The Presence of God!

Ooooo it's been a while since I wrote - I've been SO stupid busy this week!  But I have lots to say!

First off - it's amazing - if you didn't hear David Dodwell's talk on Sunday go to the WCC website and listen (http://www.watfordcommunitychurch.org/).  Basically he spoke about a lot of things that I have been thinking and was going to blog but havent had the time to do so.....

So, there seems to be a new grasping/understanding of God's presence affecting people and changing people.  We can often spend so long trying to do these things ourselves that we fail to let God's presence ultimately enter in and do it's thing.  I hate to use the word 'change' people because I believe that God created us to be us, and that He doesn't want to change us, he wants to 'love the bad stuff out'.  If I have a splinter, I lovingly (and sometimes harshly) squeeze the intrudor out until my skin is clear.  I don't change who I am because of it.  Like God.  He often loves the bad things out of us.  Sometimes it hurts.  Sometimes it is gentle.  But we are still us, because that's who He created us to be.  You get the idea.

So what's this about his presence?  Linked in with my blog on 'Practical Pitching'; - what was contained in the tent that was set up outside the camp of the Israelites?  Answer - God's presence.  It is God's presence that alters, loves, comforts, gives hope, soothes, calms, restores, stirs up.... not another 'prayer meeting', not another 'outreach event' and not another 'church planning meeting'.  Don't get me wrong, these are all needed and right, but how often do we pray for God's presence to guide these and to fall among these things?

1 Corinthians 3v6 says this:
'I (Paul I think) planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow.'  In as much as our prayer meetings are needed, they are not in themselves going to change things.  In as much as outreach events are needed - they are not in themselves going to save people.  It is the presence of God (enabled and encouraged and given space by these 'events') that is going to work in people's hearts and lives).  Come on God - more of your presence!

It amazes me that in Joshua 6 we read how the Israelites conquered the centre of the promised land and won over Jericho because of the presence of the Lord.  They marched around the city walls 7 times carrying the ark of the covenant i.e. the symbol of the manifest presence of God thus bringing God's presence to the city and thus conquering it.  Awesome!  It's about PRESENCE!!! Remember that song 'just one touch of the King changes everything' - SO TRUE!  If you are searching for God and are yet to encounter Him - just ask for one touch from Him - it changes everything!


Ok, so last night I went to see one of my favourite all time bands ever.  It was flipping awesome!  I felt like a 16 year old again!  Yes I went to the see the crazy, heavy metal, shouting, screaming band KORN.  I LOVE them.  And it was one of the best gigs of my life.  God has been doing amazing things in that band.  Once riddled with drugs, women, promiscuity and the broken pieces of it's members lives, 2 members have fairly recently become Christians and completely transformed themselves for the better.  They are still who God created them to be, just with an eternal inheritance and purpose and freedom.  Praise God! The atmosphere was amazing. The gig was alive.  I was jumping around like a crazy thing.  But I loved it.  And I loved it because I worshipped.  I am made to worship, and in going to gigs with that style of music, I feel myself freed up to worship and jump around and go crazy.  So I did.  But in addition to this, through worshipping to this sort of music, the presence of God fell.  It was so tangible.  I prayed constantly for the band members to know God.  I prayed for the Christian band member to know God more.  I prayed for his ministry.  I prayed for the atmosphere to be punctuated and overcome with the presence of God.  I prayed for the fans in the venue to feel the presence of God.  And boy did He show up.  It was awesome. 

Guys - we need more of God's presence.  We need His presence in the clubs, the gigs, our workplaces, our homes, our public toilets, our shopping centres, our walks to work, our tube stations, our buses, our car parks, tescos..... not just our churches!  I'm serious!  Imagine your house or your car being so full of the presence of God because you have welcomed it that often that people only need to step inside to be transformed by our loving Lord!

Finally, I read this today - Joshua 10v29 - 43.  The Israelites conquer the southern cities of the promised land.  In this passage the verse 'they left no survivors' is repeated at least 5 times.  The Israelites are so set on their promise from God - to be a great nation and to live in the promised land, that they leave no survivors in their conquest of this.  Now just dream with me for a minute.  Imagine this as a spiritual illustration, that the verse 'no survivors' is applied to the fact that everyone has died to sin.  Imagine for a minute that in our worship and in our bringing the presence of God to earth through our prayers and intimacy with God, that no survivors are left in our circles of influence - no survivors of sin, of blindness, of brokeness, of eating disorders, of drug abuse, of alcoholism, of pain, of hurt, of broken relationships, of loneliness, of low self-esteem.  All of them will have died to these things and been born again in Christ.  How about that for advancing the Kingdom of God?

This is reality.  Friends!  YOU have been called to bind up thebroken hearted, to set the captives free, to bring freedom, to preach good news to the poor, to proclaim freedom from darkness.... it's right there in Isaiah 61.  LET'S DO THIS!