So, I heard a pastor say, “The presence of Jesus is here in this place because we worshipped Him.”
I don’t think that’s wrong, I think that’s very true … heart felt worship ushers in the presence of The Holy Spirit, who IS the Spirit OF Jesus. But, something in this statement stuck in me and I began to think about it some.
I’ve been to a lot of churches, and I don’t sense The Holy Spirit moving in ALL of them, ALL of the time. So, clearly it isn’t JUST worshipping Jesus that ushers in His presence.
And. It can’t be doctrine that ushers in His presence, because if the Holy Spirit were waiting for our perfect teaching and belief sets …. The Presence would NEVER show up! Jesus doesn’t validate our doctrine or religious eccentricities, Jesus validates His own message of love and eternal life through the finished work of the cross.
So, what is it?
I began thinking about the Jewish people on Passover who still TODAY put out a chair at the dinner table for Elijah. They put that chair out in hope that Elijah will return to Israel, if not to their very own dinner table.
But, The Jewish people have rejected the Elijah they received, John the Baptist. And, they have rejected the Messiah that they got, in Jesus. They don’t like what Jesus provided, and haven’t accepted the form of love and deliverance they were offered.
They put the seat out every year waiting, because they don’t like the Messiah who showed up! In fact, they put that chair out EVERY year without really believing Elijah WILL show up! It's become more of a tradition than a true expectancy (see Mark 7:13).
To me, this is a lot like our churches.
- We want the Jesus we want, instead of the Jesus we have been given.
- We want the Jesus we understand, instead of the Jesus who is beyond our understanding.
- We want the Jesus we can control, instead of the Jesus who holds all of time in His hands.
- We want the Jesus we can neatly explain, instead of the Jesus who is beyond explanation.
- We want the Jesus we can fit into our doctrine, instead of the Jesus who IS proper doctrine.
- We want the Jesus we can fit into our rigid church format, instead of the Jesus who IS the church format.
- We want our timing, our way, our schedule instead of the unknown, untimed, and unchartered.
Yes. The Jewish people wanted a messiah who would free them their way, instead of His way. The Jewish people wanted physical deliverance from the temporary bondage of Rome without FIRST being set free in the Spirit realm from the eternal bondage of sin. Yet, we are often blind and fail to see that our spiritual freedom paves the way for physical freedom!
The Jesus who wants to crash our brick and mortar churches, is far more and far better than 4 pre set songs and a cookie cutter sermon. We want the Jesus who will be done by 11 AM so the next service can start, or the Jesus who will be done by high noon so we can go eat or watch the NFL.
I’m sorry, but the church must begin to DESIRE His presence MORE than we desire our own ways, polite "threepeat" Sunday services, and the things of this world.
It’s time to take Jesus out of the box we placed Him in, and into every crevice of our worship, breathing, and daily existence!