Responding To The Presence Of God

After Jesus had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. As he approached Bethphage and Bethany at the hill called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples, saying to them,

"Go to the village ahead of you, and as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. 

 If anyone asks you, 'Why are you untying it?' tell him, 'The Lord needs it.'" 
 Those who were sent ahead went and found it just as he had told them.

 As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, "Why are you untying the colt?" 
 They replied, "The Lord needs it."  

They brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the colt and put Jesus on it. 36 As he went along, people spread their cloaks on the road.

When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen:

"Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!"
 "Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!"

Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, "Teacher, rebuke your disciples!" (rebuke: censor them, forbid them)

"I tell you," he replied, "if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out." - Luke 19:28-40

The Presence Of God Will Command A Response

There are two responses shown in this verse:

The Pharisees Response
The Disciples Response

The Pharisees response is to not acknowledge Him and to stop anyone who does acknowledge His presence. They said “rebuke your disciples”. A religious spirit opposes the passionate cry of heart felt worship.
 
The disciples joyfully shouted with a loud voice. They made much to do about Jesus coming into Jerusalem. Jesus did not stop them and He still to this day inhabits the praises of His people.

 Mark 10:46-52

Then they came to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples, together with a large crowd, were leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus (that is, the Son of Timaeus), was sitting by the roadside begging.

When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"

Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!"

Jesus stopped and said, "Call him." 
 So they called to the blind man, "Cheer up! On your feet! He's calling you."  Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus.

"What do you want me to do for you?" Jesus asked him.
 
 The blind man said, "Rabbi, I want to see."


2 Samuel 6:14-16; 20-23

14 David, wearing a linen ephod, danced before the Lord with all his might, 15 while he and the entire house of Israel brought up the ark of the Lord with shouts and the sound of trumpets.

16 As the ark of the Lord was entering the City of David, Michal daughter of Saul watched from a window. And when she saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord, she despised him in her heart.


20 When David returned home to bless his household, Michal daughter of Saul came out to meet him and said, "How the king of Israel has distinguished himself today, disrobing in the sight of the slave girls of his servants as any vulgar fellow would!"

21 David said to Michal, "It was before the Lord, who chose me rather than your father or anyone from his house when he appointed me ruler over the Lord's people Israel — I will celebrate before the Lord.

22 I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes. But by these slave girls you spoke of, I will be held in honor."

23 And Michal daughter of Saul had no children to the day of her death.

The gospel has been watered down so much that it is normal for the church to go through the motions  and never have a manifestation of the Holy Spirit.

Confession:
Father, I Will Praise You With My Whole Heart, I Will Follow You With All My Strength, And All My Might And All That Is Within Me.

The disciples response is to erupt in praise and worship and cry out His Name and magnify His glory.

1. We must respond to the presence of God with praise and worship

2. We must respond to the word of God with verbal acceptance as well as accepting it into our spirit.

3. We must respond to the gifts of the Spirit when the gifts are in operation.

If you don’t respond because you are too embarrassed, or shy, you cut yourself off from your victory. Sometimes a word of knowledge is given and the Holy Spirit does not prompt us to have you come down front for prayer. That is because the person the word was for is receiving with their faith. Sometimes we ask you to come to the front so we can lay hands on you, this is because the Holy Spirit is going to manifest another gift like the working of miracles or gifts of healing. When the gifts are flowing, faith is flowing as well, learn to respond quickly to the Holy Spirit.

The greater the response the greater the manifestations of the Spirit.