Face To Face With God!

A face-to-face request is 34 times more successful than an email

In research Mahdi Roghanizad of Western University and I conducted, recently published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, we have found that people tend to overestimate the power of their persuasiveness via text-based communication, and underestimate the power of their persuasiveness via face-to-face communication. In one study, we had 45 participants ask 450 strangers (10 strangers each) to complete a brief survey. All participants made the exact same request following the exact same script; however, half of the participants made their requests over email, while the other half asked face-to-face. We found that people were much more likely to agree to complete a survey when they were asked in-person as opposed to over email. These findings are consistent with previous research showing that people are more likely to comply with requests in person than over email. https://hbr.org/2017/04/a-face-to-face-request-is-34-times-more-successful-than-an-email?utm_campaign=hbr&utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social

Most wars have begun as a result of mis-information and propaganda alienating people from another, and creating a face that people are willing to kill and die for. Wars begun because of sufficient distance and alienation from the true face of the enemy. This is why Jesus’ instruction to love our enemies was so powerful, yet extremely difficult.

A set of dynamic psychological processes is outlined that can induce good people to do evil, among them deindividuation, obedience to authority, passivity in the face of threats, self-justification, and rationalization. Dehumanization is one of the central processes in the transformation of ordinary, normal people into indifferent or even wanton perpetrators of evil. Dehumanization is like a cortical cataract that clouds one’s thinking and fosters the perception that other people are less than human. It makes some people come to see those others as enemies deserving of torment, torture, and annihilation. The Lucifer Effect - How good people turn evil by Phillip Zimbardo

One of the techniques of war is to paint faces, so that the warrior become unrecognizable and intimate their enemies, and thus more prone to act contrary to their conscience. Study Deindividuation - Loss of self-awareness and Cognitive dissonance - When there is a discrepancy between our behavior and beliefs.

When we become offended with someone, we do not want to see their face, we also do not see their face we only see our offense. Offense has a face too. Like Cain our countenance fall. Get 4:5 You can see the contempt, hatred, bitterness, resentment on the face.

Our face is most in view, and where most of our identifying qualities is located. We recognize the face. It is also emotionally our biggest fear, to loose ‘face’ before people, community, and friends. Dog’s reads our faces. The term face to face speaks of intimacy, thus a bride hiding her face behind a veil. Gen 24:65 All our emotions are most revealed in our face, hence the face being the canvas of the heart.

THE FACE OF GOD IS A METAPHOR OF God’s PRESENCE AND FAVOR

As for me, I will see Your face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied when I awake in Your likeness. Ps 17:15

When You said, “Seek My face,” My heart said to You, “Your face, Lord, I will seek.” Do not hide Your face from me; Ps 27:8

Blessed are the people who know the joyful sound! They walk, O Lord, in the light of Your countenance. In Your name they rejoice all day long, And in Your righteousness they are exalted. Ps 89:15

the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them. For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your bondservants for Jesus’ sake. For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. 2 Cor 4:4-6

Light of His countenance - Ps 44:3; Dan 9:17

Revelation means - Remove Veil from Face

JESUS IS THE FACE OF GOD

He is the Expressed Image of God Heb 1:3

Many people get stuck on seeking God’s face because of the scripture Exo 33:20 saying that they who see God’s face will die. Yet David had no fear to eat the Show Bread “Bread of the Face of God” 1 Sam 21:1-6; Mat 12:4 Jacob trembled that now He has seen God’s face and is still alive Gen 32:30; and Moses was known that He saw God face to face. Deut 34:10

God wants us to know Him, be without fear before his face. Yet Adam & Eve because of their sin, would not come before His face. Gen 3:8 David knew God’s Face and cried out to God not to hide his Face. PS 13:1; 27:9; 88:14; 143:7