Greetings again my Brethren. As we begin a new year (19) in Beholding His Glory (BHG) I am amazed when I look back and see what the LORD started in September 2002 when He said, “put a name to your travels” and when done BHG was birthed for the glory of God in the earth as it is done in Heaven. Next year it will be 20 years God has used Karen, I, and BHG to touch the world as He sees fit. But for history to be complete BHG started in September 2002, but Karen and I left for Germany in July 1996 and we established Christliche Gemeinde Stuttgart on Karen’s birthday 27 April 1997. So 26 of our almost 42 years of marriage have been lived in a desire to travel abroad (according to God’s will) and share this wondrous Gospel message of Jesus Christ with the world. How we thank God for the opportunity to serve Him and His people and look forward to many more years ahead as He wills. You know when it is all said and done the best we can do for God is just be a servant He can use.
Okay let us end this section of teaching and it will be part 5 to how God is seen as to visiting His people. Part 1seen though answered prayer, part 2 seen through providential intervention, part 3 seen through fulfilling His promises, part 4 seen as supernatural deliverance, and the last section and probably the most important was God is seen as visiting His children through personal revelation. John tells us in the Book of John, “He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.” (John 14:21) Did you get that? The end of the verse says God, “will manifest myself to him.” What a precious promise from God He, “will manifest myself to him.” Now I do not know about you my friend, but that gets me excited to know God will manifest Himself to me. After all why was man created? God certainly was not lonely He had the Angels and all of the other creatures in Heaven to keep Him company and if they did not provide fellowship and worship God would have the stones cry out to Him. Jesus told this to the Pharisees in Luke, “And some of the Pharisees from among the multitude said unto him, Master, rebuke thy disciples. 40And he answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out.” (Luke 19:39-40) Have you ever thought why God created man? Well I feel pretty sure you have, but to me there is only one answer to this question and any other question like why are we saved? Or Why does God love us? The answer to this and all other types of questions is so that we can come to know a holy God and come to learn how to walk with Him. There is no other answer logical answer that makes spiritual sense. So that we can come to know a holy God and come to learn how to walk with Him is the only answer God is looking for in our lives. I think I will be talking about this truth more often. It was Jesus prayer in the real LORD’s prayer which is not Matthew 6:9-13, but John 17:1-26. In verse three Jesus sets up His prayer to His Father, “And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” (John 17:3) Life eternal is not living forever, but “that they might know thee the only true God.” And like all things in God it is our choice to come to know a Holy God. Even in John 14:21 there are two certain requirements we must meet to be able to have God manifest Himself to us and share personal revelation and His heart. Jesus lays these two requirements out at the beginning of the verse: (1) He that hath my commandments and keepeth them and (2) he it is that loveth me: and I will love him. So, we must first know or “hath” His commandments, which for the folks in Jesus’ day (Jesus being a good Jew) could have been the keeping of the 613 Mosaics laws I am not really sure on this one, but in Mark Jesus made it perfectly clear (He was repeating the Old Testament Book of Deuteronomy 6:4-5) what He meant for us Gentiles today. In Mark we read, “And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all? 29And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: 30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. 31 And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:28-31) So we are to not only know the laws, but more importantly we must keep them every day of our lives. And the second requirement was to love Jesus and if we love Jesus then He will love us. Not sure again here, but if we do not love Him this will NEVER change His love for us. So, “if” (the most important word in the Bible because it sets the condition for receiving from God) we meet these requirements then He “will manifest myself to him.” Again our choice.
Next month we will take a critical look at the word “manifest” in John 14:21 as it relates to our human senses. Do you see Him draw near? Please know God is near to them who are near to Him. Do you feel His presence? Do you see His hand in your life? He is waiting on us to make our first move. Written by David Stahl
