Several times, the Word of God speaks of the atmosphere using the expression of the cloud. And we find this expression in the Old Testament as well as in the New Testament. If we were to study the atmosphere of the presence of God in the New Testament, we would need to find the notion of the atmosphere or even the cloud in the story of the life of the Lord Jesus Christ.

If a biblical truth is not associated with the life of the Lord Jesus, it should not be considered useful to our lives. Is there mention of the cloud in relation to the Lord Jesus? Is there a connection between the Lord Jesus and the atmosphere? Let us see together what the Word of God tells us regarding the atmosphere and the person of the Lord Jesus.

1. He is conceived under an atmosphere.

“The angel answered, ‘The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.’” Luke 1:35

The Greek word in this text is “episkiazo,” which means: From a vaporous cloud that envelops with a shadow. And the Hebrew word that speaks of the cloud is “`arAfel” (ar-aw-fel’), which means cloud, thick or dark clouds, and the shadow of God. The angel therefore told Mary that the Holy Spirit would come upon her and the power of the Most High would cover her with a vaporous cloud that would envelop her with a shadow. This is the atmosphere of the presence of the Holy Spirit, which covering Mary, should make her fruitful and conceive a child within her.

It is truly inconceivable to the human mind to imagine such an accomplishment, in the womb of a woman without knowing a man. But this is further proof that the atmosphere of the presence of God with us makes all things possible. Never neglect the atmosphere of the presence of the Holy Spirit because it carries unimaginable achievements.

Whenever His atmosphere comes into worship, let us stop reducing it to sensations, but let us expect achievements that defy any human formula. I believe in the atmosphere of the presence of the Holy Spirit, and I know that what it was capable of doing in the Bible, it will also be capable of doing in my life.

I expect something terrible and extraordinary because I am under the atmosphere of the presence of the Holy Spirit, and I believe in this atmosphere. This is also what I hope for you because I am aware that what you are reading will not leave you indifferent, but you will receive the touch of the atmosphere of His presence that will bring His entire person with His unconventional achievements to the glory of Jesus. AMEN

The birth of the Lord Jesus is the result of the atmosphere of the presence of the Holy Spirit around Mary. Since the Lord Jesus was born in the atmosphere of the presence of the Holy Spirit, then it is impossible for a Christian to live with the Lord Jesus in him without experiencing the glorious atmosphere of the presence of the Holy Spirit.

2. He received the testimony of the Father before everyone in the atmosphere.

“While he was still speaking, a bright cloud covered them. And behold, a voice came out of the cloud, saying, ‘This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; listen to him!‘” Matthew 17:5

What men know of the Lord Jesus Christ was not only taught by the Lord Jesus Himself, but it was also directly revealed from the Heavenly Father. We see that He spoke aloud and audibly to the apostles that Jesus His Son is the one in whom He has put His affection and that we must listen to Him. Such a thing had never been done before. God speaks individually to His servants, but to the people, He does not speak to them all together at the same time audibly.

The history of scriptures teaches us that God attempted to do so in the time of Moses to the point that all the people asked Moses to tell God to stop because they could not bear to hear Him speak since the voice of God came with earthquakes and loud thunders.

“All the people were seeing the thunderings, the flames of the mountain, and the sound of the trumpet; and they saw the mountain smoking. When the people saw it, they trembled and stood at a distance. They said to Moses, ‘You speak to us, and we will listen, but do not let God speak to us, or we will die.‘” Exodus 20:18-19

Glory to God that the person of the Lord Jesus, being the result of the atmosphere of the presence of the Holy Spirit, allowed the voice of God to be heard by men. What the atmosphere of the presence of the Holy Spirit brings is a message from God that testifies to the person of the Lord Jesus. You cannot be under the atmosphere of the presence of God without also receiving a revelation of the person of the Lord Jesus.

All that is done or felt is not the atmosphere, for when there is the atmosphere, it is the atmosphere of a person that must be revealed to us. And the atmosphere of the presence of God reveals to us the person of Jesus. When the atmosphere of the presence of God enters our room, we encounter the Lord Jesus, or we perceive in our spirit His beauty and worth to the point of drawing us closer to Him and knowing who He is. The atmosphere of the presence of God testifies to us the person of Jesus.

3. He made the apostles experience the atmosphere.

“Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter, James, and John his brother, and led them up on a high mountain by themselves. And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with him. While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold, a voice out of the cloud said, ‘This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.'” Matthew 17:1,3,5

In the teaching style of the Lord Jesus, teaching by examples was part of His preferred method. We see Him teaching about the deliverance of demons when the apostles fail against a demon they could not cast out. It is also the same method of teaching by examples that He takes to lead the apostles on a mountain to make them experience something that should serve them later. And the choice of the apostles was not random because He took into account…

This text is an excerpt from the book “THE ATMOSPHERE OF HIS PRESENCE” written by Pastor Kongolo Kazadi Lukuna.

We invite you to read the following article “THE ATMOSPHERE, A TOOL OF DISCERNMENT (1)“.