Eyes On Jesus

I came across a picture recently that conveys the view some maintain of the role of priests or pastors in the church.  Between the risen Jesus Christ and the children receiving communion, a haloed priest stands as mediator between God and man.  To receive the divine benefits of the broken body of Jesus and His shed blood, the priest provides the sole means of receiving God's grace.  The picture illustrates a view of the church that is disembodied from Jesus Christ as the head, replaced by a robed man that is holier than thou.

In writing to the 7 churches (which by extension include the entire church and body of Christ), John offered grace and peace in Revelation 1:5-6 "...from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, ⁶ and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen."  God has made all born again Christians as kings and priests unto Him.  This is not to say God does not give authority and responsibilities to leaders in the church, but to show the unity of believers who are all in Christ.  Rather than resembling a Mosaic system where Moses was intercessor between God and the Hebrews, under the New Covenant Jesus is in that glorious role for all people who believe--not the church or priests.

For the glory of the eternal, wise God Paul wrote in 1 Timothy 2:1-6, "Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, ² for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. ³ For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour, ⁴ who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. ⁵ For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, ⁶ who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time..."  A more accurate picture would be for the priest to be standing alongside the children with enraptured eyes on Jesus, for Jesus alone is the God and Mediator between God and all people.  Pastors and parishioners alike are to keep their eyes on Jesus and follow Him by faith, all needing forgiveness and reconciliation with God through Jesus.  Rather than looking to a priest to be absolved from sins, the dependence of every child of God is to be on Jesus Who once for all died for our sins, was raised in glory, and stands at the right hand of the Father.

Regardless of our role in the church, let us be those who refuse to obscure the view of Jesus who rules and reigns on high by seeking glory for ourselves.  Let us also not look to a priest, saint, pastor or mentor to do for us what only Jesus can or to guide or help us like the Holy Spirit is faithful to do.  Praise the LORD for the blessings and benefits of fellowship in the church, but let us remember the church is merely the body of which Jesus is the Head.  All the answers to prayer, salvation, forgiveness and acceptance before God is from God alone, and let us give Him glory rather than man.  Let us thank people for their faithful service unto the LORD and express our gratitude to God for His generous provision, but let us direct hungry and thirsty souls to Jesus to find salvation and rest while we look to Him ourselves.

Shining Bright Continually

It can be challenging to find personal relevance for particular passages of the Bible when they are filled with names that are difficult to pronounce or are filled with repetitive measurements.  It can be tedious to read the technical specifications even of products we enjoy using and see the value of, and it can ring true of parts of Scripture as well.  Passages we may be tempted to skim or gloss over can contain many important and relevant truths for us to consider and take to heart.

I came across a passage like this in Exodus 27 when Moses recorded the dimensions of the curtains, pillars and boards of the tabernacle and how they were to be fastened together, as many parts were to compose one tabernacle as the dwelling place of God.  As the chapter draws to a close, Exodus 27:20-21 said:  "And you shall command the children of Israel that they bring you pure oil of pressed olives for the light, to cause the lamp to burn continually. ²¹ In the tabernacle of meeting, outside the veil which is before the Testimony, Aaron and his sons shall tend it from evening until morning before the LORD. It shall be a statute forever to their generations on behalf of the children of Israel."  God desired the light of the lamp to always be shining in the holy place near the most holy place where His presence dwelt.  Sanctified priests were called to do the work of God in the right way, bringing pure olive oil for the lamps.  From evening to morning, the priests were to ensure the lamps were tended to and burning bright all night and day.

The Law of Moses and the service of the tabernacle were shadows that pointed to Jesus Christ Who is the Light of the World.  Jesus taught His disciples in Matthew 5:14-16:  "You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵ Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. ¹⁶ Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven."  The lamps were to remain lit in the tabernacle, and Jesus explained the purpose of lighting a lamp is to provide light for everyone in the house.  It would make no sense to light a lamp and burn fuel while hiding the lamp under a basket.  Not only would it be a fire hazard, but everyone in the room would remain in darkness.

As born again followers of Jesus by faith, God intends for His glory to shine through us.  We are to be faithful and to be being filled with the Holy Spirit so we might glorify God now and forever.  How can we shine bright?  Verse 16 says we shine by our good works--which is much more than doing good deeds.  It is by being and becoming the people God created us to be, filled with the joy of the LORD we wear on our glad and hopeful countenance even in hard times.  We shine with praise of God for the great things He has done, by speaking blessing rather than cursing, and loving instead of hating.  We shine by walking in light of Scripture and speaking the truth, for God's word is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path.

Isaiah 60:1-3 is a relevant exhortation to all God's people who are in Christ:  "Arise, shine; for your light has come! And the glory of the LORD is risen upon you. ² For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people; but the LORD will arise over you, and His glory will be seen upon you. ³ The Gentiles shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising."  How glorious is the Light of the World Who shines and has risen upon us!  We are not a source of light for the world, but through us the light of Jesus shines in and through us that will be seen by Jew and Gentile, a glow that attracts people to know and glorify God.  We sometimes limit our "time to shine" to particular moments, but God's will is we would always shine bright for His glory because He is only light, and in Him is no darkness at all--even in the mundane moments when no one else is watching.  Praise the LORD for the supply of the Holy Spirit Who helps us shine for God's glory.

God's Gifts and Calling

 Paul shared a timeless principle with believers in Romans 11:29:  "For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable."  This is wonderful because God is gracious, good, merciful and will always continue to be so.  It is of little value to be offered a lifetime guarantee by a company that folds one year after completing the work.  The world is full of false promises and caveats concealed in fine print, luring us to commit to buying with bold print and high-pressure salesmanship.  Whether the promises of God are well known or obscure by comparison, all His promises are yes and amen to His glory.

Jesus said in Matthew 11:28-30, "Come to Me, all you who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."  This call to a new life by faith in Jesus was for the Jews He spoke to as well as Gentiles today:  the offer of salvation and eternal life through the Gospel remains valid and in force for us, our children, and for all generations to come. 
God does not retract His gracious gifts and calling because of our failures, or nor are they withdrawn when His patience runs thin.

God made a covenant with Abraham and his descendants that remains because it was an everlasting covenant, and God by His grace has grafted in Gentiles with the true Jews as the people of God spiritually through faith in Jesus.  I love that God's gifts are irrevocable as well as His calling.  He gives gifts He does not withdraw because we have been neglecting them too much, and continues to call us to salvation and to service in the Body of Christ, the church.  Even when people walk away from the LORD and act like His enemies, His grace and goodness remains outstretched to them without fail.  What comfort, peace and rest is ours by faith in Jesus who has called the thirsty to Himself to drink of His Living Water!

One immutable characteristic of God is His generosity to give and keep giving.  He loves us and continues to love us.  Day by day He girds us with strength to seek and obey Him, and we can do all things through Jesus Who strengthens us.  He continues to give us joy and supply wisdom even when we are depressed and make foolish choices.  God provides hope when we are hopeless in ourselves to do or change anything.  He gives us His word that is packed with promises and does not repent of giving us more grace.  Let us be those who value the Giver over His countless gifts, the One who calling and gifts are irrevocable.

The Reforming Paradox

Because God is the sole source of wisdom and does not change, wisdom from God remains timeless for every person and season of life.  God's wisdom is never outdated but relevant for everyone.  While our lack of faith in God can prevent us from heeding or observing God's wise ways, God's wisdom will endure beyond us and subsequent generations.  Knowing God is our Creator and Sovereign, this impacts our perspective of relationships God has instituted.

G.K. Chesterton touched on this in an essay titled "The Drift from Domesticity" he wrote and our need to consider the reasons why laws, roles and boundaries in society exist before we think we do well to destroy them.  Though these words were written almost 100 years ago, Chesterton touched on the timelessness of God's wisdom for us to heed today in this excerpt:

"In the matter of reforming things, as distinct from deforming them, there is one plain and simple principle; a principle which will probably be called a paradox.  There exists in such a case a certain institution or law; let us say, for the sake of simplicity; a fence or gate erected across a road.  The more modern type of reformer goes gaily up to it and says, "I don't see the use of this; let us clear it away."  To which the more intelligent type of reformer will do well to answer:  "If you don't see the use of it, I certainly won't let you clear it away.  Go away and think.  Then, when you can come back and tell me that you do see the use of it, I may allow you to destroy it."

This paradox rests on the most elementary common sense.  The gate or fence did not grow there.  It was not set up by somnambulists who built it in their sleep.  It is highly improbable that it was put there by escaped lunatics who were for some reason loose in the street.  Some person had some reason for thinking it would be a good thing for somebody.  And until we know what the reasons was, we really cannot judge whether the reason was reasonable.  It is extremely probable that we have overlooked some whole aspect of the question, if something set up by human beings like ourselves seems to be entirely meaningless and mysterious.  There are reformers who get over this difficulty by assuming that all their fathers were fools; but if that be so, we can only say that folly appears to be a hereditary disease.  But the truth is that nobody has any business to destroy a social institution until he has really seen it as an historical institution.  If he knows how it arose, and what purposes it was supposed to serve, he may really be able to say that they were bad purposes, or that they have since become bad purposes, or that they are purposes which are no longer served.  But if he simply stares at the thing as a senseless monstrosity that has somehow sprung up in his path, it is he and not the traditionalist who is suffering from an illusion.  We might even say that he is seeing things in a nightmare."  (Chesterton, G. K., and Dale Ahlquist. In Defense of Sanity: The Best Essays of G.K. Chesterton. Ignatius Press, 2011. pages 173-174)

The principle illustrated here shows the impact faith in God has on our perspective and worldview.  If we believe God created man and woman and instituted marriage between a man and a woman, we cannot reform these institutions without risk of deforming them.  While it is true people do change over their lives, our basic need for God and His wisdom does not change.  Having been illuminated by the word of God and born again by the Holy Spirit, we have learned that without God we are hopelessly adrift in the dark.  To follow our hearts may be to disregard God and the wisdom He has passed down through generations.  How blessed we are to have such a sure foundation in our God Who provides wisdom for abundant life and to be transformed by faith in Jesus into the people He intended us to be from the beginning.  Staying the course requires constant reformation--not of God's institutions but of ourselves--being sanctified by God's grace.