Today several very important characteristics are missing in the everyday life of many Christians. What is it about Christians that makes the absence of these characteristics so evident? As I write you will find the answer to this question.

In the 122 Psalm, David declares, "1 was glad when they said to me, `Let us go into the House of the Lord."' Allow me to provide you the Sutton paraphrased version: "I was glad and ready when they said to me, `Let's go to church."'

Missing from the routine of everyday life of far too many Christians is the hunger to be in the Holy Presence of our Father. David makes yet another profound statement in Psalms 26:8. There he states, "Lord I have loved the habitation of YOUR HOUSE, and the PLACE WHERE YOUR HONOR (GLORY) DWELLS." There is not a question about the dwelling place of our Heavenly Father. He long ago chose to dwell in the Holy Place and is always ready to communicate with His people. I know some reading this article will immediately recall the statement of Paul concerning our body being the Temple of the Holy Spirit as stated in 1 Corinthians 6:19. Others will all the more quickly recall the teachings of Jesus from John chapters 14 and 15 in which he writes of Christ's in- dwelling. In 1 John 2:24 we find this amazing verse, "Therefore let that abide in you which you heard from the beginning. If what you heard from the first dwells and remains in you, then you will dwell in the Son and in the Father always." (Amplified Bible)

I whole heartedly agree with Jesus and Paul concerning the Father, Son and Holy Spirit's abiding or dwelling in the temple of a Christian's body. However, one does not substitute His abiding
Presence for the presence of His honor and glory related to the sanctuary.

Much too often Christians allow cares of life and mundane human affairs to so effect them they lose the sense of God's Abiding Presence. Many look forward to church on Sunday, just to be in a different and more wholesome atmosphere. I hear, "if I can just get to church I'll feel better." Or, "I always feel better while I'm in church." I am glad they feel better, but they need to understand why. It is not because of the building that has been designated as a church, but because God has chosen to make the sanctuary a place for His Honor and Glory. His Presence.

Once a building has been dedicated and consecrated as a sanctuary, it becomes a sacred site. In the truest sense, a place where God and man can meet at any time of the day or night. According to the Holy Scriptures the Holy Site, the Sanctuary, Church or Tabernacle, is a place of rest, a haven, a resort in which one is restored. There should always be reverence and respect shown to the House of God.

The fact that God's Presence dwells in the sanctuary, should serve as an attraction to which Believers are drawn. As a flower in full bloom allures a busy bee, so should the sanctuary draw us.

My concern is that the majority of our people do not have much more respect for God's House than their own. Reverence in the Sanctuary is all too often minimal. For some, the church is just another building and never recognized as the dwelling place chosen by our Heavenly Father. A large concordance will allow you to research the word sanctuary. God's Word will reveal exactly His relationship to the Sanctuary. Our personal respect and reverence of the House of God should reflect God's love of the Sanctuary. I have reason to believe that when we discover the relationship between God and His Sanctuaries, our desire to "GO TO CHURCH" will increase. Hopefully, like David, All our people will be glad when someone proclaims, "LET'S GO TO CHURCH."

Another missing characteristic I referred to in the first paragraph is the ability to listen to the Word of the Father. Too often, there are those who attend church with so much on their minds they can't wait for church to be over so they can go about all the activities they had planned. Others do not hear the Word of God because they are confused. Many do not recognize that their Pastor, called by God to that office, becomes God's voice to them. Too many sit in the audiences of our churches listening to their Pastor and never realize he is speaking to them for God.

Every time one goes to church, they should expect to receive "A Word from the Lord." As long as the Pastor or invited pulpit guest stays right with the Word of God, you are receiving directly from the Lord. I expect my Pastor to be a man of prayer and a student of the Word. I also expect him to step into the pulpit anointed to preach or teach the Word. He should expect me to pay attention and listen with my anointing. Thereby receiving the message he was directed to deliver.

The Body of Christ needs once again to have a hunger to be in the Sanctuary (church) where the Honor of God dwells and hear a Word from our Heavenly Father.
The world outside the House of God is filled with voices of every description, much confusion, along with fear and insecurity. What a divine haven God has provided us in our church sanctuaries.

Obedience is another characteristic once a hallmark or true Christianity. Obedience to our Heavenly Father and His Word is a must if one is to enjoy a wonderfully divine relationship with the Father and the Son. God provides his grace and the Holy Spirit to enable us to walk in obedience. Although obedience is required one must choose to obey. The choice is always ours and one always chooses to obey or disobey. Even one who says yes to God, but then reserves the right to choose the time and place of obedience has chosen to delay an act of obedience; thus disobedience is the choice.

Have you ever given thought as to how important obedience is to our Heavenly Father or how important disobedience is to our adversary the devil? God looks for obedience while Satan hopes for disobedience. Right from the beginning Satan, the serpent, went to work to cause an act of disobedience. When Eve became deceived by the serpent's lies, she and Adam disobeyed and brought hurt to the human race. One act of disobedience seldom affects only the disobedient person, but often many others.

Adam and Eve learned the hard way that disobedience brings heartache. However, they taught Seth and their other children to walk uprightly before God by their example. There
is no record of their ever disobeying God again. Notice, Seth could not be touched by Satan. The only reason had to be his walking with God. Remember God came in the cool of the day to walk and talk with Adam and Eve. HOW WONDERFUL! It is apparent Adam and Eve held those days in fondness and set examples for their descendants.

In Genesis chapter five, we read of Enoch, the great, great, great, great, great grandson of Adam who walked with God, as did Adam and Eve. How did Enoch know to walk with God as stated in Genesis 5:22? Interestingly enough, Adam and Seth were both alive as Enoch was growing up. Adam had learned by disobedience the value of walking and communicating with God.
In Seth's lifetime men called on God according to Genesis 4:25-26 which provides us with evidence that Seth continually walked with God and Satan never could get to him. The book of Job establishes that God had placed a "hedge" around those who walked and talked with Him. One has to keep in mind this was the Dispensation of Innocence before the Law was given. Paul explains in Romans chapter five that prior to the law sinful acts were not imputed against the sinner. Unless the "hedge" was removed or the person acted in purposeful disobedience, Satan could not touch them.

So, we can conclude Grandpas Adam, Seth and others continued to walk with God in obedience. Enoch simply crawled up in grandpa Adam's lap and said, "Tell about walking with God." Knowing a child's curiosity I'm sure he had Adam and Seth tell him their stories over and over. Enoch learned from godly examples how to walk with God and how rewarding it was. He set an excellent example for those who would follow him.
Enoch's walking with God was so perfect and fulfilling that God used him as an example for you and me. Enoch was the FIRST TO BYPASS DEATH and BE RAPTURED. Combine Genesis 5:22 with Hebrews 11: 5-6 and you'll have the Biblical story. Can you and I walk with God? Of course we can, and we have the Holy Spirit to assist us, plus God's grace, and the power of His Word.

Notice the importance of obedience; as long as one remained obedient they could walk with God. OBEDIENCE IS A CHARACTERISTIC WHICH GOD REQUIRES if we are going to have an upright relationship with him. Acts of disobedience are extremely costly.

Disobedience interrupts walking with God and places one in hiding, trying to cover himself. Through Adam's fall man lost his place with God and was demoted. Through Jesus, the last Adam, mankind comes back into a normal relationship with the Father. The Holy Scripture states, "Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to keep heed than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry." I Samuel 15:22-23a.

The scriptures declare God's call for obedience. Obedience to God and His Word is not optional for any child of God. Isaiah 1:19 states, "if you are willing and OBEDIENT you shall eat the good of the land." Jeremiah 7:23 puts it this way, "But this is what 1 commanded them saying, `Obey my voice and I will be your God and you shall be my people. And WALK in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well with you."'

Jesus clearly taught, "Be doers of the Word and NOT HEARERS ONLY." Matthew 7:24 - 27. He literally is establishing a truth; one who hears the Word, but does not act in obedience has NO FOUNDATION. In Acts 5: 29 Peter simply states, "We ought to obey God." The Holy Spirit speaks through the apostle James, "But be doers of the Word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. If anyone is a hearer of the Word and not a doer, he is like a natural man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away and immediately forgets what kind of man he was, but he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does." James 1:22-25.

The opposite of obedience is DISOBEDIENCE. The consequences of disobedience are always unwanted, undesirable, costly and destructive. No wonder God said, "Obedience is better that sacrifice."

Presently within our churches and among our people, whole-hearted obedience is an exception. We already know that only about 1/7 of the Born Again tithe. If one is not obedient with the tithe it isn't too likely they practice obedience in any facet of their Christian Life.

Thank God there has always been the Faithful. The Faithful is made up of those who never miss a service, make every prayer meeting, give more than their share and always love on those who have yet to attain a faithful status.

These two vital elements or characteristics actually go together; Hunger for God and His Presence always produces obedience. I thank God for the Holy Spirit who knows how to challenge us and bring loving conviction.