Let's look today at where it all starts. If you have your bible (man, I've always wanted to say that!) turn to Colossians 1. For those of you who don't have your bible, the words are on the screen. (Alright, now I'm just getting carried away!) Here are verses 15-20:
He (that is Jesus) is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities--all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.
Here's my interpretation of this passage. God was before all things and He created all things. He holds everything together, literally. So, logic tells me, that nothing is possible without God. We can't even worship God without God. Look at the Facedown passage in Leviticus 9:23-24. God showed His glory and the people responded. Another place to check out is Matthew 17:1-8. Here Jesus showed three of His disciples (Peter, James and John) a glimpse of His glory and they ended up facedown. There are many, many more examples of God revealing Himself and people responding with facedown worship.
You want to know something cool? God wants to show us His glory. He actually thinks about us, even though we are such small, insignificant parts of His creation (Psalm 8:3,4). It absolutely blows my mind that God knows the number of hair on my head (Luke 12:7) and every other detail of my life. He cares deeply about me and you. That's our God!
There is one thing I want to say in closing. God doesn't reveal Himself only on Sunday mornings at church. Actually, I've found that God doesn't reveal Himself nearly as profoundly on Sundays as He does in my daily life, especially in my time alone with Him. If you're depending on Sunday services to see God, you are missing out in a big, big way! If you're not really involved right now in a daily quiet time, I would encourage you to try it out these next two weeks as we prepare for Facedown. Pick a short book in the new testament to start with (I recommend Colossians, James, Galatians, or Ephesians) and read through a chapter a day. If you need to read them again, do it. Take your time. Pretend you're eating the best steak dinner you've ever had...savor every single bite! And pray. Here's a simple guide to prayer that I learned years ago: ACTS. Adoration. Confession. Thanksgiving. Supplication. Adoration is giving God praise for who He is. Confession is, as Hebews 12:1 says, throwing off everything that hinders you and the sin that so easily entangles your steps. Thanksgiving is thanking God for the blessings He has poured out in your life. And finally, supplication is presenting your requests to God. This is your chance to pray for stuff in your life, as well as others. It's that simple, but very powerful. So I hope you'll accept my challenge over these next two weeks and see what happens.
See you tomorrow!
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