FCC 100 Session 6: Worship and the Presence of God

This teaching is adapted from Ps Dave Wong’s message to the worship ministry in February 2024.

What do we mean when we say that worship brings us into God’s presence? Isn’t God everywhere? So technically, aren’t people already in the presence of God even before the band starts and the music kicks off?

What is really happening during a church service when the worship leader says, “the presence of God is here”?

On the one hand, it might seem like nothing is happening. But at the same time, this phenomenon of people sensing the presence of God during worship is a commonly held experience. How do we reconcile this?

Biblical History of God’s Presence

From the beginning of creation, we see that it has always been God’s desire and intent to establish His presence among His people

Eden

In Genesis, we see God create the Garden of Eden – a sacred space where heaven and earth co-exist. It’s a place of beauty and wonder. A place overflowing with the abundance of God’s provision. But most importantly, a place of communion between God and mankind. God would reveal Himself to Adam and Eve – walking in the garden in intimacy and fellowship.

The Ark and the Tabernacle

Fast forward to Exodus, where Israel is saved from slavery in Egypt. And God establishes the Tabernacle (the Tent of Meeting) – the dwelling place of God. And it is in this place, where His presence can be found, that God commands Israel to make the epicentre of the nation’s worship – from sacrifices and offerings, to festivals, to a place for prayer and instruction in the Law. The crown jewel of this Tabernacle was the Ark of the Covenant, where the presence of God was believed to literally dwell between the cherubim above the mercy seat.

The Temple Buildings

After conquering the Promised Land, this Tabernacle pattern was continued but in the form of the Temples. The Temple of Solomon was beautiful and held the Ark until It was destroyed by the Babylonians. The second temple was rebuilt and even though the Ark was missing, it still symbolised the dwelling place of God’s presence for the nation of Israel until the Romans destroyed it again shortly after Jesus’ lifetime.

The Temple of the Holy Spirit

Now comes along Jesus, who through His death and resurrection, tore the veil in the temple and turns believers into the Temple of the Holy Spirit. Where do we get this? In John 4 when Jesus is talking to the Samaritan woman, he is asked about where to worship. At its core, she was asking – where does the presence of God actually dwell? The Samaritan temple, or the (second) temple in Jerusalem? And Jesus responds with that famous answer in John 4:23:

“Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.”

In other words, Jesus was saying that God no longer dwelt in temple buildings, but in His true worshippers.

That’s why Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 3:16:

Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst?

What does this have to with us?

A People, Not a Place

We should take care not to over-emphasise the “place of worship”. In today’s vernacular, places of worship refer to church buildings, temples and sanctuaries. But God isn’t as interested in places of worship, as He is in a people of worship.

What does this mean? We must be careful to hold this tension in mind. God desires to make His presence known in our church buildings – and He shows up when we come together in (narrow) worship and it’s a beautiful thing. But a big part of the reason why God has made his dwelling place in us is because He desires to make His presence felt everywhere, all the time.

As those who love serving in the worship ministry, we are tempted to make a big deal of the presence of God during our worship services. But we must also recognise that God wants His presence to be just as real and felt (and even more so) in the other 95% of our lives. That’s what it means to be a people who practise His presence. It is an everyday, all-the-time recognition that God’s presence is always with us. If we can catch this, then we have become people of worship.

The Principle of Drawing Near

James 4:8 says “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.”

You might be thinking “How does that work? Didn’t you just say that God’s presence is in me, all the time, everywhere? How much nearer can I be?”

Consider this. In any sort of relationship, there is a difference between being with someone versus drawing close to them. What’s the difference? You can be in the same room as someone, but you may not be “present”. You may not give them any attention at all.

And this is the difference between just having the indwelling of God’s presence in us and drawing near to Him. Many believers walk around with the Almighty God living in them all day, but pre-occupied with their to-do lists, plans and hobbies, totally unaware of the ever-present God. And once in a while, we do short check-ins with God. Maybe 20 minutes of Bible reading, or a prayer here and there. There are problems to solve and things to do. We can’t all be spending all day, every day locked in a room meditating on the Word and praying like a monk in a monastery.

That’s why it’s important to practise drawing near. Think of it like quality time spent with your friends and family: uninterrupted time set aside where we give God our undivided attention. God’s presence never left, but in this new frame of mind is where He has our focus. It’s these moments that we often enjoy God the most – where we now become acutely aware of His presence and activity in us. These moments are where we hear God speak to us, comfort and reassure us – like walking with God in the Garden.

This is where our spiritual disciplines take on new life – our reading, our prayer time, our solo walks or drives with God. The more often we learn to draw near, the more we become a people who practice His presence.

Worship in the Church

So back to our original question – what is happening during our services? Are entering into God’s presence in worship? Well yes and no!

No – because the presence of God never leaves the people of God and vice versa. We know this theologically.

But also yes – because at a corporate level, we are collectively drawing near to the Lord. To put aside our own distractions and pre-occupations, and for the 25 minutes or so, we are turning our eyes to give the Lord our undivided attention.

And when the church comes together to do this in worship – it is no wonder that people begin to sense God’s presence. Tens, hundreds, sometimes thousands of people all gathered with one heart – their undivided attention on God’s abiding presence in all of them. And as we corporately draw near to the Lord, He draws near to us!

Now in the Tabernacle and the temples it was a physical, tangible experience. The Israelites would have been reminded by the layout, by the sacrifices, by the symbolism of God’s desire to dwell among His people. But for us, it’s even better! We aren’t just reminded by symbolism and foreshadowing, but by the very presence of God Himself.

And in His presence, the Bible says that there is joy, and blessing and freedom.

Psalm 16:11:

You make known to me the path of life;
You will fill me with joy in your presence,
With eternal pleasures at your right hand.

2 Corinthians 3:17:

Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.

When we worship corporately, we should not limit worship to a reminder of what God has done, but there should be an expectation of the God who draws near to us in our midst! Jehovah Shammah – the Lord who is There! We should pray for and expect the fruit of God’s presence to be there too – physical and emotional healing, those who are far from Christ to be set free, comfort to those who are downtrodden and discouraged.

Isaiah 11:2 describes the Holy Spirit resting on Jesus in this way.

The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—
the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and of might,
the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord/

Just imagine what it would look like to see THAT Spirit draw near during our worship!