Four Circles of Intimacy with GodYou're as Close to God as YOU Want to Be
It is a well known fact that some Christians seem to experience a much closer intimacy with God than others. They appear to enjoy a reverent familiarity with Him that is foreign to many of us. Is it a matter of favoritism on the part of God? Or do such people qualify in some way for that desirable intimacy?
Frances Havergal envisioned such a life of deepening intimacy:
Are there secrets we may discover that would admit us to a similar intimacy? Both Scripture and experience teach that it is we, not God, who determine the degree of intimacy with Him that we enjoy. We are at this moment as close to God as we really choose to be. True, there are times when we would like to know a deeper intimacy, but when it comes to the point, we are not prepared to pay the price involved. The qualifying conditions are more stringent and exacting than we are prepared to meet; so we settle for a less demanding level of Christian living.
Everything in our Christian life and service flows from our relationship with God. If we are not in vital fellowship with Him, everything else will be out of focus. But when our communion with Him is close and real, it is gloriously possible to experience a growing intimacy.
In both Old and New Testaments, there are examples of four degrees of intimacy experienced by God's people. In the Old Testament, it is Moses' and the nation of Israel's experience with their God. In the New Testament, it is that of the disciples and their Lord. In each case, the growing intimacy arose out of a deepening revelation of the divine character.
Dr. J. Elder Cumming contended that "in almost every case the beginning of new blessing is a new revelation of the character of God - more beautiful, more wonderful, more precious." This was certainly true in the case of Moses.
The Outer Circle (Exodus 19:11-12)
"Let them be ready for the third day, for on the third day the Lord will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people. And you shall set bounds for the people all around, saying, 'Beware that you do not go up on the mountain...'" (Ex. 19:11-12). They could approach the mountain, but they could not ascend it, on pain of death. Barriers were erected to keep them at a distance from God. "Moses alone, however, shall come near to the Lord, but they shall not come near, nor shall the people come up with him" was the divine command (Ex. 24:2). Why the exclusiveness? The subsequent reactions of the people clearly demonstrated that they were neither qualified for nor desirous of coming too close to God. There were obviously conditions for a fresh revelation of God. They did have a vision of God, but to them "the glory of the Lord was like a consuming fire on the mountain top" (Ex. 24:17).
The Second Circle (Exodus 24:9-11) That group pressed past the barriers that excluded the rest of the nation and had a much more intimate vision of God than the people: "Under His feet there appeared to be a pavement of sapphire, as clear as the sky itself." They had a limited vision of God in His transcendence, a glimpse of the Eternal. It was probably a theophany (an actual appearance of God to man). "They beheld God, and they ate and drank." They must have felt a very real and conscious sense of the divine presence. Their experience was far in advance of that of the people, but it effected no permanent transformation. Only a short time later, they were found worshipping the golden calf. They had a vision of God but showed that they were not qualified to ascend to the top of the mountain into deeper fellowship with God.
The Third Circle (Exodus 24:13-14) The tent was the place where the Shekinah glory rested, and where God manifested Himself to His people. "Joshua...would not depart from the tent," As Moses' servant he would have many errands to go on and services to perform, but whenever he was free from those duties, he made his way to the tent. He wanted to be where God manifested Himself. He would have been present on many occasions when the Lord spoke to Moses face to face; thus he enjoyed an intimacy with God excelled only by that of his leader, Moses. Although he fell short of the vision granted to Moses, he ascended higher on the glory-covered mountain than any of his contemporaries. The lesson for us does not need to be spelled out.
The Inner Circle (Exodus 24:15-17) The divine summons must have filled Moses with awe as he climbed alone, for "the glory of the Lord was like a consuming fire on the mountain top" (Ex. 24:17). The people in the outer circle saw only the consuming fire and feared. But Moses saw in it the glory of God...and worshipped.
Moses Experienced a Deepening Intimacy of Communion with God
He Shared the Divine Perspective
He Experienced a Test in the Area of Ambition
He had a Surpassing Revelation of God's Glory God's goodness and glory are enshrined in His name, in His moral character. Moses did not see the full glory of God in its unveiled effulgence (splendor) - only the afterglow that He left behind as He passed by (Ex. 33:20-23).
Some of God's Glory Rubbed off on Moses Had we lived in those Old Testament times, in which group would we be found? With the crowd? The seventy-four? The two? The one?
From among those early followers who had evidenced their faith in Him, Jesus chose seventy and sent them out two by two to preach for Him. Later, after a night of prayer, He chose twelve to be with Him for training - to learn His ways and imbibe His Spirit. Within the twelve, there emerged a circle of three with whom Jesus became especially intimate. They were closer to Him than any of the others. Within the circle of three, there was one who appropriated the special place on Jesus' breast, and through whom the disciples channeled questions to the Master. "He, leaning back thus on Jesus' breast" (John 13:25) is the way John described his privileged position. Seventy, twelve, three, one! In which group would we be found?? Each of the disciples was as close to Jesus as he chose to be, for the Son of God had no favorites. We are similarly self-classifying.
G. Campbell Morgan wrote concerning the special three:
On four special occasions, Jesus admitted them to experiences from which they learned precious lessons. On the occasion of the raising of Jairus' daughter (Luke 8:51), they were granted a preview of their Lord's mastery over death and saw His gentleness with the little girl. On the mount of transfiguration (Matt. 17:1), they gained clearer insight into the importance of His impending death, although they grasped its significance very inadequately (Luke 18:34). There, too, they had a preview of His glory and majesty. "We beheld His glory," recalled John (John 1:14). "We... were eyewitnesses of His majesty," said Peter (2 Pet. 1:16). On the Mount of Olives (Mark 13:3), they marveled at His prophetic discernment, as He shared with them the sweep of the divine purposes and the inner secrets of God. In the Garden of Gethsemane (Matt. 26:37), they glimpsed in the sufferings of the Savior something of the cost of their salvation, although they were at a loss to interpret His agony. Those were some of the privileges of the inner circle. Could any of the twelve have been among that favored group? Were the three specially selected by the Lord? With Him there is no favoritism. Their relationship with Him was the result of their own choice, conscious or unconscious. It is a sobering thought that we too are as close to Christ as we really want to be. The deepening intimacy of the three with Jesus was the result of the depth of their response to His love and training. They recognized that intimacy with Him involved responsibility as well as conferred privilege. The Master had told them that "whoever does the will of God, he is My brother and sister and mother" (Mark 3:35). There are some ties that are closer even than those of kinship. What excluded some disciples from the inner circle? If perfection were the criterion, then Peter the denier, and James and John the place-seekers, would have been excluded. But they were included. If it were temperament, then surely the volatile Peter, and James and John the fire-eaters, would not have found entrance. Why then did John have the primacy in the group? Because he alone appropriated the place of privilege that was available to all. It was love that drew John into a deeper intimacy with Jesus than the other apostles. Jesus loved them all, but John alone appropriated the title "the disciple whom Jesus loved." If Jesus loved John more, it was because John loved Him more! Mutual love and confidence are the keys to intimacy. It would seem that admission to the inner circle of deepening intimacy with God is the outcome of deep desire. Only those who count such intimacy a prize worth sacrificing anything else for are likely to attain it. If other intimacies are more desirable to us, we will not gain entry to that circle. The place on Jesus' breast is still vacant, and open to any who are willing to pay the price of deepening intimacy. We are now, and we will be in the future, only as intimate with God as we really choose to be.
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