Hosting the Presence

by Bill Johnson

  Jesus often comes differently than we expect. He did the same to the men on the road to Emmaus (see Luke 24:13-32). They didn’t recognize Him, either, even though He opened up the Scriptures to them in a way that caused their hearts to burn. Only after He broke the bread at the dinner table were their eyes opened to know who He was. Both times His followers realized who He was only after He drew their attention to the cross—the scars from the spear in His side and the nails in His hands, and the bread, which spoke of His broken body. Moves of God must have the cross as the central point to maintain their genuineness—keeping first things first. The throne is the center of His Kingdom, and on His throne sits the Lamb of God. The blood sacrifice will be honored and celebrated throughout eternity. While it is the resurrection that correctly illustrates and empowers the Christian life, it is the cross that brings us there. There is no resurrection without the cross.

  “Peace be with you.” Jesus returned to the lesson He gave them in their first commission in Matthew 10:8-12. He taught them to release peace when they enter a house. Jesus calmed a storm with peace. “Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, ‘Peace, be still!’ And the wind ceased and there was a great calm” (Mark 4:39, NKJV). But it was the storm He slept in. We have authority over any storm we can sleep in. You have to have peace to give it away. Abiding in peace makes us a threat to any storm.

  After Jesus showed them the scars, they believed. He spoke peace to them again, as He is the God of the second chance. They apparently were open to it this time because He followed it with the greatest commission anyone has ever received. “So Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you” (John 20:21). There it is: as the Father has sent me, I also send you. Stunning. There is no greater call than to walk in the call of Jesus. But if that wasn’t enough, we come to the part that makes it possible. “And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit’” (John 20:22).

  If Jesus were to say that as the Father sent Him, He also sends us, and then follow it by having a banquet for the poor, we’d emphasize feeding the poor as the primary ministry of Jesus we are to walk in. If He followed this great commission with a two hour-long worship service, we’d say that that was the primary function we are to walk in. Whatever action follows the command will be emphasized as primary: that is, unless it is abstract, which is the case in this situation. Because it is something so unusual, this action of Jesus gets lost in the long list of activities that only God can do—release the Spirit of God. I’d like to suggest that Jesus was modeling the nature of all ministry in this one act. To do what He did involves releasing the dove (Holy Spirit) until He finds places (people) to rest upon. In this one act, Jesus summarizes the life of those who follow Him in the greatest commission—as the Father sent me, I also send you—now release the Spirit of God.

  Power and Authority

  Jesus had already given His disciples power and authority while He was still on the earth. They cooperated with the Spirit while on the “mission trips” as well as during the earthly ministry of Jesus. Interestingly, what He gave them would not carry through after His death and resurrection. He brought them into His experience and enabled them to function under the umbrella of His authority and power, which they did well. Now they would have to have their own experience with God to have these two necessary ingredients.

  When the disciples received the Holy Spirit in John 20, they were born again. They received a commission from God that was reaffirmed and expanded in Matthew:

  Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age (Matthew 28:19-20).

  Following this experience they were commanded not to leave Jerusalem until they were clothed with power from Heaven. “And behold, I am sending forth the promise of My Father upon you; but you are to stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high” (Luke 24:49). Authority comes with the commission, but power comes with the encounter. They were commanded not to leave until they had their encounter with the Spirit of God. In Matthew 28, they received authority, but in Acts 2, they received power. To this day this is true: authority comes from the commission, and power comes from the encounter. And while these two elements seem to have their primary focus on ministry, they are first the essential elements for our engaging the Holy Spirit for relationship. Power and authority introduce us to the nature of the Holy Spirit with a primary focus on hosting His Presence. Ministry should flow out of the relationship with the person who lives in us for our sakes, but rests upon us for the sake of others.

  Releasing His Presence

  There are probably countless ways of releasing the presence of God. I am acquainted with four that are intentional.

  Word

  Jesus used this method frequently. He only said what His Father was saying. That means every word He spoke had its origins in the heart of the Father. When He spoke His most confusing message, the crowds abandoned Him en masse. This all happened in John 6. In this message, He spoke of how the people would have to eat His flesh and drink His blood to have any part in Him. Never before had Jesus taught on something so grotesque. To the listener He was speaking of cannibalism. We know that wasn’t His intent. But we live after the fact. And the most amazing part to me is that Jesus didn’t bother explaining what He meant. There’s probably not a teacher or pastor alive that wouldn’t have made sure the people understood what He was referring to, especially when we saw the crowd murmuring and ultimately leaving. Yet it served His purpose as they intended to make Him king by force. When He asked His disciples if they were leaving, too, Peter responded, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life” (John 6:68). To my point of view, Peter was saying, “We don’t understand your teaching more than those who left. But what we do know is that whenever you talk, we come alive inside. When you talk, we find out why we’re alive!”

  In just a few verses earlier, Jesus explained an especially important part of the Christian life of ministry when He said, “The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life” (John 6:63). Jesus is the word made flesh. But when He spoke, the word became Spirit. That is what happens whenever we say what the Father is saying. We’ve all experienced this: we are in a troubling situation, and someone walks in the room and says something that changes the atmosphere of the entire room. It wasn’t merely because they came in with a great idea. They spoke something that became material—a substance that changed the atmosphere. What happened? They spoke something timely and purposeful. They said what the Father was saying. Words become spirit.

  Words are the tools with which God created the world. The spoken word is also central to creating faith in us (see Rom. 10:17). His spoken word is creative in nature. Saying what the Father is saying releases the creative nature and Presence of God into a situation to bring His influence and change.

  Act of Faith

  His Presence accompanies His acts. Faith brings a substantial release of Presence, which is visible time after time in Jesus’ ministry. An act of faith is any action on the outside that demonstrates the faith on the inside. For example, I’ve told people to run on a severely injured ankle or leg. As soon as they do, they are healed. How? The Presence is released in the action. That is something I would never do out of the principle of faith. I am only willing to give that direction out of the Presence. Many leaders make a huge mistake at this point. I will never require someone to put themselves at risk out of a principle. If I am experiencing what appears to be a roadblock in my walk with Christ, I will at times require a bold act of myself out of principle—but never someone else.

  Prophetic Act

  This is a unique facet of the Christian life as it requires an action that by appearance has no connection to the desired outcome. Whereas stepping on an injured ankle is connected t
o the desired outcome—a healed ankle—a prophetic act has no connection. A great example would be when Elisha was told about a borrowed axe head that fell into the river. It says, “He cut off a stick and threw it in there, and made the iron float” (2 Kings 6:6). You can throw sticks in the water all day long and never make an axe head swim. The act is seemingly unrelated. The strength of the prophetic act is that it comes from the heart of the Father. It is a prophetic act of obedience that has a logic outside human reasoning.

  I’ve seen this happen many times when someone is wanting a miracle. I’ve had them move from where they were sitting and stand in the aisle of the church. It wasn’t because there was more power of the Holy Spirit in the aisle. It’s because it was a prophetic act that would release the presence of the Holy Spirit upon them. Jesus operated in this many times. He once told a blind man to wash in the pool of Siloam (see John 9:7). There is no healing power in the pool. The miracle was released in the act of going and washing—both logically unrelated to the desired outcome.

  Touch

  The laying on of hands is one of the primary doctrines of the church specifically referred to as a doctrine of Christ (see Heb. 6:1-2). It was a practice in the Old Testament, too. The priest laid his hands on a goat to symbolically release the sins of Israel on that goat that would then be released into the wilderness. The laying on of hands upon the goat was to release something that would help Israel come into their purpose. It was also used to impart authority, as in the case of Moses and his elders. The apostle Paul laid his hands on Timothy to release apostolic commissioning. In Acts, hands were laid on people for the release of the Holy Spirit upon them (see Acts 8:18). The point is this: laying hands on people is a tool that God uses to release the reality of His world, His Presence, upon another.

  Non-intentional

  Besides the intentional release of His presence, there are countless ways of His presence being released that are not intentional on our part. Yet by cooperating with Him, they become normal.

  Shadow

  Peter’s shadow is one of the great stories about the overflow of Presence upon a person. There is no indication that this was directed or expected by Peter. But people learned to access what rested upon him. Our shadow will always release whatever overshadows us. Being a resting place of the Spirit makes both the shadow and the anointed cloth/articles of clothing items of great power in our lives. I don’t believe this principle has anything to do with our shadow. It has to do with the proximity to the anointing. Things become possible through us that have nothing to do with our faith. They have everything to do with who is resting upon us—who we’re giving place to. In this context more good things happen by accident than ever used to happen on purpose.

  Compassion

  I list this as non-intentional because it comes from within, almost like a volcano. It often says that Jesus was moved by compassion and healed someone. Being willing to love people with the love of Christ brings the miraculous to the forefront. Often people confuse compassion and sympathy. Sympathy gives attention to a person in need, but cannot deliver them. Compassion, on the other hand, comes to set them free. Sympathy is the counterfeit of compassion.

  Clothing

  This operates through the same principle as the shadow mentioned above. The manifest Presence of God upon a person makes unimaginable things possible. His Presence saturates cloth.

  Worship

  This has an unusual effect on our surroundings. We know that He inhabits our praise (see Ps. 22:3). It stands to reason that Presence is released. Atmosphere is changed. In fact, the atmosphere of Jerusalem came about in part because of worship. “We hear them in our own tongues speaking of the mighty deeds of God” (Acts 2:11). Such praise contributed to an atmospheric shift over an entire city where the spiritual blindness was lifted, followed by 3,000 souls being saved.

  I’ve seen this myself when we’ve rented a particular facility for church services, only to have the people who use it afterward comment on the Presence that remains. A friend of mine used to take people onto the streets in San Francisco many years ago. They met with heavy resistance. But when he realized that when God arises, His enemies are scattered, he strategically used this approach for ministry (see Ps. 68). He split his team into two. One half went out to worship, and the other half would minister to people. The police told him that when he is on the streets, crime stops. This is an amazing result from a dove being released over a part of the city. The atmosphere changes as the Presence is given His rightful place.

  The Ultimate Assignment

  I can’t think of any greater privilege than to carry the Presence of the Holy Spirit into this world and then look for open doors to release Him. I once had a prophet friend tell me, “If you know of a church that you think I should go to, let me know, and I’ll go there.” He was basically saying to me, “You have favor in my eyes. And if there is a church that you want me to go to, I’ll show them the same favor that I would show to you.” Somehow that is the nature of this supreme call. As we steward His Presence properly, in relationship, He will allow us the increasing privilege of releasing His Presence into various situations and people’s lives in ministry. He will show them the same favor He has shown us.

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  The Practical Side of His Presence

  I’m not sure when it happened, or even how it happened, but somewhere in church history the focus of our corporate gatherings became the sermon. I’m sure the change was subtle and was even justified: it’s the high value we have for the Word of God. But to me, it’s not a good enough reason. That is not to devalue the Scriptures. It’s just that the physical presence of a Bible should never become the replacement of the Spirit of God upon His people.

  Israel camped around the tabernacle of Moses, which housed the Ark of the Covenant. This is where the Presence of God dwelt. This was the absolute center of life for the nation. It was practical for them. Israel camped around the Presence of God, while the church often camps around a sermon. Somehow we must adjust whatever is necessary to rediscover the practical nature of the Presence of God being central to all we do and are.

  It’s been said of the early church that 95 percent of their activities would have stopped had the Holy Spirit been removed from them. But it is also stated that 95 percent of the modern church’s activities would continue as normal because there is so little recognition of His Presence. Thankfully, these percentages are changing, as God has been retooling us for His last days thrust of Presence and harvest. But we have ways to go.

  Being Presence-centered as a church, a family, and as an individual must be put on the front burner again. It is the heart of God for us, as it helps us mature in that all-important issue of trust.

  With All Our Hearts

  One of the most arrogant thoughts to ever enter the mind is that the Presence of God isn’t practical. Such a lie keeps us from discovering His nearness. He is the author of the book, the designer of life, and the inspiration for the song. He is the ultimate in practicality.

  Living conscious of His Presence with us is one of the most essential parts to this life. His name is Emmanuel, which means God with us. The God with us lifestyle is one we inherited from Jesus. We must live it with the same priority of Presence to have the same impact and purpose as He did.

  Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight (Proverbs 3:5-6).

  Trust will take us beyond understanding into realms that only faith can discover. Trust is built on interaction, and the resulting discovery of His nature, which is good and perfect in every way. We don’t believe because we understand. We understand because we believe. Understanding we receive in this manner is the “renewed mind.” Discovering a fuller expression of God’s nature and Presence is exponentially increased with this simple element called trust.

  To acknowledge Him is the natural result when we trust Him. The one we trust above our own exis
tence is to be recognized in every aspect and part of life. The word, acknowledge, actually means to know. It is an unusually big word in Scripture, with a broad range of meanings. But the thing that stands out to me the most is that this word often points to the realm of personal experience. It is bigger than head knowledge. It is beyond concepts alone. It is a knowing through encounter. In fact, Genesis 4:1 it says, “And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain” (KJV). Obviously, a word of this nature is more than an idea. It is deep interaction.

  The Presence Journey

  Trust makes His Presence more discoverable. He becomes much more tangible to the one who looks to Him with reliance and expectation. As I’ve mentioned, my strongest tool for discovering God’s Presence is my affection for Him. Even so, He is the initiator. He is the great lover of humanity and chooses to draw near in these glorious moments. I cannot imagine life without the wonderful privilege of loving Him. He draws near. So very near.

  This passage from Proverbs 3 indicates the one who trusts Him should acknowledge Him or recognize until knowing and encountering Him. My personal loose paraphrase would go something like this: “In every part of your life recognize Him until it becomes a personal encounter with Him. He’ll make life better.” I never like the idea of presenting formulas that cheapen our walk with the Lord, and certainly don’t mean to imply that in this case. Yet acknowledging God’s Presence and encountering Him will certainly make things work better in life. It’s a given. The author, designer, and inspiration for life itself is essential to have on board—with full recognition from us.