God's Presence Is With the Believer

This entry is a response to an issue brought up with my previous blog entry.  My response was too long for the comment box, so I'm publishing it here.  Enjoy!

Here is the question:

Another truly wonderful Word. And I agree w/ most of it. I don't mean to argue, but I do want to nit-pick one tiny little detail: There is a definite distinction between being "in God's presence" and times when "God shows up in His full power and glory."
Case in point: Moses. We all know he was blessed and highly favored in the eyes of The Lord. That's not even remotely debatable. Then he climbed Mount Sinai and was in the cloud of God's glory. I admit, I'm a little rusty on my OT history, but I think I can safely say that Moses' entire life was surounded by God's presence. Then he went up the mountain into the cloud and was *in* God's presence - in His full power & glory.
I'm also bringing this up because of things I read in "God Chasers," as I mentioned before. You can be part of a Church Body that's on fire for God, but still *not* be in the presence of God's full power & glory.
Just a thought.

In Christ
CK

And here is my answer:

Hey, CK!

Thanks for replying.

Two years ago, I would have been in your shoes responding in a similar manner.  But my views on this have changed radically. 

Let me explain my point of view on the presence of God.  I would agree with you about Moses, for sure.  In the Old Testament, (God's first covenant with man) God's presence was viewed within the boundaries of space and time.  For example, God's presence was a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night (how amazing would that be to see God's presence manifested as a fire at night... gives me goosebumps), then it was with Moses on the mountain, then it was in the most holy place in the temple and only priests could be in it.  Then it was in the ark and anyone who touched it died.  All of these were foreshadowing what was to come: the new covenant God would make with us by His son's death on the cross.  The temple was a foreshadowing of your spirit, just as the ark was, meaning that when Christ died we became the ark of the covenant.  My spirit (and yours) is now united with Christ in a more intimate way than even Moses experienced.  Therefore, the way God interacts with us now is different than the way he interacted with His people in the old testament.  We are under the new covenant.  We don't have to sacrifice lambs because Christ was the lamb who atoned for the sins of all mankind, past, present, and future.  That just wasn't the case in Moses' time.

Furthermore, God manifesting Himself to Moses doesn't prove that His presence wasn't there before he appeared as a pillar of fire.  He was merely revealing Himself to Moses in a unique way.  After all, is He not omnipresent?  I believe that God is always present with the believer at all times and in all places.  Not only is He present, but His Spirit has become one with us and we have direct access to Him at all times.  We don't have to go through a physical priest anymore because Christ is your high priest.  I believe you have the same access to Him in the grocery store as you do in church.  Miracles are merely manifestations of an already present God.


So, my belief is that God is omnipresent (as is your view, I presume), and that a believer's faith is what enables him to have access to the manifestation of the full glory and power.  So it is God's grace that gives us access, and our faith that engages that access.

It is vital for the Christian to believe that God is constantly with him in His full power and glory at all times, in all places.  When a person actually believes that, they constantly experience God; their life is revolutionized. 

Why is it so important for me to believe this?  It's because my actions reflect what I believe.  If I believe that God's presence only comes at certain times, or by certain prayers, or only during worship, or only when a congregation meets together, then my behavior is different at home than it is at church.  But if I believe He is just as powerfully with me when I'm walking down the street, then I'm the same person in all places.  Imagine how big my faith would be, and how empowered I would feel?  What could a person with that kind of faith accomplish?

I recently wrote a paper talking about how many believers don't seem to believe that God is with them. I used the book "God Chasers", a book read by millions of believers, to illustrate how many people are actually misled about the nature of God's presence.  I love Tenney's heart and call to intimacy.  I commend his ability to inspire and motivate. I essentially disagree with the entire premise of identifying oneself as a "God Chaser".  I don't know about you, but if God hadn't chased me down, I'd be one sad excuse of a human being right now.  I did nothing to catch God's attention.  I unknowingly had it from the start.  He somehow made me into a worthwhile person.  He is the one who changed me.  He loves me that much.  He is not like an earthly father whose attention can only be focused on one thing at a time.

In reference to your last sentence, I think that church people who are on fire for God but aren't seeing manifestations of the glory and power of God simply don't realize that they have full access to it.  they can't take part in something they don't know or believe.  But they do have FULL access.  God doesn't play favorites, nor is He cryptic.  Neither do our accomplishments grant us higher status in the spiritual world.  Our only merit is Christ's blood and He's with all believers equally.  I'd say it's what we believe about Him that determines how we experience Him, not what we do for Him (because anything we do that is good is Him working through us anyway, so none of us can boast in our works).  He does not favor one group of people over another.  Nor is He in one place more than another.  I'd say He is simply manifest more in certain places than in others because people actually believe He's going to do something.  It's their faith that engages His glory. 

**Side Note** I want to note that I believe there is a manifestation, or a "feel", that is unique to the corporate gathering, which is why many people associate His presence with the church building rather than with with their own spirit.  They see the world outside of the church as secular.

I think God can do far more with a person who knows instinctively that God is with him in His fullness than He can with a person who is using his energy chasing after something he already has.  How can you enjoy something fully if you don't know you have it?  How can you fully enjoy a relationship with God if you believe you have to work to catch his attention?  How can you fully enjoy His presence if don't realize you have His fullness of glory?  I can tell you that once you realize He's all in, you start experiencing God in a much more dynamic way.  You cannot earn His favor just as you cannot earn His grace.  Thank God, cause we'd all be hell-bound if it wasn't for grace.

So, as long-winded as that was, there is my view in a nutshell.  I truly hope you at least consider it because I believe this kind of thinking is so foundational, so vital to the joyful Christian life.  If you cannot agree, well, we can at least thank God we're both still saved and going to heaven. :)