God is big – way bigger than our thoughts, our ways, our ideas, and our love. When I think about this, I often find myself repeating Job’s words, “I was talking about things I knew nothing about, things far too wonderful for me” (Job 42:3).  God’s vastness also reminds me that it is not my efforts, but God who makes the difference – ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,; says the Lord of hosts (Zachariah 4:6).  In exploring these deep mysteries, I can sometimes feel lost and overwhelmed, so what brings me peace at the end of the day is remembering that the simple answer is usually the best one. “For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.” (1 Corinthians 2:2)

I’ve been meditating on the cluster of these concepts for a few months – the vastness of God, the power of his Spirit, and the strength I find in the simplicity of the cross. In my prayerful contemplation, the thing I keep coming back to is that every living thing in nature has a structure. No living thing (that we know of) is pure energy and without form. This means that some form, some structure, some organization is a natural and beautiful part of God’s creation. God even took on the form of man and did not, as Buddhist believe, remain some pure energy source. In this mystery, even God yields his infinite energy to structure and creates galaxy’s, solar systems, planets, and living beings out of vast nothingness.

I also remembered that plants (botany is my first love) have some very interesting structural features. First, they have only 4 organs: roots, stems, leaves, and flowers. Yet with these 4 simple structures, they exist in the incredible variety that we see around us. They are simple organisms at a cellular level – simple at least compared to animals and humans. But in this simplicity, they have another amazing characteristic – indeterminant growth. Animals have what is called determinant growth. There is a specific shape and size they are supposed to be. This is how we tell a horse from a cow, and all the breeds of dog from one another. Humans also have determinant growth. I am as big as I will be (unless I grow side-ways). I am not going to grow taller, ever. But plants have indeterminant growth, which means there is no set size or shape for them. A tree can grow for thousands of years, and just keep growing. There is no, “this is as big as it gets.” It is the simple cellular structure that allows for that ability. Simple structure can allow things to grow indeterminately.

Like all God’s children, I eagerly desire for Him to move amongst us. My heart yearns for the ignored and neglected generations. I long to see Christians acting like Jesus, in their neighborhoods and on the internet. I pray for visitations and revivals. And I know that God does not need our wisdom or efforts in order to “show up.” He is God.

But visitation is just that, a short-term experience. Revival (which has no precedent in the New Testament) is also short-lived unless it becomes something else. Somewhere in the mystery and the tension, visitation (what God can do) meets structure (what man can do) and it creates inhabitation.

This tension is true both individually and corporately. Personally, I want to steward well my anointing (God’s work on my behalf) and my assignment (my work on God’s behalf) so that the person of Jesus may find inhabitation in my life. He is already incarnated in me, and as a disciple I am supposed to keep giving him Lordship over my life.

Corporately, we must hold a tension between movement energy (anointing) and institution (structure). We need to grasp both the incarnation of Jesus in our midst and the structures that help that presence increase. Many people, in order to participate, need tasks. Vision, in order to be executed, needs strategy. Many teams need structure in order to function. Networks need implicit, and sometimes explicit, organization.  The apostolic is not enough for the Body to live and move and have its being. Movements are not solely birthed by the apostolic, but they need the fullness of APEST to come into being.

We need to see the mystery of the combination of what God can and what man can do. What does it look like when he does his part and we do our part? What does it look like when he is with us as a great wind or fire, and we put up tents to be with him? I believe God wants more for us than just revival.  I think he wants us to pray a better prayer and ask for nothing less than the inhabitation of Jesus Christ in our lives and our communities.