“And he (Moses) said unto Him, ‘If Thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence.'” Exodus 33:15
Dear Ones:
The “manifest” presence of God is a very real issue. In John’s gospel, the Lord Jesus spoke these words: “…and he that loveth Me shall be loved by My Father, and I will love him, and will manifest Myself to him.” (14:21) What does this mean, that God should manifest Himself to the believer? One of the great foundational truths of the Gospel is the declaration by God of the outpouring of the Spirit in the last days, and the corresponding work of the Spirit whereby the believer is baptized into Christ, made one with Him. There is in that union a most extraordinary residual blessing, as the believer is complete IN Christ, lacking nothing. Christ can give of Himself by the Spirit, according to the believer’s capacity to receive it. What is it that is of greatest worth, and power, which can be received from God? It is His Christ’s Life. In that LIFE is found all the manifested “fruits” of that life. As a candlestick is not to be put under a basket, and the light extinguished, so the LIFE is to be like a city on a hill, its characteristics and beauty manifested for all to see. It is true that the believer, like Moses with God’s “light” manifested on his face, is often not conscious of the “fruits” of the Life of Christ, the “fruits of the Spirit.” And yet, they are quietly and powerfully manifested. It was Charles Stud, missionary to Africa, who said that his objective was to see the living Christ walking about in African bodies. It was David Livingston, another missionary, who took the gospel to Africa’s interior, eventually dying there. Many years after his death, other missionaries came to those same villages where Livingstone had proclaimed Christ. As they did this, some of the villagers remarked to them that this Christ, whom they now preached, had already been there years before. The manifest presence of God in the heart of the believer, regardless of his skin color, nationality, or status in life, is that revelation of the very life of Christ. He was seen in Livingstone. It is truly GOD by the Holy Spirit, revealing Himself in and through the believer. Moses realized that this manifestation was the distinguishing factor, not only with regard to the the testimony before the world, but also, the confirmation of God’s approval upon his walk with Him. God’s manifest presence through the life, is His distinguishing blessing, and testimony to the individual and the world, of His goodness and favor.
In addressing His disciples, the Lord Jesus spoke intently to them concerning their love for one another. It is true that the love for the Father was to be supreme in their lives and experience, as it was in that of Christ. He declared this by saying, “…but that the world may KNOW that I love the Father; as the Father gave me commandment, even so I do.” (Jn. 14:31) By the very giving of His life on Calvary, the Lord Jesus manifested His LOVE for the Father, which was at the same time a revelation and testimony, to the entire world. He also loved His disciples, Scripture declaring that, “…He loved them to the end.” This love of Christ, by virtue of the outpouring of the Spirit at Pentecost, became an endless spring and powerful river, in the hearts of the disciples. That love would be the ongoing testimony to the reality of His person, presence, and power. He would tell the disciples before He was crucified, “…A new commandment I give unto you, ‘That you love one another as I have loved you…by THIS shall all men KNOW that you are My disciples, if you have love one to another.” (Jn. 13:35) Herein is the distinguishing presence, power, and Person of God. It is the love which God gives by the Spirit. The fruit of the Spirit of God is love…” (Gal. 5:2). That fruit is the manifest blessing of Christ’s presence.
Dear Father, Fill us, and keep us filled with the Spirit of Thy Son…manifesting His life and love. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Love, Dad