The Glory of God

It has taken me longer than usual to write today’s blog. Part of my labor is due to the fatigue I feel after a weekend of preaching and leading. The combination of a funeral on Friday and a wedding on Saturday, accentuates my weariness. More than lack of energy, however, part of the emotion I am wrestling with is the great sense of awe surrounding me.

I am humbled by the mighty presence of God in our family of faith. God is doing a great work at CrossPoint, and I am genuinely awestruck by what I see.

Last night during Leadership Community, I shared with our leaders two items of specific prayer that remain near the top of my list. I mentioned these two prayer requests so that the leaders of this choice church will join me in praying through them. I share these prayers with you today so every CrossPointer will pray with me.

First, I have been praying for God’s glory literally to consume this sweet church.

As I read through the Bible, I see more and more that God is concerned with one thing—His Glory.

There are many passages in the Bible that teach us about the glory of God. Three particular passages of Scripture that speak directly to me with regard to glory of God include the following.

Psalm 46:10 reads,

“Be still, and know that I am God.
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in all the earth.”

We learn more about God’s glory from Isaiah 48:11:

For my own sake, for my own sake, I do it, for how should my name be profaned? My glory I will not give to another.

These and many other passages teach us about God’s glory. However, it is 2 Chronicles 7:1-3, that is the root of my prayer for CrossPoint:

As soon as Solomon finished his prayer, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices and the glory of the Lord filled the temple. And the priests could not enter the house of the Lord, because the glory of the Lord filled the Lord’s house. When all the people of Israel saw the fire come down and the glory of the Lord on the temple, they bowed down with their faces to the ground on the pavement and worshiped and gave thanks to the Lord, saying, “For he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.”

I want God’s glory to consume us so much that we would be found speechless in our service and enthralled in our worship. I have been praying for God’s glory to consume this campus so much, that people are drawn here for no specific reason other than God’s Spirit drawing them to this place. Additionally, I have been praying for the glory and majesty of God to be so prevalent, that people sense God’s presence the moment they drive into our entrance or set foot in our parking lot or walk into our worship center.

I am humbled today because I see God answering that prayer. I am humbled because if God does answer that prayer, we will not be able to control what happens next in this choice church.

I know buildings are not our focus at CrossPoint. However, I do think anything we build should point others to God. In my opinion, the new recreation we are about to open, is a God-pointing kind of facility.

Every time I walk through the building, I am in awe of what God has done. This building, like everything else we do or build at CrossPoint is so much beyond and above us as a church. Our church is not capable of building something this incredible. The only possible way this could happen would be if God built it. And, if God is in it, then He wants to use it for His glory; which brings me back to my original prayer for CrossPoint.

There was a time when I prayed for CrossPoint to grow. There was a time also when I prayed for other secondary matters of interest. Instead, today I am praying for CrossPoint to be God-glorifying, Christ-exalting, Holy Spirit-praising place of worship. When that happens, then the church will grow. And until then, the church is only spinning its wheels.

Tomorrow I will take time to share with you my other prayer for CrossPoint.