I was given the following words and visions to aid my understanding, may they add to your understanding as well.

When I asked what was keeping us from getting fully into the presence of God, it was revealed to me that mankind has “compartmentalized” all aspects of our lives. We live in our countries, within our states, within our cities, and a part of our neighborhoods in our private houses, sleeping in specific rooms, eating in specific rooms, and in general living pieces of our daily lives in predefined compartments. This has carried forward into our places of work and even into churches.

Our worship and each activity of the church have even been compartmentalized by our own agendas. When we worship we place the Pastor in a specific location at a specific time during the service to lead a particular portion of the pre-established worship service following a pre-existing and somewhat rigid time schedule. The worshippers arrive and sit in orderly rows, many times sitting in the same specific seats in the sanctuary as they have for years. Our worship services traditionally contain a prescribed amount of time for songs, for reading of the word, for teaching on the word, for prayer, and for closing of the worship service with dismissal.

How can we enter into the presence of God if we keep bouncing off of the borders and boundaries that we place around every aspect of our lives as we seek Him? Since our Creator God can not be contained in a “box” we can not expect to find Him in one – especially one that we have built.

Once again I asked what was keeping us from getting fully into the presence of God. I realized that what I was about to “see” was being shown to me because I did not have full understanding of the words that I had just received.

I saw the familiar vision of a church sanctuary, with the altar flanked by rows of pews stretching orderly from a specific distance from the altar to the back of the sanctuary. The front few rows of pews were mostly empty as if all feared to sit too close to the altar.

As the worship service was about to begin the entire altar was illumined and a layer of what appeared to be a cloud floated above it. The illumined altar began to expand to fill the entire sanctuary as the pews and the choir loft and the balcony all disappeared in the illumed a cloud that filled the room rising above the ever expanding altar. The leading edges of the altar were brightly illumined as if they were on fire. The light from the “fire” caused the cloud to glow.

The altar continued to expand beyond the church, across parking lots and streets into adjacent neighborhoods. As the altar passed over each house and building they would disappear from sight to be covered by the consistent layer of the illumined cloud.

The altar continued to expand across the limits of the city, then the county, then the state, the country … until the entire world was covered by the altar and the encircling layer of brightly illumined cloud.

From upon the altar and within the cloud, across the entire surface of the earth, was heard the sound of people praying, singing, and praising God in “one voice”. As the voices could be heard a layer of sweet smelling incense rose from the cloud into the heavens and God smiled upon the earth, for the prayers and praise of His creation had come into His presence and pleased Him.

Almighty and ever-loving Father, May I seek each day not my agenda and my familiar “compartments” but seek the altar of sacrifice of self that you have set before me. May I seek to be enveloped by the fire of your Holy Spirit and spread among my Brothers and Sisters as an illumined blanket of cloud bringing light, hope and peace? Father, may the fire of your Spirit rage upon the earth until it is completely encircled by the children of your creation praying, singing and praising you, my Lord. May these true sounds of worship rise like incense into your presence and bring you joy? Then Father, may you call the children of your creation to rise into your presence and fall at the foot of your throne to worship you for eternity. Amen

4/25/2005 JMc

What is your Faith?

Faith

Someone asks me “what is your faith?” The questions start flooding my mind as I stumble for a response.

Is “my faith” my denomination”? Is faith a compilation of my beliefs?

Is faith just trust? Is faith just belief? Is faith just hope?

What are the foundations of faith? What can faith be compared to?

Is faith developed, created, instilled or inherited? Where does faith reside, in my head or my heart?

Is faith maintained or is it constant? How big does faith need to be?

Just how can I explain what faith means to me?

Hebrews 11:1 says, “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” Now how can I explain what I can’t even see? I can’t tell them that it is just a feeling that I have – it’s much more than a feeling.

I recall Jesus healed people that witnessed their faith, but what did he see in them? I also recall that Jesus rebuked his disciples and others because of their lack of faith.

Jesus seemed to be always telling people that they could do much more than they thought they could if they had stronger faith. The size of faith doesn’t seem to be significant because Jesus said that if we had faith the size of a mustard seed that we could move mountains.

I do know that I need to hold onto my faith – no matter what struggles I may be facing. In Matthew 24: 9-13 Jesus warns, "Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.

My friend is standing there still waiting for my answer to his question – what can I tell him? It seems that my faith must be rock solid, void of all uncertainty; it must be a large part of who I am and how I respond. What ever I tell my friend should not be a “smokescreen” it must be what I really believe my faith to be, it must be the truth.

Yes! That is what my faith is! My faith is the truth of my belief in God, my trust in his guidance in my life, and although I can never “do” enough to “earn” my way into heaven I have the assuredness of my salvation through Jesus His Son who suffered, was crucified and died for my sins and the sins of so many others. Jesus rose from the dead and is alive and will come to claim his kingdom, once and for all time.

OK, time to respond to my friend … here goes.

My friend, my faith is the truth of God and in the gift of salvation through His Son Jesus. All faith, all truth, all hope is in God - God above me (in the Father), God for me (in His Son, Jesus), and God in me (in the Holy Spirit). My faith is a gift. My faith is a gift from God!

JMc 3/9/2007