One of the outcomes of increased technology is greater mobility. And more couples than ever are having long distance relationships, which begs the question, “does absence make the heart grow fonder?” Romantics may think so, but
realists know the opposite is just as likely. Face-to-face time is the building
block of any bond.
Likewise, distance will strain our relationship with God. It can cause a loneliness that sends an ambivalent lover looking for someone more present. More than making the heart grow fonder, that long distance feeling can make the heart go wander.
People distance themselves from God for different reasons. The Jews distanced themselves from God when they thought He was unfair. David said un-confessed sin separated him from God. According to Paul, long distance feelings from God are a result of neglect (Eph. 4:18). The cure: increase your face-time.
“When You said, Seek My face, my heart said to
You, Your face, O Lord, I shall seek”(Ps 27:8)... So then, Let us rise early and go to the vineyards; Let us see whether the vine has budded and its blossoms have opened, and whether the pomegranates have bloomed. There I will give you my love (Song of Songs 7:12).
This weekend I helped my mother move to Sunnyvale, closer to us. Predictably, it involved ‘dealings’ with the phone, utility, and Internet bureaucracies (called “service providers”?). To deal with these behemoths nowadays, you have to traverse a maze of robotic relations. A simple change of address at the Post Office now must be done online. It turned out to be a daunting task! Does anyone else think that “face-to-face,” “tell-me-how-I-can-help-you” customer service has gone the way of the typewriter?
Of course that doesn’t keep us from wanting it! In fact, there has been an increasing value placed on customer satisfaction in the American church, with potential members looking for safe and fun childcare, convenient parking, and free coffee—not to mention expectations of family-friendly programs to occupy discretionary time. While customer service in the market place wanes, the American church waxes full of it! Are we attracting “worshippers” or loyal customers?’
When exactly did American evangelicalism convert to consumerism? The church-according-to-Paul was always intended to be a place to contribute (Ro. 12; 1 Cor. 12; Eph. 4), not to consume. In fact, Paul clearly excludes the latter by declaring ‘only as each person makes his own contribution to help the others grow will the church be healthy, growing, and full of love’ (Eph. 4:16). How do you distinguish between the two? Customers show up Sunday morning to be entertained. Contributors are there on Wednesday night to be better equipped to help others. Is it time for a little self-examination?
Today is Altha’s and my 26th wedding anniversary. I read one time that if you want to see if a woman has a happy marriage, just look at her face. I hope when people look in my face, they see my love for Altha. Conversely, when people are unhappy or upset, you can see that in their face too, cant' you!
When the crowds looked at Stephen’s face (Acts 7:55-56) in the midst of his persecution and execution, they saw Jesus. As Stephen looked up into heaven, beholding Jesus in glory, and reflecting him to those around him, nothing else mattered to him—he had transcended time and space: he was transfixed and transformed.
Keeping your eyes fixed on Jesus (Heb. 12:2) will not only lift you above all your troubles—it will transform you. "But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, as by the Spirit of the Lord" (2 Cor. 3:18). We become what we behold, like a mirror reflecting the image it bears. We are to be mirrors reflecting Jesus.
Are you so much in love with Jesus, people can see it in your face? And when troubles weigh you down, what will people see in your face: will they see Jesus?
[Today's post is part two of yesterday’s “In Your Face"]
In Jesus’ final moment with His followers, He commissioned them to “make disciples” (Mat. 28:19). And that is what the New Testament church did: “admonishing and teaching every man…to present every man complete in Christ” (Col. 1:28). Following Jesus’ “discipleship model,” the early believers knew making disciples had to be personal and relational—involving lots of “Face Time.”
When Jesus thought about His Body, the Church, do you think he envisioned large auditoriums where people would come for an hour each week, sitting in long rows of chairs facing a stage? To their detriment, large numbers of Christians have no spiritual connection other than “attending” a church service once a week. They have no connection to their pastor, no significant personal relationship with another—they are not getting any one's “Face Time.”
Jesus did envision small groups of people having “face time” with Him and with one another. He said, "For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst" (Matt. 18:20). We should not be surprised that Jesus spoke of small gatherings—even as few as two or three— since disciple-making is so individual.
Our mega-churches may be packing people into the pews, but unless they are also making disciples, they have fallen short of the Great Commission. And if you are not in a personal, vital “face time” relationship with a younger believer, neither are you. But it’s not too late to right this wrong. Ask the Lord to show you someone in your sphere who needs your “face time.”
The term “In Your Face” suggests a rather aggressive way of interacting with someone—a nose-to-nose confrontation. A similar phrase, “In His Face,” was the title of a book by Bob Sorge (1994). Bob used the phrase to emphasize he was ‘aggressively’ pursuing God in the midst of his life-altering illness.
Another, perhaps gentler expression is “Face Time,” meaning face-to-face interaction between people—incorporating "real” time and closeness versus telephone, email, or instant messaging, and promoting intimacy through eye contact and touch.
God desires “Face time” with us (as we should with Him): “When You said, ‘Seek My face,’ my heart said to You, ‘Your face, O Lord, I shall seek” (Psalm 27:8). “Face Time” with God also requires closeness. “In Your presence is fullness of joy” (Ps. 16:11). Significantly, the words “face” and “presence” are the SAME in Hebrew. In these two verses you can easily substitute the words “face” and “presence.”
Are you spending enough “face time” with Jesus? You cannot get it by attending a church service, or listening to a sermon, or doing ministry. These are all ‘good’ things that can keep you away from spending time alone in the presence of Jesus.
