He is here, Friend!
Last week we had one of those “holy” moments in our midweek service. It was a small group, maybe 40 people, but they are a singin’ bunch. They were joining in vociferously, as usual. As we ended the worship time, we were singing a simple chorus of “Holy is the Lamb.” It seemed as if you could feel the atmosphere getting thick with the Presence of God. When I stopped the music, there was simply silence. Not a cough or a sigh or a grunt. Silence. Nobody bolted for the bathroom, not a baby cried. It continued for several minutes, I couldn’t really tell you how long, because the time seemed irrelevant. No one wanted to move, or to be the one that punched a hole in the holy thickness. Finally someone came in from the outside, and it began to lift a bit. It was about 30 minutes past the time we usually finish the musical part of worship.
I was reminded of the Lord’s statement in Matthew 18:20, “For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.” We mostly all agree on that as a doctrinal fact, but I believe it is supposed to be much more experiential. I often wonder how we would all behave if we really believed that Jesus was personally present in our midst. His presence is a fact. He said He would be there, so He is. Would our experience of that presence increase if we thought to reverence Him as if He were bodily present? I think so. One dictionary definition of reverence is “profound, adoring, awed respect.” How about we try a little experiment. Let’s all go to church with a determination to show profound, adoring, awed respect for the Lord from the moment the service starts. It might catch on and start a movement!
Somebody Said: “It’s like a jar of salad dressing sitting on a shelf… most of the seasoning settles to the bottom of the bottle. But when you shake that bottle up, all the ingredients mix together and then the dressing can add flavor to a salad. In the same way, we can stir ourselves up and regain the reverence, respect and awe we once had for the Lord.” Joyce Meyer
Scripture Reading: God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, And to be held in reverence by all those around Him. Psalms 89:7 NKJV
Our services, the gatherings of the saints, are many things: The family reunion of the children with the Father and with one another, an opportunity to be trained for service, an opportunity to serve one another, a place for the lost to be found and the broken to be mended. Let’s remember that it is also the building of a habitation for the Presence of a holy God. Offer Him the respect He is due, and He will show up in amazing ways.
Pastor Virgil L. Stokes
Faith Christian Fellowship of Tucson
3141 W. Ironwood Hill Dr.
Tucson, AZ 85745
www.fcftucson.org
Office: 520-792-3238
Visit us on YouTube to taste the Presence @FCFTucson.
pastorvirgil.com 