Who do you see?

TEXT:

‘He endured as seeing Him who is invisible’ – Hebrews 11:27

THOUGHT:

In both the Tabernacle and the Temple, God manifested His presence by the Shekinah glory above the Mercy Seat over the Ark of the Covenant, within the Most Holy Place. The Children of Israel could not see this as only the High Priest was allowed in there once a year on the Day of Atonement, when he made sacrifice and intercession for the sins of the people.

So when they came to the temple bringing their tithes and offerings, ready to be taught the word of God, they did it by faith. They believed in their invisible God!

When you come to your church for the services, what do you see? One grumbling man told me, “In all the years I have been coming, I have only felt the presence of God a few times!” I replied, “How then do you explain people getting saved, healed and baptized with the Holy Spirit if God was not there?”

Some Christians meet in hired buildings and this thought can trouble them, “It is not a proper church building, is God really there?” Maybe it is a tired-looking building that badly needs painting and refurbishment, so they wrongly think, “Surely God cannot be there!”

Do you only see the ones who are not there and think their lack of commitment means God will not turn up either? You see the same old pastor and elders and think, “If only we had a new oversight, surely God would be there in power.” Maybe someone was sitting in your seat and you got mad not glad, so now God cannot be there. Perhaps the problem is that when you arrive for church, you are only seeing what is wrong, not right.

• God reveals Himself when we least expect it

If God could reveal Himself to Jacob in a field, to Moses in the desert, to wise men in the stable, then God can reveal Himself to you, whatever the building’s condition or position. If Jesus went regularly to the synagogue where He encountered such hostility and unbelief, will He not much more meet with believers who love Him, wherever they gather for worship?

Jesus revealed to Thomas there was a great blessing for those who could believe without having seen the proof that he demanded. ¹ Thomas needed physical proof to believe, but God has given to everyone a gift of faith and He is thrilled when we use it to say, “Lord I believe you are here!”

Christians miss church for many reasons, the vast majority of which are not valid. Often the real reason is doubt creeping in, questioning whether God is really there. The disciples certainly did not expect Jesus to suddenly appear to them in the Upper room after His resurrection. Why was Thomas missing that first Sunday? He had been told Jesus was risen from the dead.  Thank God he believed in the end, but it would have been better if he had been there the first time Jesus revealed Himself. He would have saved himself 7 days of wrestling doubt, sorrow and unbelief!

• We believe that the natural can be changed supernaturally

The Bible records when people were suddenly delivered, healed, saved and filled with the Holy Spirit in the synagogue, a place they had faithfully attended for years. We do not avoid missing church out of fear, but out of faith because we do not know when God is going to do something miraculous. I do not want to hear someone else’s account, I want to witness it first-hand. It was an ordinary Sunday when Jenny received healing for her back. If she had been missing that day, she would have missed her miracle too.  Job said, ‘I will wait until my change comes.’ ²

So in summary, when I go to church what do I see? I see God’s people gathering together out of love and obedience, because God is there. Believing and experiencing this makes it so easy to lift my hands and voice in adoration and praise to the invisible God.

The next time you meet together with your church, practise these principles and you will be amazed at the difference it will make to both you and others. Then resolve to maintain that same attitude every time.

• Be there because He is there!

 

1 – John 20:24-29                   2 – Job 14:14