PRESENCE DRIVEN

Then Moses said to him, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here.'“
Exodus 33:15

In a world driven by selfish ambition, it is our heart to be a community that not only values the presence of God, but earnestly seeks to be driven in all that we do by His presence. Apart from God’s presence we can do nothing (John 15:5). It is His Spirit that guides us and empower us as believers with the same manifested power that raised Jesus from the dead (Rom. 8:11).

As a family, we have decided to prioritize the presence of God. Whether it is in our worship services or our fellowships, we will always give way for His Spirit to move. In His presence we cease to strive and we learn to rest in the Beauty of who He is (Matt. 11:28).

When we seek the “Presence of God,” we are not only referencing the omnipresence of God. We are also talking about the tangible presence of God. We know that God is everywhere at all times. However, throughout scripture, God manifests His presence in special ways, to demonstrate His power, authority, and love on the earth (Luke 3:22).

And because our family value is to be a presence driven community, we have curated our weekly Sunday experience in a way that leaves room for God to do whatever He wants to do, whenever He wants to do it. This doesn’t mean that we come every week with no agenda or program; it simply means that when His presence shows up, our agendas go out the window, and He becomes the agenda. In our culture it is not easy to be a presence-driven church, because it requires that we grow in our ability to wait patiently on God without striving. Many churches have found different ways to gather and grow as a community, but we have chosen as a community to believe that His presence is the better way.

With that said, every week we make room for at least 45 minutes of worship, where we invite His presence to come and lead us. After the message, which generally goes about 40 minutes, we always offer a chance to respond and receive ministry at the altars. Our heart is that every person who attends our church will come to collide with His presence in such a dramatic way that it shifts the selfish motivations of the heart. Only when we taste of His presence, do we realize that He is the only driving force in life that we need (Psalms 34:8). In the light of God’s presence, worldly motivations like money and fame seem to lose their luster.

So like Moses, we will continue to allow the presence of God to direct, motivate, and guide all that we do as a community. May it all be for His name’s sake. And may our hearts say that, “If Your Presence doesn’t go with us, do not send us from here.”