Imagine God wanting to live with humans. Why would he? Love presumably. One of the most stunning things Jesus ever said was that he and the Father would take up residence in the lives of those who loved him. How does this work? Simply like this: Jesus said those who love Jesus would be loved by his Father, and the Father and Jesus would live with those who love Jesus.
Is that good? Or does it sound a bit crowded? Is it better to keep God in heaven and talk to him long-distance? It is a matter of love I suppose. For those who really love Jesus, being with him – having him living in our lives – is the greatest thing this side of heaven.
But his presence comes with adjustments. Having someone living at such close quarters changes us. We can’t live on our own anymore. We can’t do what we want anymore. Actually we don’t want to. We want to go everywhere and do everything with him. We want to do what he wants and to be like him. The same applies to church.
Dale