Living with God's Glory

The focal point of the early Pentecostal revival which began in 1906 was the Apostolic Faith Mission at 312 Azusa Street in Los Angeles, California. Continuous meetings were held there every day for a period of three years beginning in mid-April, 1906. This mission on Azusa Street published the well-known newspaper, The Apostolic Faith, which was one of the primary means by which news of the revival was spread, beginning with the first issue, published in September of 1906. The Apostolic Faith contains many accounts of shaking, falling, speechlessness, drunkenness in the Spirit, and Holy laughter which took place during the early Pentecostal revival at Azusa Street and elsewhere during the first few years of the revival.

Here at Cornerstone we have been experiencing the very same distinctive and extraordinary phenomena - we have been seeing “noticeable manifestations of God’s presence.” I truly believe that this unique spiritual activity is being caused by a significant increase in the manifest “glory of God.”

When God sovereignly visits any group of individuals, His manifest presence [His glory] often affects their bodies in some way or other. He draws aside one or two layers of the protective curtain between Him and us, and exposes our frailty to the awesome energies of His divine being. The result is, His glory profoundly affects the whole person.

“And the priests could not perform their duties because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled His temple” [1 Kings 8:11]. “The temple of the Lord was filled with a cloud, and the priests could not perform their duties because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the temple of God” [2 Chronicles 5:13].

Man is spirit, soul and body, and these components cannot be divided when standing in God's presence. Man reacts to God as a whole being. Therefore, it is probably foolish to think that man can react or respond in the realm of the spirit without anything at all happening to the rest of him.

God's divine presence [His glory] often causes powerful stimulus to operate in the physical, mental and emotional realm collectively. And if it wasn’t for the blood of Jesus none of us could survive in God’s presence. In Leviticus 16:2 the Lord said to Moses, “Tell your brother Aaron not to come whenever he chooses into the Most Holy Place, behind the curtain in front of the atonement cover on the ark, or else he will surely die, because I will appear in the cloud [the glory] over the atonement cover.”

Note, God’s glory is also powerful enough to shake a mountain or a building, never mind the fragile human frame. Exodus 19:18, “Now Mount Sinai was completely in smoke, because the Lord descended upon it in fire. Its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked greatly.” Acts 4:31, “And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit.” The presence of the Holy Spirit exhibited the glory of the Lord and this divine glory shook the building like an earthquake. If you begin to shake under the power of God’s glory be encouraged, God presence is with you!

God’s glory shall also bring about holiness, purity and sanctification [Exodus 29:43]. Therefore, as God’s presence increases we can expect a breakthrough in the area of holiness. The glory will accelerate many of the divine attributes that have been given to believers [by the Holy Spirit that dwells in them]. And scripture confirms this. 2 Corinthians 3:18 says, “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the Glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.”

In the Old Covenant, Moses alone was allowed to see the glory of the Lord. Under the New Covenant, all of us have the privilege, not only of seeing and experiencing but also of beholding [reflecting] the glory of the Lord. As His glory shines and radiates from His divine presence, you become a reflector of that very same glory. And notice, you only reflect what you behold - what you see or perceive and acknowledge! This is why it’s so important for you to see, experience and also acknowledge the glory of the Lord.

So many of believers are veiled when it comes to God’s divine presence. But the veil has been taken away in Christ. They are only veiled because they choose not to see, and many have allowed religion to cloud their view. As we become occupied with the glory of the risen, ascended, exalted Jesus Christ, we will be transformed into the very same image. Here, in a word, is the secret of Christian holiness - occupation with Christ. Not by occupation with self, that brings about deception and defeat. Not by occupation with others; that brings disappointment. But by occupation with the glory of the Lord. Only this way can we become more and more like Him – from glory to glory!

Notice, it’s the ever-increasing glory that makes us more like Him. Consider then the surpassing glory of the New Covenant. Whereas only one man had the glory on his face in the Old Covenant, today it is the privilege of every believer. Also, instead of merely reflecting the glory of God in our faces, we all are actually being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of God. Whereas Moses’ face reflected glory, our faces radiate glory from the inside. This lines up with Isaiah 60:1 which says, “Arise, shine for your light has come! And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you.” The glory of the Lord is shining brightly from the inside of you and I! But the Hebrew word implies “that which is substantial or heavy.” Suggesting that this glory can be felt as well as seen. When God’s glory rises up inside of you, it will radiate from the inside out but it shall also rest upon you. Others will be able to see and acknowledge that God’s presence has impacted greatly on your whole being. It’s as if you are a fountain of God’s glory – when it spurts out you will get wet but so will those around you!
The glory of God is truly amazing! It can shake mountains and buildings; it raised Jesus from the dead; it shines on, in and through His children; and it can also be reflected back toward God through Christ like transformation. The glory of God is multifaceted and multi-operational, so it is very difficult to find one exact definition. However, there is an aspect of God's glory, which can be found in both the Old and New Testament scriptures, and that is, 'His brightness or splendour'. This is what we’ve been focusing on! That is, the supernatural glow emanating from God's presence as in the 'shekinah' glory [Exodus 16:10; 25:22; Luke 2:9; Acts 22:11; Romans 9:4; 2 Corinthians 3:7; James 2:1].

There is no doubt that God's divine presence [His shekinah glory] is on the increase here at Cornerstone. So as He reveals Himself in greater and greater measure, the 'brightness and splendour' of God in, on and through us [you and I] must also increase.

Are you ready and willing to live more and more in the glory cloud – where God Himself inhabits? What an awesome place to dwell!

Chris Demetriou, 02/10/2005