The Realness of God!

The Realness of God!

God is Real by His WORD – the WORD of the Bible!

God is Inseparable from His WORD!

God’s WORD describes His Qualities, Attributes, Personality, and Principles!

It is not as easy to fall in love with God’s WORD as we are fond of His miracles, signs, and wonders.

The Progression of Our Growth in God!

Our progression in God begins with an EXPERIENCE in God!

The EXPERIENCE could be a sign, miracle, touch, or trigger by a revelation of God’s WORD through a messenger.

But we do not stop with the EXPERIENCE, but progress to GET TO KNOW the GOD OF THE MIRACLE we just experienced!

Now that God has our ATTENTION through a MIRACLE, TOUCH, ANSWER, or BREAKTHROUGH, HE WANTS TO ESTABLISH A RELATIONSHIP WITH US BY HIS WORD!

Here is a Biblical Example – Simon Peter!

Simon was initially touched by the miracle of Jesus when Simon lent Jesus his boat to share His gospel with those assembled. Here is the story: “So it was, as the multitude pressed about (Jesus) to hear the word of God, that He stood by the Lake of Gennesaret, and saw two boats standing by the lake; but the fishermen had gone from them and were washing their nets. Then He got into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out a little from the land. And He sat down and taught the multitudes from the boat. When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, ‘Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.’ But Simon answered and said to Him, ‘Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless, at Your word I will let down the net.’ And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking. So, they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, ‘Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!’ For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish which they had taken; and so also were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, ‘Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men.’ So when they had brought their boats to land, they forsook all and followed Him” (Luke 5:1-11). Simon was not stuck with the blessing but followed Jesus, who gave him the WORD that preceded his blessing!

From the time when Simon saw the miracle of Jesus, he had steadily grown to LISTEN and PERCEIVE the TRUE NATURE of THE ONE TEACHING AND GUIDING HIM, JESUS!

The moment came when the Church of Jesus was split, and many people decided not to follow Him. Simon Peter confirmed that he was listening to the “words of eternal life!” Here is the conversation between Jesus and the disciples: “’It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life. But there are some of you who do not believe.’ For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who would betray Him. And He said, ‘Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father.’ From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more. Then Jesus said to the twelve, ‘Do you also want to go away?’ But Simon Peter answered Him, ‘Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. Also, we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God’” (John 6:63-69).

“You have the words of eternal life!”

“You are the Christ, the Son of the living God!”

Simon was unfazed by the adversity of many leaving the ‘Church of Jesus’ but stayed true to Jesus’ WORD with “words of eternal life!”

Simon started his journey with Jesus by experiencing the miracle of Jesus!

He then followed Jesus to LISTEN to His WORDS!

He realized that the WORDS he heard were WORDS OF ETERNAL LIFE!

Simon concluded that those WORDS could only come from CHRIST, the ANOINTED ONE and the SON OF GOD!

Simon’s progression of faith went beyond believing in just the miracles but KNOWING GOD THROUGH HIS ETERNAL WORD!

Simon followed God’s WORD in his times of PROSPERITY as well as ADVERSITY!

This is exactly where many people of the covenant in the Old Testament did not keep up with God:

“They soon forgot His works; they did not wait for His counsel, but lusted exceedingly in the wilderness, and tested God in the desert…Then they despised the pleasant land; they did not believe His word, but complained in their tents, and did not heed the voice of the Lord” (Psalm 106:14-15, 24-25).

"Surely none of the men who came up from Egypt, from twenty years old and above, shall see the land of which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, because they have not wholly followed Me, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh, the Kenizzite, and Joshua the son of Nun, for they have wholly followed the Lord” (Numbers 32:11-12).

“Caleb, and Joshua, for they have wholly followed the Lord!”

Wholly following the Lord means more than experiencing the miracles, signs, and wonders, but also desirous of being conformed to the personality of God by

KNOWING WHO GOD IS! The first part of the faith that pleases God is that we know that He is the God of who He says He is:  “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6).

The Realness of God in Our Fellowship!

Jesus assured of His presence when we gather in His Name! It could be at home, a small group, or a church. Again, it matters when we wholeheartedly follow and seek God, know God by His WORD, and GATHER TOGETHER WITH LIKE-MINDED BELIEVERS at HOME or ELSEWHERE. Here is the promise from Jesus: “Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Again, I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them” (Matthew 18:18-20).

The disciples experienced FOUR SIGNIFICANT THINGS when they GATHERED AFTER JESUS’ RESURRECTION WITH THE ASSURANCE THAT HE WAS REAL AND HIS WORD WAS REAL!

1)     Peace of God! They experienced the PEACE OF GOD when they came together! On three occasions, the disciples assembled and Jesus showed up amid them to share the peace of God with them: “Now as they said these things, Jesus Himself stood in the midst of them, and said to them, ‘Peace to you’” (Luke 24:36). “Then, the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, ‘Peace be with you’” (John 20:19). “And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, ‘Peace to you’” (John 20:26)! “Peace is not absence from trouble but the presence of God!” PEACE OF GOD IS PROMISED when we have a TRUE FELLOWSHIP WITH GOD THAT WE KNOW!

2)     The Holy Spirit! JESUS, THE BAPTIZER IN THE HOLY SPIRIT, BREATHED ON THE DISCIPLES! In their time of fellowship, Jesus breathed on the disciples the Breath of Life, the Holy Spirit: “So, Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.’ And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained’” (John 20:20-23). We glorify Jesus in our fellowship with Him, and when we do, the Holy Spirit will be ABUNDANTLY PRESENT IN OUR FELLOWSHIP GATHERINGS!

3)     Opening the Eyes to the Scriptures! There was the UNDERSTANDING OF SCRIPTURES AMONG THE DISCIPLES DURING THEIR FELLOWSHIP. Jesus opened up the Scriptures to the disciples on the way to their home in Emmaus, and they acknowledged that their hearts were burning with the understanding of the Scriptures: “And they said to one another, ‘Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us’” (Luke 24:32)? The Scriptures that we have read and meditated on will COME ALIVE IN OUR FELLOWSHIP GATHERINGS!

4)     Realness of Jesus’ Presence! Jesus went as far as showing Himself by breaking bread with His disciples in their time of fellowship to show HIS AUTHENTICITY AND REALNESS! “And He said to them, ‘Why are you troubled? And why do doubts arise in your hearts? Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have.’ When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet. But while they still did not believe for joy, and marveled, He said to them, ‘Have you any food here?’ So, they gave Him a piece of a broiled fish and some honeycomb. And He took it and ate in their presence” (Luke 24:38-43). Something familiar of God will become REAL to us in our time of fellowship with HIM to AUTHENTICATE THAT IT IS GOD THAT IS SPEAKING TO US and NOT THE ENEMY!

The Progression of our Faith begins with our Experience in God!

Our Faith then must grow by HEARING, and HEARING BY THE WORD OF GOD!

When we do, THE WORD OF GOD BECOMES REAL!

We will then BEGIN TO KNOW THE GOD OF THE WORD!

Now, we LONG FOR FELLOWSHIP WITH GOD TO HEAR MORE FROM HIM!

The MORE WE HEAR FROM GOD, THE MORE WE ARE TRANSFORMED BY GOD!

We will begin to say, “Where shall we go, LORD/ You Have the WORDS OF ETERNAL LIFE!”

Fellowship with God becomes SO SPECIAL IF WE COULD FIND ANOTHER LIKEMINDED BELIEVER, SUCH AS OUR SPOUSE, OUR CHILD, OUR MENTOR, ETC!

We now GATHER FOR FELLOWSHIP WITH GOD with OUR FRIEND!

We will EXPERIENCE THE PEACE OF GOD!

We will EXPERIENCE THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT!

We will EXPERIENCE THE HOLY SPIRIT KINDLING OUR HEARTS WITH HIS FLAME!

We will HAVE OUR GUIDANCE AND DIRECTION FROM SCRIPTURES!

We will HAVE REAL EXPERIENCE WITH GOD!

Prayer

“Heavenly Father, I love You and adore You. In You, I live, move, and have my being. You are real to me by Your WORD. I thank You for drawing me closer to You by Your WORD and rekindling my heart with Your Holy Spirit. I am forever changed and transformed in ways that I cannot fully explain with my words. You have created in me a perpetual spring of living waters that never stops flowing in me and quenches my thirst for You. Help me, Lord, to walk with You daily by the power of knowing You and living with You. Help my life, Lord, to be an example, not just by my words but with my life, to draw my family and friends to You. I am Yours, and Yours alone, my Lord. In the Most Precious and Wonderful Name of Jesus, I pray. Amen!”

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John Jeyaseelan

http://www.globalprayercenter.net