January 4, 2008

© 2008 (in perpetuity) AMKCH

With all our busy schedules these days, do we make the time to spend with God? If not, how can we expect God to make time for us? How can we expect our prayers to be answered? How can we expect our faith to grow in Him?

It’s not just going to a church building. Here, we meet with others and pray and worship together, yes. But God wants us to meet with HIM on an individual basis. One on one. THAT is when we can tell Him what’s on our hearts, even though He already knows.

Matt 6:8b for your Father knows what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.

Rom 8:27 And he that searches the hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because he makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.

Jesus constantly went into the mountains or gardens to spend time with His Father. He didn’t need a church building; He didn’t need a preacher. He just went and communed; spent time with His Father, to talk to and praise Him. This is called an epi-synagogue. We can do this any time and any place. It is our private time with our Heavenly Father who created us in His image.

When we take time out, and take stock of our situations, we can look back and see where and how God brought us through. Then, we can thank Him for it, and ask Him to continue with us in our lives.

Many preachers use the following verse as a threat for people who choose not to “go to church”:

Heb 10:25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

It is true that coming together as a group is a good thing. But it is NOT true that it is what God commands of us that we have to meet at a “church building”. The apostles and disciples met in each others homes many times!

Act 17:24-28 God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that He is Lord of heaven and earth, dwells not in temples made with hands; Neither is worshipped with men’s hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he gives to all life, and breath, and all things; And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us: For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.

1 Corinth 3:16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelles in you?

2 Corin 6:16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people (Jer 31:33).

“Assembling yourself” in the Greek is Epi-Synagogue (same as in Hebrew, only spelled differently). This is the highest form of worship. This means you are gathering yourself (personally ~ mentally and spiritually) together… not necessarily in a group, to worship and spend time with God. In other words, you are gathering your thoughts and prayers in your heart.

John 4:23-24 But the hour comes, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeks such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

In order to have our prayers answered, we have to go to God, right? But, in order to do this, we have to make time. It’s not just a quick prayer, like stopping by your parent’s house just to ask them for something and not spending some quality time with them. I don’t think that would be appreciated after a few times. Our parents want us to spend some quality time with them first. This is what God desires.

When the thought comes into your mind about spending time with Him, it is actually God who placed that thought into your head!!! It means HE is calling to you!!! It’s awesome when you think about it. God intervenes with us and causes us to want to spend this time with Him. Otherwise we couldn’t do it. You can praise Him for giving you the thought to praise Him. He has then given you the desire of your heart which He put there in the first place.

I hope this has been a help and a blessing to you.