Discipleship, Leadership
Published on January 25, 2016
Comments 20

Where do you feel the closest to God?

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I met with a friend a few days ago. He took me out for some Mexican Food at a place call Sol Mexican Grill. The food is amazing there. At the end of of our wonderful time together, I asked him the following question: “My church is not growing, what else do I need to do?

He looked at me and said, “I don’t know! I don’t know! What kind of answer is that? I thought to myself.

“There is a lot of stuff you need to do, and all of them are equally important. But, there is one thing I would focus on the most,” He added.

At this time he proceeded to tell me a story about a friend:

“My friend went to Italy for vacation and he came back very excited about his visit. So I asked him what excited him the most on his trip. He said, it was a visit to one of the historic Cathedrals in Rome that blew his mind. He told me he had never felt that closed to God in his entire life. It was so intense, his first visit, that he came back to that same spot every day for the two weeks of his stay in Rome. He told me he spent hours, sometimes all day hanging around the Cathedral.”

With a, “you get it” kind of look on his face, mixed with excitement and urgency, he shouted the following question: “If that Cathedral was the church in which you did ministry every week, where do you think my friend would be going to church?

I answered, “my church!”

To that he said, “than do everything, working with God to create an atmosphere, a place where people feel the closest to God. You do that, and when families wake up on Sunday mornings, that’s the place they will wake up thinking about and that’s the place they’ll call home.”

I went home and thought about that conversation and these thoughts began to form in my mind:

  •  Allow God to infuse your Worship with His presence – and that’s the place people would want to come.
  • Allow God to be the center of your small groups – and that’s the place people would want to come.
  • Allow friendships to reflect the character, life and example of Jesus – and that’s the place people would bring their families.
  • Allow the passion, compassion and love of God to move your people to serve the poor and disenfranchised – and that’s the kind of purpose driven life people will be attracted to.
  • Communicate truth like God would. Do not be silent, communicate hard truth powerfully and uncompromisingly and with lots of love. That draws people.
  • Do not water it down, even as you seek to remove unnecessary cultural barriers.

People are attracted to whatever God is, whatever He’s in and whatever He’s into.

People feel the closest to God when He is at the center of it all.

People feel the closest to God when He is in everything you do.

Please take a moment to share your experience by answering this question: Where do you feel the closest to God? Singing in the shower? Walking or Hiking? Serving? Worshiping with a large group or just by yourself driving to work?

Stay blessed and connected to Him!

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There are three things I think about every moment of everyday... they consume me deeply. How to: 1. Refine my theological understanding 2. sharpen my ethical rigor 3. and heighten my devotional intensity. These are the things I write about. Welcome you to my blog... Join me on this incredible journey of exploration and discovery of all the things God has in store for His children. Join by following or subscribing. I appreciate your thoughts, comments and friendship. Walter

20 Comments

  1. Anca V says

    Anywhere in any place we can feel God presence.
    The Kingdom of God is first in our hearts.
    But in the church is and remains the beautiful place “House of God”.
    The bible fulfill when say : ” the love of many will became cold” & too churches empty.
    I Wishing you a blessed & happy day !!

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  2. pruningthetwig says

    Thank you for this post Mr Bright 🙂 It has reminded me that I need not overthink this whole “practicing God’s presence” in my life.. And I’m learning to know as fact and really “know” in experience He is with me and in me.. Out in the fields, at an amazing church service, speaking of which 2 Sundays ago, there was a power cut in the area so there was no PowerPoint up on the screens but I’ve never felt His presence more with just one guitar player, a tambourine and a few back-up singers in a dark hall room singing old time classics like “Our God is an awesome God..” finishing with Amazing Grace.. No special effects and all that.. I really felt the sincerity of each person in the room singing songs from memory.. There was nothing or no one else that stood out except the corporate singing.. It really did give me a taste of what it would be like for us in heaven one day 🙂 and I feel more closest to God when I’m with people who sincerely love Him 🙂 I find God more real than ever connecting with others through Him in the world like on your blog 🙂 It’s helped me relate to God better and other Christians. Thank you so much for your heart for the body of Christ Mr Bright. Do keep writing!!!:) Blessings!!

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  4. Roland Ledoux says

    You know Pastor, as I went down your list, I kept checking the same box, communion, communion, communion or as I like to synonymously say, relationship, relationship, relationship. Whether it be intimately with our Heavenly Father or nearly as intimately with one another, “where two or three are gathered together in my Name, I am with you!” And that dearest Pastor is where I am closest!
    P.S. It happens in the blogosphere too!! 😉
    God bless you for this. It meant more than you can know this night!

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  5. Cora Gite-Caruthers says

    Pastor I have found worship brings me into a very intimate experience with our Lord. I go to a place where I feel it is just me and Him. I seldom am aware of anything else when I enter into that realm of worship. I find the worship service at TAG to be very moving and spiritually profound. Keep up the tremendous job you do to bring that experience to the body of Christ! Peace in Christ, Cora

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    • walter bright says

      Amen! Thank you Cora, I’m encouraged. I’m also very glad to hear from you. Stay blessed! Hope to hear you bless us with your beautiful voice soon.

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  7. carolyn says

    when I was a teenager, just going through some very hard times, there was a church just down the street from our house. And it had a picnic table outside. I would go and sit at that picnic table, because there was a peace there. i didn’t know at the time it was the atmosphere of Gods peace, a place of prayer and worship honoring him. But I know now, even then, he was drawing me to himself.

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  8. Susan Irene Fox says

    Where do I feel closest to God? Two places, really. When I am in nature surrounded by His abundant creation. and when I know I have touched someone’s heart, writing about His love and grace – when they “get” His unconditional love and welcoming arms are for them.

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  9. realchange4u says

    Walter I am reminded of God’s will for all of us. To be summed up in Jesus. Otherwise we would have a Christlike image, from the inside out. Anytime we are seeking to be like Christ, there he will be also. I can think of nothing except Christ that draws us to him. Preach Jesus and those he calls will come. I enjoyed your post.

    Much love Tom

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  11. paulfg says

    Reblogged this on Church Set Free and commented:
    Having just posted “Where do you look for Jesus?” … the next post I see in front of me is Walter’s: “Where do you feel closest to God?”

    I no longer use the word “coincidence”. I prefer the word “connected”.

    Paul

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