Finally, we turn to Mindy Belz, WORLD magazine, to close out our series with her column, The absence of presence. 
   
   "Presence," she writes, from the Hebrew penae or peneme, means "face."

 Our Pursuit of His Presence 

   In the Old Testament, God's presence appeared in the wilderness Tabernacle and the Jerusalem Temple. In the New Testament, we have the physical presence of Jesus Christ, followed by the indwelling Holy Spirit. 

   Middle Eastern churches backed off evangelism, a practice outlawed in most Muslim countries. With God's presence absent, churches withered.

   Now, with refugees by the millions, small churches in Lebanon and Jordan are bursting with attendees. Even Muslims are coming, as Christians serve food, make home visits, open schools, counseling centers and small business ventures.

   In America, churches experience hostility, being walled off from a lost and hurting world. We don't have a large presence among refugees, Muslims, violent actors, drug dealers and the homeless.  

   Our world is in need of transformed lives. It needs happy gospel-bearers entering dark places and dark lives.

   Christ followers become the face, or presence, of God. As Paul wrote, You yourselves are our letter...written on our hearts, to be known and read by all. (2 Cor. 3:2).

   Evangelism can begin with presence, as Mindy Belz's Middle Eastern friends have learned, with churches coming together despite differences. 

   Moving toward the hurting, despite hostilities, tapping into deeper needs, the work will be overwhelming, she says. 

   And there the face of God will be.