SHOULDER TO SHOULDER #120 ---- 5/1/00
Posted by: lifeunlimited <lifeunlimited@...>
As We fight The Good Fight
SHOULDER TO SHOULDER #120 ---- 5/1/00
TITLE: "Our Only Source"
My Dear Partner and Fellow Servant:
I greet you today from Kansas City, Missouri, where Jo Ann and I are
leading a revival conference in a small and struggling church in a
declining neighborhood. Led by a bi-vocational pastor, and having gone
through a fairly recent struggle, there is nonetheless within this small
group, a hope and a hunger for God to prove Himself mighty again in their
behalf. That is our prayer as well. I would ask you to join us in
prayer that God will bring new life and vitality to this congregation.
While in Kansas City we are also enjoying the presence of all of our
family except one daughter and her children. Since my parents live near
the church where we are ministering, we are staying with them. Dad, in
fact, is playing organ and piano in some of the services. Our "Elder"
daughter (both her position and her last name), her husband, and their
son, are in the area doing deputation for their assignment to
evangelistic missions in Colombia, South America.
Our third daughter and her family are with us (all five adopted grand
children from Russia) while her husband does some work at the regional
office of the company for whom he works. Our fourth daughter and her
family are on vacation from the church where Jim pastors.
So ---- it's a happy and busy ---- and Very Crowded ---- household this
week.
OUR ONLY SOURCE:
I do not remember a time ever in our 45 years of vocational ministry when
I have felt so busy ---- so overwhelmed by things that need to be done.
We didn't plan it that way ; it just sorta "snuck up on us". In the past
six weeks, we have traveled over 8,000 miles, and can't see how it
happened. But, the odometer tells the tale. And, here we are again ----
away from home, while Jo Ann's beautiful flowers glow in all their
splendor ---- and all alone.
I keep thinking this schedule will stop soon, but then remember that
after our meeting ends Wednesday night, we drive home, and then leave
Thursday for Branson, MO for a few days. Then just over two weeks later
we gather our team of 22 and head to Sarajevo, Bosnia and then to
Karlovac, Croatia, for three weeks of ministry to victims of the past ten
years of fighting in the Balkans and to the believers in those countries.
It seems like the past year has been one of frantically moving from
crisis to crisis, from place to place, from project to project ---- all
the while anticipating that illusive moment when we can finally settle
down, relax, and shift into a more casual lifestyle. But, it never seems
to happen.
Of course, it could be altogether different ---- we could be bored.
Perish the thought!
Which leads me to my question ----
"Where do you go for the sustaining power and energy you need for your
ministry?"
Just where does the average minister turn to for his or her resources for
ministry?
Obviously, the answer is, and rightly should be, the Lord.
However, the truth of the matter often is that there is no evidence to
back that up in the lives of many who are in ministry. All the signs
speak otherwise ---- weariness, overwork, impatience, discouragement,
frustration, and the like.
I've come to the conclusion that what we believe in our heads usually
requires some kind of catharsis before we finally admit we don't
"practice what we preach", and we come to a point of desperation that
forces us to the Lord as our truly one and only source.
What most people, even those of us in vocational ministry, all too often
forget is that man was created for one thing ---- to live in the presence
of God. More than 300 times phrases like "the presence of the Lord",
"the presence of God", "His presence", "My presence", "Together", and
others are used.
Therefore, it is evident that being in the presence of God is an Absolute
Essential in order for us to 1) Understand our own identity, 2) Receive
our heritage, and 3)fulfill our calling from God. To try it from any
other place or through any other source is a guarantee of sheer
exhaustion and absolute failure.
So, for a few moments, let's examine Three Basic Concepts about coming
into and living in the presence of the Lord.
I. THE PRECEDENT FOR LIVING IN HIS PRESENCE:
1. His Nature tells us so. Why is it so difficult for us to recognize
this truth when, in fact, God's very nature incorporates a desire on His
part for fellowship and companionship? After all that He had created
before Adam, there was nothing with whom to have fellowship. After He
created Adam, He provided Eve for his fellowship.
Don't let "loners" fool you by saying they really prefer to be alone. If
they do, it is probably because they had some type of disappointment from
another person, or they were left alone much of their childhood, and
don't really know anything else is better.
2. His Principles tell us so. God set in motion a law indicating His
design and intent that all of His creation live in His presence at all
times. That principle, however, was violated, and separation from God
was both inevitable and consequential. The very thing that keeps you and
me away from the presence of God in times of ministry is the very same
thing that kept man separated fro God that day in the Garden.
3. That Violation tells us it is so. Begun long before man was created,
the principle of separation was born in the heart of one of God's most
prized created beings ---- the arch angel of all angels, Lucifer, the
"star of the morning". Look at these heart breaking comparisons in
Ezekiel 28:11-19.
1) One one hand, God says, "you were in Eden, the garden of God" (vs
13). On the other, "I have cast you as profane from the mountain of God
. . ." (vs 16b).
2) God first says, "I placed you there" (vs 14a), and then says, "I
cast you to the ground" (vs 17b).
3) God says, "you were on the holy mountain of God; you walked in the
midst of the stones of fire" (vs 14b) and then declares, "You profaned
your sanctuaries . . . I have turned you to ashes on the earth" (vs
18b,c).
He continues in Isaiah 14:12-14 by describing how that heavenly creature
left such a lofty relationship with his Creator for the sole reason of
being independent and on his own. Before we judge Lucifer too harshly,
it might be good to look into the mirror and see if any of those same
patterns of self sufficient independence dwell in our hearts ---- for
they certainly do.
4. The tendency toward independence and self sufficiency was planted in
the heart of man when Satan offered the alternative, and they bought the
lie.
The first thing they did was an futile exercise of self sufficiency as
they sewed fig leaves together to try to replace the glory once theirs
because they dwelt in the intimacy of God's presence.
The second thing they did was to manifest isolation by hiding themselves
from the presence of the Lord during the appointed time for fellowship
---- and they did it among the provisions of God, the trees of the
garden. It's awfully easy to do my friend ---- isolate yourself from
your God by immersing yourself in the very things He has given you.
It was not until they were faced with the crisis of confrontation with
God that they finally admitted their mistake ---- "we were ashamed
because of our nakedness that came about when we left your glory and
pursued independence."
5. This terrible thing reached its awful climax when " . . . the Lord
God sent him out from the garden of Eden" (3:23), and ". . . He drove the
man out . . ." (3:24).
That damnable condition was then passed to future generations ---- the
bent toward living life given by God, but living it without God. Many
ministries are damned by the same thing. Listen to the pathos of these
words: "You are cursed from the ground" (4:11). Or, " . . . you shall
be a vagrant and a wanderer on the earth" (4:12).
Listen to Cain's lament. "Behold, Thou hast driven me this day from the
face of the ground; and from Thy face I shall be hidden, and I shall be a
vagrant and a wanderer on the earth" (4:14). The consequences were
devastating: "Then Cain went out from the presence of the Lord . . ."
(4:16).
The Precedent is clear, my friend ---- God intended us to live in
fellowship with Him and dwell in His presence. Man chose to shun that
blessing, and we have been suffering the consequences ever since. If
this is not true, then explain to me why, especially for those of us in
vocational ministry, one of the easiest things to neglect ---- and in the
name of service and loyalty ---- is the urgently needed time in His
presence? The precedent was set, and we continue it to this day.
I am thrilled, however, to announce that Jesus, the "Last Adam" restored
what the "first Adam" lost (I Cor 15:45). "No one comes to the Father
but through Me" (John 14:6). You see, the entire message of the Gospel
is one of God and man being restored into right relationship and enjoying
"presenced" fellowship with Him.
Isn't it ironic that those of us who preach it the most, also neglect it
the most.
THE PATHWAY INTO HIS PRESENCE:
How is it, then, that we again enter into that experience of daily living
in the presence of our God?
Well, to be certain, that's the fundamental message of the Gospel ----
the pathway of salvation leads us back into the presence of God. Whereas
lostness produces the judgement of God (Lev 102) and the wrath of God
(Rev 6:16), salvation makes the way open again to be restored to Him.
I will not take time to elaborate on that concept, but I'm sure you
understand that "The way of the Cross leads home". And home is where God
is. God is always at home. If we're not there, it's because we've
"wandered far away from home". It's time to say, "Lord! I'm coming ----
home!"
THE PROVISION OF LIVING IN HIS PRESENCE:
There are many blessings God bestows on us because we choose to live in
His presence. Let me note just a few.
1. Psalm 16:11 contains three: 1) Direction for life in general ("Thou
wilt make known to me the path of life"), 2) Joy in fullest measure
("In Thy presence is foulness of joy"), and 3) Pleasures to enjoy ("In
Thy right hand there are pleasures forever").
2. Deut 14:24-26 identifies another ---- through tithing we enter into
the benefits of using God's resources as He directs (" . . . There you
shall eat in the presence of the Lord your God and rejoice, you and your
household").
3. Consider Isaiah 9:3, which tells us gladness is found in God's
presence ("Thou shalt increase their gladness. They will be glad in Thy
presence as with the gladness of harvest, as men rejoice when they divide
the spoil").
4. Acts 2:28 identifies two more provisions ---- Again, gladness, and
also the knowledge of the ways of life ("Thou hast made known to me the
ways of life: thou wilt make me full of gladness with Thy presence").
Ever wonder why at times you might not be filled with gladness? Maybe
it's because you weren't where gladness is ---- in the presence of God.
5. Exodus 33:14 identifies one that you and I most certainly cannot do
without ---- rest! ("My presence will go with you, and I will give you
rest").
6. Here's one in Luke 1:19 which you may not have considered ---- the
ministry of God's angels to you. ("I am Gabriel who stands i the
presence of God; and I have been sent to speak to you, and to b ring to
you the good news").
7. How about I Timothy 5:1? Consider that it is in the presence of God
that you can be properly instructed and encouraged ("I solemnly charge
you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus and of His chosen angels,
to maintain these principles . . .").
8. In Psalm 41:12 we discover that it is in His presence that integrity
is found. Boy, do we need that! ("As for me, Thou dost uphold me in my
integrity, and Thou dost set me in Thy presence forever").
9. Jer 17:16 shows us that it is in God's presence that we have the
capacity to speak with Him (" . . . Thou Thyself knowest the utterance of
my lips was in Thy presence").
10. Finally, according to Hebrews 9:24, it is in the presence of God
that Jesus makes intercession for us ("For Christ did not enter a holy
place made with hands, a mere copy of the true one, but into heaven
itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us, . . .").
11. How about the need to be humbled as well as be lifted up? James
4:10 tells us, ("Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He
will exalt you"). Have you attempted to be exalted lately by some other
means, for some other reason, in some other place? It won't work.
12. Psalm 31:20 tells us that it is in His presence that safety from
man's actions and shelter from man's words are to be found ("Thou dost
hide me in the secret place of Thy presence from the conspiracies of man;
Thou dost keep them secretly in a shelter from the strife of tongues").
And here you've been trying to deal with that out in the open, away from
God's protective presence. What a mistake, and what an unnecessary hurt!
13. Have you ever wanted to see others' lives see God's blessings? Look
what I Thes 1:3 says (" . . . constantly bearing in mind your work of
faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus
Christ in the presence of our God and Father").
I will mention only two more of scores of others:
14. Here's a wonderful benefit to being in His presence ---- having the
capacity to forgive others. II Cor 2:10 says, "But whom you forgive
anything, I forgive also; for indeed what I have forgiven, if I have
forgiven anything, I did it for your sakes in the presence of Christ."
15. Do you really want to be able to exude in joyful celebration when
others come to Christ? According to Luke 15:10, it's found in the
presence of the Lord ("there is joy in the presence of the angels of God
over one sinner who repents"). No wonder some ministers never get overly
excited when someone comes to Christ ---- they're not where the
celebration is being held.
FINALLY:
What thinking, sensible person, dear friend, would not see the need of
and have the desire to live his life daily in the presence of God ----
instead of just at times of emergency or of religious duty! The
Precedent is there, the Pathway into His presence is assured through the
Lord Jesus Christ, and the Provisions are out of this world.
Listen to this familiar song: "Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full in
His wonderful face; and the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in
the light of His glory and grace."
God's greatest desire for us is that we live in His presence every day.
May our desire be the same. Remember, friend, that before you can
minister as a Prophet standing before the people in God's behalf, or as a
King exercising delegated authority over God's enemy, you must first
serve as a Priest standing before God in behalf of the people.
Put yourself in God's presence today, my friend ---- and enjoy one of the
greatest days of your life!
In His Eternal Bond,
Bob Tolliver ---- (Rom 1:11-12)
Copyright May, 2000. All rights reserved.
P.S. I think, Lord willing, I will address this matter again next week,
using Moses and his ministry as an example. Take time to read Exodus
33:1-23, and jot down your own thoughts.
We'd love to hear from you. Drop us a note with reports, observations,
prayer requests, etc.
If this letter has blessed you and you know of someone else who needs to
be encouraged, feel free to forward it in its entirety to all such people
you know.
If you would like a list of past issues which you could receive upon
request, just let us know.
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Hang in there! I'm with you!
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