The loving touch of God

  
   You know, it is a very foreign idea in this country for God to just want to touch His people.  Even though we are promised "times" of refreshing (revival, catching of the breath), many are those who don't want, don't believe, even resist the touch of God.  For me, and in our meetings, I love to see God just touch people for the sake of touching them. In the garden, apparently God came regular to fellowship with Adam and Eve.  He sat at the campfire with Abraham.  He became flesh and dwelt among men, touching them, talking to them, eating with them.  Why is that idea so hard for so many?   I have felt the saving, the healing, the forgiving, the delivering touch of God and will forever be thankful for each and every touch.  However, just as precious are those times God just lovingly touches me for no other reason than to just love on me. Oh me oh my!  It is melt-down time.  Ever had one? 

    Many are those who don't believe in the manifested presence of God, in any manner, but even those who do, struggle with the idea of a loving God just loving on His own.  In the church of my youth, and many I have been in since then, if there arose a sense of God being in the house, we were so schooled that such as time could only be seen as a time to put a harness on Him and put Him to work.   I have seen some of the sweetest times of worship and fellowship interrupted by a long altar call for the lost or the sick.  Why is that?   Where man rules, everything has to be about man.  They may call it Christianity, but it is about man.  Anything they are willing to accept, even from God, must be for the benefit of man.  Anything else is considered a waste of important man's time. 

    You see, there is a level of worship which for the most part is hidden to us and hidden by demonic design.  This kind of worship is a time in God's presence where He touches you and you touch Him in response.  Oh yes, I know there are moments when the altar calls are appropriate but there are also  times when God just wants to love on us.  And, He wants us to minister unto Him, to love Him back.  He once told Moses that He had brought Israel out of Egypt to be priests that would minister unto Him.  They never entered into that ministry.  Ezekiel tells the story God dividing the Levitical priesthood. One group, having been unfaithful, would still be priests, but only to the house and to the people, tending to sacrificial offerings and building care.  That was their punishment.  The other, the faithful sons of Zadok, God said they could come near to His table and minister to Him (Ezk. 44).  Don't you want to be in that number?  Or, would you rather your ministry be to the building and to the people?   An awful lot of folks choose the building and the people.  But, oh, for me to stand in His presence, to bask in His glory, to feel the touch of His love is something of such value, I would not trade it for anything.  

    If I had my way, if I could call the shots, if I could dispense some wisdom, I would urge every Pastor of every church to schedule regular meetings for the express purpose of letting God just touch the people.  I would suggest fasting, praying and preparing for those meetings like no other.  I would urge my people to get so thirsty for the Holy Ghost they would pray in desperation for His touch.   And yes, don't worry, we could still have the evangelistic, the healing, the teaching meetings as well.  However, why not set aside a time, just to have a touch of God that did nothing but say "I love you"?  The Bible says that if the Spirit that raised Christ from the dead dwells in us, that Spirit will "quicken", touch, charge up, our "mortal" body (Ro. 8:11). That is not a touch on your immortal body, that is a touch on your flesh.  Oh, it is good.  Why not crave that? I do.