again believer in the Lord Jesus Christ AND in the Church or fellowship of believers that meet together. There is great power in this understanding.
If one person has the Power of the Holy Spirit they can accomplish much. However, when they team together with several people who also have the Power of the Holy Spirit in them, the Power is increased dramatically. With that said, consider the Power of the Holy Spirit within a Church filled with Spirit-filled believers numbering several hundred or a thousand!
I suppose it could be compared to horse-powered equipment. In the old days farm implements were pulled by horses or mules. One horse could pull more than a man and therefore more work would be done. When the man teamed two horses together, they could accomplish twice the work because they had twice the horsepower. Four, six, or eight horses pulling together became a mighty workforce because they joined their power together to work. Today we have tractors with over 600 horse power engines!
Consider the Holy Spirit Power in a Church full of Spirit-filled believers in the Finished Work of Jesus on the Cross of Calvary! Our Power is based on our faith in Christ. Jesus said, If you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, “Move from here to there, and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.” (Matthew 17:20)
Faith in Christ will release the Power to……….turn the tide……….in this world.
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