My Presence will go with you and I will give you rest (Exo.33:14)

In Exo.33:14 we see God making an incredible promise to Moses.   Now Moses and the Israelites were at Mt Sinai, they had seen the miraculous power of God in delivering them out of Egypt and now that come to the Mountain of God to worship their God. It was at this mountain that God commissioned them to be his kingdom of priests that would bless the nations.  And now they were about to launch forth to take the promised land.  But Moses realized the importance of the presence of God on this mission.

I spent all of last week in the class with Dr Ed Stetzer, a leader in the MISSIONAL CHURCH movement. We looked at the importance of the missio Dei (the mission of God) and how the church is an instrument that is called forth to partner with God on HIS MISSION to reach all the nations of the earth.  If we are truly going to be a Spirit led people who are ON GOD’S MISSION – then we must be people of PRAYER.

Every Missionary (that includes every Christian who lives on this earth) is called to a life of prayer that is Spirit filled and led. As a CHURCH ON MISSION with GOD- our churches need to be Houses of Prayer for all nations!

Accordingly there are some powerful principles we can learn from MOses encounter with God on the Mountain:

1) REVELATION and Mission should be birthed out of prayer and God’s word:

We see Moses in dailogue with God. Notice that God first makes a promise that His Presence will go with Moses and He would give Moses rest. Moses then immediately prays this promise: “If your presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here…”  Moses repeats and prays the promise the God made to him in v.14!

In the same we must pray to understand the Lord’s Will and moreover we must understand the importance of God’s PRESENCE that went with Moses and the children of Israel.  

The word PRESENCE in Hebrew can literally be taken ”the FACE of GOD” – in a sense it is the same word that is used in the Deuteronomic blessing in Numbers 6, where the Priest would bless God’s people by declaring that “God will make his FACE TO SHINE UPON YOU.” Likewise, it si important to understand that God’s presence involves GOD”S FAVOR and BLESSING being Upon us.

This adds new insight into what is meant by SEEKING GOD’S PRESENCE and SEEKING HIS FACE!  In otherwords when we approach God in prayer we are to seek Him, but more than that we are to SEEK HIS FACE. When we look at someone’s face – we give that person our full attention and respect…. it is also a picture of exclusivity and intimacy. 

So when we being to understand God’s Presence – turning to seek His face, his favor and blessing – shining upon us – then we can have the confidence to do what he wants.

But Moses went a step futher.

2) Moses prayed “Show me your glory”:

This was a daring prayer of Moses – for no one could see the face of God and live.  So God hid Moses in the rock and caused  his goodness pass by Moses.  IN Exo. 34 – we see that Moses saw God’s glory – He saw the goodness and very CHARACTER (the essence) of GOD!

So when we pray don’t merely focus on claiming the promises of God which are in His word – PLEASE UNDERSTAND – that the center and basis of our FAITH MUST BE IN CHRIST ALONE – IN HIS CHARACTER AND GOODNESS!  many Christians claim scriptures as though it were some magic formula – yes they are promises and God does answer prayers. BUT LIKE MOSES – we need to understand that we need to seek our saviour – we need to seek God’s character and not merely the subject of what he has promised.  Our trust, our worship, our adoration, the subject of our prayer must be focused on Christ and WHO HE ESSENTIALLY IS!

Seek the GIVER not the GIFTS. More than that we will be TRANSFORMED WHEN WE BEGIN TO SEE WOH CHRIST IS. Like the apostle Paul I encourage all of us to pray: “I want to Know CHRIST, the powe rof his resurrection and the feloowship of sharing in his sufferings, becomign like him in his death. And so somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead” (Phil.3:10-11).

God bless all of you!

You are missionaries of the Most High God – so begin to live as missionaries!

ps Jono

M.A.R.C.H. ON!

Contentment & Generosity because of God’s grace & character

I’m  not sure whether anyone has mentioned the importance of CONTENTMENT in other sermons in the series – I think that could have been brought into the equation – once we understand contentment – then it becomes easier to deal with BALANCE…  so people will inevitably struggle with balancing work, money, relationships, service in church etc… – but it’s because they haven’t learned to be CONTENT – as Paul says I have learned to be content in all situations whether with much or little. Most people struggle with wrong desires – related to food, money, relationships – because they haven’t learned to be content with the situation they are in and those wrong desires begin to be the driving factor.

 I also think it was great how the point was made that we cannot out give God. When we meditate on that we begin to realize that God is in fact a GENEROUS GOD – so if you really KNOW GOD and his character – you will become like Him – in generosity – God is a Blesser! And God doesn’t bless us just because we bless him, honor him, do good works… rather God blesses us because when we are generous- we become more like him (in nature & faith). And God LIKES PEOPLE WHO ARE LIKE HIM! (god loves cheerful givers).

 We cannot earn God’s blessing – everything he gives us because of his goodness and Grace. We cannot earn it – so even if we  tithe faithfully and we do not receive any financial blessings in return- Don’t get upset! God is Still Good!  I think the issue boils DOWN TO HAVING THE CHARACTER OF CHRIST – which in part entails BEING GENEROUS and being content.

Blessings

Ps Jono