By Dr. Tony Evans
Many old football and baseball stadiums have been torn down, and new ones built in their places. The older ones were okay, but they lacked modern improvements and technology. Moreover, many of these older stadiums included seating areas with obstructed views: a beam or a post would block a fan’s full visual participation in the sporting event. In fact, oftentimes, if a fan was seated in one of these seats behind a column, he would have to ask another person what had just happened. He’d have to get secondhand information because he couldn’t see things for himself. He could hear the noise and excitement, but the column kept him from being a full participant in the activities.
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You may spend time in a similar stadium called church. You get there early, try your best to get a good seat, participate enthusiastically in worship, listen attentively to the sermon, but then go home feeling empty. You went hoping to experience God, but somehow, it seemed as though you were just going through the motions. You sensed that others around you were getting more out of the service than you did, but you couldn’t pinpoint why.
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Let me say that most of us have been there before. It might be safe to say that we tend to mistake an emotional or inspirational experience with an encounter with God. We convince ourselves that if we sing loudly enough, memorize the right Scriptures, and give enough money when the plate comes by, God will slide up beside us and say, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.” And when that doesn’t happen, it is easy to become disillusioned. But the problem with this kind of thinking is that experiencing God is so much more than an emotional pick-me-up at the end of a church service.
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David writes in Psalm 34:7, “The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him.” The first thing you should know is that the angel of the LORD is no ordinary angel. Throughout the Old Testament, he was worshiped by many and did things that only God can do. He is, in fact, the preincarnate Son of God, our Deliverer. You should also notice in this verse that he is always near “those who fear him.” Jesus’ protection and presence are very real, and they aren’t dependent on loud singing or on how many notes were taken during a sermon. Experiencing God has a lot more to do with fearing him than with boisterous church activity.
But another truth to consider is that just like those fans in the stadium who couldn’t see the activity on the field because they were sitting behind columns, many of us come to church trying to experience God while failing to remove our own obstacle called sin. We show up, Bible in hand, paying little mind to the truth that we failed to read it all week. We sing a little louder on Sunday to make up for the fact that we lived like pagans Monday through Saturday. Isaiah 59:2 warns, “Your iniquities are separating you from your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not listen.”
Understand that it is impossible to enjoy the fullness of God and benefit from his blessings if we are separated from him. Yet because we fail to deal with our sin, we short-circuit any chance of experiencing God’s mercy and love. Thus, we get used to sitting behind columns and leaving empty-handed.
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Reverence toward God includes repentance of our sin. It means letting our sins go. We don’t hold onto them, nor do we hide them in a closet. God wants you to truly experience him, and he’s only going to allow that if you have given him your whole heart.
— Read other articles in this series by Dr. Tony Evans —
Reprinted from The Tony Evans Study Bible (2019) with permission of Holman Bibles. Tony Evans—author of numerous books—has faithfully proclaimed the gospel for more than 50 years. He serves as senior pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas, Texas, and is founder of The Urban Alternative.
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