MESSAGE NOTES, 7/20/25
Following Jesus isn’t just about Sunday mornings or spiritual moments—it’s about surrendering your whole life to Him.
This series explores how every area of our ordinary lives—resources, relationships, health, and careers—is meant to be lived fully with and for God’s glory.
This week, we focus on how to partner with God as we steward our health & body.
CONNECT
- What has been most challenging or encouraging to you about this series?
To date, the focus has been about stewarding with God the following areas of your life: identity, local community, greater world, work and money/possessions
REFLECTION
- What are some ways you’ve seen culture shape your understanding of physical beauty and worth?
Based on 1 Corinthians 6:12-20, how is God’s view different? - Dallas Willard is quoted as saying “my body is the original and primary place of my dominion [part of my identity] and my responsibility. It is only through it that I have a world in which to live… [it] is part of who I am and essential to my identity. My life experiences come to me through… my body.”
- But here’s the problem: when it comes to our body, people tend to fall into two extremes. Either they place too much importance on it – obsessing over their bodies, or they place too little importance on it, neglecting the body. How do you find this to be true in your life and why is this so challenging?
- Read below, “A Brief History of the Dwelling Places of the Holy Spirit.” When you hear that “your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit,” what response does that stir in you? What do you think of God’s plan? How might that truth reshape how you treat yourself daily?
- Focus now on Romans 12:1. If your body is a natural part of your identity, a dwelling of the Holy Spirit and a vehicle for worship, how might engaging your body more intentionally in prayer and worship (e.g., kneeling, lifting hands, walking, fasting) draw you closer to God?
- In what ways might your body be limiting you right now, and how can God’s grace meet you in that space like it did for the Apostle Paul (see 2 Corinthians 12:6-10) and others you know?
- What would it look like for you to “honor God with your body” in this season of life—physically, mentally, emotionally, or spiritually?
What is the next step you could take?
PRAYER
Place one hand over your heart and one hand on your stomach and repeat multiple times:
This body is the temple of God. May God be glorified in my body. Amen.
A Brief History of the Dwelling Places of the Holy Spirit
In the Old Testament, the Spirit of God primarily dwelt among His people through sacred spaces like the tabernacle and the temple. After the Exodus, God’s presence filled the tabernacle in a visible cloud, signifying His glory and nearness to His people (Exodus 40:34–35). Later, when Solomon dedicated the temple, the glory of the Lord once again filled the space so powerfully that the priests could not enter (1 Kings 8:10–11). Alongside these sacred spaces, the Spirit of God was also given selectively to certain individuals for specific tasks. For example, Bezalel was filled with the Spirit to craft the tabernacle’s furnishings (Exodus 31:1–5), Samson received the Spirit for supernatural strength (Judges 14:6), and prophets like Isaiah and Ezekiel were empowered by the Spirit to speak God’s word. But this outpouring of the Spirit was limited—it came upon people temporarily and for particular purposes, not as a constant indwelling presence for all.
The arrival of Jesus marked a dramatic shift in how God’s Spirit related to humanity. John 1:14 tells us, “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us”—literally, He “tabernacled” among us. Jesus became the new temple, the physical embodiment of God’s presence on earth. At His baptism, the Holy Spirit descended on Him like a dove (Matthew 3:16), publicly affirming that He was filled with the fullness of God. Jesus taught, healed, and lived in perfect unity with the Spirit, showing us what it means to be truly human. Colossians 2:9 declares, “For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form,” revealing that God’s presence was no longer restricted to a building, but made personal in Jesus Himself.
After Jesus’ resurrection and ascension, He sent the Holy Spirit to dwell in all who believe in Him. On the day of Pentecost, the Spirit was poured out on the gathered disciples (Acts 2:1–4), fulfilling Old Testament prophecies that God would one day pour out His Spirit on all people (Joel 2:28–29). From that moment forward, every follower of Jesus became a temple of the Holy Spirit. Paul affirms this in 1 Corinthians 6:19: “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you?” God’s presence now lives not just among His people but within them. The church, as a whole, is being built into a dwelling where God lives by His Spirit (Ephesians 2:22).
This movement—from tabernacle to Christ to believers—shows us that God’s desire has always been not just to be with us, but to be in us, making our lives sacred spaces for His presence and purpose.