Guest of Honor

I caught the tail end of a conversation on the radio today. It was a local bible-answer-man-type call-in show. The comment I heard from the host was, "Jesus is in the midst of the churches, just like He was in Revelation 2 & 3*. He is the guest of honor." Guest of honor? Really?

I understand that this phrase is used in an attempt to honor and exalt Jesus. The intentions are noble, but there are fatal flaws. First, it assumes that Jesus is not always around. If someone is a guest they may only be present once or on a few occasions. But the scriptures clearly point to the reality that God is omnipresent. Particularly with believers, He does come and go, He is always with us (Matthew 28:20).

Second, being our guest is not what the Lord has in mind. In His grace, Jesus Christ will come as a guest if He's invited, but His ultimate desire is for something else, something more:

"For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith..." Eph 3:14-17

Jesus doesn't want to be only a guest in our hearts. He wants to dwell there! He wants to live there! Our home is (hopefully) the place where we can relax and be ourselves. Our home is a place for us to set things up the way we want and find rest. Jesus wants to make our hearts His home, where He gets to rearrange the furniture, kick up His feet, and be Himself.

But there's more! Jesus wants to do more than live in us individually. He wants to build us together into a spiritual house.

"...you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the  apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord.  In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit." Eph 2:19-22

God is making a house for Himself. It's not a physical building, its made of living stones, you and me. We, as the church, are God's house. He's not the guest of honor in His own house, He is the head! Intentional or not, when we relegate Jesus Christ to house guest, we miss out on knowing Him as He is. May Christ have His way in each of us, and in His church!

Your brother in whom Christ dwells,
Ryan


*In case you don't know the reference, Revelation 2 & 3 list seven churches in the ancient Roman province of Asia Minor. There is a golden lamp stand in the midst of each of these churches, symbolic of the presence of Jesus Christ.