Good day dear friends.
We were so blessed by the visit of Rev. Dr. Terry Teykl, a man of God with a wonderful testimony and witness. He spoke at our three worship services and in the afternoon shared a mini-seminar on The Presence-Based Church.
His text for the traditional services was from Exodus 33: Now Moses used to take a tent and pitch it outside the camp some distance away, calling it the "tent of meeting." Anyone inquiring of the Lord would go to the tent of meeting outside the camp. 8 And whenever Moses went out to the tent, all the people rose and stood at the entrances to their tents, watching Moses until he entered the tent. 9 As Moses went into the tent, the pillar of cloud would come down and stay at the entrance, while the Lord spoke with Moses. 10 Whenever the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance to the tent, they all stood and worshiped at the entrances to their tents. 11 The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend. Then Moses would return to the camp, but his young aide Joshua son of Nun did not leave the tent.
His key verse, as to why the Lord inspired him to write this book was verse 11: "The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend." This is the way to have a presence-based relationship with God. Dr. Teykl correctly mentioned we too often seek the hand of God to move something in our favor. We rarely seek to know God and to experience God as one would experience a friend. Instead of being like Moses, we're like the frightened and confused people that didn't know what to make of God talking to Moses. Sadly, as Terry mentioned, we say to our pastors, "You take care of the spiritual stuff - that's what we pay you for!"
The Presence Based Church is one who, as individuals and corporately, seeks the face of God to guide it and strengthen it to do the ministries with which it was entrusted.
Are you truly seeking the face of God or are you comfortable just sitting back, listening, and leaving? Are you taking the prayer list home and faithfully praying for one another as Jesus asked? I see so many just throw their prayer lists in the recycle bin. I don't know what the thought is behind it, but I know if my name was on the prayer list I would want everyone from my church praying for me. Come to think of it, my name or the fact I fall in that category called "Pastors," Leslie's name and mine, stand in need of your prayers. And what about those magnets with our children's names on them? I thankful so many of those names went home and are on refrigerators being prayed for; I pray that those neglected and left on the table are not being preyed on. We're not yet a Presence based church...
PRAYER: Loving God of Presence and Power, visit each person who read this and who was in worship yesterday. Make the words planted yesterday and today through this devotional come to life and let it bear great fruit for You! I pray in Jesus' name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
e.v.
