We Christians celebrate the idea that Christ is with us. Christmas and Easter are observances having to do with the greatest of all moments of world history. Emmanuel! God is with us! The restoring of Eden's loss has commenced.

But the fact that God is with us, unbelievably glorious as it is, pales beside the greater glory. The mystery of the Gospel is not Christ with us but Christ in us.

The idea of Christ in us, the Temple of God, the Morning Star, the feast of Tabernacles, are old fires to warm my hands over. Let me tell you why.

A half-century ago there was a young man just out of the military. He had been called to preach in Sasebo, Japan, while stationed with the Marines. The colleges were flooded with returning GIs. He finally was accepted in a small Assembly of God Bible school. There the students persisted with him until he spoke in tongues.

All this was new to him since he had not been brought up in a Christian home.

In 1948, the year Billy Graham began his preaching in Los Angeles, William Branham over in Phoenix was demonstrating power perhaps not seen since the days of the Apostles, and Israel became a nation. In that same year the Lord spoke to the young man about what He was going to do after Pentecost.

I mean, this is wild. The former Marine was a green as grass about spiritual matters, but the Lord spoke about the move of God after Pentecost. The understanding was couched in terms of the feasts of the Lord of the twenty-third chapter of the Book of Leviticus. Whoever heard of the feasts of the Lord in those days?

The term "Pentecost" refers to the fourth feast of Israel. There are three more feasts.

The student checked with a distinguished Pentecostal teacher, Brother Oliver Ellenwood, who seemed to feel the message was from the Lord.

Soon after this the student wrote a booklet titled, "The Temple of God." Then the book was about fifteen pages in length. Now it is considerably longer.

Driving to church last night I marveled that after fifty years the message of Christ in you, the Temple of God, although far fuller and richer than at its origin, is still essentially the same. After many dangers, toils, and snares, it is still the same. It has stood the test of time. This proves to me it was from God.

The Pentecostal-Charismatic people are at a crossroads today. We either are going to take our ministries and gifts and try to save the world, or we are going to return to Jesus and find out what His plans are. You know, there is nothing like asking the foreman what you are supposed to do on the job.

When God moves from one feast to another we are to do no work but listen and find out what we are supposed to do. Today is one such period. When we stop and listen we hear the Lord saying, "I stand at the door of your personality. If you allow Me to enter we will dine together on My body and blood. I will reveal to you the mystery of ‘Christ in you.'"

To be continued.