Lesson #1: GOD ABOVE US, GOD WITH US, AND GOD IN US
God is the Trinity, that is, three Persons in one: The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit. To be filled with the fullness of God in our lives, we must experience the complete presence of The Trinity: The Father as God above us, The Son as God with us, and The Holy Spirit as God in us. God above us is the main presence of God in the Old Covenant, God with us is the main of presence of God in the transition period from the Old Covenant to the New Covenant, and God in us is the main presence of God in the New Covenant.
Lesson #2: FROM THE OUTSIDE TO THE INSIDE
In the Old Covenant, God Himself worked from heaven above, from outside His people. In the transition period from the Old Covenant to the New Covenant, God worked through His Son who became a man. He still worked from outside, but He was no longer far in heaven above. He was near on earth, among His people. In the New Covenant, God works on earth by His Spirit from inside His people.
Lesson #3: CONNECTING WITH GOD
How do God's people connect to Him? In the Old Covenant, they connected to God by praying to Him because He was in heaven. In the transition period from the Old Covenant to the New Covenant, they connected to God by hearing from and talking to His Son because He was on earth. In the New Covenant, they connect to God by acknowledging His Spirit because He abides in them.
Lesson #4: CONSCIOUSNESS OF GOD
In the New Covenant, the Holy Spirit actually brings the complete presence of the Trinity: God who is above us, God who is with us, and God who is in us. We can pray to God in heaven above and talk to the Son of God who is here with us. However, what God wants from us the most as His New Covenant people is that we have the consciousness of God in us because that is the main presence of God in our lives in the New Covenant. This consciousness is produced by acknowledgement or confession that He abides in us.
Lesson #5: GOD'S PRESENCE AND THE WAY HE WORKS
The threefold presence of God: God above us, God with us, and God in us, is related to the three ways in which God works in our lives respectively: God works for us, God works together with us, and God works through us. God works for us means God does things for us unconditionally. He will do something on our behalf even though we do not do anything. God works together with us means God does things both for us and for Himself while we are agreement with Him. God will do the things only He can do when we do the things we can do. God works through us means God does things for Himself, but He uses us to do them.
Lesson #6: THE WORK OF GOD WHO IS ABOVE US
How can we experience God who is above us do something for us unconditionally, even though we do not do anything? We must humble ourselves, acknowledge our helplessness as well as our unworthiness, then cry out to God for His mercy and grace. God said to King Solomon, "if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land." (2 Chronicles 7:14)
Lesson #7: THE WORK OF GOD WHO IS WITH US
How can we experience God who is with us do something together with us? How can we be in agreement with God and work together with Him? First, we must understand the will of God. Paul the apostle Paul wrote, "Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is." (Ephesians 5:17) Then, we must surrender our own wills to God and choose to do His will. The writer of the book of Hebrews, "For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise:" (Hebrews 10:36)
Lesson #8: THE WORK OF GOD WHO IS IN US
How can we experience God who is in us do something for Himself through us? We must totally surrender our hearts as well as present our bodies to God. Paul the apostle wrote, "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service." (Romans 12:1) When we do this, we become one with God. His will become our wills and His ability becomes our abilities. Paul the apostle wrote, "for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure." (Philippians 2:13)
