Have you guys ever wondered why Moses covered his face with a veil after his mountain top encounter with God? Some people say it’s because the people were afraid of his glowing face. That’s right, I said glowing…like a flashlight. But Moses didn’t hide his face from the people because they were afraid. It was because he wanted to hide the fact that the glory of God was fading. I can relate to that a lot. I have these crazy mountain top encounters with God and then it happens…it begins to fade and my spiritual high is no longer, well, high.
Our mountain top encounters don’t bring lasting transformation. Most people will find their weekly dose of this mountain experience in the weekend worship service, on Sundays. But as soon as Monday hits or for some of you as soon as the service is over, it begins to fade…the conviction from a sermon, the emotional tidal wave you felt during a certain song, and so on.
It doesn’t help that we also live in a pretty consumer based culture and we’ve come to believe that true transformation is through external experiences…like if I’m not on this spiritual high or crazy in love with Jesus, then something isn’t right with me. What this does in our generation is that it creates “worship junkies” looking for that next high. And we’ll leap and jump from service to service, event to event, and even church to church to get it.
But there is good news. Lasting transformation doesn’t come from the outside or external things, but Christ in you. This is what Paul was talking about…this mystery that Christ dwells in you and He is the hope of glory. This kind of transformation isn’t easily marketed or packaged for religious consumers. It’s easier to create mountains rather than telling people that anywhere can be a mountain.
"The problem is not our gatherings, but what we expect from them." It’s pretty simple really. Doing the very things that God desires us to do will help keep the fire of our faith burning white hot as we pray, read God’s Word, and obey His commands daily. I highly doubt that a person who is doing these very things can say that they’re not encountering God continually. He’s a God that works from the inside out, not the other way around. I think this brings a new conviction to do the things that once bored us…like reading the Bible everyday.
Our mountain top encounters don’t bring lasting transformation. Most people will find their weekly dose of this mountain experience in the weekend worship service, on Sundays. But as soon as Monday hits or for some of you as soon as the service is over, it begins to fade…the conviction from a sermon, the emotional tidal wave you felt during a certain song, and so on.
It doesn’t help that we also live in a pretty consumer based culture and we’ve come to believe that true transformation is through external experiences…like if I’m not on this spiritual high or crazy in love with Jesus, then something isn’t right with me. What this does in our generation is that it creates “worship junkies” looking for that next high. And we’ll leap and jump from service to service, event to event, and even church to church to get it.
But there is good news. Lasting transformation doesn’t come from the outside or external things, but Christ in you. This is what Paul was talking about…this mystery that Christ dwells in you and He is the hope of glory. This kind of transformation isn’t easily marketed or packaged for religious consumers. It’s easier to create mountains rather than telling people that anywhere can be a mountain.
"The problem is not our gatherings, but what we expect from them." It’s pretty simple really. Doing the very things that God desires us to do will help keep the fire of our faith burning white hot as we pray, read God’s Word, and obey His commands daily. I highly doubt that a person who is doing these very things can say that they’re not encountering God continually. He’s a God that works from the inside out, not the other way around. I think this brings a new conviction to do the things that once bored us…like reading the Bible everyday.