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"Aspects of Worship"
"Where Are You, God?", by Fred F. McKinnon | (more teachings)
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Where Are You, Part 1
Where Are You, Part 2
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Summary and Outline
Questions to consider:
1) What do you think of when you hear the phrase "The presence of God"?
2) Where is God, exactly?
3) Where and what is "God's Presence?"
4) Where is Jesus, at this time?
5) Where is the Holy Spirit
6) What is the difference between God's "glory", His "Manifest Presence", and the anointing?
Focus Points:
1) God is everywhere - He is "omnipresent"
2) God's presence is revealed to us in many different ways
3) Although God's presence is everywhere (He is "omnipresent"), our "perception and awareness" of His Presence is always changing.
#1) God is everywhere
Scripture References:
Psalm 139:7-10
Jeremiah 23: 23-24
Amos 9: 2-3
Matthew 28:20
#2) God's Presence, although everywhere, is revealed to us in different ways
1) God's Habitation - His presence in heaven, where He is dwelling or residing, physically
2) God's "manifest presence".
His "manifest presence" is His glory.
God's Glory: "the external manifestation of His being. The tangible, revealed presence of God. It is seen, it is revealed, it can be sensed, it is not hidden or without notice.
Important Point: God's "glory" is His manifested, revealed Presence in our midst. This should not be confused with the "anointing", which is the manifestation of God's Spirit (the Holy Spirit) in or upon an individual or group, for the purpose of equipping.
3) God's "abiding presence"
In the form of the Holy Spirit, moving IN us, THROUGH us, and flowing FROM us. We are the temple of the Holy Spirit - God's Presence lives INSIDE of us, and can be released through us.
God also "pours out" his Spirit upon us, although the same Spirit dwells within us.
#3) Different things can contribute to our "awareness and perception" of God's Presence in our midst:
This point is obvious in most worship services. While one individual may be experiencing the reality of God's Presence in a tangible, manifest way, someone right next to them is totally hardened and unaware of the fact that God is even present in the same room!
I know God is there - but why am I unaware of His Presence???
Possible explanations:
1) Sin: see Isaiah 59:1-2. When sin is present in our lives, God is forced to turn His face from us. God is there, and has not abandoned you - but He has turned His face. We can always tell when someone is looking at us!
2) Hunger and thirst: those who "HUNGER AND THIRST" will be filled! Are we really hungry and thirsty for God? Have we gotten so used to the ways of the world that we can go days upon days without having a revelation of God's Presence with us?
Shouldn't we DESPERATE for God's glory to be evident in our lives? Moses was! See Exodus 33:15
3) BUSY - BUSY - BUSY: are we too busy to recognize God? By not stopping our busy ways long enough, we could miss the awareness of Him! Many times, we are not aware of God's Presence because we are too busy, or we are looking and seeking in the wrong places. Remember the story where Elijah found that God wasn't in the wind, fire, or earthquake, but in the "still, small voice". (see 1 Kings 19)
4) Our Religion: Yes, unfortunately, many of our religious beliefs have taught us in a "far off" God who sits on His throne in Heaven, without regard to us. We are not properly taught of the many ways God's Presence is revealed to us today.
5) Spiritual "Temperature" - because of the hardness of our hearts, we cannot sense or realize that God's Presence is around us. When we are in true, Spirit-led worship, we come to a place where our spirits are in communion with God, and we are able to perceive and be aware of His Presence!
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