When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am [a]Almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless.
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 He was in the beginning with God.
3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.
4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.
5 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not [a]comprehend it.
John’s Witness: The True Light
6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
7 This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe.
8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.
9 That[b] was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.
10 He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.
11 He came to His [c]own, and His [d]own did not receive Him.
12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the [e]right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:
13 who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
The Word Becomes Flesh
14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
Today’s opening Scripture tells us that God appeared to Abram. John 4:24 tells us that God is a Spirit, and though the physical senses cannot perceive Him because He is a Spirit, yet several portions of the Scriptures show us that He can be made manifest in the physical, in such a way that the physical senses can perceive Him. John 1:1 says “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” The Word was God and was with God in Spirit form, then verse 14 of John 1 tells us that the Word that had been with God in the beginning was made flesh and dwelt among men. John says “…and we beheld his glory…” In other words, He became perceptible to the physical senses! Wow! Again, in John 14:21, the Lord Jesus said that He would manifest Himself to the one that keeps His commandment. 1 Corinthians 12:7 also tells us about the physical manifestation of the unseen Spirit. The Greek word for manifestation in that verse is ‘Phanerosis’ which means ‘to make known’ or ‘to exhibit’. It means that the Spirit of God can make Himself known in the Church such that everyone can know that He is present. So, the Scripture makes it clear that God, though a Spirit being, can be made manifest in the physical.
When believers gather together in faith and worship God with thanksgiving and gratitude, He manifests Himself. How does God manifest Himself among us? He speaks, He moves in power and He reveals His knowledge in and through us. Yes, God is a Spirit, but His dwelling place (tabernacle) is with us. The bodies of believers have become the house or temple of God. Understand that as we walk in love one toward another, live by faith consistent with the Word of God, and minister unto the Lord with thanksgiving and praise, God will manifest Himself in utterance, in power, and in revelation. We are going to see awesome things wrought in our midst when we learn the simple secrets of hosting the manifest presence of God, which are: Love towards one another, faith in the Word towards God, and thanksgiving unto the Lord. Amen!
My Solid Front (Confession):
I am a spirit being like my Father God; I have the capacity to interact and fellowship with God, and to bring His knowledge to the physical world. My world sees the reality of the invisible God in and through my life in Jesus’ Name. Amen.
Further Meditation: 1 Timothy 3:16; Acts 13:1-3.