Have you ever heard someone use the phrase “show up” as in, “Let’s go to church and see if God shows up”? I’ve never liked the expression “show up” in reference to God because it sounds too casual—like the kind of thing you do when you don’t have anything better to do.
There is nothing so capricious about our God—He is deliberate in everything He does. He never “shows up” like that. But on the other hand, if by “show up” you mean that you can sense God’s presence in a worship service or a Bible study, then I could agree to the phrase. But what we are really saying is that God is “manifested.” The word “manifest” in simplicity means “to make known” or “to reveal.” When truth that was not understood or known before becomes real to us, we can say God, Who is Truth, was manifested.
That’s what happened in East Oakland at the Urban Church on Saturday. I know that many received a revelation of their identity as “sons of God.” When God showed up in East Oakland, there was a revelation “not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit.” Thank you for your prayers. Next week I will return to teach the power of the Cross in overcoming sin. I am quite confident that God will indeed be showing up!
It's great when you teach these basic truths, that are so vital to start off right in the path God has designed for us. When clearly understood in our spirit, they become the foundation pillars from where the rest of our lives can be safely built. When these truths are in us, experientally, they will keep us from wandering, and straying from His path. These truths, assimilated and put into practice establish us in God and secure our identity in Him. Really, they define us. They are the foundational rock on which to build every single day of our lives. We find in them security because they are the truth. How easily then can the Holy Spirit build on that foundation! i think that is where grace finds a fertile land; whatever it (grace) plants, it grows.
ReplyDeletePatricia
"Define" is the operative 'word.' We define ourselves in so many wrong ways, and we let others define us. Long after we have decided to let God define us, we will find people still pulling us back into those old ways, telling us that is who we really are! I love the Treasures truth that says "you are not your feelings" and "you are not your temptaions." Temptations are answered by truth; feelings are answered by facts!!
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