This is not a motivational pep talk about how to get warm fuzzies that make you feel closer to God. Because the reality of that is, you can create warm fuzzies without God having anything to do with it. It's heightened emotional sensations which can quite easily have physical manifestation such as tingles and happiness. I'm not suggesting that God doesn't touch His people, because we all know that He most certainly does! But there has been such a fabrication of the physical
Touch of God in the body of Christ, or should I say in the church building establishments, that nowadays many believers can't tell the difference!
So today I am going to help you work
Out what is God and what is man, fluff and sparkle. The problem with getting the real thing mixed up is not only that believers miss out, but also the fake
Is a substitute that cannot and will not
Satisfy the truly hungry. Eventually you will get bored, immune and discouraged by the false "prescence" of God. Not to mention confused!
Please know, that you do not need a physical touch from God to prove that you're saved or even to prove that you are close to Him. Do not let anybody, No matter how holy you think they are, tell you that you need some supernatural physical touch-party to be a true Christian. God touches and moves In peoples lives in many different ways and He doesn't need to give you a hot flush and a dizzy spell to get your attention... In fact if He does... Maybe that's a warning sign that you need to be listening more attentively to Him!
With all that said, God still does move
In wonderful ways and people do truly get physically touched by God :-) so let's have a look at this shall we?
Firstly, God does not touch Anyone for the sake of making them ooh and aah in delight. He is not a baby who needs to poke His "toys" to see if they will sing and giggle. He Is an almighty God who loves us dearly and touches us physically for good purpose. As everything else that the Holy Spirit does, it is to glorify the Father, to point to Jesus.
Let's look at a couple of the physical touches/presence of God in the word and see what those purposes are.
1. God touches us as a warning and/or a shove in the right direction. All through the bible, men and women experience a touch or great presence of God, as a great and in your face warning sign and/or change direction order! Take Paul (who was Saul
At the time) for example... On the road to damascus he encountered the prescence of God, to the degree that he was literally blind for three days and didn't eat or drink for that long after either. Why? Paul was persecuting God's people greatly and wasn't walking with God in the slightest. God's not so subtle prescence was an act of great mercy that brought Paul to his knees and brought him to salvation for the Glory of God! Read it in Acts 9 or here: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts+9&version=NKJV
There are many other examples
Of God speaking to or appearing to people to warn or move them. I'm sure you can think of a few off the top of your head.
2. Another reason God will physically manifest Himself to someone in some way, involves healing. Physically or mentally. The bible is absolutely jam packed with examples which I will let you explore and re-acquaint yourself with. But notice this, in every instance, EVERY instance, the primary purpose of healing the sick, was to glorify God. The woman with the issue of blood, the 10 lepers, the lame man at the gate called beautiful etc, it seems that all who were healed by Jesus or through His disciples knew that fact well. Each healing ends with someone praising, thanking, glorifying God and/or spreading the good news. The healing was a means. Not an end. Yes, God had mercy on each person and in His endless grace He bestowed upon each one the miracle of Divine healing. But it was to draw people unto Himself. I dare say if healing a person would push them further from God He would not allow it. Something to think about.
There are other reasons why God touches people, but these two sum up quite well, the main intent. God touches us to glorify Himself, to draw people unto Him and set them on track.
So next time your church cries out "lord touch us, we just want a touch" or "send revival on us Lord, touch us with Your mighty power!" ... Ask yourself WHY. When God doesn't answer, its because people are asking for selfish reasons, they aren't looking at the biblical perspective.
And when it appears that God has turned up because people are shaking and a hollering... But you feel nothing... You can take comfort in the fact that you know why. If it's not drawing people unto God, or seeing that people repent, or that they glorify God truly, then you know, you don't have to feel bad about not convulsing in overwhelming emotion.
Let's pray that genuine believers seek only to Glorify the Lord, and when we see that, we will experience the true manifest presence and touch from God.
Thankyou Lord for those rare ones who know Your true touch and promote only You in all Your glory. God I pray for the others who are just promoting warm fuzzies and seeker friendly tingles, to repent and receive a revelation of Your true power and that You would be glorified in every church/synagogue, heart and voice. Praise you Lord! Amen :-)
Touch of God in the body of Christ, or should I say in the church building establishments, that nowadays many believers can't tell the difference!
So today I am going to help you work
Out what is God and what is man, fluff and sparkle. The problem with getting the real thing mixed up is not only that believers miss out, but also the fake
Is a substitute that cannot and will not
Satisfy the truly hungry. Eventually you will get bored, immune and discouraged by the false "prescence" of God. Not to mention confused!
Please know, that you do not need a physical touch from God to prove that you're saved or even to prove that you are close to Him. Do not let anybody, No matter how holy you think they are, tell you that you need some supernatural physical touch-party to be a true Christian. God touches and moves In peoples lives in many different ways and He doesn't need to give you a hot flush and a dizzy spell to get your attention... In fact if He does... Maybe that's a warning sign that you need to be listening more attentively to Him!
With all that said, God still does move
In wonderful ways and people do truly get physically touched by God :-) so let's have a look at this shall we?
Firstly, God does not touch Anyone for the sake of making them ooh and aah in delight. He is not a baby who needs to poke His "toys" to see if they will sing and giggle. He Is an almighty God who loves us dearly and touches us physically for good purpose. As everything else that the Holy Spirit does, it is to glorify the Father, to point to Jesus.
Let's look at a couple of the physical touches/presence of God in the word and see what those purposes are.
1. God touches us as a warning and/or a shove in the right direction. All through the bible, men and women experience a touch or great presence of God, as a great and in your face warning sign and/or change direction order! Take Paul (who was Saul
At the time) for example... On the road to damascus he encountered the prescence of God, to the degree that he was literally blind for three days and didn't eat or drink for that long after either. Why? Paul was persecuting God's people greatly and wasn't walking with God in the slightest. God's not so subtle prescence was an act of great mercy that brought Paul to his knees and brought him to salvation for the Glory of God! Read it in Acts 9 or here: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts+9&version=NKJV
There are many other examples
Of God speaking to or appearing to people to warn or move them. I'm sure you can think of a few off the top of your head.
2. Another reason God will physically manifest Himself to someone in some way, involves healing. Physically or mentally. The bible is absolutely jam packed with examples which I will let you explore and re-acquaint yourself with. But notice this, in every instance, EVERY instance, the primary purpose of healing the sick, was to glorify God. The woman with the issue of blood, the 10 lepers, the lame man at the gate called beautiful etc, it seems that all who were healed by Jesus or through His disciples knew that fact well. Each healing ends with someone praising, thanking, glorifying God and/or spreading the good news. The healing was a means. Not an end. Yes, God had mercy on each person and in His endless grace He bestowed upon each one the miracle of Divine healing. But it was to draw people unto Himself. I dare say if healing a person would push them further from God He would not allow it. Something to think about.
There are other reasons why God touches people, but these two sum up quite well, the main intent. God touches us to glorify Himself, to draw people unto Him and set them on track.
So next time your church cries out "lord touch us, we just want a touch" or "send revival on us Lord, touch us with Your mighty power!" ... Ask yourself WHY. When God doesn't answer, its because people are asking for selfish reasons, they aren't looking at the biblical perspective.
And when it appears that God has turned up because people are shaking and a hollering... But you feel nothing... You can take comfort in the fact that you know why. If it's not drawing people unto God, or seeing that people repent, or that they glorify God truly, then you know, you don't have to feel bad about not convulsing in overwhelming emotion.
Let's pray that genuine believers seek only to Glorify the Lord, and when we see that, we will experience the true manifest presence and touch from God.
Thankyou Lord for those rare ones who know Your true touch and promote only You in all Your glory. God I pray for the others who are just promoting warm fuzzies and seeker friendly tingles, to repent and receive a revelation of Your true power and that You would be glorified in every church/synagogue, heart and voice. Praise you Lord! Amen :-)
Comments
Post a Comment