Church, Meet God

In three months from right now I will be asleep in a hotel in Jerusalem after taking in the view of the Old City from the Mount of Olives, traveling the traditional Palm Sunday walk, sitting and reflecting in a corner of the Garden of Gethsemane, exploring an area of the city that contains the traditional upper room, and hopefully traveling to Bethlehem. I'm so excited. My wife and I are beginning to get everything ready for the trip.

Recently I've found myself with a lot of time on my hands, and I have been able to get a copy of the syllabus from my professor. I'm starting to get back into student mode. Right now I'm reading through the different Scripture passages for class as I wait for the final book to arrive. As I've been reading the text is hitting me in a new way. And I want to share a verse that I've been thinking about for the last few days.

Exodus 19.17, "And Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain."

Moses brought the people out of the camp so that they could meet God. He lead them from the safety and shelter of their tents, to the foot of the mountain where they would come face to face with God. The people are on their way to the Promised Land. At this point they haven't been sentenced to forty years in the wilderness for disobedience and lack of trust.

Right now this is simply them coming face to face with the God who showed His power in Egypt, and lead them through the Red Sea to freedom. Right after this Moses will receive the Ten Commandments. The people will learn God's statutes so that they can live in the way that He requires. But before they can begin to live as God would have them live, they must first meet God. And so Moses, God's chosen leader, His messenger before the people, brings them to the mountain to introduce them to God.

This past Sunday my grandpa said something that I haven't stopped thinking about. "The Church spends too much time trying to do the work of God, and not enough time teaching about who God is." I think that's true for most churches in America. Many of them are declining in attendance, some don't have the funds to continue operating for much longer. Most of them are made up of people who have been there for the past fifty years, which isn't a bad thing, but because those are the only people there church is done like it's 1962.

The Church is trying to do the work of God, but based on the results that are being seen, I think it's safe to say that it isn't doing a very good job. And the reason the Church isn't doing a very good job at doing the work of God is because the Church really doesn't know who God is.

As leaders of the Church we need to bring people to the mountain, get them out of the camp, and bring them face to face with God. Instead of trying to do God's work, hoping we get it right, let's meet God and focus on knowing Him. When we know God, we are able to join His work. But if we don't know God, there is no way for us to know how to get involved with Him.

The Church needs to refocus. If we want to take part in the work of God, it begins with knowing God. To know God, we must first meet Him. And when we do it might be a terrifying experience. The Israelites didn't want to hear from God directly, but wanted Moses to intervene for them. Francis Chan, in his recent Basic, Fear God, talks about how the fear of God is genuine fear. It isn't simply awe and respect, but as we see in Scripture, people are terrified when they come in contact with God. But when we meet God we see that there is nothing else to fear, and we are able to fear not because we belong to God.

As God's people we can take part in the work He is doing, but we can only join Him if we know Him. Our primary focus must be on knowing God. The Church needs to teach who God is, and as people come to know God their lives we be transformed. As lives are transformed the work of God gets accomplished. It all begins with knowing God. So, Church, meet God.

"I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread."

To God alone be the Glory!

Peace be with you