Face 2 Face—what will it be?
by Vivian
Last night my husband and I were blessed to see the Billy Joel/Elton John Face 2 Face concert in San Jose. It was awesome being in the same space as those two rock and roll legends sharing the same stage (and dueling pianos, no less!).
There’s a reason people aspire to be rock stars. Who else gets the adoration they do?
But all that rock star worship is but a pale reflection of what heaven will be like. God of course, being Who He is, is worthy of some serious worship.
So why aren’t our church services as worshipful as rock concerts? I think not being face to face has something to do with it.
“Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known (1 Cor 13:12).”
Imagine being in the same space, “face to face with my Redeemer, Jesus Christ, who loves me so.”
What do you think about being face to face with Jesus?
Tags: Billy Joel, Elton John, Face 2 Face
February 17th, 2010 at 4:13 pm
Now and then God may give us a glimpse of him, Jesus, or an angel, but most of the time we walk by faith and not by sight. By faith we see him and by faith we adore him. Without faith we cannot see or adore him. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. Spending time with him in his word will help us grow in faith, then someday we will be able to worship him because we see him by faith and we will be able to see his glory.
Someone mentioned to me that they noticed that in the Bible, those who saw God or an angel would almost always fall on their face in awe of his glory. Maybe we should practice falling on our faces to worship him so when we do see him it won’t be so awkward. Learning to worship God without embarrassment or intimidation may need to start at home when we are alone with him.
Thanks for the thoughts and insights you stirred up in me, Vivian.
Pat Bennett
February 18th, 2010 at 3:34 pm
The idea of seeing Jesus face to face is both thrilling and chilling. It is thrilling because it is the Lord and Savior who desires to look you in the eye. It is chilling because it may leave some of us in a cold sweat by the magnitude of His presence.
I believe that Jesus face to face is supposed to be more thrilling than chilling. Imagine that you were in a divine embrace with Jesus, that he was choreographing a dance that was meant for only the two of you. During this intimate dance for two, you would not look away from Jesus but instead you would be drawn closer to Him. The way that He leads you step by step in tune with His Father’s Music and practically sweeping you off your feet is truly a sight to behold. I would love to see Jesus face to face in such a divine embrace of love. There should be nothing for us to fear.
March 3rd, 2010 at 10:33 am
Well, the fact remains that God holds all the power, and we have none. He deserves our worship because what else is as awesome as he is?
Moreover, although Jesus refers to himself as the groom (implying that he’s going to be dancing with someone!), what we see in the Bible is not so much a sweet, affirming embrace as a really tough love that calls us to be much, much more than we are.
The other night I came upon probably one of the toughest speeches by Jesus, Matthew 23. But notice that the “woe to you” statements he hurls at the religious leaders of the day lead up to his *lament* of love:
“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing” (NIV).
Clearly, Jesus wants to express his love, but a lot of times our behavior is far from adoring in the sense that when we mistreat other people, we mistreat God himself. In other words, worship starts in streets and living rooms before it’s ever found in the concert hall.