2024 Vision Message: Enjoying God's Presence Every Day.
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The vision that the Lord laid on my heart for UFGC 2024 is that all of us, both individually, family, ministerial and corporately experience and enjoy more and of God’s wonderful presence EACH DAY!
For far to many people God’s presence is limited to 1 day a week: Sunday.
This is NOT what God’s plan is.
Jesus said:
4 Remain in Me, and I in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit of itself but must remain in the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in Me.
We cannot “remain in” God’s presence if we only visit Him once a week.
If i was to ask you about your personal experience with God’s presence, how would you answer?
Many, if not most, will say “Sometimes i feel His presence and sometimes i don't”. Some days i am very aware of God’s presence and other days i feel like God is so distant.
God really wants us to be aware of His Presence.
A passage of scripture that has always impacted me is found very early in the bible:
After Adam and Eve sinned and saw their shame the bible says:
7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves waist coverings.
8 Now they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.
9 Then the Lord God called to the man, and said to him, “Where are you?”
Notice it was God who came looking for His children, to walk with Him, every day in the cool of day.
And I am 100% convinced that God still desires this exact same relationship with His children.
To walk with them daily. To walk with YOU daily!
Over and over again God reminds His children of His presence.
1 The Lord is my shepherd, I will not be in need.
2 He lets me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters.
3 He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness For the sake of His name.
4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
“You are with me”.
Every single saint whom God called was personally reminded of this simply, yet awesome spiritual fact.
For example:
1: Enoch we are told:
24 Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him.
2: When God called Noah to build an ark in a wicked time, the task seemed impossible but God says:
9 These are the records of the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God.
3: When God called Abram to leave home, family and life behind to follow God we are told:
1 Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country, And from your relatives And from your father’s house, To the land which I will show you;
4: When God told Moses to go before Pharaoh and demand the release of God’s people, God said:
12 And He said, “Assuredly I will be with you, and this shall be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God at this mountain.”
5: When Joshua had to take over from Moses in leading an entire nation into their inheritance what did God say:
5 No one will be able to oppose you all the days of your life. Just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you; I will not desert you nor abandon you.
6: When David as a young shepherd boy faced the mighty philistine worrier Goliath, what do we read?
37 And David said, “The Lord who saved me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear, He will save me from the hand of this Philistine.” So Saul said to David, “Go, and may the Lord be with you.”
7: When God called the prophet Isaiah to speak His message to a dangerous and rebellious people, what did God say:
10 ‘Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, I will also help you, I will also uphold you with My righteous right hand.’
When Jeremiah got the same commission what did God say:
8 “Do not be afraid of them, For I am with you to save you,” declares the Lord.
When Jesus send us out to all the world to preach and proclaim the Gospel what does He say?
19 Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,
20 teaching them to follow all that I commanded you; and behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
I love how the people of God became so dependent on God’s Presence that they said:
15 Then he said to Him, “If Your presence does not go with us, do not lead us up from here.
My prayer is that this becomes the attitude of every member of UFGC
One thing is clear: God wants us to know that He is with us.
But not just on an intellectual level, but on a relational level.
24 “Can a person hide himself in hiding places So that I do not see him?” declares the Lord. “Do I not fill the heavens and the earth?” declares the Lord.
The actual reality of an Omnipresent God is that we are ALWAYS in His presence.
What changes is NOT God’s Presence, rather its OUR AWARENESS of that constant presence.
And this is precisely where it matters!
Why?
Because it is only in OUR AWARENESS of His Presence that the benefits of His presence are manifest.
Look at the disciple Thomas:
After the death of Jesus, Thomas was not with the other disciples when Jesus appeared to them after His resurrection.
Then even when He did, it was not until Thomas became AWARE of His presence that peace and hope were manifest.
This actually bring up a very important aspect of Enjoying God’s Presence every day:
Being Blind to God’s Presence.
After the resurrection of Jesus we see 2 very upset disciples on the road to Emmaus:
13 And behold, on that very day two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, which was sixty stadia from Jerusalem.
14 And they were talking with each other about all these things which had taken place.
15 While they were talking and discussing, Jesus Himself approached and began traveling with them.
16 But their eyes were kept from recognizing Him.
They were walking and talking with Jesus, yet they were unaware of His presence.
Why?
The clue is in v 17:
17 And He said to them, “What are these words that you are exchanging with one another as you are walking?” And they came to a stop, looking sad.
Sadness.
Despair is a powerful Satanic weapon against the Christian.
A spiritual battle we must all learn to fight.
Later we read:
28 And they approached the village where they were going, and He gave the impression that He was going farther.
29 And so they strongly urged Him, saying, “Stay with us, for it is getting toward evening, and the day is now nearly over.” So He went in to stay with them.
30 And it came about, when He had reclined at the table with them, that He took the bread and blessed it, and He broke it and began giving it to them.
31 And then their eyes were opened and they recognized Him; and He vanished from their sight.
I want you to notice:
It was only when Jesus was invited into their home, reclining at the table, eating a meal of fellowship - that their eyes were opened!
In other words: Walking with Jesus between destinations will not open your eyes.
Jesus IS the DESTINATION.
Amen.
Church Liturgy:
Church Liturgy:
One of the most timeless means of cultivating an awareness of God’s presence has always been through Liturgy.
Liturgy simply speaks of the various orders and methods of worship.
Every church adopts some form of liturgy.
Here at UFGC we have always follow basically the same Sunday Liturgy:
1: Prayer and Welcome.
2: Praise and Thanksgiving.
3: Worship and Adoration.
4: Testimony/Song/Play
5: The ministry of the Word.
6: Communion.
7: Closing Prayers.
8: Fellowship.
This is not the “Biblical” formula or commanded liturgy.
It is simply the Order of our Sunday Services that we have adopted to maintain Order and keep our attention of God.
But this is only our Sunday Liturgy and given that we want to cultivate an intimacy with God that fixes our attention on God EVERY DAY not just on SUNDAY - We are going to extend our liturgical Order to every day.
This is actually nothing new. The church has followed both Sunday as well as daily liturgical orders for over 1000 years.
Problems arose because Liturgies are supposed to FACILITATE devotion NOT DICTATE it.
And indeed what began as godly practices turned into religious duties.
We are not going to dictate any liturgical order to anyone.
I am going to VOLUNTARY follow an established liturgical year order and you are welcome to VOLUNTARY join me.
We are going to use Classical Liturgical colors to represent various seasons and concepts.
We are NOT following RC practices on these topics.
1: Green - Spiritual Growth.
Ephesians 4:15 (NASB 2020)
15 but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, that is, Christ,
2: Gold - Divinity.
2 Peter 1:3 (NASB 2020)
3 for His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.
3: Red - Atonement.
1 Corinthians 5:7 (NASB 2020)
7 Clean out the old leaven so that you may be a new lump, just as you are in fact unleavened. For Christ our Passover also has been sacrificed.
4: Blue - Preparation And Ministry
2 Corinthians 5:5 (NASB 2020)
5 Now He who prepared us for this very purpose is God, who gave us the Spirit as a pledge.
5: Purple - Repentance.
Acts 17:30 (NASB 2020)
30 So having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now proclaiming to mankind that all people everywhere are to repent,
Devotional Liturgy:
Devotional Liturgy:
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