THE LIVING PRESENCE OF GOD VERSUS STYLE

 Religious people often substitute rituals and ceremony for real relationship with the Lord Himself. People who are short on intimacy with the Lord seem to find security in the outward forms. An organization can do the same. It is interesting that God gave Israel a portable tabernacle long before He gave them a stone temple.

In Israel’s journeys across the wilderness, they had to follow the cloud of God’s presence that rested above the tabernacle. When the cloud of His presence moved, they moved. When the cloud rested, they remained still. The cloud did not rise or rest according to any rigid schedule. The Israelites could not prepare for movement by “watching the clock,” the sun, or the date. They had to observe and follow the cloud (Exodus 40: 34-38).

In the same way, Jesus Christ desires that the church would know Him intimately and be genuinely led by the Spirit in its development. God’s people, however, tend to become sidetracked and to fall back on religious routine and ceremony. This also happens in those churches which pride themselves in being Spirit-filled. It is easy for anything we do to become rote and ritual---even those activities which we think are manifestations of God’s presence. One church seems empty and dead as it follows its bulletin’s order of service with its dull ceremony. This type of church needs to awaken both the spirit and soul of each Christian to our Lord’s loving presence. By contrast, another church shouts, dances, and expresses great emotion. This also can become ritual. One moves in intellect without Spirit while the other is exuberant in emotion substituting for Spirit. Unless the church maintains an honest and good heart to seek the Lord, it is very easy for any of its “spiritual” activity to devolve into empty routine. Our church life should be born of the Spirit and perfected by the Spirit.

It is a common problem that churches often mistake style for anointing. The difficulty is that God’s presence can be in all of it. We cannot deny the fact that God has good people in all traditions. His presence is there---but there is a higher way. Churches should hunger to find the Biblical reality that makes way for the fullest expression of God’s presence and purpose. This is where we fall short. We are content with His presence, but without the fullest expression of it.

I challenge each of us to read through the book of Acts and note every supernatural manifestation and work of the Holy Spirit. In those pages we see God’s intimate interaction with His people. It should cause us to hunger to experience the presence of God and to encounter the Holy Spirit like the early Christians.

For a deeper study of this subject, I recommend my book “Spiritual Power for Everyday Living.”  You can order your copy by visiting my website at www.billylongministries.com 

You can also order the book on amazon.com

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Billy Long said…
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June 4, 2025 at 11:49 AM
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