Any Time Any Place

1 Corinthians:3:16: Know you not that you are the temple of God,
and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?
2 Corinthians:6:16: And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God; as God has said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
1 John:3:24: And he that keeps His commandments dwells in Him, and He in him. And hereby we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit which He has given us.

Our Journey Into His Courts
The incredible truth of the gospel is that we now all become temples of the Holy Spirit. The tabernacle of His dwelling is each and every individual believer and the joint gathering of those believers. The assembly is where He shows Himself strongest. The power of unity in prayer and praise is simple to observe in all of scripture. Any time and any place we meet with Him, He meets with us.

The Shadow That Gives Light
Let the sons of Korah expound into your heart the insight they have in serving in the gathering place of their God. Let them explain to your soul in words unutterable how excellent is the name of the Lord they serve. Explore with me the dwelling place of God and the joy of serving Him in that place. See the benefits of dwelling with Him in the fellowship of the saints.

For the sons of Korah, all they could see was the shadow, the type of what was to come. For us, the Holy Spirit becomes a resident in our hearts, our tabernacles. For them He visited. He came and went. For us, He comes and stays. He never leaves us or forsakes us. They had the beginning of the promise. He promised He would live in the gathering of the believers. Our joy is to have the fullness of the promise. His flow and life are ours on a continuing basis. That is the way He means it to be. Every day and every time we meet, He is here.

Psalm 84
How amiable are thy tabernacles, O LORD of hosts!
My soul longeth, yea, even faints for the courts of the LORD: my heart and my flesh cries out for the living God.
Yea, the sparrow has found an house, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, even thine altars, O LORD of hosts, my King, and my God.
Blessed are they that dwell inYour house: they will be still praising You. Selah.
Blessed is the man whose strength is in You; in whose heart are the ways of them.
Who passing through the valley of Baca make it a well; the rain also fills the pools.
They go from strength to strength, every one of them in Zion appears before God.
O LORD God of hosts, hear my prayer: give ear, O God of Jacob. Selah.
Behold, O God our shield, and look upon the face of Your anointed.
For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness.
For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.
O LORD of hosts, blessed is the man that trusts in You.

In exploring this psalm and its relation to the collective assembling of the saints of God, these will be some of the sessions:
v Beautiful Dwellings –Delighting in His Surroundings
v Lovely Tabernacles – Delighting in His People
v Jehovah Tse-ba-wah – Delighting in War
v Courts of God –Delighting in Praise
v Living God - Delighting in Living
v Nesting at the Altars – Delighting in Worship
v The Gathering and Presence - Delighting in Him
v SingingPraises – Delighting in the Positive
v Strong in Him - Delighting in Weakness
v Highways in the Heart – Delighting in Birth
v Place of Springs – Delighting in the Anointing
v Strength to Strength – Delighting in Growing
v Hear Our Prayer - Delighting in Prayer
v The Shield - Delighting in Leadership
v Doorkeepers - Delighting in Serving
v Sun and Shield - Delighting in Grace
v Sun and Shield – Delighting in Using Grace
v Good Things - Delighting in Liberty
v Trusting Him – Delighting in the Long Haul
v Final Thoughts

Finding Common Grounds
Jerry came out from the back with a wide smile on his face. He’d found an old fan motor in the junk in his backyard to fix the air unit. Jerry’s backyard was a parts heaven from years of taking things apart and never throwing any away. Seemed like a God thing that he had just the right size fan for the unit. It smelled something awful when it cranked up the heat, but soon the dust and bugs in the unit burned up and heat was blowing through the place. He looked a little crazy with wild hair everywhere and dirt and grease over every inch of his body. But, the heat was wonderful.

Maria got the main coffee urn going and fixed some exotic brew. She figured it was time to try out one of the planned menu items. Here was some Korinth Kava. The mix of light and dark coffees was an idea she concocted. The aroma flooded the newly cleaned rooms. They still needed some work, but they would do for starting up. No tables or chairs had arrived, so a few crates found in the back had to do to sit and relax.

“Whew,” exclaimed Bear, “I could really go for a mug of that brew. What is it made out of? Smells wonderful.” He was 6’6” and 300lbs. Everything about him was huge. And he was a hard worker with a soft heart. Krons had been working side by side with him scraping caked grease off the kitchen floors for hours. Nasty work and great friendship.

As Maria explained the mix of coffees, Sharita laughed loud and long. She explained she was known to mix coffees all the time. When one can was low and the next one came in from the local food bank, they never knew which coffee it would be. One time it was Maxell House light and Folger’s dark. Another time it might be something else. It was kind of a household joke about what the coffee of the last mix would be like. Sometimes it would turn your stomach. Sometimes it was really good. They all laughed at the irony. Maria had planned for Sharita’s Surprise as the family called it.

Krons seized the moment. As everyone filled up their cups, he raised his in salute and prayer.
“Father, this has been a good day. You have brought friends and fun. You have helped us clean and mix coffees and mix with each other. How can we thank You for such a day? Thanks for these friends. Thanks for You.”

Quiet hit the boisterous group for a minute. They weren’t used to someone praying so freely and so easily. To them, God was a distant image in a religious room of formality. The different approach of Krons being so free to talk to God in the middle of messed up room with some messed up people made Bear frown with puzzlement. He wasn’t angry. Just puzzled. Sure was good coffee though. Tasted like Sharita’s Surprise the time it was really good.
Taking Inventory on Any Time - Any Place
Has your view of Gods acceptable gathering place been limited by what you have seen before?

When was the last time you felt the presence of God at your work-place? in your home? at the grocery store? riding in a car?

Can you think of someone who seems to be able to enjoy God's presence wherever they are?

Taking Action on Any Time - Any Place
Practice the presence of God for one day. Every 15-30 minutes stop and talk to Him for 30 seconds. Remind yourself He is there.

Prayer on Any Time - Any PlaceRight now, Father, I recognize Your presence. You are here. In the depths of the ocean, You are there. On the highways, You are there. When I don't feel You, You are there. When I am angry, You are there. When I am in sin, You are there. When I am living victoriously, You are there. When I lie down, You are there. When I read a book, You are there. When I work to earn my wages, You are there. When I am eating, You are there. You are here, always