You know how there are some people, when you hang around with them; they're just such a joy to be with. Hmmm. Wonder if God's like that?

There are some people in life who can really get you down. And yet there are others you just love to get together with them. There is something about them. They get it. They understand us. They encourage us, they engage with us, you know the sort. You look forward to having a cup of coffee or catching up with them for lunch. There is a real joy to the encounter. Being in their presence fills us with something that well, there is probably just one word for it – JOY.

If that is true with people, imagine what it must be like with God. Let me tell you about a friend of mine, his name is Tony. Tony is a tall, gangly sort of guy, with curly red hair. He is someone who is so full of the joy that comes through having a relationship with Jesus. And Tony and I somehow just click. He understands me. He understands the call that God has put on my life, the gifts that I have and my limitations as well. And he spends time with God. He spends time praying. He understands who God is and Tony lets that change him inside.

Tony and I get together, probably, once every two or three weeks for a cup of coffee or a sandwich. And we might sit for an hour, an hour and a half and just talk together. Just share what's going on in our lives and our work. And I come home and my wife, Jacqui will often ask, "So what did you two talk about?" And I always say, "I don't know, stuff … nothing, everything."

You know women seem to be able to get together pretty well for cups of coffee from time to time. And we men seem not to do that so much. It is just wonderful to have a friend like Tony, who I can spend some time with and it's so encouraging. It's so much fun. And we may not talk about anything substantial at all. It's a joy! Somehow he ministers something into me, and I know he feels the same about our relationship. The relationship brings real joy to my life.

Okay, none of us is perfect. But this guy does something for who I am. It's kind of the same idea with God's presence. I often ponder about God being God – Spirit and creating the universe and the stars and the world and putting you and me here in the middle of this world full of joy and pain and laughter and tears. And (I don't know), it's His way, His space He has chosen for us, to put us on this world. And He brings Jesus onto this world, God's Son. And His twelve disciples followed him around for three and a half years. And you can see that it was a real joy in their lives to have a relationship with Jesus.

But Jesus said to them, "I am going to die." And He did, He died on the cross. He was crucified to pay for my sins, my weaknesses and yours. And then He rose again. He met with them again and He ascended into heaven. And He said, "I won't leave you as orphans. I will send someone else just like me." And His promise was and still is for anyone who places their trust in this Jesus that He would send His Holy Spirit. And that Father, Son and Holy Spirit would dwell inside each one of us. It is an exciting thing.

Now, just after this happened for the first time (just after Jesus ascended and a little while later), for the very first time God poured his Spirit out on Jesus' followers. They were touched in an amazing way (for the first time the Holy Spirit), when they experienced the presence of God in a real tangible way. The way I experience Tony's presence when we sit down and have a sandwich or a cup of coffee. And other people who are watching, they look at this and, "Wow, I wonder they have been smoking, maybe they are drunk. What is going on here? What's the matter with these people."

And Peter the apostle got up and he said:

Listen they are not drunk, it's only 9am in the morning. (Acts 2:15)

Then he quoted a Psalm that was written about 1,000 years before and in part he said:

God, your presence fills me with joy! (Psalm 16:11)

He said to the people, "That's what's going on." God's presence, His reality, His very being has fallen on these people and has come to dwell in them, for the very first time.

And now (as I said before), everyone who says, "Jesus is mine. I believe Jesus died for me to pay the price of all my failures and to give me eternal life." Everyone who places their faith in Jesus receives that same presence – the very presence of God.

And yet, you know, a lot of people kind of deny that in their lives. A lot of people don't connect with God dwelling in them. Maybe it never sinks in. Maybe … I don't know what it is but this is such an opportunity. God reached into the world, into history, in the person of Jesus. And He is still doing that today, in His Presence, inside of everybody that believes Jesus – the spiritual presence of the Holy Spirit.

This week on A Different Perspective, we have been talking about the fact that we all need times of refreshing. Here we are in life – with all its ups and downs, and all its noise and everyone screaming out for our attention and the cacophony of sound, and all the stuff that is going on in my life and your life. And seventy per cent of people (in the west at least) believe in God. And so often and so sadly, people hold those two things separately in their lives. This is my life, God lives in church, God doesn't belong in my life.

Over these last five days on 'A Different Perspective', we've gone through five different places where God talks about the fact that He wants to refresh us by His Spirit. If you have a pen and paper, quickly jot these down. They are Bible references … "Oh Berni, why are you talking about the Bible again?" I'll tell you why … because in that book God tells us how much He loves us and how much of a difference He wants to make in our lives.

The first thing we talked about was Acts 3:20, where it says:

That times of refreshing come from God's presence.

Then there was Psalm 46, where God says/;

Be still, in all the noise and all the drama and everything that is going on… Be still and know that I am God.

And then we look at what Jesus said in Matthew's Gospel chapter 11 verses 28 to 30:

"Come to me," He said, "If you're tired, if you are carrying heavy burdens, come to me. Let me give you rest for your soul".

And then yesterday we looked at Isaiah chapter 40 verse 30:

Wait on God. Those whose wait on God, will renew their strength. They will soar like an eagle.

And today, Acts 2:28, it's in the New Testament. The book of Acts where Luke writes:

God your presence fills me with joy.

If you have a Bible, go and look them up. If you don't and you are on the internet, go to a website called biblegateway.com, all one word – www.biblegateway.com.

What are we waiting for? Why is it that we hold these two things so separately in our lives? My life's over here and my God is over there. When over and over and over again God is saying this, "I want to make a difference for you. I want to make your life better. I want to make your life richer. I want to give you peace. I want the relationship that we can have, because of what Jesus did for you on the cross. I want that to give you a stunning life. A life that is really worth living."

What are we waiting for? Why don't we spend more time with God? Why don't we ask Him to fill us, give us a double helping, fuller than full of His presence – overflowing with joy and with peace?

Jesus is waiting to meet our deepest needs – to fill us with joy and peace, to refresh us, to renew us. Come on! What are we waiting for?!