Experiencing God's Presence #102

Don’t you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you?

1 Corinthians 3:16

The Presence of the Spirit within is not just an individual experience. God inhabits the community in a way that requires individuals to access Him there. He has faces we can’t see unless we see them in each other. The fellowship of believers is an essential part of knowing God.

Why doesn’t God give us as individuals everything we need in our relationship with Him? Because He absolutely refuses to put us in a position of independence and self-sufficiency. He created us not only to be dependent on Him but to be interdependent with others. That’s why He distributes spiritual gifts among His people rather than equipping any one person with all of them. The body of Christ has many parts; He will not allow them to be in a position of functioning separately.

If you want a full experience of the Presence of God, spend plenty of time with other Christians. Benefit from their gifts. Listen to their experiences. Search for His face in theirs. Each person experiences His heart uniquely. The more we share in those experiences with others, the broader our own experience with Him becomes. God is present in a unique way in the collective body of His people.

Seek fellowship—at church services, in small groups, in spiritual friendships—as a means to experience God. If you think you can do without gatherings, think again. God attends our meetings. He is present at our tables. He shows Himself in a variety of ways through a variety of people, and only by encountering them can we encounter Him in those ways.

Spirit, I want to see You in the faces of others. I want to connect with You through their gifts and experiences. Please help me see the ultimate treasure—You—in them.

From the book