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The Presence: Experiencing More of God
Have you settled for far less of God than He wants to reveal? Do you feel close to God in your everyday life . . . or does He too often seem distant and silent? Maybe, like many Christians, you live somewhere between those two extremes. You occasionally sense God’s presence, but at other times feel as if He’s a million miles away.
The wonder of closeness with God is available to you here and now. In The Presence , Alec Rowlands reveals the ways God makes His presence known, how you can prepare for it, and how experiencing it will transform everything. As you draw near to God―as you are consumed by His love and your life is rearranged by His grace―you’ll find fulfillment, purpose, and an unmatched sense of adventure. If you’re feeling a hunger for more of God, you are already on your way to He is good. He is powerful. He is here.
The wonder of closeness with God is available to you here and now. In The Presence , Alec Rowlands reveals the ways God makes His presence known, how you can prepare for it, and how experiencing it will transform everything. As you draw near to God―as you are consumed by His love and your life is rearranged by His grace―you’ll find fulfillment, purpose, and an unmatched sense of adventure. If you’re feeling a hunger for more of God, you are already on your way to He is good. He is powerful. He is here.
272 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2014
3 people are currently reading
12 people want to read
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April 6, 2023
Not necessarily an academic book on having a closeness and intimacy with a very personal God, yet every time it would read like an experiential book, the author would balance it out with reason and Scripture. Books like these, that deal with intimacy with God, prayer, and revival, tend to go heavy with Scripture without a practical view of how it looks like or heavy on experience that strays far from Scriptural basis. Alec Rowlands, a Seattle based pastor does a great job of not going into either ditch.
A few stories of revival including his Dad’s in South Africa and his own story make for great reading. He briefly brings in Kierkegaard and Kant which you’d never expect to find in a book on the experience of prayer (one of the chapters is entitled, “Where Reason Kant, Experience Can.” Ha.). That was enjoyable. Also, his insight on knowledge as intimacy with the Lord was well worth diving into.
My favorite sentence:
If all we allow in our spiritual lives, is reason as a means of knowing God, the most we can expect from our faith is a lifeless formalism. Where is the hope, where is the adventure in that? Conversely, if all we allow is our experience of God, how easily we will be drawn into what a friend of mine cause “this present weirdness.” -122
First Sentence:
Revival is the overwhelming sense of God’s presence that falls powerfully on a Christian people who have become dead or lethargic in their spiritual lives, reviving those elements of the Christian life that God intends to be normal for his church. -1
Last sentence:
As we draw near to the Lord, we are transformed by our experience of his presence, we wait on him for his timing and his plans, and then we go out boldly with joy to fulfill his mission in the power of his Holy Spirit. -244
Here are some highlights I made while reading:
First sentence:
Revival is the overwhelming sense of God’s presence that falls powerfully on a Christian people who have become dead or lethargic in their spiritual lives, reviving those elements of the Christian life that God intends to be normal for his church. -1
Mary said that the presence of God in those years was like “a canopy of God-consciousness that covered the whole island.” -10
The elder who had read from Psalm 24 in the barn, fell to his knees, and cried out, “God, you cannot fail us! You promised to pour water on the thirsty and floods upon dry ground. God, you cannot fail us!” -11
We love those dramatic moments with God. We hope for them, and long for them, and undertake any number of well–intentioned, spiritual journeys, in an effort to discover God’s presence. But our untamed God will not be drawn into a predictable, cause and effect relationship with us that essentially leaves us in the driver seat. Encounters with God simply cannot be manufactured by our own efforts. -18
Persevere in your pursuit of God, and expect that he will make his presence known in your life and in the life of your church. -20
Signs of Revival: worship, becomes, spontaneous, joyous, and authentic. -29
Kierkegaard encouraged people to break out of the audience, jump onto the stage, and take their places in the unfolding story. For Kierkegaard, we receive our lines from the Director, watch for cues from the other actors, and learn the story by living it out, experiencing God firsthand, not just by sitting back, disconnected and aloof. -33
God calls us to be right in the middle of his drama, alive in Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit and attentive to him moment by moment, fully convinced that God is active and moving every day, in our world for his glory. -34
Although we indeed encountered God through our minds, our experience of his presence cannot be the cold or dispassionate result of intellectual pursuit alone. God is the living Word, immanent and engaged with us. He is as living and active in our lives today as he is depicted on the pages of scripture. When we encounter him, our hearts can—and must—be “strangely warmed.” -35
Richard, Owen Roberts, a student of historical revivals, has identified three distinct ways, in which God‘s presence can’t be known. He calls these essential presence, manifest, presence, and cultivated presence. -35
it is God’s essential presence that is revealed to all humanity, saved, or unsaved, through the work of creation. -36
When we forget that God is near, it isn’t long before our actions start to reflect the coldness of our hearts. -38
God’s essential presence means that he had been there in the garden all along. He was present, but he wasn’t known or experienced by those who had a come to arrest him. God‘s manifest presence is what caused the soldiers to lose physical strength and fall backward to the ground. -40
It’s simply that car shows up in tangible, experiential ways. He seems to manifest his presence, especially where, and when his people have fallen asleep and needs to be awakened. History shows it, and it’s confirmed scripturally. This is God’s manifest presence on display. And we can, and should live in expectation that when things look the darkest, God seems predisposed to make himself known when a remnant of his people commit themselves toy a protracted, season of prayer. -43
The cultivated presence of God is an experience that any of us can have when our hearts are rightly prepared. -44
When our hearts are cultivated and shaped by the spirit, through our intentional pursuit of God, we position ourselves for much more frequent experiences of God’s tangible presence. -44
The Holy Spirit living within us, gives us the ability to respond to this grace of God. The doing is from God; the response (response ability) is on us. And it is our grace enabled response to God, that he in turn responds to when, in his mercy and goodness, he reveals himself to us in special ways. This is what we call God’s cultivated presence. He provides the desire and the power for us to respond to him. When we do, he draws near to us. -45
Cultivating our lives, for God‘s presence is not so much about our own effort, as it is about responding to God’s initiatives of love and grace in such a way that we are in the right place at the right time, and in the right heart condition when God shows up. It is about faith and expectancy. -46
Signs of revival: the word of God comes alive among believers, resulting in renewed obedience to God. -46
Knowledge, in the context of relationship, is not just an accumulation of facts; rather, it’s directly tied to intimacy. -61
Signs of revival: a new love for one another results in restored relationships among believers. -61
I’m not suggesting that the goal is to live our lives on a spiritual mountain top; that is not sustainable. But by remembering, repenting, and returning, we position ourselves for ongoing refreshment and renewal in our relationship with God. -70
Repentance includes a godly sorrow for our present, passionless condition, and for the neglect of our relationship with the Lord. But repentance is not simply turning away from bad things. It also means turning toward or returning to those things that are good, the things we did, when we first fell in love with the Lord. -75
It’s interesting that Jesus doesn’t tell us to go back to the feelings we had. He calls us back to the deeds. Why? Because feelings follow actions. So, even if you’re not feeling the love, you can begin, by faith, to do the things you did back when you were first in love, and the feelings will follow. -75
Signs of revival: all revived believers exercise their ministry gifts inside and outside of the church. -78
If our view of God is that he is completely inaccessible, our approach to him will risk, being distant, overly formal, and dry. If our view of God is that he is no different from our buddy next door, our approach to him will risk being flippant, casual, and eventually irrelevant to our lives. There is a healthy tension that we cannot, and must not, avoid in our pursuit of God‘s presence. -82
Signs of revival: authentic, personal, and corporate prayer ministry is revived. -91
An integral component of salvation is a changed life lived in the presence of God. -97
What is the point of a new birth if it doesn’t lead us to new life? -100
Salvation is both a one time event, and a life lived. -100
Unrepentant sin hardens our sensitivities to God, which makes it more difficult for us to hear his voice, perceive his presence, and be transformed by his glory. -101
Knowing our new address is important, because salvation is not just positional or static, or unmoving or a once only experience. Salvation is ongoing, transformational, and continual. Instead of telling people who begin their Christian journey, “Your sins are forgiven, end of subject, you know how to fly,” we invite them to see that there’s an airplane waiting in the hangar. “Don’t just walk around with the license in your pocket fly the airplane.” -107
Signs of revival: Revived believers become powerful witnesses, and unbelievers are dramatically converted, significantly affecting everyday life in the community at large. -108
At one end of the spectrum, our churches that focus solely on apprehending God with the mind and reason. The danger here is that a purely intellectual approach to God can lead to formalism, dryness, and distance. Worship and faith exist, only in the creeds and in our minds. How many sermons have you sat through where there was no passion for God in the pulpit?… At the other end of the spectrum, are churches that focus solely on experience. Christians in these churches are continually encouraged to sense God or feel God, and the tone of worship is often more like a high school pep rally or cheerleading contest. Little emphasis is given to scriptural teaching. Sermons are mostly topical, with strong emphasis on relevance and living your best life now. -114
An exclusive reliance on intellectual reason or on misdirected zeal is equally dangerous. -115
It is not good to have zeal without knowledge, not to be hasty and miss the way. -116
The very nature of becoming a Christian involves our reason, certainly, as the Holy Spirit brings the revelation of God to our minds through scripture. Yet, if you would say, reflecting on the moment of their salvation, that it was their “brains” that were touched by God. Salvation typically also includes a softening and stirring of the heart in the presence of God, by the work of the Holy Spirit. Why, then, do so many Christians act as if that this heart experience of God must or does end at salvation? -117
It’s seldom through reason alone that we are changed, and the Christian life is all about change – change in status, change in lifestyle. This research is now showing that information accompanied by experience is what actually embeds new neural pathways in our brains to make lasting and effective changes in our lives. -122
Reason and experience are the two seemingly opposing forces that create a tension – and we need both. What we know of God, and what we experience of God are both necessary for maintaining on building our faith based relationship with him. -122
If all we allow in our spiritual lives, is reason as a means of knowing God, the most we can expect from our faith is a lifeless formalism. Where is the hope, where is the adventure in that? Conversely, if all we allow is our experience of God, how easily we will be drawn into what a friend of mine cause “this present weirdness.” -122
But if we pursue God with both reasons and experience - with our heads, and our hearts, both involved, both available to the work of the Holy Spirit – how rich are faith will be. -122
Stage one of revival: prosperity and ease, divert the people of God from their first love, making them spiritually lethargic and powerless. -124
After Adam and Eve’s sin of rebellion, God immediately showed how to restore them to relationship with him. And it was love for all humanity, that motivated Jesus, death and resurrection, as the means of redeeming us from the sin that separated us from him and restoring us to relationship with him. What love! -132
“He that has the doctrinal knowledge and speculation only, without affection,” writes Jonathan Edwards, “never is engaged in the business of religion.” -132
Experiences with God will likely include an emotional feeling, but the test is whether the result in a change of affection, or character. Ask yourself: is this particular emotion directing me toward God, and to serve others, or is it just a pleasurable feeling providing personal satisfaction? -132
When it comes to knowing God, we need to think of the word knowledge in a broader sense. We want to know God in the way that awakens and restores a love for him in our hearts. When we love God in this way, we can expect to transformation. Our intimate, loving knowledge of God will produce Carly living. In other words, our obedient to Christ comes from the overflow of our transformed hearts. -124
A regenerated heart of flesh is capable of a range of healthy experiences and responses to the love of God, including our emotions or affections. -135
God is and must always be the actor and initiator in any relationship of intimacy with him. Any experience of God is from him and for him. We cannot manipulate God into manifesting his presence. Worship, and other faith practices only prepare our hearts and minds for God to pour out his grace and make his presence known. -136
One. Does it have clear, tell tell marks of being from God?… This is why scripture, our primary source of God’s revelation, must be the final authority overall experience. —150
Two. Is it in line with Scripture? A genuine encounter with God will elicit responses that align with God to reveal the word – humility, repentance, Confession, contract, hearts, gratitude, worship, a deep in the hunger, for Scripture, a greater passion, for evangelism, the fruit of the spirit, and a growing love for God and others. -150
Three. Does it make me want more of God, or simply more of the experience? A genuine experience of God’s presence always causes us to want him more, to want to be more like him, and to be about his business in the lives of others. If the experience does not constrain us to be more loving towards God, or compellers, third grader holiness, and being a blessing to others, we can conclude that the experience was just weirdness. -151
Four. Does it make me more selfless or more selfish? A genuine experience with God is inevitably transforming. How can I not be? Yet? It should also give me greater compassion for others. If the experience makes me more selfish or arrogant, it is either not of God, or I am abusing God’s grace.
Am I teachable and open to correction? A truly, godly person is teachable, and open to correction and guidance from spiritual leaders, and other spiritually mature Christians. If that isn’t the case, then the person’s experiences are largely discredited. -152
To be safe in our experience of God, we must be under authority and in community. -153
Make God the focal point of your search, not the experience. -157
Stage three of revival: without the church’s influence as salt and light, society grows increasingly evil. -157
The Holy Spirit will be with us forever, and will show us the way back to the presence of the father. That’s God’s solution for every disciple of Jesus Christ. -164
Privatized experiences of God, open only to personal interpretation, are contrary to God’s design for his people. -177
The robust life of experiencing God, being transformed by him, and doing his work only happens through the interworkings of the people of God in relationship with one another in the local church. -184
Stage five of revival: an awakened core of believers catches a vision of what the church could be, praying to God, and speaking to people about the need for revival. -192
When Jesus says, “Remember me,” in the context of communion, the word in Greek, for remember, is different from merely remembering the historical details of a past event. The word means to “climb back into the event itself.” -201
Unfortunately, the busyness of our schedules has made hospitality, a lost art and practice, but it’s one we should seek to recover – “for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.” -204
Faith practices also counteract despair and hopelessness. They put us in a consistent place of intimacy with God where we become aware that he is, indeed, engaged in our lives every day, has our best interests on his heart, and is working his purposes in and through us, whether we feel it or not. -210
Draw near to God by means of the faith practices. Come to him in faith. Invite the Holy Spirit into the process with you. Be open to transformation. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. -210
Stage six of revival: an increased sense of God’s presence begins to fall on a core of believers, and God uses their obedience as a catalyst to open the door for his work in that congregation, city, or region. -210
Knowledge alone won’t produce lasting results, because ultimately our actions flow from our hearts. -216
There is no room for bragging or strutting in God’s presence. -224
When we experience, God, he touches our hearts and brings change there, at the wellspring of our lives. In addition to a changed disposition of the heart, we can also expect to see transformation in our affections, such as gratitude, compassion, joy, kindness, and peace. Our entire hearts get changed toward the things of God, and out of a new heart of courage will flow, courageous acts of witness and ministry. Acts of love and mercy to others will flow out of a heart of compassion. Acts of service and preferring. Others will flow out of a heart of humility. And a joyful approach to life will flow out of a heart of joy. -225
Stage seven of revival: an overwhelming sense of God’s presence falls powerfully on the broader community of believers, restoring the people of God to the fear of the Lord and their first love for God. -227
God’s intention is never that we become consumers of his blessings. We are to be recipients, yes; but as we receive: God intends for us to become distributors of those blessings in the lives of the people to whom he sends us. -231
There are two instructive Greek words used for disciple in the New Testament. One describes the location for discipleship - tucked in close behind Jesus. The other describes the activity of discipleship – imitating the Master’s lifestyle. -238
A few stories of revival including his Dad’s in South Africa and his own story make for great reading. He briefly brings in Kierkegaard and Kant which you’d never expect to find in a book on the experience of prayer (one of the chapters is entitled, “Where Reason Kant, Experience Can.” Ha.). That was enjoyable. Also, his insight on knowledge as intimacy with the Lord was well worth diving into.
My favorite sentence:
If all we allow in our spiritual lives, is reason as a means of knowing God, the most we can expect from our faith is a lifeless formalism. Where is the hope, where is the adventure in that? Conversely, if all we allow is our experience of God, how easily we will be drawn into what a friend of mine cause “this present weirdness.” -122
First Sentence:
Revival is the overwhelming sense of God’s presence that falls powerfully on a Christian people who have become dead or lethargic in their spiritual lives, reviving those elements of the Christian life that God intends to be normal for his church. -1
Last sentence:
As we draw near to the Lord, we are transformed by our experience of his presence, we wait on him for his timing and his plans, and then we go out boldly with joy to fulfill his mission in the power of his Holy Spirit. -244
Here are some highlights I made while reading:
First sentence:
Revival is the overwhelming sense of God’s presence that falls powerfully on a Christian people who have become dead or lethargic in their spiritual lives, reviving those elements of the Christian life that God intends to be normal for his church. -1
Mary said that the presence of God in those years was like “a canopy of God-consciousness that covered the whole island.” -10
The elder who had read from Psalm 24 in the barn, fell to his knees, and cried out, “God, you cannot fail us! You promised to pour water on the thirsty and floods upon dry ground. God, you cannot fail us!” -11
We love those dramatic moments with God. We hope for them, and long for them, and undertake any number of well–intentioned, spiritual journeys, in an effort to discover God’s presence. But our untamed God will not be drawn into a predictable, cause and effect relationship with us that essentially leaves us in the driver seat. Encounters with God simply cannot be manufactured by our own efforts. -18
Persevere in your pursuit of God, and expect that he will make his presence known in your life and in the life of your church. -20
Signs of Revival: worship, becomes, spontaneous, joyous, and authentic. -29
Kierkegaard encouraged people to break out of the audience, jump onto the stage, and take their places in the unfolding story. For Kierkegaard, we receive our lines from the Director, watch for cues from the other actors, and learn the story by living it out, experiencing God firsthand, not just by sitting back, disconnected and aloof. -33
God calls us to be right in the middle of his drama, alive in Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit and attentive to him moment by moment, fully convinced that God is active and moving every day, in our world for his glory. -34
Although we indeed encountered God through our minds, our experience of his presence cannot be the cold or dispassionate result of intellectual pursuit alone. God is the living Word, immanent and engaged with us. He is as living and active in our lives today as he is depicted on the pages of scripture. When we encounter him, our hearts can—and must—be “strangely warmed.” -35
Richard, Owen Roberts, a student of historical revivals, has identified three distinct ways, in which God‘s presence can’t be known. He calls these essential presence, manifest, presence, and cultivated presence. -35
it is God’s essential presence that is revealed to all humanity, saved, or unsaved, through the work of creation. -36
When we forget that God is near, it isn’t long before our actions start to reflect the coldness of our hearts. -38
God’s essential presence means that he had been there in the garden all along. He was present, but he wasn’t known or experienced by those who had a come to arrest him. God‘s manifest presence is what caused the soldiers to lose physical strength and fall backward to the ground. -40
It’s simply that car shows up in tangible, experiential ways. He seems to manifest his presence, especially where, and when his people have fallen asleep and needs to be awakened. History shows it, and it’s confirmed scripturally. This is God’s manifest presence on display. And we can, and should live in expectation that when things look the darkest, God seems predisposed to make himself known when a remnant of his people commit themselves toy a protracted, season of prayer. -43
The cultivated presence of God is an experience that any of us can have when our hearts are rightly prepared. -44
When our hearts are cultivated and shaped by the spirit, through our intentional pursuit of God, we position ourselves for much more frequent experiences of God’s tangible presence. -44
The Holy Spirit living within us, gives us the ability to respond to this grace of God. The doing is from God; the response (response ability) is on us. And it is our grace enabled response to God, that he in turn responds to when, in his mercy and goodness, he reveals himself to us in special ways. This is what we call God’s cultivated presence. He provides the desire and the power for us to respond to him. When we do, he draws near to us. -45
Cultivating our lives, for God‘s presence is not so much about our own effort, as it is about responding to God’s initiatives of love and grace in such a way that we are in the right place at the right time, and in the right heart condition when God shows up. It is about faith and expectancy. -46
Signs of revival: the word of God comes alive among believers, resulting in renewed obedience to God. -46
Knowledge, in the context of relationship, is not just an accumulation of facts; rather, it’s directly tied to intimacy. -61
Signs of revival: a new love for one another results in restored relationships among believers. -61
I’m not suggesting that the goal is to live our lives on a spiritual mountain top; that is not sustainable. But by remembering, repenting, and returning, we position ourselves for ongoing refreshment and renewal in our relationship with God. -70
Repentance includes a godly sorrow for our present, passionless condition, and for the neglect of our relationship with the Lord. But repentance is not simply turning away from bad things. It also means turning toward or returning to those things that are good, the things we did, when we first fell in love with the Lord. -75
It’s interesting that Jesus doesn’t tell us to go back to the feelings we had. He calls us back to the deeds. Why? Because feelings follow actions. So, even if you’re not feeling the love, you can begin, by faith, to do the things you did back when you were first in love, and the feelings will follow. -75
Signs of revival: all revived believers exercise their ministry gifts inside and outside of the church. -78
If our view of God is that he is completely inaccessible, our approach to him will risk, being distant, overly formal, and dry. If our view of God is that he is no different from our buddy next door, our approach to him will risk being flippant, casual, and eventually irrelevant to our lives. There is a healthy tension that we cannot, and must not, avoid in our pursuit of God‘s presence. -82
Signs of revival: authentic, personal, and corporate prayer ministry is revived. -91
An integral component of salvation is a changed life lived in the presence of God. -97
What is the point of a new birth if it doesn’t lead us to new life? -100
Salvation is both a one time event, and a life lived. -100
Unrepentant sin hardens our sensitivities to God, which makes it more difficult for us to hear his voice, perceive his presence, and be transformed by his glory. -101
Knowing our new address is important, because salvation is not just positional or static, or unmoving or a once only experience. Salvation is ongoing, transformational, and continual. Instead of telling people who begin their Christian journey, “Your sins are forgiven, end of subject, you know how to fly,” we invite them to see that there’s an airplane waiting in the hangar. “Don’t just walk around with the license in your pocket fly the airplane.” -107
Signs of revival: Revived believers become powerful witnesses, and unbelievers are dramatically converted, significantly affecting everyday life in the community at large. -108
At one end of the spectrum, our churches that focus solely on apprehending God with the mind and reason. The danger here is that a purely intellectual approach to God can lead to formalism, dryness, and distance. Worship and faith exist, only in the creeds and in our minds. How many sermons have you sat through where there was no passion for God in the pulpit?… At the other end of the spectrum, are churches that focus solely on experience. Christians in these churches are continually encouraged to sense God or feel God, and the tone of worship is often more like a high school pep rally or cheerleading contest. Little emphasis is given to scriptural teaching. Sermons are mostly topical, with strong emphasis on relevance and living your best life now. -114
An exclusive reliance on intellectual reason or on misdirected zeal is equally dangerous. -115
It is not good to have zeal without knowledge, not to be hasty and miss the way. -116
The very nature of becoming a Christian involves our reason, certainly, as the Holy Spirit brings the revelation of God to our minds through scripture. Yet, if you would say, reflecting on the moment of their salvation, that it was their “brains” that were touched by God. Salvation typically also includes a softening and stirring of the heart in the presence of God, by the work of the Holy Spirit. Why, then, do so many Christians act as if that this heart experience of God must or does end at salvation? -117
It’s seldom through reason alone that we are changed, and the Christian life is all about change – change in status, change in lifestyle. This research is now showing that information accompanied by experience is what actually embeds new neural pathways in our brains to make lasting and effective changes in our lives. -122
Reason and experience are the two seemingly opposing forces that create a tension – and we need both. What we know of God, and what we experience of God are both necessary for maintaining on building our faith based relationship with him. -122
If all we allow in our spiritual lives, is reason as a means of knowing God, the most we can expect from our faith is a lifeless formalism. Where is the hope, where is the adventure in that? Conversely, if all we allow is our experience of God, how easily we will be drawn into what a friend of mine cause “this present weirdness.” -122
But if we pursue God with both reasons and experience - with our heads, and our hearts, both involved, both available to the work of the Holy Spirit – how rich are faith will be. -122
Stage one of revival: prosperity and ease, divert the people of God from their first love, making them spiritually lethargic and powerless. -124
After Adam and Eve’s sin of rebellion, God immediately showed how to restore them to relationship with him. And it was love for all humanity, that motivated Jesus, death and resurrection, as the means of redeeming us from the sin that separated us from him and restoring us to relationship with him. What love! -132
“He that has the doctrinal knowledge and speculation only, without affection,” writes Jonathan Edwards, “never is engaged in the business of religion.” -132
Experiences with God will likely include an emotional feeling, but the test is whether the result in a change of affection, or character. Ask yourself: is this particular emotion directing me toward God, and to serve others, or is it just a pleasurable feeling providing personal satisfaction? -132
When it comes to knowing God, we need to think of the word knowledge in a broader sense. We want to know God in the way that awakens and restores a love for him in our hearts. When we love God in this way, we can expect to transformation. Our intimate, loving knowledge of God will produce Carly living. In other words, our obedient to Christ comes from the overflow of our transformed hearts. -124
A regenerated heart of flesh is capable of a range of healthy experiences and responses to the love of God, including our emotions or affections. -135
God is and must always be the actor and initiator in any relationship of intimacy with him. Any experience of God is from him and for him. We cannot manipulate God into manifesting his presence. Worship, and other faith practices only prepare our hearts and minds for God to pour out his grace and make his presence known. -136
One. Does it have clear, tell tell marks of being from God?… This is why scripture, our primary source of God’s revelation, must be the final authority overall experience. —150
Two. Is it in line with Scripture? A genuine encounter with God will elicit responses that align with God to reveal the word – humility, repentance, Confession, contract, hearts, gratitude, worship, a deep in the hunger, for Scripture, a greater passion, for evangelism, the fruit of the spirit, and a growing love for God and others. -150
Three. Does it make me want more of God, or simply more of the experience? A genuine experience of God’s presence always causes us to want him more, to want to be more like him, and to be about his business in the lives of others. If the experience does not constrain us to be more loving towards God, or compellers, third grader holiness, and being a blessing to others, we can conclude that the experience was just weirdness. -151
Four. Does it make me more selfless or more selfish? A genuine experience with God is inevitably transforming. How can I not be? Yet? It should also give me greater compassion for others. If the experience makes me more selfish or arrogant, it is either not of God, or I am abusing God’s grace.
Am I teachable and open to correction? A truly, godly person is teachable, and open to correction and guidance from spiritual leaders, and other spiritually mature Christians. If that isn’t the case, then the person’s experiences are largely discredited. -152
To be safe in our experience of God, we must be under authority and in community. -153
Make God the focal point of your search, not the experience. -157
Stage three of revival: without the church’s influence as salt and light, society grows increasingly evil. -157
The Holy Spirit will be with us forever, and will show us the way back to the presence of the father. That’s God’s solution for every disciple of Jesus Christ. -164
Privatized experiences of God, open only to personal interpretation, are contrary to God’s design for his people. -177
The robust life of experiencing God, being transformed by him, and doing his work only happens through the interworkings of the people of God in relationship with one another in the local church. -184
Stage five of revival: an awakened core of believers catches a vision of what the church could be, praying to God, and speaking to people about the need for revival. -192
When Jesus says, “Remember me,” in the context of communion, the word in Greek, for remember, is different from merely remembering the historical details of a past event. The word means to “climb back into the event itself.” -201
Unfortunately, the busyness of our schedules has made hospitality, a lost art and practice, but it’s one we should seek to recover – “for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.” -204
Faith practices also counteract despair and hopelessness. They put us in a consistent place of intimacy with God where we become aware that he is, indeed, engaged in our lives every day, has our best interests on his heart, and is working his purposes in and through us, whether we feel it or not. -210
Draw near to God by means of the faith practices. Come to him in faith. Invite the Holy Spirit into the process with you. Be open to transformation. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. -210
Stage six of revival: an increased sense of God’s presence begins to fall on a core of believers, and God uses their obedience as a catalyst to open the door for his work in that congregation, city, or region. -210
Knowledge alone won’t produce lasting results, because ultimately our actions flow from our hearts. -216
There is no room for bragging or strutting in God’s presence. -224
When we experience, God, he touches our hearts and brings change there, at the wellspring of our lives. In addition to a changed disposition of the heart, we can also expect to see transformation in our affections, such as gratitude, compassion, joy, kindness, and peace. Our entire hearts get changed toward the things of God, and out of a new heart of courage will flow, courageous acts of witness and ministry. Acts of love and mercy to others will flow out of a heart of compassion. Acts of service and preferring. Others will flow out of a heart of humility. And a joyful approach to life will flow out of a heart of joy. -225
Stage seven of revival: an overwhelming sense of God’s presence falls powerfully on the broader community of believers, restoring the people of God to the fear of the Lord and their first love for God. -227
God’s intention is never that we become consumers of his blessings. We are to be recipients, yes; but as we receive: God intends for us to become distributors of those blessings in the lives of the people to whom he sends us. -231
There are two instructive Greek words used for disciple in the New Testament. One describes the location for discipleship - tucked in close behind Jesus. The other describes the activity of discipleship – imitating the Master’s lifestyle. -238
September 6, 2014
***discover what it means to experience the awesome, yet very tangible presence of God***
Pastor Alec Rowlands, Westgate Chapel, Edmonds Washington, invites readers on "a quest to discover what it means to experience the awesome, yet very tangible presence of God" in his September 1 release, The Presence. Such spiritual encounters with the living God, he writes, "produces changed hearts, resulting in changed lives that bring glory and praise to God."
He speaks with the authority of personal experience because he had such an encounter when he was eleven-years-old at his father's South African church in Durban, South Africa. That unforgettable encounter with the supernatural presence, power and glory of the "untamed Lion of Judah” changed his life and influenced everything he thought and did from that point forward.
However, he warns, such happenings are never a substitute for faith, nor are they to be "elevated above scripture" or sought after for the experience alone. Yet, he also believes "our highest purpose is to know experience, enjoy and glorify God," because that is the "spiritual birthright" of those "reborn in Christ." Full Review: http://www.examiner.com/review/the-pr...
Pastor Alec Rowlands, Westgate Chapel, Edmonds Washington, invites readers on "a quest to discover what it means to experience the awesome, yet very tangible presence of God" in his September 1 release, The Presence. Such spiritual encounters with the living God, he writes, "produces changed hearts, resulting in changed lives that bring glory and praise to God."
He speaks with the authority of personal experience because he had such an encounter when he was eleven-years-old at his father's South African church in Durban, South Africa. That unforgettable encounter with the supernatural presence, power and glory of the "untamed Lion of Judah” changed his life and influenced everything he thought and did from that point forward.
However, he warns, such happenings are never a substitute for faith, nor are they to be "elevated above scripture" or sought after for the experience alone. Yet, he also believes "our highest purpose is to know experience, enjoy and glorify God," because that is the "spiritual birthright" of those "reborn in Christ." Full Review: http://www.examiner.com/review/the-pr...
December 27, 2014
Alec Rowlands had a childhood experience of God's presence while growing up King William's Town, South Africa. As an adult and as a pastor he wondered how to keep the vitality of that experience in his life and ministry. He then sets out on a journey through studying historic revivals, recovering his prayer life and giving his attention to the winds of the Spirit.
Today Rowlands is the senior pastor of Westgate Chapel in Edmonds, Washington and has a D.Min from Carey Theological College. In The Presence: Experiencing More of God, he explores the nature of spiritual experience, cultivating a friendship with God and an openness to the surprising ways in which God works.
Growing up Pentecostal, Rowlands is open to the Spirit's work in sometimes 'weird' ways. As an old-school-evangelical he is a student of revival (Keswick, First and Second Great Awakenings, early Methodism, etc). However on neither score does he fall into the error of baptizing all 'spiritual experience' and revival. He points to examples. historic and contemporary where spiritual manifestations no-longer aided believers to sense the Spirit's presence and leadership but became a distraction. He also spurns techniques and methods for manufacturing revival. While it is true that we can cultivate our awarness of God's presence, the Wind blows where it may and revival is always fundamentally the Spirit's work. God's presence, not God's presents.
Underneath Rowlands'a search is a hunger for a deeper experience of God's empowering presence in all of life and ministry. This is the gift of this book. He stokes our expectancy for more of God's presence, he gets us to be mindful of the what God saved us from, he exhorts us to cultivate our love for God through a vibrant prayer life, he opens up the surprising ways the Spirit works, and invites us to participate in God's mission. This has both personal and corporate implications. He sometimes writes of his own spiritual life, and other times the ways God has helped him to lead or grow his congregation (or early on discern when God was leading him to a new congregation).
Another thing I really liked is how thoughtful this book is. Rowlands is rooted in history, philosophy and theology. While he may invite us to chase a personal experience of God, he also maintains a place for reason.
At the close of each chapter, there is a text book about revival. These sometimes seemed to fit the theme of the chapter, but not always. I am not sure what they actually added to the book as a whole other than giving a short thought about revival which you could print on a mug or t-shirt. On the whole, good engaging book on the Spiritual life. I give it four stars.★★★★☆
Notice of material connection: I received this book from Tyndale Momentum in exchange for my honest review.
Today Rowlands is the senior pastor of Westgate Chapel in Edmonds, Washington and has a D.Min from Carey Theological College. In The Presence: Experiencing More of God, he explores the nature of spiritual experience, cultivating a friendship with God and an openness to the surprising ways in which God works.
Growing up Pentecostal, Rowlands is open to the Spirit's work in sometimes 'weird' ways. As an old-school-evangelical he is a student of revival (Keswick, First and Second Great Awakenings, early Methodism, etc). However on neither score does he fall into the error of baptizing all 'spiritual experience' and revival. He points to examples. historic and contemporary where spiritual manifestations no-longer aided believers to sense the Spirit's presence and leadership but became a distraction. He also spurns techniques and methods for manufacturing revival. While it is true that we can cultivate our awarness of God's presence, the Wind blows where it may and revival is always fundamentally the Spirit's work. God's presence, not God's presents.
Underneath Rowlands'a search is a hunger for a deeper experience of God's empowering presence in all of life and ministry. This is the gift of this book. He stokes our expectancy for more of God's presence, he gets us to be mindful of the what God saved us from, he exhorts us to cultivate our love for God through a vibrant prayer life, he opens up the surprising ways the Spirit works, and invites us to participate in God's mission. This has both personal and corporate implications. He sometimes writes of his own spiritual life, and other times the ways God has helped him to lead or grow his congregation (or early on discern when God was leading him to a new congregation).
Another thing I really liked is how thoughtful this book is. Rowlands is rooted in history, philosophy and theology. While he may invite us to chase a personal experience of God, he also maintains a place for reason.
At the close of each chapter, there is a text book about revival. These sometimes seemed to fit the theme of the chapter, but not always. I am not sure what they actually added to the book as a whole other than giving a short thought about revival which you could print on a mug or t-shirt. On the whole, good engaging book on the Spiritual life. I give it four stars.★★★★☆
Notice of material connection: I received this book from Tyndale Momentum in exchange for my honest review.
September 7, 2015
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through Tyndale House book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
the presenceThe Presence: Experiencing More of God
by Alec Rowlands
The Presence explores different paths and behaviors which can bring us into God’s presence. Being in God’s presence is not something that occurs all the time. There will be times when we are in His presence and other times when we are not . The presence contains experiences from the author, as well as other people the author has written about. The presence helps answer the questions, “What is my part in entering into God’s presence?” and “How do I reach the presence of God?”.
Each chapter holds a valued message which can help in building relationships with God. The Presence was not a page-turner for me, but it did hold my interest in and throughout each chapter. Alec Rowlands provides supportive Biblical content which upholds his main points continuously throughout The Presence.
I recommend The Presence to all readers.
the presenceThe Presence: Experiencing More of God
by Alec Rowlands
The Presence explores different paths and behaviors which can bring us into God’s presence. Being in God’s presence is not something that occurs all the time. There will be times when we are in His presence and other times when we are not . The presence contains experiences from the author, as well as other people the author has written about. The presence helps answer the questions, “What is my part in entering into God’s presence?” and “How do I reach the presence of God?”.
Each chapter holds a valued message which can help in building relationships with God. The Presence was not a page-turner for me, but it did hold my interest in and throughout each chapter. Alec Rowlands provides supportive Biblical content which upholds his main points continuously throughout The Presence.
I recommend The Presence to all readers.
September 15, 2014
In Alec Rowlands book he shares his personal stories on some major "Jesus moments" in his life that drew him closer. He also shared how he got back to some of those points after some of the "newness, excitement,and closeness" seemed to fade into the background once again. In sharing his experiences, Alec gives readers a way to connect, to relate and understand how to get that feeling of nearness back.
It's the perfect book on how to get the ultimate experience of God's love and the "father relationship" with us. Now this is not to say that this is a "step by step instructional booklet on getting back to God" but it does help to have someone else's story.A must read for new Christians, as well as those who are older more "experienced Christians" who want to know how to get that close relationship back if they've lost it.
Five out of five stars for teen/adult friendliness as well as an awesome account of his experience and how to "get back to God"! Fabulous book!!
I received and reviewed this book for Tyndale publishers. All thoughts positive or negative are my own and apart from receiving this book I was not compensated in any way for my review.
It's the perfect book on how to get the ultimate experience of God's love and the "father relationship" with us. Now this is not to say that this is a "step by step instructional booklet on getting back to God" but it does help to have someone else's story.A must read for new Christians, as well as those who are older more "experienced Christians" who want to know how to get that close relationship back if they've lost it.
Five out of five stars for teen/adult friendliness as well as an awesome account of his experience and how to "get back to God"! Fabulous book!!
I received and reviewed this book for Tyndale publishers. All thoughts positive or negative are my own and apart from receiving this book I was not compensated in any way for my review.
September 15, 2014
"The Presence: What Happens When God Comes Near", by Alec Rowlands, is a wonderful, must-read book that will answer your questions and make clear how God works in our lives, and what it takes to get closer to Him. I can't recommend this enough!
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