
I will be the first to tell people that Sunday mornings are not my time of intimacy with God, most of the time I have to go home in the quiet and listen to a podcast from one of my favorite teachers, then study on my own, pray, and jack up some Hillsong United and just get lost in worship. I enjoy those moments, I wish they came more often than they do. I start thinking that I can only experience God within the context of something churchy. I get lost in this thought process that my access to God is limited to a service, worship time, small group, or youth group. Then when I’m not getting to enjoy these access points I feel like I am far from God, don’t you? There is this great book in the Bible called Romans. Paul is writing to a group of people to assure them that they are no longer bound to a God with limited access, the alter was broken, the holy of holies opened up for all to be in (those who trust in Christ). Often times we send new believers to one of the Gospels to understand Jesus and His ministry. I suggest letting them read Genesis, Exodus, and Leviticus to learn about how God originally set it all up, the alter, rituals, rules, and access points to Israel, then let them read either Romans or Hebrews and realize that when Jesus came and died on that nasty cross, that all those temple worship things were broken and completed. No longer does God sit in one place at a temple for only a priest to access, He grants us immediate access to Him. Take a look at Romans Ch 5. We have all gained access through faith in Christ to direct access to God!
This is exciting! This is revolutionary and ground breaking. So as I go through this tension of wishing I could just go to church and relax and experience God, I often have to remind myself that I can experience Him in a powerful way just like the lay person who comes to church right in my living room or local coffee joint. So may you stop looking for God under rocks, under your bed, around the city, in books, or whatever else it is you think He is hiding in and realize that the Holy God of Heaven, Almighty creator of heaven and earth is all around you and you have complete access to Him through Christ Jesus.
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