During my service year, I attended a church service on the first Sunday after the orientation camp. I had looked forward to attending service in that church. But on that fateful Sunday, immediately I stepped into the church, I lost my peace. Then I heard God’s voice; “You don’t belong here.” Although, everything around that church is glamorous, but God’s glory was not there for me.
Friend, in choosing and settling in a local church, you need to look beyond the glamour. Look for the glory (Isaiah 40:5). Glamour is man-made and money-made, but glory is divine. Glory speaks to the tangiblity of God’s presence in a person or a place. It is the reality of God present in a place (Exodus 40:34-35).
Our protection, promotion, provisions, and blessings are tied to God’s glory (Psalm 23:6). This was why Moses would not take a step, except God’s glory is made known unto Him. Like the Israelites, we follow the glory cloud, not our flesh or emotion. The glory cloud always moves upwards and forward (Exodus 40:36-38).
A God-ordained church must do at least three things in your life; meet your needs, supply understanding, and move you from your problem to your purpose (John 8:31-32). These are the manifestations that follow the glory of God in a place or church. You cannot trade these for glamour. Go for the authentic, not the synthetic (John 6:66-68).
It is God’s glory that produces eternal impact in the lives of men (2 Corinthians 4:16-18). Glamour can only make you feel good for a moment. Don’t go to church to only have a nice time. Go to church to receive eternal impact. God is not first committed to your comfort. He is committed to His eternal purpose for your life (Isaiah 46:10-11).
Genuine glory will ultimately produce glamour. It is just a matter of time (Psalm 27:4, 50:2, 96:6). But glamour cannot produce glory. Whereas you can be attracted by glamour, but you can only be sustained by glory. When you get to church, train yourself to sense and touch God’s glory rather than being carried away by glamour. It is God’s glory that changes us (2 Corinthians 3:18).
‘Demola Awoyele
Lead Pastor,
Destiny Impact Church
Akure, Nigeria