Stop Trying to Get Into God's Presence - Daniel Amstutz - Charis Daily - Season 17 Ep. 16

Summary

Daniel Amstutz argues that Christians do not need to strive to “get into God’s presence.” In his account of the New Covenant, God has already given believers the Holy Spirit, who dwells within them. Worship is therefore a response to what Jesus has accomplished—not an effort to make God arrive or to earn access to Him.

Main Ideas and Lessons

• The New Covenant changes how believers approach God.

  • Amstutz contrasts the sacrifices associated with the Old Testament with what he presents as the New Covenant’s completed work through Jesus.
  • Rather than trying to qualify for God’s presence through religious effort, believers can rest in Jesus’ words, “It is finished,” and respond with gratitude, praise, and faith.

• Worship is rooted in Jesus, the Spirit, and truth.

  • Drawing on Jesus’ conversation with the woman at the well, Amstutz says worship is to be “in spirit and truth.”
  • He emphasizes that Jesus is the way to the Father, and that worship should be grounded in the truth of God’s Word—not merely in personal preferences, outward forms, or attempts to produce a spiritual feeling.
  • In this view, prayer, singing, and giving are responses to God, not means of making Him appear.

• Believers are described as temples of the Holy Spirit.

  • Amstutz says God does not dwell in human-made religious buildings in the way He dwells within believers.
  • He uses passages about the Spirit living in believers to support the idea that Christians need not wait for God to show up: they can recognize and live from the presence already given to them.
  • This identity is meant to shape daily life, not only worship services.

• Live from the inside out.

  • Amstutz encourages believers to let their lives flow from their identity in Christ and the Spirit’s presence, rather than relying on external circumstances or religious performance.
  • He describes presenting one’s body as a “living sacrifice” as a grateful response to God’s mercy—not a way to earn acceptance.
  • He also urges listeners not to mix New Covenant beliefs with attempts to return to Old Covenant practices as a way of securing God’s presence.

• Let Scripture reshape the heart and mind.

  • Amstutz says the Word of God reveals inner obstacles and helps believers change their thinking, emotions, and decisions.
  • He connects this to Jesus’ parable of the soils: worries, stress, and competing desires can act like thorns that crowd out the Word.
  • His practical counsel is to identify what is taking up space in the heart and make room for God’s Word and the life it produces.

• Release worry instead of internalizing it.

  • Citing the instruction to cast anxieties on the Lord, Amstutz encourages listeners to hand their cares to God because He cares for them.
  • He presents this as an active release of anxiety, rather than quietly carrying or suppressing it.

• Make time with Jesus a priority.

  • Using Mary’s choice to sit at Jesus’ feet as an example, Amstutz advises choosing time with the Lord rather than continually adding activities to an already busy schedule.
  • He warns that even worthwhile tasks can crowd out what matters most, as he says happened with Martha.
  • Time devoted to spiritual life is framed as an investment, not wasted time.

• Worship flows from what has already been received.

  • Amstutz says believers can praise God, give generously, and worship together because they have already received grace.
  • He closes by emphasizing rest in Jesus’ completed work, gratitude, and allowing Christ’s Word to dwell richly in believers’ shared life.

Speakers and Sources Featured

• Speaker: Daniel Amstutz, who introduces himself as a leader in the healing ministry at Charis.
• Other speakers: None apparent in the subtitles.
• Primary source: The Bible. Passages cited or discussed include John 4; John 6:63; John 14; John 17:17; Romans 8:8–11 and 12:1; Hebrews 13:15; Acts 7:48 and 17:24; 1 Corinthians 3:16 and 6:19–20; Mark 4; 1 Peter 5:7; Luke 10:42; and Colossians 3:15–16. The subtitles also attribute a statement about acknowledging what is in Christ to Philippians 1:6; that wording may reflect an auto-caption citation error.