INTRODUCTION
Just as a human being has several natures — physiological, biological, and maternal (for the female sex) — God too has several natures: Holy, Sovereign, Immutable, Creator, etc. In His work of creation, wanting to manifest a nature that had not yet been manifested — Love — He created beings like Himself, mankind, so that He could interact with them. He even went so far as to give man a kingdom — the Garden of Eden (Genesis 2:15) — and equipped him with abilities to allow him to reign on earth as He reigns in heaven.
However, He often sets aside any nature that is not necessary for maintaining a relationship with Him. For example, He walked through the garden like a God who is not omnipotent and omnipresent. Likewise, God asked Adam questions as if He were not omniscient (Genesis 3:8-11). He was in fact looking for someone with whom to express His love, His kindness, His magnificence, His compassion, etc. When He said it is not good for man to be alone, God was actually speaking about Himself first (Genesis 2:18). God had had enough of having creations over which He merely reigned — He wanted a being with whom to have communion. Therefore, every work done by man must have as its ultimate motivation the maintaining of a healthy relationship with his Creator.
LANGUAGES OF COMMUNION WITH GOD AND WITH OTHERS
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Prayer: a symbol of dialogue, meaning it goes both ways. It first requires meditation and a listening spirit, without haste or distraction (Job 33:14-19).
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Service: a relationship in which the other is helped to accomplish their task. In the history of salvation, God was the first to serve humanity by giving the life of His only Son (John 3:16). This is why Jesus could say that His food was to do the will of His Father (John 4:34). It can involve substitution or delegation, which is why Jesus asks us to be workers together with Him (1 Corinthians 3:9).
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Praise: acclamations that precede a person's arrival. It is the outward manifestation of communion. Praise ends up summoning the presence of God into a situation, because it actually speaks of who God is. This praise has won many battles, such as the fall of the walls of Jericho (Joshua 6), among others. It proclaims the Name of the LORD loudly over a person's life and in the face of every situation.
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Worship: a symbol of intimacy and self-surrender. It allows us to contemplate and admire the person of God through Christ, to the point of seeing His true nature and His glory. Many come to God because they have heard of Him, but they remain because they have discovered who He is — for example, the Samaritan woman (John 4).
Many of the difficulties a person faces in life are due to the fact that they have not yet discovered who God really is. A person must therefore spend more time contemplating God, using the languages He created to remain in communion with Him — because this is the only relationship that truly matters; everything else will pass away (John 4:23-24).
📎 A PDF handout was attached to this teaching on the old site: "Communion_Dieu_homme Message avec tonton Joseph Matolo.pdf." The original download link could not be recovered automatically — please re-upload the file from the dashboard.