The Royal Priesthood
THE RETURN OF
THE ROYAL PRIESTHOOD
That “something more” you’ve been looking for!
By Peter E Barfoot
PREFACE
Exodus 19:6, Matthew 21:43 and First Peter 2:9 form a critical path to a clear understanding of who currently has possession of the kingdom of God.
In Exodus 19:6 God conditionally promises to make the children of Israel “a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” In Matthew 21:43 Jesus informs the Jewish leaders that they have not met the required condition of obedience, and that the kingdom is to be taken from them and given to a nation that will be fruitful. In First Peter 2:9 the apostle states that the priesthood promise is fulfilled in a chosen generation of Jews who are that holy nation.
There can be no doubt whatever that the promise of Exodus 19:6 is fulfilled in First Peter 2:9. Any idea that there might be two categories of believers in Christ is easily dispelled by the Apostle Paul’s clear declaration in Ephesians 2:13-16 that Jesus has broken down the middle wall of partition and made of Jew and non-Jew “one new man” by reconciling both to God in one body by the Cross.
Why has not this straightforward teaching been more widely accepted? One reason is the love of Christians for Israel, and with that a rejection of the idea that God has cast them away (an idea easily disproved by a study of Romans 11). Another is the erroneous teaching that the kingdom taken from the “wicked generation” of Jesus’ time has been held in suspension until Christ’s return, when it will be given to Israel. This theory opened a gulf that has separated Evangelical and Pentecostal Christians for more than a century. The conclusion that should follow a careful study of the contents of this book ought to eliminate the gulf and reunite both as one body of believers.
Contents
Introduction
Your Spiritual Journey
What is the Royal Priesthood?
A Kingdom of Priests
Let’s Take a Closer Look
The Practical Work of a Priest
Keepers of the Flame
Two Connected Altars
Spiritual Sacrifices
The Costly Price of Sacrifice
What to Cart and What to Carry
Outside the Camp
A Paradoxical People
The Heart of our High Priest
Priestly Prayer Protection
The Transfer of the Kingdom
The Need to be Ruled
Throne Room Protocol
An Open Door to the Kingdom
The Down to Earth Kingdom
Church and Kingdom
Sovereignty and Responsibility
Good Stewards of God’s Grace
How Well do you Know Jesus?
The Unshakable Kingdom
A Necessary Breakthrough
Kingdom versus Empire
Our Champion
The Values of the Kingdom
Introduction
Just as the Ark of the Covenant that had been captured by the Philistines was brought to Jerusalem by King David, so also the glory of God’s presence is being be brought to the New Jerusalem by the Son of David. The responsibility for this belongs to the Royal Priesthood.
The title Royal Priesthood might seem a contradiction, since the offices of king and priest were kept very separate in Israel. However they were joined prophetically when King David erected a tent in Jerusalem for the Ark of the Covenant and “offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD.” (1 Samuel 6:17-18)
The Tent of Moses remained at Gibeon until Solomon built the Temple in Jerusalem, but in the Tent of David during that period the king and his sons took on the role of royal priests — a role forbidden to any but the Levites who served in the Tent of Moses. The two offices were joined again when the LORD instructed Zechariah the prophet to enthrone and crown the priest Joshua. (Zechariah 6) The coronation was a prophetic portrayal of the ascended and enthroned priest-king Jesus.
“The man whose name is the BRANCH” was to “come forth out of the stem of Jesse” (be of the lineage of David) and “build the temple of the LORD.” (Isaiah 11:1) This greater David would restore the kingdom to Israel — not the small kingdom of Judah but the greater kingdom of David, the whole of Israel. (Matthew 21:9-11; Acts 1:6)
These prophecies were fulfilled to a degree when God raised Jesus the Son of David from the dead and enthroned and crowned him. (Acts 2:30; Hebrews 2:9) On his return to earth, however, Jesus will restore the kingdom in the fullest sense to Israel.
Meanwhile, we must do all we can to encourage “the Israel of God” — the “fruitful nation” which now has the kingdom — to function as a Royal Priesthood in the restored Tent of David. (Galatians 6:16; Matthew 21:43; Acts 15:12-17)
Since Jesus Christ is both a king and a priest, the kingdom and the priesthood are inseparable, so I have included a number of chapters on the kingdom as well as the priesthood.
Peter Edwin Barfoot
Your Spiritual Journey
On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross,
The emblem of suffering and shame;
And I love that old cross where the dearest and best
For a world of lost sinners was slain.
Refrain
So I’ll cherish the old rugged cross,
Till my trophies at last I lay down;
I will cling to the old rugged cross,
And exchange it some day for a crown.
Words & Music: George Bennard, 1913
What wonderful words! “The Old Rugged Cross” was the first hymn I sang after surrendering my life to the Lord Jesus. But while I will always be grateful for Christ’s death, I never did “cling” to the old rugged cross, because soon after my sins were forgiven I was baptised in the Holy Spirit, an experience that brought further joy into my life.
My point is that no sooner do we think that we have arrived than God moves us on through yet another new experience. As someone has said, “If you think you have arrived, you have nowhere left to go.” This side of the resurrection we are on a journey with Jesus, and as wonderful as our experiences of his love and grace are, there’s always more — much more! That is, unless we decide to quit the journey and settle for a place of our own choosing.
The Christians who became known as Pentecostals appeared at the dawn of the 20th century but came into prominence with the rise of well-known healing ministries, fifty years later. The Healing Revival (as it became known) coincided with the advent of television. Suddenly, miracles of healing previously heard on radio were viewed right across the USA.
Almost two decades later what was to become known as the Charismatic Renewal began to take place in traditional churches. That wound down in the mid-eighties after lasting about the same time as the Healing Revival had. Korean mega-churches and Third World mass-evangelism followed, and as the new century dawned, mega-churches sprouted up across the USA (although the numbers never matched those of mega-churches in Africa and South America). With this overview in mind, let’s take a closer look at the three main groups to which most believers now belong.
The Evangelicals
Think of the names John Wesley, George Fox, Richard Baxter, Jonathan Edwards, George Whitefield, Charles Haddon Spurgeon, Dwight L Moody, Billy Sunday, William Booth and Billy Graham — names well known to all Christians but especially dear to those called Evangelicals. The term is generic and covers scores of millions of Christians around the globe who attend a variety of Bible believing churches.
The ministries of these evangelists over the past few centuries paralleled the rise to world dominance of the British Empire and the amazing growth to power of the United States of America.
Each great preacher was a man of his time: Wesley rode on horseback between churches miles apart, often preaching three times on a Sunday. Whitefield’s resonant voice so amplified his words they could be heard whole blocks away. Billy Sunday’s on stage chair-smashing was as attention-grabbing as any of today’s guitar-smashing rock musicians. Billy Graham’s powerful sermons and the hymn “Just As I Am” made men, women and children aware of their need to “come to Christ” on the spot.
The word “evangelist” comes from an ancient Greek word that means “messenger of good.” The focus of the Evangelical is the Good News of Jesus Christ and the literal kingdom to be established by him on his return to earth.
The Cross of Jesus Christ is central to the preaching of the Gospel and the salvation of lost sinners. Evangelical Christians have a special love for the Gospel of John. This is not to say that they prefer it above the other gospels, but that John’s Gospel lingers on the person of the Son of God and on his death for us on the Cross. In this sense it is more a portrait than a narrative. It was through the preaching of the Cross that we first believed and it was then that our spiritual journey began.
Without doubt, the most treasured verse of evangelicals is John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes on him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
“You must be born again” is the imperative that motivates the Evangelical to witness to the lost. Nicodemus, to whom these words were addressed, thought Jesus was speaking of a physical rebirth — a natural impossibility. But to be “born again” is to be “born from above” — a prerequisite for seeing the kingdom and entering into it. (John 3:5-7)
Their famously intricate end-time flow-charts aside, the beliefs of Evangelicals are scripturally sound — as far as they go. I am not damning these fine Christians with faint praise but add this qualification because, although salvation begins at the Cross with forgiveness, it is more than a one-time event: it is the beginning of a lifelong journey. We don’t just cling to the Cross and wait for the Second Coming of Christ, but retain it in our hearts as an unforgettable first experience of God’s love and Christ’s sacrifice for us, as we move on.
The Pentecostals
Some would say that Evangelicals move on when they receive “the Pentecostal experience”. Pentecostal is a name associated with those who receive the promised Spirit of God in the same way the disciples did on the Day of Pentecost. (Pentecost is Greek for “fifty”: the number of days between the feasts of Passover and Pentecost.) The “power from on high” that Pentecostals receive as a second experience to being “born again” enables them to add supernatural “signs” to their witness. This doesn’t sit well with Evangelicals, who believe that the “signs” ceased at what they believe was the end of the apostolic age: the time of the close ofthe Book of Acts.
Pentecostals honour the same great preachers as evangelicals but add to the list the names of other great men, including Charles G Finney, Aimee Semple McPherson, Smith Wigglesworth, John G Lake, Oral Roberts, Kathryn Kuhlman, and Reinhard Bonke.
Acts 2:4 is the verse most Pentecostals use to define themselves: “And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they began to speak with other languages, as the Spirit enabled them.” The usual query of Pentecostals to other Christians is, “Have you received the Holy Spirit since you believed?” (Acts 19:2)
Pentecostals acknowledge the work of the Spirit of God in convicting sinners, in drawing them to Jesus, and in witnessing to their spirit that they are born of God. However they believe that those who have not yet received the fullness of the Holy Spirit lack the power essential for preaching the Gospel with the signs that Jesus said would accompany it.
Pentecostals know how necessary the name of Jesus is for prayer to be heard by their heavenly Father. (John 16:23-24) Unlike most evangelicals, however, they lay hands on the sick and expel demons in the authority of that name. Pentecostals see power and authority as working hand in hand. When evangelicals question them on the textual validity of Mark 16:17-19, they simply point out that in the Book of Acts the apostles did all but one of the things listed there.
The old-time, shouting Pentecostal is seen a lot less these days. Many now attend nominally Pentecostal mega-churches, where the operation of spiritual gifts in televised meetings is not encouraged.
The Charismatics
The name Charismatic comes from the ancient Greek word “charisma” which means, “grace-gift.” Charismatics began to appear in the late 1960s when God poured out His Spirit on Christians in mainline churches and they spoke in languages unknown to them. Pentecostals were as uneasy at the idea of traditional church people receiving the Gift of the Holy Spirit as Peter was when the household of Cornelius did. (Acts 10:17)
Charismatics place as much importance on the necessity of the Cross for salvation as do Evangelicals and Pentecostals. (Many of them were evangelicals who moved on.) They also teach the necessity of believers being baptised in the Holy Spirit for their ministry to be effective.
The particular focus of Charismatics is on the Church as an interactive, working body, and the need for genuine fellowship between believers. Their verses of choice are First Corinthians 12:7-11, which list the gifts (plural) of the Holy Spirit, as distinct from the Gift (singular) of the Holy Spirit.
Charismatics point out that the word “charisma” is nowhere found in the original Greek of “The Acts of the Apostles” because that book is a narrative of how the Gift of the Holy Spirit was distributed (to Jew and non-Jew alike) throughout the Roman Empire.
They also point out that in First Corinthians the gifts of the Holy Spirit are the issue, since the believers at Corinth had already received the Gift of the Holy Spirit. Charismatics enjoy an excellent teacher as much as Pentecostals enjoy a powerful preacher and Evangelicals enjoy spiritual life conferences in the country. During what was known as “the Charismatic Renewal” most traditional Christians who received the Gift declined to be called Pentecostal because the name didn’t fit their traditional church culture.
For their part, Pentecostals were shocked to hear Charismatics ask God to give believers a new language, rather than ask Him to give them the Gift of the Spirit, who gives that gift. But those who were thirsty were filled, regardless.
Charismatics love Paul’s epistles because they speak so often of the local church as a working body of believers, with each and every member playing an important part. They cooperate well with one another, and usually return to their traditional churches if the fire of their spiritual experience loses its heat. A new and credible move of the Spirit of God will likely rekindle their flame.
Where to from here?
Much has happened since the Charismatic Renewal waned. Toronto. Brownsville. Mega-churches. Scores of millions won to Christ in the Developing World. Christians around the globe view it all on The God Channel or You Tube and download portions to their iPods. Yet there is a great spiritual emptiness in the Western Church. Many attend church meetings but lack real commitment, and many others have dropped out of local church fellowship altogether.
It’s probable that a long-expected new move of the Spirit of God will restore these believers to regular church fellowship. But what they need is more likely to be found in a continuation of their spiritual journey. This has been the experience of the Church since the time of the Reformation. The denominational churches which resulted from that great event were built on rediscovered Bible truths and practices (for example, the Lutheran Church on its Founder’s revelation of Justification by Faith and the Methodist Church on the Holiness doctrine preached by John Wesley).
The question, “Is this is all there is?” may be the sign of a need to move forward on a spiritual journey. If you have been forgiven, have been baptised in the Holy Spirit, and have received spiritual gifts, your next step may be to accept the role, and the responsibility, of a Royal Priest.
WHAT IS THE ROYAL PRIESTHOOD?
The Royal Priesthood is not a special group of Christians within the Church, as was the priestly tribe of Levi in Israel. It is the priesthood of all believers who are “Jews” at heart and who collectively form the “Israel of God.” (Romans 3:28-29; Galatians 6:16)
In Old Testament times a Royal Priesthood would have been inconceivable: no one could have ever have imagined that the offices of king and priest would one day come together in the person of the Messiah.
Yet just such a merging of offices had been clearly portrayed by a high priest named Joshua. At God’s command the prophet Zechariah enthroned and crowned him — an act unprecedented in the history of Israel. (Zechariah 6:9-15) The merger clearly portrayed the coming ministry of Messiah Jesus, the King-Priest. Jesus would not only “rise to reign over the Gentiles” but would also mediate between God and Man. (Romans 15:12; I Timothy 2:5)
Christ’s heavenly Coronation, foreseen by the prophet Daniel (Daniel 2:44 & 7:13-14), is recorded in Acts 2:30-36. The writer of Hebrews describes Jesus as “crowned” with glory and honour — an appropriate metaphor for an exalted and glorified King-Priest.
The term Royal Priesthood describes a priesthood of royal descent, one that ministers the blessings of God with regal authority. The moral conduct of the Royal Priesthood should be appropriate to that of persons occupying a position of high office and privilege. Its priests should exercise power but remain humble, they should act with authority, but never to excess.
The Royal Priesthood is entirely different from the priesthood Moses established to minister God’s Law. It functions in the manner of the priest Melchizedek, who was a prophetic portrayal of Jesus Christ. (Psalm 110:4; Hebrews 7:11)
Melchizedek was a king-priest who brought bread and wine and a blessing to Abram, after he had rescued his nephew Lot from invaders, and in so doing had recovered the goods they had stolen from the king of Sodom.
The king of Sodom offered the recovered goods to Abram, but he refused the offer. He had sworn an oath to “the LORD, the Most High, the possessor of heaven and earth” not to accept a thing, lest the king of Sodom claim he had made Abram rich. (Genesis 14:17-23)
Melchizedek had used these same words when blessing Abram, so it would seem that the patriarch swore the oath to God after being forewarned by the king-priest of the temptation that would come.
The two offices were again joined when the LORD instructed Zechariah the prophet to enthrone and crown the priest Joshua. (Zechariah 6) There is no letter ‘Y’ in the Hebrew alphabet. The names Jesus and Joshua are actually Yeshua. Both leaders named Joshua in the Bible — the general who led the Israelites into the Promised Land and the priest who was enthroned and crowned by Zechariah — portrayed Yeshua the Messiah, whom Christians know as the Lord Jesus Christ, and the world less definitively as Jesus Christ.
“The man who is the BRANCH” was to “grow out of the stump of Jesse (David’s father).” Jesus, who is the Son of David, will restore the kingdom to Israel when he returns to earth. (Acts 1:6)
Jesus is “a high priest after the order of (that is, in the manner of) Melchizedek.” (Hebrews 7) Our great High Priest blesses us between victory and the temptation that follows, providing us with the bread which is his body, and the wine which is his blood. This blessing and provision enables us to refuse the world’s offers and to rely instead on “the Most High God, the Possessor of heaven and earth,” for all our needs.
A Royal Priesthood is a contradiction in terms, since the offices of king and priest were separate in Israel. But they were joined prophetically when King David placed the Ark of the Covenant in a tent in Jerusalem and “offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD.” (1 Samuel 6:17-18) The Tent of Moses remained at Gibeon until Solomon built the Temple. We are the Tent of David, not the Tent of Moses. (Acts 15)
The Royal Priesthood is primarily a ministry to God. (Acts 13:2) The conduct of royal priests matches their privileged position. Jesus is the High Priest of their confession, because in every situation they say only what God’s Word says.
Jesus is the Apostle and High Priest of our confession.(Hebrews 3:1) He made a ground-breaking confession before Pontius Pilate. (1 Timothy 6:12-13) and confesses to our Father in heaven what we confess to others on earth. A confession is an acknowledgement of the truth. The Greek word homologeo means, “to say the same thing.” (Acts 24:14) The confession of a believer in Christ might result in martyrdom, but if we deny that we know him he will deny that he knows us. A good confession is not the Positive Faith Statement often taught in churches — it is a death-defying choice to witness openly to the truth, whatever the consequence!
We need to “hold fast” to our confession. Our High Priest Jesus sympathizes with our weaknesses. A good confession assures us of a confident approach to the throne of God for the mercy and grace we need. (Hebrews 4:14-16)
Every true believer in Christ is a Royal Priest, not only those who may consider themselves specially favoured by God.
A Royal Priest offers up spiritual sacrifices to God through Jesus Christ. These include sacrifices of praise and thanksgiving. They also include offerings to needy believers in distant churches, even when — especially when — they are themselves struggling. (Acts 11:28-30)
The Macedonian churches excelled in sacrificial giving during times of suffering. (2 Corinthians 8:1-5; Philippians 4:10-19) The church at Philippi supported Paul sacrificially, and in return God provided for all their needs. To use Philippians 4:19 as a “proof text” outside of its sacrificial context is to distort its true meaning. The statement “And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus” is a valid one only if the sacrificial giving of the preceding verse is taken into account:
“I have all and abound: I am full, having received from Epaphroditus the things which were sent from you, a fragrance of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, well-pleasing to God.”
The Apostle Paul offered up to God “as a priest” the Gentiles who had been saved through his ministry. (Romans 15:16) The Old Covenant priest had offered up incense to God that represented the prayers of the people outside. (Luke 1:8-10)
The New Covenant priest offers prayers in the temple of the Holy Spirit, which is his own body, and in the Body Corporate — the church body — which is the temple of the living God. (1 Corinthians 6:19-20; 2 Corinthians 6:16) Sacrifices of prayer and praise are an everyday part of a royal priest’s life. (Romans 8:29)
Of course,it’s one thing to know that the Lord Jesus Christ, “the prince [paramount Lord] of the kings of the earth” has made us “a kingdom of priests unto his God and Father.” (Revelation 1:5-6) But it’s another thing for we who are “called into His kingdom and glory” to “walk worthy” of that high calling. (I Thessalonians 2:12) What makes us “worthy”? We keep our garments clean — we do not defile the righteousness our Saviour has clothed us with by unclean contact with the world. (Revelation 3:4)
We were never “worthy” to be saved in the first place. But our upright conduct makes us “worthy” of our holy calling. We conquer the spiritually unclean forces that threaten to pollute us. These forces vary from place to place, as the messages of Jesus to the seven churches of Revelation clearly show.
But exactly when was the Royal Priesthood established, and how is it that non-Jews are able to be royal priests in “the Israel of God”?
A KINGDOM OF PRIESTS
Soon after God delivered Israel from Egypt, He made the budding nation an amazing offer.
“You have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles’ wings, and brought you unto myself. Now therefore, if you will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to me above all people: for all the earth is mine. And you shall be to me a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation.” (Exodus 19:4-6)
The “if” is important: the offer was conditional. If Israel disobeyed God and broke His covenant, they would forfeit the promised “special relationship” and the privileges that went with it. God’s intention was that the firstborn son of every family would be a priest, making Israel “a kingdom of priests.” But the Golden Calf episode changed that.
“And when Moses saw that the people were naked (for Aaron had made them naked to their shame among their enemies), then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and asked, “Who is on the LORD’S side? Come to me!” And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together to him.
“And he said to them, Thus says the LORD God of Israel, Every man put a sword by his side, and go in and out from entrance to entrance throughout the camp, and let every man kill his brother, every man his companion, and every man his neighbour.
“And the children of Levi did according to the word of Moses: and there fell of the people that day about three thousand souls.” (Exodus 32:25-28)
Absolute impartiality was required in those who punished the guilty. Familial and fraternal relationships were put to the sword, where necessary, to prevent the judgement of God from falling on the people as a whole. A zeal for the holiness of God was not found lacking in the tribe of Levi!
Israel’s special relationship to God made it more accountable. “You only have I known (recognised) of all the families of the earth: therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities.” (Amos 3:2) Israel knew the LORD’S requirements. The people had endorsed the Mt. Sinai covenant with great enthusiasm. (Exodus 24:3)
The execution of the 3000 was a severe punishment, but far worse was the removal of the priesthood from the firstborn son of every family to the tribe of Levi. The promised “kingdom of priests” was in one stroke reduced to a single tribe of priests. (Numbers 3:12; 8:16-17; Deuteronomy 33:8-10)
Instead of the firstborn son of every family being a priest who would understand its needs, sympathize with its tendency to sin, and bless it in the name of the LORD, the priesthood was removed from the family altogether. Instead of ministry being available at the domestic point of need, it was centered on the tabernacle. Instead of forgiveness and prayer being a family affair, they became the prerogative of a priestly tribe.
Job’s prayerful concern gives us an insight into the kind of priestly ministry God had planned. Understanding that his sons’ prosperity might cause them to curse God in their hearts, Job called them to him after their feasts, sanctified them, and offered burnt offerings to the LORD to cover their sins. (Job 1:1-5)
That Israel repeatedly failed to keep the Covenant is clearly recorded in its history—a history of a people who “had it all” and “lost it.” Their unique call to reveal the One and Only True God to the nations of the earth was taken from them and given to a different ethnic group: a “nation” that Jesus said would be productive.
“Therefore I say unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation (Greek: ethnos: people) bringing forth the fruit of it.” (Matthew 21:43) This new Creation would be comprised of those who were “one” in Jesus Christ — both Jew and Gentile believers.
God’s “vineyard” (the subject of Matthew 21:33-43, and which Jesus clearly identified with His “kingdom”) had been Israel, a people brought out of slavery in a great demonstration of God’s power.
“You have brought a vine out of Egypt: You have cast out the heathen, and planted it. You prepared room for it, and caused it to take deep root and it filled the land. The hills were covered with its shadow, and the mighty cedars with its boughs. She sent out her boughs to the [Mediterranean] Sea, and her branches to the [Euphrates] River.” (Psalm 80:8-11)
The Jews disappointed the LORD by producing “wild grapes” — worthless and inedible fruit. (Isaiah 5:1-4) The result: God removed His protection from Jerusalem, allowing the Babylonians to capture the city.
“And now, please let me tell you what I will do to my vineyard: I will take away its hedge, and it shall be burned. I will break down its wall, and it shall be trampled down. I will lay it waste. It shall not be pruned or dug, but there shall come up briers and thorns. I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain on it.
“For the vineyard of the LORD is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah are his pleasant plant: and he looked for justice, but behold, oppression; for righteousness, but behold, a cry for help.” (Isaiah 5:5-7)
When Jesus prophesied the destruction of the Temple (which took place in AD 70, after a three year siege), he used graphic imagery from the book of Isaiah. The Jews well knew what a repeat of the Babylonian destruction would do to them and to their city. The Romans, they knew, would be even less pitiful than the Babylonians had been. No wonder they exclaimed, “May it not happen!” (Luke 20:16)
Two Key Parables
Before prophesying the transfer of the kingdom, Jesus told the Jews the parable of The Evil Tenant-farmers., in which he accused the Jews of beating and killing the prophets — the “servants of the householder” — and foretold His own death.
“But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance. And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him.” (Matthew 21:38-39)
Significantly, the very next parable told by Jesus in Matthew’s Gospel — which was written specially for Jews — is the parable of The Wedding Feast. In this parable, the focus shifts from people and events leading up to the rejection and crucifixion of Christ.
The focus is now on the events that are to result from that dreadful crime. The Householder of the first parable becomes a king. Instead of hateful “husbandmen” there are unworthy “guests.” In the place of Old Testament prophets there are “servants” who are sent forth with invitations to the marriage of the King’s son — the New Testament apostles.
In reading these two parables it soon becomes clear that the Householder/King is God, and that the Heir/King’s son is Jesus. It also becomes clear that the “wicked men” whom the Householder would “miserably destroy” were none other than the “unworthy (and quite murderous) guests” whose city would be “burned up” by the invading armies of the King. (Compare the first parable, in Matthew 21, with the second, in Matthew 22.)
A suspended sword hung over Jerusalem for 40 years — from the resurrection of Jesus Christ till the time that the Gospel was preached “in all the world”. The Apostle Paul wrote that this was fulfilled in his day. (Colossians 1:6, 23) Not the world as we know it, of course, but Paul’s world — the Roman Empire.
After that, the sword was permitted to fall on the Jews. In the year 66 AD the Roman army besieged Jerusalem, and the events foretold by Jesus began to take place.
“And when you shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that its desolation is near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains; and let those who are in the midst of it depart from it; and let not those who are in the countries enter into it. For these are the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled.
“But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing, in those days, for there shall be great distress in the land, and wrath upon this people. And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations; and Jerusalem shall be trodden down by the nations, until the times of the nations shall be fulfilled.” (Luke 21:20-24)
The Gospel of the Kingdom that had been preached “to the Jew first” — the Gospel Philip had preached to the Samaritans with such great results, the Gospel that the Jews at Rome had rejected — this Gospel invitation would be proclaimed to “both bad and good: and the wedding furnished with guests.” (Matthew 22:10) In a sad close to his recorded ministry, the Apostle Paul declared to his unbelieving countrymen: “The salvation of God is sent to the nations, and they will hear it.” (Acts 28:28)
Out of the many nations that would hear the preaching of the gospel would come individual believers who together would form one new, holy nation — the Church. This nation, or people — this new “ethnos — would enjoy the privileges that Israel had disregarded and would soon lose. The “peculiar people” or special treasure would be the Church.
Believing Jews formed the Church in its infancy, but when the Gentiles accepted Christ so readily (especially after the Romans destroyed Jerusalem) the Church became the Holy Nation, its ethnicity distinctly Christian. God had made both Jew and Gentile one in Jesus Christ. (Ephesians 2:11-18)
So Paul could write: “He is not a Jew who is one outwardly…but he is a Jew who is one inwardly…” The “new creation” in Christ had become “the Israel of God.” (Romans 2:28-29; Galatians 6:15-16) Paul recognized only three groups: the Jew, the Greeks (Gentiles) and the church of God. (1 Corinthians 10:32)
The apostle Peter wrote to the “chosen strangers” scattered throughout Asia Minor. James referred to them as “the twelve tribes that are scattered abroad” (James 1:1). Like the epistles of Hebrews and Jude, these epistles are steeped in Hebrew theology — even though their purpose is to declare its total fulfillment in Christ.
Living Stones (zao lithos) built up a Spiritual House (pneumatikos oikos) into a Holy Priesthood (hagios hierateuma) that would offer up Spiritual Sacrifices (pneumatikos thusia). (Hebrews 13:15,16) In 2 Samuel 8:18 David’s sons are called priests.
A Chosen Generation (eklektos genos), from 30-70 AD. As distinct from “a wicked and an adulterous generation” (Matthew 16:4) and “this untoward generation” (Acts 2:40).
This Royal Priesthood (basileious hierateuma).was the “kingdom of priests” Israel ought to have been. (Exodus 19:6; Revelation 5:10) Not the Levitical priesthood, as no law-priest was of royal lineage.
The Holy Nation (hagios ethnos) is spoken of by Jesus in Matthew 21:43 and is referred to by the apostle Paul in Romans 10:19 as “a foolish nation.” The Purchased People (peripoiesis laos). In the Greek is the same as the “purchased possession” of Ephesians 1:7.
Through Hosea the prophet the LORD had declared the northern kingdom of Israel “LO-AMMI”—”Not My People.” (Hosea 1:9-10) Yet “in the place”—not “in place of” but in the same locality where that was prophesied, it would be said to them: “You are the sons of the living God.”
That “place” had to be the place from where the Assyrians had removed them. There they would be called “AMMI”-“My People.” Peter applied this promise to his own generation. Paul did too, and included believers from among the nations who, like the Hebrews, had received mercy. (Romans 9:25)
Jesus told His disciples to “go not to the Gentiles…but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” (Matthew 10:6) “They were “lost” spiritually, but not geographically. We know that because Peter tells us exactly where they were. (1 Peter 1:1)
The Hebrew believers were the “first-fruits” signified by the Feast of Pentecost, the celebration of the first reaping of the harvest. “Pentecost” is Greek for “fifty” – in this case, the fifty days that follow Passover. This “first-fruits” is symbolized in the Book of Revelation by the 144,000 selected from the tribes of Israel.
Written from a Hebrew background, 1 Peter 2:5, 9 is relevant not only to Hebrew Christians but to all who have been called to Christ out of “every kindred, tribe, nation and tongue” – the true “Israel of God.” (Galatians 6:16) The Church is the “tabernacle of David”, which is neither Jew nor Gentile. Both are one in Christ. (Acts 15:13-17)
A careful, prayerful study of these vital bible texts will have a profound spiritual effect — one that’s likely to lift your service for Jesus to a new and higher level than you have so far experienced, as a priest in God’s kingdom.
What of the Jews, then? “To those who are disobedient, ‘the stone that the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner’, and ‘a stone of stumbling and a rock of offence’ to those who stumble at the word, being disobedient…” (I Peter 2:8)
In his letter to the Romans, Paul refers this scripture (originally from the book of Hosea) to “us whom He has called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles.” (I Peter 2:9; Romans 9:24) This proves that to both Paul and Peter, the Church was the new people of God — the Holy Nation.
All that was promised to Israel after the LORD delivered the budding nation from slavery now belongs to the Church. To what end? “That you should show forth the virtues of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” (I Peter 2:9)
All that the nation of Israel was established in the earth to display and to accomplish is now the responsibility of the Church, which was originally composed of Jews. The influx of non-Jewish converts changed its composition, and it became a body of believers that included all peoples. But if we are to discharge our responsibility as a kingdom of priests we need to become a lot more familiar with priestly terms, such as “royal priesthood” and “spiritual sacrifices.”
We should take another long look at Peter’s first epistle; we should also re-read the book of Hebrews. How else shall we understand the nature of “the royal priesthood”? How else shall we discover the relevance to us of Christ as our High Priest? The Church’s ignorance of this rich New Testament theme has left it spiritually impoverished.
How can we present our bodies as “living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to God” (Romans 12:3) if we have no idea of what it means to live sacrificially in response to His great mercy?
How was Paul able to minister the gospel as a priest (as the Greek word for “ministering” in Romans 15:16 indicates)? Why does he write of “the offering” of the Gentiles being “acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit”? These are priestly terms, used by a royal priest.
How could Paul describe a gift to him from a church as “a sweet smelling aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, and pleasing to God” if he had no concept of a royal priesthood? (Philippians 4:18)
How could Paul describe his life as “being poured out as a drink offering on the sacrifice” of the faith of the church at Philippi? Only by seeing his soon-coming death as the final “sweetener” that made their service for God and his service to them for God, well worthwhile. (Philippians 2:17)
What Paul pictured first as a possibility, he later describes in more definite terms: “For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand.” (2 Timothy 4:6)
“Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name. But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.” (Hebrews 13:15-16)
“We have an altar from which those who serve the tabernacle [of Moses] have no right to eat.” (Hebrews 13:10) The Levites were permitted to eat the offerings sacrificed, but the sustenance of the Royal Priesthood is Christ Himself.
The parents of a young girl in the United Kingdom asked me what I thought of her punishment for speaking while on school parade. She had answered a question from a classmate behind her with a simple yes. When the teacher later asked who had spoken, the young girl, a Christian, put up her hand.
The punishment for this minor infraction seemed to the parents quite severe: their daughter was not permitted to eat food for two weeks during the morning break — surely a harsh penalty for one who had told the truth.
The Lord gave wisdom: Every morning, while the students around her were eating, she should offer to God the food her teacher had denied her. She should say, “Lord, as a Christian, I told the truth, and I am glad that I did. Now I offer to you as a sacrifice the food that I am denied — in the Name of Jesus.”
Instead of becoming resentful, she could take the opportunity to learn how to offer a sacrifice to God — good training for a young girl beginning her role as a royal priest.
Many Christians give much-needed help to suffering people with little or no thought as to their priestly role. While such giving is humanitarian and commendable, it lacks the spirituality of a royal priest giving in the Name of the Lord. There’s also a dignity that goes with priestly giving that few believers experience. Will you join with me in praising God for the return of the Royal Priesthood? Those who do will join in singing with one heart the Apostle John’s doxology:
“Unto Him who loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and has made us a kingdom of priests unto God and His Father; to Him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.” (Revelation 1:5,6)
LET’S TAKE A CLOSER LOOK
Some of our values in life come from everyday things that people once did. For example the word “sacrifice” now has a different meaning than it did when animals were sacrificed for people’s sins. The word retains the idea of a costly offering, but is now used of soldiers who pay the ultimate price to defend their country.
The first recorded sacrifice was offered by Abel, and God looked on it with keen interest, as though surprised that Adam’s second-born son would know what would be acceptable. The second recorded sacrifice was offered by Noah after the Flood.
“And Noah built an altar to the LORD; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. And the LORD smelled a sweet fragrance, and said in His heart, ‘I will not again curse the ground any more, since the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; neither will I destroy every living thing, as I have done. While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.’”
The offerings of blood sacrifices for sin were acknowledgements of personal or group guilt and of the need for forgiveness. The “sweet fragrance” was God’s recognition of the repentance shown, and His acceptance of the offering. On a far smaller scale, the offering of a bunch of freshly cut, fragrant flowers by a late-home husband is likely to touch the heart and renew the affection of his upset wife. The sacrificial symbolism of the Bible is indicative of mankind’s failings and the utter hopelessness of the sinful human condition, writ large. The need for forgiveness and acceptance is seen on the face of people of every race.
The pagan world of the first apostles was filled with sacrifices offered on altars, and small sacrifices, or votive offerings, were as common in homes then as TV sets are today. The pain experienced by the person who brought the offering was financial, because the offering had to be without blemish, which meant that it was likely to be better than the meat on the family table.
Food that was offered to idols before being sold in the market was a matter of concern for the first Christians. “Don’t ask” was Paul’s pragmatic advice on the sensitive subject. From the time when the Ten Commandments were given by God to Moses on Mt Sinai, idolatry gradually became the more subtle practice of allowing things to take the place of God in the affections of His people.
“Dear children, keep away from anything that might take God’s place in your hearts.” (1 John 5:21)
The greatest battles in ancient Israel were fought by righteous kings and outraged prophets against ingrained idolatry (Hezekiah and Elijah famously both won). After the return of the Jews from exile the practice was no longer a problem, but when the apostles took the Gospel beyond their own boundary, idols confronted them everywhere.
The Apostle Paul’s inspired concept of the believer’s body as the temple of the Holy Spirit, made idolatry a lot more personal. An unclean Jew who attempted to enter the Court of the Temple would be arrested on the spot and thrown out by the temple guards. How then could those who followed Jesus eat food that had been offered to idols before it was bought? Would not eating such food contaminate the temple of God, which had nothing in common with idols? (2 Corinthians 6:16)
This sacrificial backdrop to the epistles of Paul has largely been overlooked by today’s Christians, to whom sacrifice is figurative rather than the reality it was to the early church. The epistles of Peter and James are specifically addressed to Hebrew believers in Christ who were scattered throughout the empire. The epistles of Jude and John (including the book of Revelation) were also written with them in mind.
The book of Hebrews addresses the strong pull of tradition on believers, and adds strong warnings to go on rather than go back. (Chapter 11 of that book lists the Faith Heroes who throughout Israel’s history chose to obey God rather than the system.) The issue was all-important: those who were not willing to change would die when the Romans destroyed the Jerusalem temple. Hebrews is the Crossover Book of first century Christianity.
Paul’s epistles reflect his ministry call to the Gentiles, but instead of the sacrifices carried out in the Temple they are “spiritual sacrifices.” The language is no longer literal, it is figurative. To miss the change from literal to figurative is to be like the disciples of Jesus who were unable to understand him when he said “Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may awake him out of sleep.” (John 11:11)
With this in mind, Paul’s words in Romans 12:1 that believers should present their bodies as “a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service” should be seen in sacrificial terms as: “On the basis of God’s irrevocable gifts and unfailing mercy, the logical thing for you to do is to live sacrificially, bearing in mind that only an unblemished offering is acceptable to God.” (Romans 12:1)
Paul’s wish to be separated from Christ, if it were possible, for the sake of his natural kinsmen, is the statement of a Royal Priest who feels the loss facing Israel as it hardens its heard toward its Messiah. (Romans 9:3) The “great heaviness and continual sorrow” he speaks of in the previous verse are priestly burdens.
In the late 1980s the burden of the Philippines weighed more heavily on my heart than I knew. It was only when I sank to my knees, weeping, during a ministers meeting, that I heard myself say, “The burden of the people of the Philippines is almost more than I can bear.” I remember once arriving in Manila to find a band playing a Rumba and feeling so happy to be back I wanted to dance to the beat! My arrivals at Heathrow give me a similar feeling of joy (even though no band awaits me). There is joy in serving Jesus, as well as the pain we feel for lost people.
I have included sacrificial terms in other chapters, but one that easy to overlook is found in Romans 15:16:
“That I should be the minister (Greek, litourgos: “a serving priest”) of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, ministering (Greek, hierourgeo: “to minister in priestly service”) the gospel of God, that the offering up (Greek, prosphora: “a presentation”) of the Gentiles might be acceptable (same Grek word as in Romans 12:1), being sanctified by the Holy Spirit.”
So many priestly terms! Such sacrificial symbolism! Paul’s readers in Rome would have grasped his highly symbolical words, since idols there were commonplace. There are more references to spiritual offerings and sacrifices in Paul’s epistles to non-Jews than there are in those written by Peter and James to Hebrew believers.
“The priesthood of all believers” cannot be a ministry of law, since that would require its priests to be Levites. Then to what priesthood do we belong? The answer can only be that of Melchizedek, in which Jesus Christ is our Great High Priest and we are Royal Priests. Our duties are carried out in the Tent of David, where the Israel of God gather to praise and worship our God in an atmosphere of glory!
But for Paul’s sacrificial words and lifestyle, just think what we might have missed!
THE PRACTICAL WORK OF A PRIEST
Sacrifice is a sacred word that is fast becoming secular, and in the process is taking on a different meaning to what it once did.
Abraham’s willingness to obey God by offering his son Isaac on the altar prepared him to pay the ultimate price for a sacrifice. His act of obedience was a portrayal of the Father’s heart in providing His only-begotten Son as a sacrifice for the sins of the world.
“He who spared not His own Son but delivered him up for us all, how shall He not with him also freely give us all things?” (Romans 8:32) Unlike the offering of Isaac on the altar, there was no stand-by substitute for the Son of God.
Most offerings to God in Old Testament times were a lot less dramatic than Abraham’s, as they were the smaller sacrifices offered to cover the sins people committed in the routine of daily living. These sins brought pain to the innocent animals that were slaughtered for sacrifice. They also brought varying degrees of financial pain to those who purchased them as offerings.
The sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross “once for all” brought an end to the need for a sacrificial system. God now forgives the sins of all those who are willing to confess them. (1 John 1:9) Since the blood of the Cross cleanses us from both present and past sins, the word sacrifice is used more in a secular sense
In the secular world small sacrifices are made when shares are sold at a loss, or salary sacrifices are made for other gains. Motherhood is very much a sacrificial lifestyle, from the time of a baby’s birth through its growth to a young adult. A mother’s sacrifices are sweet to God because of what it costs her to offer them
But are spiritual sacrifices of equal value to secular ones? Is the value of a spiritual sacrifice to be measured by the time and effort spent by those who devote themselves to charitable work in the community, many of whom would not call themselves Christians? Is there a difference between a secular sacrifice and a sacred one?
The role of a Royal Priest is “to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 2:5) The apostle Peter was referring to the appointment of Hebrew Christians to the privileged position of Royal Priests. He addresses his epistle to “the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia” (Asia Minor). These are expatriate Hebrews who have come to faith in Christ. They are “a chosen generation” of believers, as distinct from the “evil generation” of unbelievers who heard Peter preach on the Day of Pentecost.
They are the “holy root” from which the new church “branch” has begun to grow. Peter’s use of the terms “royal priesthood” and “holy priesthood” were understood by these descendants of Abraham to mean that a new kind of priesthood had been established in the earth, and that sacrifices of a different kind were required as offerings to God.
Rather than seeing spiritual sacrifices as less real than the literal offerings of animals under the old system, we should see them as the ideal that had been symbolized by those offerings. The prophet David had sung, “Let my prayer be set forth before you as incense, and the lifting of my hands as the evening sacrifice.” (Psalm 141:2)
God took no pleasure in burnt offerings for sin, and replaced them with the body that had been prepared as the sacrificial offering to end all sacrificial offerings. Through the offering of the body of Jesus the will of God was fully accomplished. (Hebrews 10:5-10)
A wife may decide to offer a spiritual sacrifice to God by remaining in a loveless marriage. The almost daily death of the woman to her own desires is then “a fragrance of sweet incense, an acceptable sacrifice, well-pleasing to God.”
A young teenager whose unbelieving parents refuse to let him attend a youth group may decide to give “a sacrifice of praise” to God in his bedroom. In so doing he has not defied his parents, and by offering to God the fellowship deprived him has released himself from rebellious thoughts and resentments.
A Christian working in a business owned by a cult leader may “die daily” to potentially hurtful slights by identifying with the humiliations suffered by Jesus in Pilate’s judgement hall.
My definition of a “spiritual sacrifice” is “the offering to God of a secular thing in a sacred act.” Such sacrifices, whether large or small, are acceptable to God when offered up to Him by the believer through Jesus Christ. Think how many believers would be free from hidden hurts, smoldering resentments, and pent-up frustrations by taking on their scriptural role as Royal Priests and offering these things to God as spiritual sacrifices.
Although we are not priests of an order that ministered law, we can learn from aspects of the old order—especially the attitude of people toward sacred offerings. For example, when an offering was set aside as a sacred gift to God it was regarded as sacrosanct, untouchable. This was a tradition rather than an actual requirement of the Law of Moses. Yet although the gift was yet to be offered on the altar, it was regarded as untouchable.
This practice was used by some to evade their responsibility to provide for their parents (a clear case of tradition annulling the Law). Still, it does emphasize the fact that a sacred gift, even if yet to be offered, was seen to be sacred. (Mark 7:11)
“So now do what you were willing to do, so that you will not only be willing and ready but also able. For if there is first a willing mind, the gift is accepted—even if it is turns out to be less than was intended.” (2 Corinthians 8:11-12)
It might not yet be the time for you to carry out your secret plans and purposes, but they are already sacred. Should a young woman have it in her heart to be a missionary surgeon, and has set herself aside for that noble purpose, her offering is sacrosanct. Her willingness to serve the Lord in that role will determine her choices in life. Her medical training might not have begun, but the sacrifice has already been prepared for the altar and is untouchable—as any young man with other ideas for her future will soon discover.
The practical work of a priest has its sacrifices, most of them small but all of them meaningful. We live not for ourselves but for others. Under the Law of Moses the work was called “the warfare of the service” due to the requirement that every practice be carried out to perfection. No wonder the priests retired from active duty at age 50 to supervise the work of younger priests. Thankfully, the law is written on our hearts rather than chiseled in stone, and it is easy for us to do by nature what the Law of Love requires.
I do hope that you are happy in your work!
KEEPERS OF THE HOLY FLAME
After Moses finished building and furnishing the tabernacle, his brother Aaron, the High priest, offered a sacrificial lamb on the altar of burnt offerings. Suddenly a fire came out from the presence of God and consumed the offering!
God’s acceptance of the offered sacrifice was the sign that He had consecrated the altar. (Leviticus 9:24) From that time forward the fire on the altar was never allowed to go out; the priests kept it alight. (Leviticus 6:12-13) This responsibility made them the keepers of the flame. (The priests kept the fire alight for more than 800 years. Only when the Babylonians destroyed the Temple was the fire on the altar extinguished.)
Two lambs were offered daily on the altar of sacrifice, one in the morning and the other in the evening. Each lamb was burned in the fire, which was fuelled by wood and by the fat of the offerings. Since the daily sacrifices were expressions of repentance, the continual fire on the altar of burnt offerings was a constant reminder to the Israelites that their sins were forgiven. God had sent the fire, but if it had been allowed to go out no more sacrifices could have been offered, and no more sins forgiven.
The Lord lit the fire in you after you laid your life on the altar in full surrender to Jesus Christ. God consecrated you with the fire of His Holy Spirit. After lighting the fire, He gave you the responsibility of keeping it alight.
The altar fire consumes your daily offerings—acts of kindness and generosity to others and praises and thanksgivings to God. (Philippians 4:18; Hebrews 13:15; 2 Corinthians 9:12) Spiritual sacrifices offered in the name of Jesus ascend to God as a pleasing fragrance.
Jesus was the final flesh and blood sacrifice. As the Lamb of God he offered himself for the world’s sin; and because he was without fault or blemish, God accepted the offering and consecrated the altar. That altar was Calvary. (Hebrews 13:10)
Spiritual sacrifices are no less costly than the lambs that were brought to the priests. Less-than-perfect lambs were quickly rejected. Likewise, as one who offers spiritual sacrifices, you must reject any temptation to offer anything second-best to God.
As a New Testament priest you are yourself a living sacrifice. Your daily offerings are the sacrifices you willingly make for Jesus. This priestly duty is your “reasonable service”—what God expects of you as a holy priest. (I Peter 2:5; Romans 12:1) Your daily offerings on the consecrated altar are sacrificial. If your spiritual sacrifices were to cease, you might just as well allow the fire to go out. Without an offering, an altar fire is pointless.
In most churches there are those who keep the flame burning. They remember why the fellowship was formed in the first place, and remind the Lord of the vision He gave, and of His prophetic assurances throughout the years that followed. The prayers of these precious people may be why the church is still alive, spiritually, while the flame of others is flickering, and the light of others has gone out.
Wise church leaders know who to thank God for—usually the elderly widows in the congregation who say little but don’t miss much and cover him in prayer. Those who are eternity’s waiting room may have a keener sense of the church’s requirements than their over-worked pastors. What a relief it is for a pastor to know that these folk are praying for him and his family every morning, day in and day out, faithfully.
The Lord led me to pray for 32 suburbs and many ministers in a South-west town in England by name for almost seven months—and then stopped me as quickly as one would turn off a tap. Although I had severe bronchitis at the time, I cannot remember missing a single night. Without the shadow of a doubt I was divinely energized to pray for at least an hour every night. I still have no idea why I prayed. Perhaps the Lord was fuelling church fires.
Human attempts to relight the fire of God once it has gone out are unacceptable to God. A church that was once the seat of revival in my country is now a mosque. But fires lit from that original flame still burn, not a few of them worldwide.
You are the priest of your own life, and as such are responsible for keeping God’s holy fire burning on the altar of your heart. Do not let that fire go out! Maintain a deeply devotional prayer life. Study the words of Jesus until your hearts burns like the hearts of those who walked to Emmaus alongside him. (Luke 24:32)
Remember that the coals for the Golden Altar of Incense were supplied by the Altar of Burnt Offerings, so if the fire from that altar was allowed to go out, no incense could have been offered. No sacrifice, no prayer life!
Keep the fire burning!
TWO CONNECTED ALTARS
The fire on the Altar of Burnt Offerings supplied the hot coals for the Golden Altar of Incense. Without the fire of the first there would have been no hot coals for the second. Ashes were removed from the Altar of Burnt Offerings every morning, leaving only fire and hot coals. The fire had been lit by God, who commanded that it burn continually. The flame on this altar was not to be permitted to go out.
Twice daily, hot coals from the fire were carried in a small pan to the Golden Altar of Incense, and sweet spices were burned on them. The fragrant incense that ascended from the Golden Altar signified the prayers of God’s people. (Exodus 30:1-9; Revelation 8:3-5)
The incense was to be perpetual, rising from the altar every morning and evening. Only hot coals from the fire God had lit on the Altar of Burnt Offerings were permitted on the Golden Altar of Incense. Anyone offering incense on coals from any other fire would die. (Leviticus 9:22-24 & 10:1-2)
Two altars: one of sacrifice, the other of prayer; one of continual fire, the other of perpetual incense; one to supply the hot coals that would make possible the incense on the other.
I have heard Christians say, “My prayers go out to you” or “I felt your prayers for me”—as if prayer has a life of its own. But prayer that is not connected to the “once for all” sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the altar of Calvary, is not prayer: it is a human concept of what prayer should be. But to God it is “strange fire.”
Our offerings of “spiritual sacrifices” must be the basis for the “sweet incense” of our prayers to God. The “hot coals” of suffering that connect the two altars are apparent in the sufferings of Paul and Silas in Philippi.
After expelling a demon from a fortune-telling slave girl, Paul and Silas were seized by her owners, roughly taken to the city’s magistrates, and accused of unlawful behaviour. Rome had rewarded the city’s loyalty by declaring it a colony; those born there had the same rights as those born in Rome. Anyone whose words or actions threatened those rights was punished swiftly, and harshly.
The angry crowd demanded that the two strangers be punished, so the magistrates ordered their clothes to be torn from their backs and that they be beaten with rods. After this severe punishment the magistrates further ordered that they be held securely cell in the city prison. Aware of his responsibility, the jailor had them thrown into an inner cell, and their feet placed in stocks.
“And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises to God, and the prisoners heard them.” (Acts 16:25)
The Greek word for “sang praises” is humneo, from which we get the English word “hymn.” Paul and Silas sang sacrificial psalms, very likely Psalms 113-118. Paul and Silas offered “the sacrifice of praise to God continually.” (Hebrews 13:15) Maybe their singing included Psalm 107, with it marvelous refrain, “Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!” Verse 22 of the psalm encourages believers to “sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare his works with singing.”
It’s probable that Paul and Silas prayed and sang together until one or both burst out in joyful, spontaneous praise. The Jamieson, Fausset and Brown Commentary translates the Greek word for “sang praises” as, “literally, praying, were singing praises; that is, while engaged in pouring out their hearts in prayer, had broken forth into singing…” There is an old saying: “Prayers and praises go in pairs: they have praises who have prayers.”
“What then?” writes Paul to the Corinthians, “I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also.” (1 Corinthians 14:15) It appears that Paul and Silas sang and prayed both ways.
As Robertson’s Word Pictures of the New Testament puts it: “Praying they were singing (simultaneously, blending together petition and praise)…Paul and Silas probably used portions of the Psalms…with occasional original outbursts of praise.”
In their role as royal priests Paul and Silas had offered “spiritual sacrifices” on one altar, and “sweet incense” of prayer on the other.
In his Acts narrative, Luke records that when Paul came to Troas, “a vision appeared to him in the night. There stood a man of Macedonia, who pleaded with him, ‘Come over into Macedonia, and help us.’ And after he had seen the vision, we sought to go into Macedonia straight away, being sure that the Lord had called us to preach the gospel to them.” (Acts 16:8-10) Paul’s vision had opened a door of ministry that allowed them to cross the Hellespont from the Middle East to Europe.
After taking ship and landing at the port of Samothracia, Paul and his companions journeyed via Neapolis to Philippi, “the main city of that part of Macedonia, and a colony…”
Years later, Paul wrote of what followed: “Furthermore, when I came to Troas to preach Christ’s gospel, and a door was opened to me of the Lord, I had no rest in my spirit, because I did not find Titus my brother: but taking my leave of them, I went from there into Macedonia.”
Remembering the events that followed, Paul suddenly and unexpectedly bursts into thanksgiving: “Now thanks be to God who always causes us to triumph in Christ, and makes manifest the fragrance of his knowledge by us in every place. For we are to God a sweet fragrance of Christ, in those who are saved, and in those who perish: to the one we are an odour of death to death; and to the other a fragrance of life to life…” (2 Corinthians 2:12-16)
Paul’s words refer to the “spiritual sacrifice” that he and Silas had offered to God when at Philippi their bodies were beaten and they were thrown into prison. His words also speak of the incense that ascended to God at midnight, while their backs were burning from the beating and their feet were immovable in stocks. Paul is reliving the experience as he writes, and it suddenly bursts out of his spirit into words of thanksgiving!
A famous evangelist was baptized in the Holy Spirit in a house in London, and as he sang in the Spirit all night a bird in his room sang with him. From then on in his evangelistic meetings he would uncover a bird in a cage and play his violin before preaching, and the bird would sing as he played. Recapturing the memory of a life-changing spiritual experience can be a perpetual inspiration!
Paul and Silas were Royal Priests in the Kingdom of God. Not that Paul writes of himself or Silas as such; but he speaks of their sufferings in priestly terms, such as the “fragrance” of the knowledge of Christ, and the “sweet fragrance” of Christ.
The prisoners who heard the apostles pray and praise at midnight smelled death in their prayers and praises. But the jailor smelled a strong fragrance of life in Paul’s assuring words, “Do yourself no harm, we are all here!” and responded to them with, “What must I do to be saved?” The fragrance of Christ soon after filled the whole of the jailor’s house.
Given Paul’s experience at Philippi, it is no wonder that his letter to the church refers twice to sacrifice. (Philippians 2:17 & 4:18) After Paul’s first arrival in the city the Lord had opened Lydia’s heart like a blossoming flower. The fragrance of prayer-incense filled his cell in Rome as he wrote of the church’s care for him as “blossoming again.” (Philippians 4:10)
Paul wrote his letter to the Philippians from a prison in Rome. The church at Philippi had begun as a result of his imprisonment. The competitive attitude of some believers, the humiliating circumstances of his situation, the prospect of execution at any time, the memory of the religion and social standing he had lost for the sake of Christ, and a severe shortage of provision by the only church that had supported him—none of these things affected Paul’s attitude toward God, Jesus, others, or the ministry itself.
Keeping our spirit sweet is vital, because an exchange of words tinged with disappointment or bitterness leaves the rank smell of weeds in an untended garden, rather than the fragrant perfume of a carefully tended conversation.
Christian friends once took my wife Lorraine and I to England’s premier rose garden, at a time when the roses were in full bloom. The fragrance of the roses was so heady that the garden remains to this day an exotic memory! In Revelation 5:8-10, the incense-prayers of God’s holy people introduce the song in which they declare that God has made them “kings and priests” that shall reign on the earth.
As it was in the Temple, so it is in our lives: the altars of sacrifice and incense are close enough for the coals to be carried from one to the other without losing their heat. Continual sacrifice and perpetual prayer are sure signs that a Royal Priest is at work in the temple of the Holy Spirit!
SPIRITUAL SACRIFICES
These are all offered up to God in the Holy Spirit, through Jesus Christ. They are sweet incense to God our Father. The Apostle Paul speaks more about spiritual sacrifices when writing to Christians of non-Jewish origin than he does to those who were born Hebrew. The reason for this is probably that those of Jewish origin needed no instruction in the matter.
The incense represented the prayers of believers, and was burnt on hot coals taken by the serving priest in a censer (shallow pan) from the altar of burnt offering, which was in the courtyard of the tabernacle.
The acceptance of the incense offered on the golden altar was dependant on the virtue of the sacrifice that had been offered on the altar of burnt offerings. The hot coals from the altar of sacrifice fed the golden altar of incense.
The prayer of Christians is fragrant incense offered on the live coals from the altar on which Jesus was laid, “outside the camp”—the cross on which he was crucified. If we allow the fire on the altar of sacrifice to go out, our prayers are offered on the “ashes” of dead religion.
Psalm 141:2. “Let my prayer be set forth before you as incense…”
Luke 1:6, 5-11. The offering by Zechariah of incense on the golden altar of incense took place at the same time as the people outside were praying. As Royal Priests, we offer.
In 2 Corinthians 8:5 we see an example of Romans 12:1 (where Paul encourages his readers to present their bodies to God as living sacrifices). The churches of Macedonia (which included Philippi) “first gave themselves to the Lord, and then to us by the will of God.” The generous offerings of these impoverished and persecuted churches was a natural flow-on from their total dedication to God. They were willing to do whatever His will required, and in this case that was helping the apostles to raise much-needed money for a far-away church.
Sacrifice with added Drink Offering
“Yes, and if I be offered upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I joy, and rejoice with you all.” (Philippians 2:17) The spiritual sacrifice in this case was the faith of the Philippian church. Paul’s offering upon that sacrifice would be his outpoured life, his eventual martyrdom.
The final act of a pastor or missionary ideally represents the sum of all that he or she has taught over many years of ministry. The same can be said for the respected head of a family, or for the founder of a business who has handed over its management to younger executives. It may be the wisdom of an aged pastor that is added to the knowledge of a younger pastor. Its sacrificial aspect may be seen in one final, selfless outpouring in the form of relinquishment.
“But I have all, and abound: I am full, having received of Epaphroditus the things which were sent from you, a fragrance of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, wellpleasing to God.” (Philippians 4:18) The church at Philippi was a poor and suffering fellowship, yet it gave generously to the needs of believes in Jerusalem, and was the only church that supported the ministry of Paul the apostle.
Sacrifice of Praise
“By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.” (Hebrews 13:15)
This is a continual sacrifice of confession—confessing the name of God in the face of continual hostility, while going to Christ “outside the camp”, that is, outside the Jewish ceremonial system. John Wesley was not permitted to preach in the Church of England, so he preached far and wide throughout England, often out in the open. Like the writer of hebrews, “we have no continuing city” on earth, but we do offer the sacrifice of praise continually.
Sacrifices of Good Deeds and Care for Others
“But do not forget to do good and to relate to others: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.” (Hebrews 13:16)
It can be a sacrifice to go outside the walls of the church and work on the streets with the poor and needy. But the more we insulate ourselves from the very real needs of the poor, the more isolated we become. Ask yourself: How long is it since my faith has been seen in a love for those who never go to church—and will never go, despite what I do for them?
“That they do good, that they be rich in good deeds, ready to distribute, willing to relate to others.” (1 Timothy 6:18)
Offering of Ministry Achievement
“Nevertheless, brethren, I have written the more boldly unto you in some sort, as putting you in mind, because of the grace that is given to me of God, that I should be the minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, ministering [as a priest] the gospel of God, that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable, being sanctified by the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 15:16)
What Redemption Means
When Paul wrote, “you are not your own, for you are bought with a price,” he was expounding a great principle of Redemption, which is that the sacrifice not only pays for the sin committed but also purchases the sinner. This is best seen in the first Passover, which was held in Egypt. The blood of the Passover lamb above the door of every home not only prevented the death of the firstborn son—it also purchased that firstborn son. From then on, every firstborn son belonged to the LORD for service, and every firstborn animal for sacrifice. (Exodus 13:12)
Most Christians know that they were bought with a price: the blood of Jesus Christ. But not all realize that the words, “You are not your own” indicate that the one who redeemed them owns them outright. This is clear from Numbers 3:41, where the LORD commands that the Levites be numbered before being given to Him, instead of the firstborn son of every family. An accounting takes place in which the number of Levites falls short of the number of firstborn sons by 273 men. How seriously God regards the firstborn sons as belonging to Him is shown in what follows.
The LORD commands Moses to take the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the children of Israel, and the cattle of the Levites instead of their cattle. The Levites are to belong to the LORD. But since the firstborn are 273 more in number, it means that they must be redeemed by the children of Israel, the amount being five shekels per firstborn son. The amount, the sum of 1365 shekels (273 X 5) was then given to the High Priest, Aaron, and his sons.
The implication is that not only have our sins been paid for by the blood of Jesus, but also that we have been purchased. We know that we were redeemed by the precious blood of the Lamb of God, but do we realize how possessive God is of those He has bought? God keeps accounts! The presentation of our bodies as “living sacrifices” is not only our “reasonable service”—it is also our obligation to the one who legally owns us! (Romans 12:1)
Our service to God is sacrificial in that in serving others we die to the life we would otherwise live, were it our own. The service of a Royal Priest is not optional—it is obligatory! In military terms, “obligatory” means “Do it!” Think about this next time God puts it in your heart to give time to prayer instead of that football game you’ve been “dying” to watch. As you count yourself “dead” to it you’ll “come alive” in a kind of mini-resurrection—and wonder why the thought of missing that football match was so painful.
Such small sacrifices prepare us for the ones that count far more in life: our full surrender to God, our total submission to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, and our willingness to do God’s will to the exclusion of all that this world has to offer. This is what the Lord is calling us to.
THE COSTLY PRICE OF SACRIFICE
When King David needed Araunah’s threshing floor as the site for an altar, its owner offered it as a gift – oxen included. But knowing that true sacrifice has a cost, David refused. “No, I will surely pay you for it; nor will I offer to the LORD my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.” (2 Samuel 24:24)
Most believers know that David was a king and a prophet, but few know that he was also a priest. James, the brother of Jesus, refers to “the Tent of David.” (Acts 15:16) The Tent housed only one item that had been in the Tent of Moses—the Ark of the Covenant.
David never returned the Ark (which contained the tablets of the Law, the pot of manna, and Aaron’s rod that budded) to the tabernacle of Moses; it remained in the tabernacle of David until King Solomon built the first Temple. The tabernacle of Moses remained at Gibeon. The distance between the two tents may have been only 8km but their significance was worlds apart (as Law and Grace still are).
James clearly identifies the great number of non-Jews being added to the church with the prophecy by Amos that God would raise up David’s Tent, which had fallen down more than 500 years before. (Amos 9:11; Acts 15:13-18) This rebuilt tabernacle of David would enclose the “one new man” comprised of both Jew and Gentile. We know it as the Church, in which both Jews and non-Jews are one in Christ. (Ephesians 2:13-16; 1 Corinthians 10:32)
Some think of the Early Church as a new entity formed mainly of non-Jews. However the “children of promise”—the “remnant” of believing Israelites, the “holy root” from which the Church grew and branched out— were as much a part of the Church as the non-Jews who flooded into it. (Romans 9:7-8; 11:5; John 1:47)
Why would Amos prophesy the raising again of David’s Tent in a time when Solomon’s magnificent Temple was the focus of Jewish faith and worship? The answer is seen in King David’s uninhibited expressions of joy while bringing the Ark into Jerusalem. He could have had the Ark carried to the nearby tent of Moses at Gibeon, but instead placed it in a tent in Jerusalem. The Church is the restored tent of David, in which God is worshipped in the freedom of the spirit.
This is clear from David’s fellowship with God as a king-priest—a dual role strictly forbidden in the tabernacle of Moses, but acceptable in the tent of David. (2 Samuel 6:17)
The focus in the Tent of Moses was on the works of the Law, but in David’s Tent the focus was on praise! Sacrifices were offered in both tents, but David’s tent was filled with shouts of praise, because it enclosed the Ark of the Covenant—the glory of God! (1 Chronicles 16:4-6) The Church is patterned on the Tent of David, not on the Tent of Moses. Through David’s descendant Jesus, God restored the joyful praise and worship King David had experienced when he stood before the Mercy Seat!
David’s prophetic insight enabled him to see meanings that were hidden to others. There’s a glimpse of New Testament reality in Psalm 141:2: “Let my prayer be set forth before you as incense; and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.”
In the following verse David prays that God will watch the “door” of his mouth and guard the “door” of his lips. The reference here is to the watchmen who guarded the temple entrance, allowing nothing unclean to pass through it.
In his role as a king-priest, David portrays his descendant, the glorious Son of David. He does this in his psalms as well as in his prophetic acts.
One such act is recorded in 2 Samuel 23:14-17. Hiding from King Saul in the cave of Adullam, David voices his longing for a drink of water from the well of Bethlehem, his hometown. On hearing it, his three toughest warriors break through the ranks of the Philistines, draw water from the well, and bring it to him.
“Nevertheless he would not drink it, but poured it out unto the LORD, saying, ‘Be it far from me, O LORD, that I should do this; is not this the blood of the men that risked their lives?’ So he would not drink it.”
David’s three mightiest men were willing to shed their blood, if necessary, to satisfy their king’s desire. David saw their offering as priceless—they had been willing to die so he could drink. His thirst still unquenched, David poured out the water as a drink offering, a libation, to the LORD.
A thousand years later, the Son of David poured out his desire as a drink offering. “Nevertheless, not my will, but your will be done.” Jesus was familiar with the well that David’s mighty men had drawn the water from—Bethlehem was his hometown, as well. He knew the value of David’s drink offering.
How much do we value the life that was poured out for us at Calvary? We value the soldiers, sailors and airmen who sacrifice themselves for their country, and the firemen who risk their lives to pull people from burning buildings. But do we value the lifeblood that Jesus poured out as an offering for the life of the world—for you and for me? No sacrifice ever came at a greater price.
Paul sought to know the fellowship of Christ’s sufferings, and through it be conformed to his death. (Phil. 3:7-10) Paul “died daily”—not to “the flesh” but to the life he was prepared to lose for the sake of the Gospel. (1 Corinthians 15:31)
He rejoiced in his sufferings for the church at Colossae (Colossians 1:24) and bore in his body the “marks” of his Lord—the scars that came from being whipped and beaten. (Galatians 6:17) His desire to share in the sufferings of Jesus came not from a morbid death-wish but from a willingness to sacrifice. (Romans 9:1-3)
The qualities of a royal priest include mercy, faithfulness and a willingness to live sacrificially. Having been tempted “in all points” Jesus is able to help us when we face temptation. (Hebrews 2:18; 4:15; 5:7) Our High Priest does not judge sinners but is merciful to them. The Royal Priesthood does likewise.
The Son’s House of Grace is far superior to a servant’s House of Law. (Hebrews 2:17 & 3:1-6) The rule of the house is that we love one another. As priests we sacrifice our time, our energy and our money for the sake of others. Paul saw his approaching death as a final sacrificial offering.
“Yes, and if I be offered upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I joy, and rejoice with you all.” (Philippians 2:17)
“For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand.” (2 Timothy 4:6)
Jews who believed in Jesus during the 40-year period that followed his death were excommunicated from their synagogue (as the man born blind and healed by Jesus had been) and excluded from society. (John 9:34) During the time of Israel’s desert wanderings being sent “outside the camp” had meant certain death. Does this expression have any relevance for us today? And if so, what might it mean for us to be “outside the camp”?
WHAT TO CART AND WHAT TO CARRY
When the Levites were instructed by God to do a certain thing, they either did it right or they died. So when God approved an offering from twelve princes of Israel of six covered wagons and twelve oxen to cart the tent of Moses and its furnishings, the priests allotted no wagons for the Kohathites. Their job was to insert poles through rings on the sides of the Ark of the Covenant and to carry it on their shoulders. (Numbers 4:15 & 7:2-9)
But when the priests placed the Ark on an ox-drawn cart, things went terribly wrong. Uzza, who with his brother Ahio drove the cart, touched the Ark to steady it when the oxen stumbled, and God slew him.
King David was shocked and scared—he and the priests had not moved the Ark “after the due order”—in the way Moses had clearly commanded. But later, when the Kohathites inserted poles through the rings on the sides of the Ark and carried it on their shoulders, the journey of the Ark to Jerusalem was without further incident. (1 Chronicles 13:1-14; 15:1-28)
The Ark of the Covenant, which was a sacred chest, was the most precious article of furniture in the tent of Moses. It contained the two tables of the Law, a pot of manna, and Aaron’s rod that budded. The blood that covered the sins of the people was sprinkled on the Mercy Seat of the Ark by the High Priest on the annual Day of Atonement.
The Ark had been captured by the Philistines many years before, but returned after the LORD plagued them with hemorrhoids. It had remained in the house of Abinadab for almost 80 years, during which time the tent of Moses remained at Gibeon, near Jerusalem.
So why had the priests placed the sacred article on a cart pulled by two oxen? Apparently, because they had forgotten to make the distinction between what they could cart and what they should carry. It is a distinction that royal priests must never forget. The glory of God’s presence that dwelt between the cherubim whose wingtips touched over the Mercy Seat, now rests on those whose lives belong to the Lord Jesus Christ.
“For you are the temple of the living God; as God has said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them…” (2 Corinthians 6:16)
Uzza, who touched the Ark and died, was a son of Abinadab. He had grown up with the Ark in a room of his home. Maybe familiarity was the reason why, on impulse, he touched the Ark when the oxen stumbled.
A friend once told me the story of a parachute instructor who had been helping students to drop out of an airplane for hours. At times he had jumped with them and at other times he hadn’t. On impulse, he jumped with a student without first putting on his parachute. Knowing that there was no chance of survival, he plummeted to earth doing every twist and roll he had ever wanted to do—and died.
Samson was powerfully anointed but became so accustomed to the power being there when needed that he flirted with bondage. After divulging the secret of his strength to Delilah (that the seven locks of his hair were never to be cut) he awoke to her cry that the Philistines were upon him only to find his head shorn and his strength gone.
“And he awoke out of his sleep, and said, ‘I will go forth as at other times before,’ not knowing that the Spirit of the LORD had departed from him.” (Judges 16:19-20)
Samson had not carried the anointing, he had carted it. His morals had never matched it. He was so familiar with the anointing that he treated it as a power rather than a presence. Supernatural strength was always there when needed—activated by the threatening roar of a lion or the shouts of attacking Philistines.
We need to know what to cart and what to carry. There is plenty that can be carted but the presence of God that abides in the anointing must be carried. The Kohathites literally shouldered the responsibility of carrying the Ark of the presence, and led the Israelites to where God said they should go. God moved them through the wilderness 42 times in 40 years, which meant a lot of very careful carrying.
The Ark of God’s presence was so important to the Israelites that at the news of its capture by the Philistines the head priest Eli dropped dead. All Israel knew that the glory of the LORD had departed with the Ark of the Presence. (1 Samuel 4:18-22) Make no mistake, the priestly ministry is not to be treated lightly: carrying it can be a burden. Its value to the Church is all-important—no presence, no glory. The Ark would not itself have been heavy (being only 3’ square and 4’6” deep), but the responsibility for it would have a burden on the one family of priests in Israel who were set apart to do nothing else in life but carry it.
God is returning the glory of His presence to the Church and every priest willing to shoulder the responsibility for carrying it should respond to His call. The role is important and they will need to set themselves apart. Some things can be carted but the glorious presence can only be carried. Are you up to it?
OUTSIDE THE CAMP
Like other Christian groups God used to do a new thing—or restore an old thing—20th Century Pentecostals were originally dismissed as heretics. Given the “left foot of fellowship” (as opposed to the right hand of the same) by upset traditionalists, they initially reacted badly against the treatment meted out to them by the “system”. But they came to see rejection as a release from religious restriction and hurtful exclusion as the door to a surprisingly liberating experience.
Those Pentecostals regarded historical churches as being in bondage, and the believers who “came out” from them as spiritual escapees. One test of sincerity was the willingness of those christened in infancy to be baptized in water by full immersion. Another was a willingness to be baptised in the Holy Spirit, and to speak in unknown tongues.
Millions came into freedom in the 1960s and ‘70s after Vatican II and the emergence, in Protestant mainline churches, of what came to be known as the Charismatic Movement. But although Pentecostals and Charismatics frequently mingled, the former were skeptical of the latter not joining them “outside the camp”—a scriptural expression dear not only to Pentecostals but to all whose experience has resulted in painful rejection from church fellowship.
The expression “outside the camp” is found in Hebrews 13:13, where it is used as a reference point for Hebrew believers in Messiah Jesus who were reluctant to forsake Jewish traditions by identifying with the shameful crucifixion of their Lord. The book of Hebrews should be read in the context of its time: the intense struggle between Law and Grace in the second half of the first century, in which the followers of Christ were called to forsake “dead works” for a new Way of life.
We sometimes forget that the first persecutors of Christians were Jews. Jesus referred to his followers as “sheep in the midst of wolves” (Matthew 10:16). He prophesied that men would deliver them up to the (Jewish) “councils” and they would be “scourged in synagogues” and “brought before governors and kings” because of him, “for a testimony against them…” (The apostle Paul was to suffer these very things.)
Betrayal would tear families apart, brother delivering up brother to death and fathers doing the same to their children. Children would even rise up against their parents and cause them to be put to death. (Matthew 10:21)
So great was the divide that the apostle John frequently refers to his own people as “the Jews” (John 7:1, 2, 11, 13, 15). John refers to Jewish opposition at Philadelphia as “the synagogue of Satan” (Revelation 3:9), and to Jerusalem as ”the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified” (Revelation 11:8).
That generation of unbelieving Jews suffered the horrors of Roman siege warfare from without and their own fanatics from within. To remain “inside the camp” those Jews who had confessed Jesus as Messiah were pressured to renounce him, and to denounce fellow believers.
In the Old Testament “outside the camp” was the site of all that was unclean: lepers, the stone-covered corpses of executed blasphemers and murderers, and the burnt bodies of animals which had been sacrificed in the Tabernacle. It was a dumping ground for unwanted garbage and human outcasts.
“We have an altar from which those who serve the tabernacle have no right to eat. For the bodies of the animals whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin are burned outside the camp. So also Jesus suffered and died outside the city gates to make holy the people through his own shed blood.”
Since Jesus died outside the religious system, inside the camp was no place for those who loved him enough to identify themselves with him—even if that meant rejection. “So let us go forth to him outside the camp, bearing his reproach. For here we have no continuing city, but we seek one to come.” (Hebrews 13:10-14)
The biblical phrase, “outside the camp” refers to a place of total separation. After Israel’s “golden calf” idolatry Moses moved his tent “outside the camp” (Exodus 33:7). The camp had become unholy and was in imminent danger of God’s judgement.
On another occasion the 70 elders of Israel were called “outside the camp” to receive the spirit that was on Moses so they could help govern the people (Numbers 11:16, 24, 25).
The “faith heroes” of Hebrews chapter 11 are listed to encourage Jewish believers in Messiah Jesus to emulate them. Worship as Abel did. Walk as Enoch did. Prepare as Noah did. Leave as Abram did. Choose as Moses did. These heroes were examples to those who were tempted to forsake Christ and return to Jewish tradition. The writer of Hebrews warns that to do so will make future repentance impossible.
The dire warning contained in the third chapter of Hebrews reminds readers of the fate that befell those who shrank from entering the Promised Land. Hardness of heart prevented them from entering into the promises. The reminder of Israel’s 40 years of wandering, during which the “carcasses” of the unbelieving generation fell in the wilderness, was a strong warning to the first generation of Jewish Christians.
The unbelieving Jews who rejected that warning died en masse in 70 AD, 40 years after Christ’s crucifixion, when the Romans stormed Jerusalem and destroyed the Temple. One million Jews perished and 100,000 were sold into slavery.
Hebrews 6:4-8 contains similar warnings. Although applicable to all who are tempted to “draw back”, they were written to those who had been “enlightened”, who had tasted the “heavenly gift”, had shared in the Holy Spirit, and had tasted “the good word of God and the powers of the world to come”. The sixth verse begins with “If”. Their salvation was conditional on them continuing in the faith to the end. They are sternly reminded that good, well-watered soil is blessed, but that a harvest of thorns and briers is rejected as good for nothing but burning.
Are you “outside the camp”—rejected by “insiders” because of your Christian beliefs? Beliefs you know are biblical? You have joined those who bear his reproach—the stigma associated with unreasonable hatred, false accusation and unwarranted rejection. Perhaps you’ve been baptised in water, despite warnings that to do so after having been christened in infancy is a heresy. Or perhaps after being baptised in the Holy Spirit you spoke a language you never learned—a thing your religious tradition found completely unacceptable. Many are the reasons why sincere believers find themselves religiously rejected.
Some who have found themselves “outside the camp” report that they were not so much thrown out as forced out. They simply found they were no longer welcome inside the camp. But whether thrown out or shown out, they went “to” the Cross of Jesus, bearing his reproach. “The reproaches of those who reproached you have fallen on me.” (Psalm 69:9)
But has being “outside the camp” made you reactionary—unable to relate to “insiders” who’ve not yet shared your experience? Worse, have you become rather proud of your “outsider” status? We need to remember that Eldad and Medad were numbered among the 70 called “outside the camp” by Moses to share his spiritual experience. But they were found prophesying inside the camp! Two young men reported them to Joshua, who quickly asked Moses to forbid them. Surely, in this instance, the requirement ought to be that the two be “outside the camp”!
But Moses was bigger than that. “Are you jealous for my sake? I wish that all the LORD’S people were prophets, and that He would put His Spirit upon all of them!” (Numbers 11:28, 29)
God wants us to be proactive, not reactive. “Thinking outside the square” has become so virtuous a concept that thinking inside it is now seen as unimaginative. But Eldad and Medad prophesied inside the camp (which was set out in the form of a square).
I enjoy the company of nonconformists. I am one myself. But I am not dismissive of those still in the “system”. Elijah thought of himself as the only one still faithful to God, but the LORD informed him that there were 7000 believers who had not “bowed their knees” to Baal (1 Kings 19:14, 18). Even prophets, it seems, aren’t told everything.
When you find yourself “outside the camp” you’ll be met by some who are there simply because they like it. It would be unkind to call them misfits. They’ll tell you they never did quite fit “inside” though, and will seem not to have borne Christ’s reproach. Perhaps they left with some relief. I think of them as peripheral people. They are believers, nonetheless. (Their secular counterparts enjoy life outside the social system.)
But those who have forsaken everything dear to them—inherited culture, church membership, lifelong relationships—know that in going to Jesus “outside the camp” they are walking in the steps of Elijah the prophet, Paul the apostle, John Bunyan, and numerous lesser known—and countless unknown—followers of their Lord Jesus.
It is a noble company, and the fellowship is as rich and as satisfying as it is mutually supportive. These all counted the cost and paid the price, and now, perhaps, it’s your turn.
Jesus paid the price for the sins of the world by suffering “outside the camp”, where they crucified him. (Hebrews 10:13-16) It was the most important sacrifice ever offered to God.
A PARADOXICAL PEOPLE
The unbelieving Jews at Thessalonica accused Paul and his party of insurrection, of turning the Roman world upside down. In the sense that the values of Christians are a paradox, in that they stand the accepted wisdom of the world on its head, they were right, because that’s what a paradox does.
Mature Christians should never expect to be understood by those who are less mature. It was the apostles who had the mind of Christ that enabled them to discern all things without being discerned. Their lives were paradoxical.
A paradox appears to be a contradiction because one part of it appears to contradict the other part. In the life of a Christian this is because one part is spiritual and the other part is not. Here are some puzzling paradoxes from the New Testament:
We Find by Losing. “The one who finds his life shall lose it: and the one who loses his life for my sake shall find it.” (Matthew 10:39) John 12:25 puts it this way: “He who loves his life shall lose it; and he that hates his life in this world shall keep it into life everlasting.”
We See the Invisible. “While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.” (2 Corinthians 4:18) “By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible.” (Hebrews 11:27)
We become Great by Serving. “And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.” (Matthew 23:11)
We are Exalted by Humbling Ourselves. “And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.” (Matthew 23:12) In Matthew 18:4 Jesus states, “Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”.
We Rest under a Yoke. “Come unto me, all you who labour under a heavy load, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and you shall find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30)
We Conquer by Submitting. “Dearly beloved, dom not avenge yourselves, but rather do the opposite: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. Therefore if your enemy hungers, feed him; if he thirsts, give him a drink: for in so doing you shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” (Romans 12:20) “Coals of fire” is a metaphor for the shame that comes with a realization of wrong behaviour..
We are Foolish yet Wise. “For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom: But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness; But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.” (1 Corinthians 1:20—25)
We Reign as Servants. “But Jesus called them to him, and saith unto them, You know that those who see themselves as rulers over the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and their great ones exercise authority upon them. But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, shall be your minister: And whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all.” (Mark 10:42-44)
Our Weakness is our Strength. “And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. So I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Corinthians 12:9-10)
Our Whole Lifestyle is a Paradox. “As unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and, behold, we live; as chastened, and not killed; As sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things.”
We are God’s Special Treasure, but it is no wonder we seem more like His Peculiar People! However we should remember that our Lord is a paradoxical Lamb/Lion! (Revelation 5:5-6)
THE HEART OF OUR HIGH PRIEST
The best friend you never had and anyone could ever want is Jesus Christ. Although our Great High Priest, Jesus is approachable and is sensitive to how we feel and what we experience in life. What are the qualities you would expect to find in a true friend?
Firstly, a true friend would be as real as you are — not an angel who does not and cannot know what it is like to be human. Jesus fits this picture perfectly. “Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might annul him that had the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver them who through dread of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. For truly he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham.
”So in all things it was necessary for him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. Since he himself suffered by being tempted, he is able to give aid to those who are tempted.” (Hebrews 2:14-18)
Jesus Christ was (and is) no angel — he is better than that because he is human. Angels are curious about us, but Jesus is one of us. You have a friend in heaven — the best friend you never had and the best friend you could ever have.
In Hebrews 3:1 Jesus is described as “the Apostle and High Priest of our confession.” An apostle is one who goes before, a ground-breaker. The confession of Jesus when brought before Pontius Pilate was ground-breaking in the impression made by an apparently powerless person who faced the most powerful empire that had ruled the world up until that time.
In encouraging Timothy to continue his good confession before many witnesses, Paul refers to Christ’s confession before Pilate as “the ideal confession.” (1 Timothy 6:12-13) The ancient Greek word for “confession” is homologia, which means, “an acknowledgement of the truth.” Good confession in Bible terms is an unwavering confession before a hostile audience.
In recent times, the scriptural concept of Jesus as the believer’s High Priest has been distorted somewhat—especially in those societies where success in life is seen to be the measure of a Christian. Some have taught that our High Priest can say only what we say, so we should never say anything negative about ourselves, because if we do, that’s what Jesus will say about us to the Father.
This view would have us putting words into the mouth of Jesus, as though he were no more than one of those masts that pick up and pass on the words spoken on a cell phone. A scriptural confession is no such thing. The verb homologeo means, “to speak the same thing.”
In the presence of Governor Felix and a hostile court Paul stated, “But this I confess to you, that after the way which they call heresy, so worship I the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the law and in the prophets.” (Acts 24:14)
To King Agrippa, Paul stated, “Having therefore obtained help from God, I continue to this day, witnessing both to small and great, saying no other things than those which the prophets and Moses did say would come.” (Acts 26:22)
The context of a good confession (as distinct from the Positive Confession of success-oriented churches) is a public acknowledgement of Jesus Christ in the face of a hostile audience of the kind Jesus spoke of in Matthew 10:32: “Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father who is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father who is in heaven.”
The context of Christ’s words is the sending out of the Twelve on their apostolic mission. But his words were prophetic of the opposition millions of believers would face, and strikingly predict the trials of the converted Pharisee Paul. This is a far cry from a good confession of Jesus Christ within the comfortable confine of a church meeting or a men’s get-together.
Secondly, a true friend would always build you up and never pull you down. Maybe there was someone who appeared to be the friend you were looking for, but you found they wanted to build themselves up by putting you down.
Jesus is the faithful Son who builds you into his household, the Church. It is a house of unconditional love and acceptance, not one of rules and regulations. Jesus will be your friend forever, not just during the good times.
“But Christ [is] a a son over his own household, and we are that house, if we hold on to our confidence and joyful expectation, as long as it takes.” (Hebrews 3:6)
Thirdly, a true friend would never be critical of your weak points, knowing that everyone has some. Those who are critical of others are usually blind to their own faults. But Jesus knows you better than you know yourself, and offers his perfection to God, not your imperfections. He is the spotless Lamb of God who was closely questioned three times by Pontius Pilate, who said, “I find no fault in him.” (John 18:38; 19:4, 6) The Roman little realized that he had inspected the Lamb of God and declared it to be unblemished.
“We do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who was in every respect tempted as we are, but did not sin.” (Hebrews 4:15)
Fourthly, a true friend would have suffered hurt and learned from it. Some people who have been hurt in life try to get close to someone who has been hurt even more, so they can feel better about themselves. (“I know what you are feeling—I’ve been through worse!”) But Jesus learned obedience by the things which he suffered, and ministers out of maturity—not out of any need to be healed.
“Although a son, he learned obedience by the things he suffered, and being made perfect (the Greek word means, “mature”) he became the author of eternal salvation to all those who obey him, and so God has given him the title of High priest and the rank of Melchizedek.” (Hebrews 5:8-10)
Finally, a true friend would want to be your friend forever. What’s a really good friend for, if not to be with you through the bad times? Jesus is your “forever” High priest. The good news is that the bad times are now and the good times that are ahead will never stop! That’s because Eternity is timeless—and so too is the High Priestly ministry of Jesus.
”But this man, because he continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood, which means that he is able to save to the uttermost (Greek, “macro”: the farthest point) those who come to God by him, seeing that he lives forever to intercede for them.” (Hebrews 7:25)
A study of the context of each quality I have listed will show that the writer of Hebrews associates them with the ministry of Jesus as our Melchizedek. Jesus is the best Friend you never had and will be your Forever Friend. No other friend in life could ever begin to come close to that.
This is the High Priest who intercedes with God on your behalf, and who desires that you fellowship with his—and your–Father. Not too much for a faithful friend to ask is it?
PRIESTLY PRAYER PROTECTION
From a highpoint you can see it all happening. Speeding south on a flat country road on a late summer afternoon, an overpowered sedan filled with drunken teenagers swerves dangerously and seems about to head into a ditch. When the driver somehow gets it back on the road, wild yells of encouragement erupt from the sedan, and the vehicle gathers speed as it heads toward a distant intersection.
From the west, a family sedan follows its shadow in the direction of the same intersection. In the back two young boys loll half asleep, held upright by their seatbelts. The burgers and fries back at the fast food restaurant are settling in the driver’s stomach, and he feels half asleep himself. Observing his expressionless face, his wife presses a button on the dashboard’s six-stack CD player, and the rhythm and beat of a favourite track fills the vehicle’s interior.
Miles away, a grandmother has a sudden urgency to pray, and when it persists, lays aside the book she has been reading and lifts her heart to God. Her heart, not yet her voice, for as yet she has no idea who she should pray for; only that a heaviness which came with the urgency to pray is now becoming a burden. Its weight heavy on her heart, she sinks to her knees and begins to pray in the Spirit. Soon the silence of her home is broken with soft sighs and groans, and with muffled sobs. If her neighbors were to overhear, they might guess that she had received news of a family tragedy. And they would be almost right.
Almost, because now, miles away, the overpowered sedan’s radiator indicator suddenly moves to red, a warning that even the drunken driver is forced to heed. Ignoring his questioning passengers, he pulls the vehicle off the road, switches off its motor, and through bleary eyes sees what he half expected to see: clouds of hissing steam swirling from an overheated engine. Somewhere back on the road is a broken fan belt.
Soon after, the family sedan reaches the intersection and with the right of way crosses it and heads toward home. Inside the vehicle nothing is changed: the boys still sag in their seat belts, the mother hums quietly to the music, and the father’s fingers on the wheel tap in time to the beat. The family has no inkling of what would have been: a drunk speeding through a stop sign and slamming his vehicle into the driver’s side of the family sedan, killing the father on impact, breaking the boys’ bones, smashing the offside front window with the mother’s head, and spinning the vehicle sideways, leaving the smoking, twisted wreck in a silence soon to be broken by the wail of sirens.
Leaving more than that: a car nearby with its front pushed in, a teenage driver with major head and neck injuries, a dead front seat passenger, backseat passengers with severe whiplash and broken bones — and, inevitably, a teenage driver arrested, convicted, and sentenced to years in prison.
But all these things never happened—because of intercession.
Many regard intercessors as God’s elite, and wish that they could attain to the “gift” they consider to be beyond their reach. If only they too could “move the hand of God”! How sad that an aura of mystery surrounds this spontaneous way of praying for others, when intercession is part of the life of a Royal Priest.
We regard the prophet Elijah as a powerful intercessor because he “prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain…” But we somehow overlook the fact that Elijah was a man “with a nature like ours.” (James 5:17-18)
Intercession is one person’s urgent request to God on behalf of another. It is often a plea for Him to intervene. In Romans 9:27 the apostle Paul informs us that the Holy Spirit intercedes for believers with “groanings that cannot be uttered” — inaudible sighs that bring to the surface our deepest needs. These “groanings” line us up with God’s will for our lives.
Every intercession is something of an intersection: a point where prayer permits an approaching good and prevents an oncoming evil. We do not initiate prayers of intercession — the Holy Spirit does. We simply prepare our hearts so that intercession can take place. The softer the heart, the more willingly it bears the burden; the harder the heart, the sooner it shrugs it off.
The difference between normal prayer and intercessory prayer is that in the former we pray for what we think others need, and in the latter the Spirit of God prays through us for what He knows they need.
Rees Howells set the 20th Century benchmark for intercession, and is still identified with it through Norman Grubb’s book: “Rees Howells: Intercessor.” More Christians should read this book, because the more who do, the more intercessors we will see — or not see, for intercession usually takes place in private; intercessors have no public platform or prepared program, and rejoice in their anonymity.
Recently, in the early hours of the morning, I suddenly awoke and found myself praying in the Spirit. I had dreamed that I was at the scene of a disaster. In my arms I had held a young boy whose body was bleeding in places where skin was missing. Wide-awake, I continued to pray for some time. Then the flow of prayer ceased and I went back to sleep.
This dream occurred at least a week before the tsunami disaster in Asia. I have no way of knowing whether or not it related to a child in that catastrophe or in another disaster
It is possible that I will never know. I do know that my dream did not result from something I had read or had seen on TV. I also know that my praying in the Spirit was an involuntary act (impromptu prayers are an aspect of intercession).
Jesus spent a whole night in prayer before choosing his twelve disciples. But he did not pray: “Father, should I choose this one or that one?” We know this because the ancient Greek of the New Testament reads: “He was in the prayer of God.” (Luke 6:12) Does God pray? Yes, His Spirit prays through us on behalf of others. That night of intercessory prayer was a spiritual intersection where wrong choices were prevented (why would Jesus have prayed, if they had not been possible?) and the inclusion of a disciple who would betray him was permitted.
When we intercede, the Spirit of God prays through us on behalf of others. The outcome of the prayer is that the person is either permitted to do something that will be helpful or prevented from doing something that would be harmful. It’s possible that the praying person and the person prayed for will never meet. That’s the great thing about intercessory prayers: they are pure because they are not influenced by personal desires, unreal expectations or manipulative motives. With the best of intentions, we can pray the wrong things for the right people or the right things for the wrong people.
We may not be able to initiate intercession, but we can develop our prayer life overall by doing three things:
We can improve on our fellowship with God (not TO BE confused with our relationship, which is rock-solid). We can do this by recognizing the role of the Holy Spirit in softening our hearts as well as in inspiring our prayers. The word most often translated “fellowship” in the New Testament may also be also translated “communion” (as in 2 Corinthians 13:14, where “the communion of the Holy Spirit” all but closes a benediction).
We can improve our fellowship with other Christians. We can do this by involving ourselves in combined church prayer meetings and evangelistic outreaches. This will reveal the shortcomings of fellow believers, which we’ll soon see as no different from our own. We open our hearts to others when we readily acknowledge our weak points. Others can pray for us when they know our needs, but how can they pray when they get the impression that we’re always okay?
We can increase our understanding of God’s ways. We can do this by reading less and by meditating more. Information is downloaded in megabytes, but understanding comes by “chewing things over.” Think of understanding as “standing under” an open heaven and hearing the voice of the Spirit. Tune out the natural, and tune into the spiritual.
God wants to lay the burdens of others on our hearts so that we can pray in the Spirit until He lifts them off. Once we learn to intercede, we will welcome these temporary weights. The burdens Jesus lays on us are light and easy to bear, because we bear them in love. (Matthew 11:28; Galatians 6:1)
As the senior pastor of a church for 30 years, I have had to inform elderly grandmothers that the answers to their prayers did not depend on them being alive to see them. Almost invariably, their prayers were for the salvation of their grandchildren.
At funerals I later conducted for these praying ladies, I have shaken hands with the teenage grandchildren, looked them in the eye, and said, “I haven’t met you before, but I know your name. Your grandmother often mentioned to me that she had been praying for you.” It is impossible for these young people to escape the conviction the Spirit of God will bring in answer to those faithful prayers.
God uses intercession both to permit and to prevent. We all need His special protection from time to time. And, as anyone knows who’s had a close call at an intersection: “a miss is as good as a mile.”
THE TRANSFER OF THE KINGDOM
In his parable of the Evil Tenant-farmers, Jesus accuses the Jews of beating and killing the “servants of the householder” (the prophets). The householder sends more of his servants, but they beat and kill them, too. Finally, the householder sends his own son, saying, “They will respect him.” But when the evil tenant-farmers see the son they say among themselves, “This is the heir; come, let us kill him and seize his inheritance. So they caught him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.”
Jesus then puts this question: “When the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenant-farmers?” (Matthew 21:38-39) The Jewish leaders answer, “He will put those wretched men to death, and will let out his vineyard to others, who will bring him fruit in due season.”
After quoting Isaiah’s prophecy of the stone rejected by the builders which becomes the main cornerstone, Jesus winds up the parable with these words: “Therefore I say to you the kingdom shall be taken from you and given to a people who will be productive.” (Matthew 21:43)
The leaders of the Jews correctly perceive that Jesus is referring to them. (Matthew 21:45) Jesus then tells them the parable of the Wedding Feast, (Matthew 22)
The Householder of the first parable is portrayed in the second as a king. Instead of the “evil tenant-farmers” there are invited guests who prove themselves “unworthy” by not only refusing the king’s invitation but killing those who are sent to invite them. The king burns their city and invites complete strangers to the wedding. The “servants” sent forth with invitations to the marriage of the king’s son will be the twelve apostles, and the city that will be burned (by the Romans in AD 70) is Jerusalem.
It is so wrong to blame the Jewish people of today for the death of Jesus Christ Their unbelieving ancestors were responsible, and paid the penalty for that terrible crime almost 2,000 years ago!
Years ago the Lord led me to study the bible theme of the Kingdom of God—a study that continues to this day and will, I expect, for the rest of my life.
Like most Christians, I thought that I had a reasonably good grip on the Bible, but was surprised to find that I knew next to nothing about the greatest theme of the Book — the theme of John the Baptist’s ministry and of the ministry of Jesus, after the imprisonment of John.
A handful of bible verses changed my thinking, revolutionized it, actually. The first was Matthew 21:43, where Jesus said that the kingdom would be taken from the Jews and given to a nation that would bring forth the fruit of it. The ancient Greek word translated “nation” is ethnos, meaning “people” or “a people group” as we would say today.
After making this statement, Jesus then told the parables of The Wicked Husbandmen (evil vineyard tenants) and The Marriage Feast. Both were prophecies of what the Jews would do to him and to his apostles in the years that were to follow.
These acts would result in the eviction of the murderous tenants. The Jews would lose the kingdom. Many have taught that the kingdom that was taken from that generation of Jews was postponed until Christ’s return — however long that might be. Then, they say, in the Millennium the kingdom will be given to given to another generation of Jews, namely, those who receive Jesus at his Second Coming. They will then rule the world.
I saw that this Postponement Theory was entirely wrong.
But where was this “nation” — the one that was given the vineyard; the one that made it productive; the people group that possessed the kingdom? I found it in 1 Peter 2:9, where it is called “a holy nation.”
In the parable of the Wedding Feast, Jesus said, “Many are called but few are chosen.” He was referring to those who refused the Wedding Invitation: the Jews who rejected the apostles’ message of salvation through Christ. (Matthew 22:14). Jesus had called his generation “a wicked and adulterous generation” because they demanded signs. (Matthew 16:4)
Those who first believed in the risen Christ were Jews, who heard Peter’s warning to “save yourselves from this wicked generation,” and obeyed. (Acts 2:40) In the Bible, the ancient Greek word for generation (genea) always refers to people living at a particular time, never an entire race of people. I knew that Jesus was not referring to the Jews as a race but to His own generation—those who lived during His lifetime.
The “chosen generation” was the generation that believed the message preached by the apostles– the message of the Kingdom of God. They preached that message to their Jewish countrymen for 40 years, from the crucifixion of Jesus in AD 30 to the destruction of the Temple in AD 70.
Forty years is a biblical generation. It had taken God 40 years to deliver the Israelites from Egypt to the border of the Promised Land—a journey that should have taken only 11 days. Their stubborn refusal to obey God had resulted in them wandering and dying in the desert while a new generation—their own children—grew to adulthood.
For 40 years the first apostles and those who followed preached the Kingdom of God to “the twelve tribes scattered abroad” (James 1:1). Their message had been “to the Jew first,” but in the Book of Acts we read that when the Jews rejected the message Paul preached, he turned to the non-Jewish peoples. (Acts 28:23-28) By that time, the message of the Kingdom of God had been preached “in all the world” and “to every creature which is under heaven.” (Colossians 1:6,23) Of course, Paul meant the Roman world.
This “chosen generation” of believing Jews was also “a royal priesthood”—a thing unprecedented in Israel (although it had been seen prophetically in King David, and in Joshua, the High Priest (2 Samuel 6:17-18; Zechariah 6:9-15). What Martin Luther was later said to call “the priesthood of all believers” was a reality. It was also “a holy nation” — “the Israel of God.” (Galatians 6:16) A true Jew was now a spiritual person rather than a natural one. (Romans 2:28-29; 9:6-8)
This “holy nation” is the one spoken of by Jesus in Matthew 21:43. It would be an ethnic group of true believers, another example of the “remnant” so often prophesied by Isaiah. (It would not be a remnant for long, though, because non-Jewish believers would quickly swell its numbers.)
This new entity is also called “a special treasure.” This scripture reference links the first generation of Jewish Christian believers to Exodus 19:5, 6, where the Lord called His people “a special treasure, a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.”
That old generation perished in the Wilderness. Similarly, the unbelieving generation, the “wicked and adulterous generation” of Christ’s time, would perish. But the believing “chosen generation” would “enter in” to the promises of God-leaving behind all that belonged to the old covenant.
As the “chosen generation” increased and the “evil generation” declined, the persecuting Jews then became “the synagogue of Satan” (Rev. 2:9; 3:9) and Jerusalem “Sodom and Egypt.” (Rev 11:8)
It’s a good thing that the building of the New Jerusalem (“the bride, the Lamb’s wife” in an accompanying metaphor) had begun! (Revelation 21:9)
It is now our responsibility to be productive for God. Living in the Kingdom has many privileges, but now is not the time for us to be enjoying the benefits of the Kingdom with no thought for those who have not yet received their invitations to the Wedding Feast.
Abraham was blessed so that he would be a blessing. (Genesis 12:1) Israel was to be to the 70 family-nations of the earth what the oasis of Elim was to the 70 palm trees that grew around it. (Genesis 10; Exodus 15:27) Royal Priests offer spiritual sacrifices to God that brings joy to the Church and thanksgiving to God.
“For the service rendered by this sacred offering not only supplies the need of the holy people but brings an overflow of thanksgiving to God for it. “ (2 Corinthians 12:9)
We do not really live until we live for others.
THE NEED TO BE RULED
The very idea of a Kingdom of God seems odd in this post-modern, highly technological world of superconductors, artificial intelligence and virtual reality.
Most monarchies have disappeared, replaced by republics. As for monarchs—sovereign, hereditary rulers of states—a handful remain as tourist attractions, exercising no real power or authority. And if the head that wears the crown lies a lot easier these days, it’s because the crown is safely tucked away between ceremonial occasions.
Yet democracy, the rule of the people, at best fails to satisfy a basic human requirement—a need to be ruled. Those democracies which retain their monarchs do so because their leaders understand this need. Some who claim to disdain regal trappings see no contradiction in granting their presidents similar status, creating Camelots and treating their First Families like royalty.
In most countries, bureaucrats establish their own departmental kingdoms, and rule through regulations. Break one and you’ll live to regret it.
Another reason why the term Kingdom of God means little is that in the minds even of Christians it is an abstract ideal, rather than a concrete reality. Again, this relates to the fact that few existing earthly kingdoms have monarchs capable of actually enforcing royal decrees.
How well such decrees were enforced in times past related to the status of the monarch—how competently the royal person ruled. Esteem from below rather than might from above has always been the true measure of a monarch.
As a result, the very word “kingdom” is now largely irrelevant. An ideal, if it is to be understood, needs to be personified; its values must be embodied. A kingdom is best seen in the person of its king.
In the New Testament, the preaching of the Kingdom of God was related to the person of Jesus: those who preached the Kingdom proclaimed the coming of their King.
Of course, people are not always aware of just who they would choose to rule them. The tribes of Israel desired a king but had no particular person in mind. The people simply wanted someone to rule them and lead them into battle. When the prophet Samuel presented Saul to them, they saw that he was literally head and shoulders above them—a man to look up to! Saul was the epitome of their desire: a great kingdom in the form of a big man. “God save the king!” they shouted.
Samuel then taught the people “the manner of the kingdom—its rules, rites and responsibilities—and recorded them for posterity. The children of Israel at last had the king they had wanted. As well, they had the laws through which he would exercise his rule. The kingdom had come!
The Kingdom of God is no less real for many today. Its King is the Lord Jesus, and His subjects submit to his Royal Law of Love—the First and Greatest Commandment in the Kingdom.
Yet few these days know “the manner of the kingdom”: the spiritual and moral precepts that instruct God’s people in His ways. The result is that believers today are confused and divided, not unlike the children of Israel, more than three thousand years ago.
“The children of Israel” is a Bible term used to describe the collective offspring of Jacob, renamed “Israel” by the Lord. When Joshua led the Israelites across the River Jordan into the Promised Land, they were not yet a nation—they were tribal families. After possessing their promised portions of Canaan, the tribes became very territorial. Inter-tribal clashes (ancient equivalents to the old denominational rivalries) were not uncommon.
“In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes.”
Individualism was rampant. The strongest warrior, the one who led the call to arms against the oppressor of the day, was called a judge. The Spirit of God empowered many of these heroic figures, one of whom, Deborah, proved herself more equal to the task than the leading man.
But the judges were deliverers, not monarchs; they simply rescued the people from the consequences of their own rebellious behaviour. In the Book of Judges, the words “there was no king in Israel” are used repeatedly to emphasize the impulsive and often violent acts that accompanied the judgements of these tribal warriors.
The words “every man did that which was right in his own eyes” indicate the moral vacuum that resulted from the Israelites lack of any sense of national identity. There is a great deal of difference between a random succession of heroic figures who “save the day” and an orderly progression of monarchs who rule wisely.
Today, more than three millennia after the judges, it seems that little has changed Charismatic heroes appear, and disappear. At their best, they minister powerfully; striking heavy blows for spiritual freedom. They pay the price for power in time spent aside from family and friends, waiting on God’s anointing and emerging to pray with power for the demonized, the sick and the diseased.
Freedom follows in their wake, and if most of these charismatic heroes are a lot less than perfect, appreciative people overlook their character deficiencies—even their moral failings. But few of them know much about the kingdom—their vision is for Mega-church Growth or Global Networking.
God’s power in their lives is a direct result of their commitment—much like Samson’s, whose uncut hair was a sign of his Nazarite vow. But after he flirted with bondage the seven locks of his hair were cut off, and with them the power that had made him strong. Modern-day heroes suffer the same fate. Promising men take their place, and new expectations emerge. But ungoverned individuals are prone to unruly behavior.
God’s people don’t need heroes; they need the rule of their Sovereign Lord. Through His Cross, Jesus has delivered the Church from its spiritual enemies. Total submission to Jesus Christ and resistance to sin is basic to life in the Kingdom of God.
It follows, then, that Kingdom Living in its fullness can come only when the idea of charismatic rescuers is dismissed and the identity of the Church as “the Israel of God” is truly understood. The Kingdom is not a denominational tribal system!
For our King has a kingdom, over which he rules and through which He exercises His authority on earth. The Church has “the keys of the kingdom”: the revelation knowledge that allows believers to access kingdom authority. As Christ’s body, the Church has been entrusted with the values and principles of the Rule of God on Earth. It is what David’s throne once was: “The throne of the kingdom of the LORD…” (1 Chronicles 28:5 & 29:23)
The children of Israel became a nation only when all the tribes found their national identity. King David’s royal rule bound the tribes together into one nation. Under the rule of David’s son, Solomon, Israel became the greatest of all kingdoms. King Solomon’s ultimate failure and that of his descendants only emphasized the need of a greater son of David, one whose ascension to the throne would usher in a reign of everlasting righteousness.
Jesus Christ was destined for that throne and ascended to it, after His triumphant Resurrection!
King David, “being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his body, according to the flesh, He would raise up the Christ to sit upon his throne, he (David) foreseeing this, spoke concerning the resurrection of Christ…this Jesus God has raised up…being exalted to the right hand of God…” (Acts 2:30-33)
“But now we see not yet all things put under Him, but we see Jesus…crowned with glory and honor.” Jesus reigns!
THRONE ROOM PROTOCOL
The time is 1000 BC, and you are in the palace of King Solomon, in Jerusalem.
The opulence of this palatial treasure house is astonishing. Solomon’s name and fame are renowned worldwide. No monarch dispenses wisdom so liberally or displays wealth so casually. The king has spared no expense in building and furnishing his palace. An army of artisans has built a right royal home for the heir to the earthly throne of God. (2 Chronicles 29:23)
The intricately-carved cedar paneling, priceless ornaments, exquisite soft furnishings and massive stonework form a stunning interior, through which passes an endless procession of soldiers, sheikhs, merchants and diplomats. The king’s governors seek his instruction, his generals his orders, and his subjects his wisdom.
Solomon rules from a gold-inlaid ivory throne. Twelve solid-gold lions flank the steps to the throne. Oriental tapestries, rare spices, mysterious unguents, and exotic birds and animals fill the palace of this exceptionally gifted and extraordinarily inquisitive monarch.
Mysterious fragrances mingle with pungent myrrh and other costly aromatics.. Wine is poured liberally into gold cups—the king has scant regard for silver –and majesty is everywhere in the excellence of everything.
When King Solomon’s arrives to hold court, trumpets sound and guards stiffen to attention. As the monarch enters, courtiers bow and aides stand poised to respond to the slightest query. In his regal dignity and bearing, Solomon excels the noblest of visiting kings. Outside, his subjects may acclaim him, but within these walls, homage is paid silently. All present acknowledge the person of the exceptional son of David!
Following the king’s ascension to the throne, visiting dignitaries are greeted and accomplished subjects are acknowledged—some by name. The audience is satin-smooth from beginning to end. The monarch’s departure leaves a silent awe in the throne room.
* * * * * * *
Solomon’s palace is not unique in its opulence or exotica—many rulers have since surpassed Solomon in both gold and glory (though not in wisdom). What made his reign so splendid was the way he exalted God, whose earthly throne was then called “the throne of David.” In the first halcyon years of his reign, Solomon basked in God’s great favour. As a result, his inspired wisdom far excelled that of other monarchs, and elevated his throne in the ancient world. At the height of his power and influence, he received in one year alone a tribute in gold weighing 666 talents, (about $US 22 million).
What splendor! What majesty! Yet Jesus Christ referred to himself as “greater than Solomon.” I have heard Christians make statements such as: “When I see Jesus, the first thing I’m going to do is ask him why he didn’t heal my mother!”
Really? Would any of King Solomon’s subjects have dared to approach his throne uninvited? The apostle John had known Jesus as a loving friend. John was the Lord’s closest confidant, but when Jesus revealed himself to John on Patmos, the apostle “fell at his feet as though dead.” No sign of familiarity in that encounter!
What had changed? Jesus had ascended into Heaven and had taken his seat at the right hand of his Father—the ultimate position of authority and power. Since then, Jesus has exercised “all power in heaven and in earth” through his church. The Son of David truly is “greater than Solomon”!
The heart of the Queen of Sheba melted at the sight of King Solomon’s ascent to his throne. “I had heard of your greatness, and that of your kingdom, but I hadn’t believed it” she confessed. Breathlessly, she concluded, “Now I have seen it for myself and it is twice as glorious as I was told!”
When our eyes are opened to see the risen, glorified Son of God, we marvel at a glory that far excels Solomon’s! We then become very much aware of our limited knowledge of the splendid majesty of our Lord Jesus! The half we heard from others did not compare to the whole we see for ourselves!
Many years ago our church met in a community hall. The night before the meeting there had been a storm, and when I went into a side room to pray, the lights were out. As I prayed in the dark I became aware of a presence in the room, and realized that it was the presence of the Lord Jesus.
I was so awed by this that I left the room. When I came into the light of the hall my sister-in-law took one look at my face and exclaimed, “You’ve been with Jesus!” I turned and went back into the dark side room, but he was gone. Why did I leave his presence? I was not able to remain in such close proximity to the Lord. We will need a resurrection body to approach his throne when his kingdom is established on the earth.
On another occasion I was out driving and he said to me, “That thought was unworthy of you, Peter.” Whatever I was thinking at the time, clearly, he did not approve. I have heard my king’s voice a number of times, and it is usually an encouraging voice. But he has twice chastened me, and I can still remember every word! Ever wondered what it will be like to be a subject of Christ’s kingdom on earth? I can say that it will be no different to what it is now, if he is the Lord of our everyday lives—except that it will be magnified a thousand times!
As well as Solomon’s wisdom, it was the palace he had built, the food of his table, the way his courtiers arranged themselves and the unobtrusive way his servants waited on him. It was the attire and conduct of the king’s cup-bearers. It was the respectful and ceremonial yet humble approach of the king to the Sovereign Lord in worship. It was all this, and much more, that left the Queen of Sheba breathless.
What then of the “spiritual house” that Jesus is building? What of “the Lord’s Table”? Perhaps in considering the excellence of Solomon’s court, we who serve King Jesus will strive for excellence in our praise and worship—an excellence that will be sure to leave those who enter the church equally breathless!
The New Testament gives us no portrait of Jesus, other than a description in the first chapter of Revelation—a cluster of magnificent metaphors. The truth is, the risen, ascended, glorified Christ is beyond human description. Solomon at his greatest was outshone by the glory Jesus had while he was on earth, well in advance of his resurrection and elevation to the right hand of his Father. Many years after Jesus had being transfigured on the mountain, the apostle Peter referred to James and John and himself as “eyewitnesses of his majesty.” (2 Peter 1:16)
So why do Christians presume on their relationship with Jesus? Why do they suppose that they may take liberties? The answer is that they simply do not understand the nature of the Kingdom of God. If they did, they would know how to behave themselves in the presence of the King. This lack of understanding highlights the need for proper instruction in how believers should behave themselves in the Son’s House.
Every kingdom has its court etiquette—its accepted protocols and rituals, and those who ignores such matters can expect to be excluded from future Court receptions. They are demonstrably unfit for such occasions, having displayed improper or offensive conduct in the presence of royalty.
Those who have scant regard for monarchies may view this as irrelevant, since the function of a monarch these days is simply to perform ceremonies. Consider, however, that presidents of republics also take pride in the trappings of pomp and ceremony. There’s as much fanfare in “Hail to the Chief” (USA) as in “God Save the Queen”(UK).
All of which illustrates the fact that most of us have a desire, albeit unrecognized or unacknowledged, to be ruled by someone worthy of our loyalty and devotion. In truth, we need to submit to a higher authority. A denial of this need will inevitably lead to humanism, and ultimately to anarchy.
The rule of monarchs should reflect the rule of the King of Kings. The fact that the conduct of monarchs has blurred that reflection may be attributed to their human weaknesses. But rather than turning us from the rule of God, their shortcomings should make us to want to rediscover the Divine Rule of Jesus Christ, a rule under which believers themselves are being trained in how to reign. Those unlearned in the laws of God’s Kingdom and the protocols of His household can hardly expect to “reign in life” with Jesus now, much less in the age that is to come.
Are you ready and willing to submit to the rule of the King of Kings? Are you ready to learn how to reign in resurrection life now, through Jesus Christ? If your answer is yes, prepare yourself for instruction.
AN OPEN DOOR TO THE KINGDOM
Remember Christ’s parable of the servant who buried the money his master entrusted to him, and in so doing wasted his opportunity to add value to it? From the parable it’s clear that our Lord deals with us on a “use it or lose it” basis. (Luke 19:11-26)
The apostle writes of believers all being given the “same precious faith” and lists the virtues—seven in all—that we should add to our faith. (2 Peter 1:2, 5-7)
Some regard faith as the ultimate gift, but it’s really the immediate one. It is given to us as a means to an end rather than as an end in itself.
Peter makes it clear that we are to add to our faith excellence, “and to excellence knowledge, and to knowledge self-control, and to self-control perseverance, and to perseverance godliness, and to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love.”
These virtues are not intrinsic to faith but virtues we are to add to faith, one after another, until our character is fully developed. God gives us precious faith and then it’s up to us to add value to it.
Solomon asked God for wisdom, and the Lord gave it to him. (1 Kings 3:5-12) Years later, when the Queen of Sheba heard of Solomon’s fame, she came to test his wisdom with difficult questions. Solomon answered them all—there was no question she asked that he could not answer. (1 Kings 10:1-3)
But what really took the queen’s breath away was “the house that he had built, and the food on his table, and the seating arrangement of his servants, and the attendance of his waiters, and their apparel, and his cupbearers, and the way he went up to worship.”
The repetitive use of the conjunctive “and” in this passageemphasizes the increasingly favorable impression these things made on the Queen of Sheba. It was not King Solomon’s wisdom alone, but the virtues he had added to it that made the scene compelling and his majesty overwhelming.
Excellence is seen not just in the things we do, but in the way we do things.
Faith not only enables, it also ennobles—when excellence is added to it. The ancient Greek word translated “virtue” in the King James Version refers to a moral excellence that is either intrinsic (already present within) or attributed (seen, acknowledged, and praised by others). In a Royal Priest it should be both: Christ is “formed” in us and is seen by others in our conduct
1 Corinthians 1:26 informs us that few Christians are numbered among the noble of this world. But if nobles are rare in the Church, nobility was seen in every thing Jesus did.
“He has done all things well,” the people of Decapolis exclaimed, after Jesus had healed a deaf man with a speech impediment. (Mark 7:37)
“It was never before seen like this in Israel!” was another acknowledgement of the Lord’s excellence. Jesus embodied excellence. Those who heard him teach were astonished at his authority and the way he did things. (Mark 1:22 & 4:41)
We should desire to add to our lives virtues that match the precious faith we’ve been given. Why live mediocre lives when the faith we possess is so precious?
Faith does not of itself ennoble—“raise to nobility, dignify, exalt, elevate in degree, quality or excellence.” We seek to excel so that we may be seen as valuable—people as precious as the faith we possess.
As Jacob’s firstborn son, Reuben was entitled to a “double portion” from his father—twice as much as each of his brothers. (Deuteronomy 21:17) But Reuben lacked nobility. He was a moral coward. He profaned his father’s marriage bed. Reuben ought to have been the first expression of his father’s virtues; but his immorality prevented him from realizing his potential.
“Reuben,” Jacob prophesied, “you are my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength, the excellence of dignity, and the excellency of power: unstable as water, you shall not excel…”
“A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.” (James 1:6)
God took the double portion from Reuben and gave it to the single-minded Joseph. Moreover, instead of a single tribe of Joseph there would be two tribes: Ephraim and Manasseh—a double portion! (Genesis 49:3; 1 Chronicles 5:1,2)
Reuben, the firstborn son of Leah (whom Jacob had been tricked into marrying), lost the birthright because he failed to excel. Joseph was the firstborn son of Rachel, Jacob’s true love. (In the end, it was as though the infamous bride-switch had never happened.)
Excellence is the quality we add to the faith that God has given us; and just as Reuben needed more than a birthright (that is, he needed to excel in order to live up to his father’s expectations) so we need more than faith to fulfill our heavenly Father’s expectations. We need added excellence! Not that faith needs improvement but rather that precious faith ought to be seen in precious people— Christians whose values approximate that of the faith they’ve been given.
Excellence means getting more from less: less reading, better books; fewer friends, better friendships; less activity, increased productivity; better policy, fewer decisions; narrower vision, sharper focus; fewer pursuits, more satisfaction.
We need a transfer of energy from the muscles to the axe blade, and for that to happen the blade needs to be sharpened, rather than the muscles developed. (Ecclesiastes 10:10)
Jesus excelled in everything. Not only did he turn water into wine but the wine was the very best! In his first ministry appearance Jesus shone, not only by what he did but also in the way that he did it. (John 2:1-11)
A nation with a vast raw mineral reserve can simply mine it and export it, or it can mine it, process it, forward it to an industrial plant, and export manufactured products. The value added is the number of jobs created by the processing and manufacturing plants.
Some are content with the blessing they receive from their reserve of faith—it has not occurred to them that they can add to their faith—first excellence, and after that a whole range of values! Why excellence first? The values the apostle Peter lists are progressive—each is developed from the one that precedes it.
Love comes from brotherly kindness, brotherly kindness from godliness, godliness from perseverance, perseverance from self-control, self-control from knowledge, knowledge from excellence, and excellence from faith.
The product began with faith and was processed, so to speak, until it was finally value-packaged as love—ready for export to a world that needs it. Viewing the finished product, people marvel. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if they were as breathless as the Queen of Sheba?
Don’t just have faith, have value-added faith—it will serve you well in this life and open the door to the coming kingdom.
THE DOWN TO EARTH KINGDOM
John Mark’s failure as a team member on Paul’s first mission made him unacceptable thereafter to the choleric apostle. Unable to cope with severe persecution, Mark had departed the team and returned to base at Antioch. In Paul’s eyes Mark’s failure disqualified him from a place on the second mission team. It was a view that brought to an end the close relationship that had existed between Paul and Mark’s uncle, Barnabas.
That Paul’s faith in John Mark was restored years later is touchingly revealed toward the close of the apostle’s last letter (to Timothy). The letter was penned by Paul in a prison at Rome, not long before his death.
Mark’s initial failure may have been why the apostle Peter, whose vehement denial of Jesus had been forgiven, encouraged him to write the first Gospel, giving Mark an eyewitness account. I would like to think so.
What we do know is that Mark’s Gospel was written to non-Jews. We know this because it makes no mention of the genealogy of Jesus. Nor does it record the angel Gabriel’s visit to Mary, or the angelic praises that accompanied the birth of Christ. Its simplicity makes it reader-friendly.
Mark’s Gospel has no prelude. Its introduction, like a 100m sprint, is over soon after it starts! It simply reads, “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.”
One in every four verses of the first chapter includes the words immediately, straightway, anon or forthwith (all derived from the same Greek word). Later versions use the expressions, right away, right then, at once, and on the spot.
Mark uses these urgent words to maintain the gospel’s momentum, including them in every event in the first chapter. The Holy Spirit descends on Jesus “straightway” after his baptism; the Spirit then “immediately” drives him into the wilderness; Simon and Andrew “straightway” leave their nets at Christ’s call to follow him; and James and John also respond “straightway” when called.
On the Sabbath day Jesus and the four “straightway” enter the synagogue at Capernaum. When Jesus delivers a man from an unclean spirit his fame spreads “immediately” throughout Galilee. Jesus heals the fever of Peter’s mother-in-law “immediately”; and after being healed “immediately” from leprosy a man is sent away “forthwith” by Jesus and told to say nothing to anyone about the miracle.
Mark’s Gospel translates foreign words immediately for non-Jewish readers who have little interest in linguistic diversions; and unlike Matthew’s Gospel keeps applications of Old Testament prophecies at a minimum. Mark’s Gospel (meaning, Good News) is straightforward and to the point: “The time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe the gospel.”
The word kingdom (Greek: basileia) indicates sovereignty and a territory or people ruled over by a sovereign. At times the two seem interchangeable (like Moses and the Law). That’s because in Mark, God’s sovereignty is visibly demonstrated in Christ’s kingdom authority and Christ’s kingdom authority is derived from God’s sovereignty.
When Jesus said to the paralyzed man whose friends had lowered him through the roof, “Son, your sins are forgiven you”, the scribes sitting nearby said in their hearts, “Why does this man speak blasphemies? Only God can forgive sins!”
Immediately (that word again) Jesus perceived this, he said to them, “Why do you reason these things in your hearts? Which is easier: to say to this paralyzed man: ‘Your sins are forgiven’; or to say, ‘Get up, pick up your bed and walk’? But that you may know the Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins, (he turned to the paralyzed man and said) ‘Get up, pick up your bed, and go home.’
“And immediately he got up, picked up the bed, and went out in plain sight of everyone. All who saw it were amazed and praised God, saying, ‘We never saw anything like this before!’” (Mark 2:5-12) The Gospel of Matthew informs us that they glorified God for giving such authority to men. (Matthew 9:8)
God’s sovereignty touched earth in the authority of Christ, and when it did the abstract concept of God’s kingdom—His sovereign rule—became a concrete reality. Jesus had begun his ministry by preaching the good news that God’s kingdom was near at hand, but through the miracles that Jesus did the kingdom came even closer.
In the Gospel of Luke Jesus says, “If I with the finger of God (or as Matthew puts it, ‘the Spirit of God’) cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God has come upon you.” (Literally, “has already fallen on you.”)
God’s sovereignty and Christ’s authority are seen as one. After being introduced briefly in Mark 1:1, the approach of the kingdom is seen in the sick healed, in the raising of Jairus’ daughter, and in the deliverance of numerous people from demons. Those who observed these miracles understood that God’s kingdom came not only in words but also in acts of power.
The denial of a believer’s authority to heal the sick in Jesus’ name is also a denial of God’s sovereign rule over His creation. Through his ministry Jesus Christ brought the two together, and in the healing of the sick and other signs and wonders today, God’s sovereign rule continues to be seen.
Before sending forth the Seventy, Jesus instructed them to heal the sick in the homes of those who were hospitable, and to tell them, “The kingdom of God is close to you.” (Luke 10:9) God’s kingdom would be close in the sense that the authority delegated to them by Jesus would enable them to display God’s sovereignty over all manner of sickness.
Many Christians have erred in postponing the kingdom of God until Christ’s return. In stripping their theology of authority and power and in postponing spiritual gifts until the future arrival of the kingdom, they have clouded the world’s perception of God’s sovereign rule.
Non-Christians see the world’s problems and ask, “Where is God?” and “Doesn’t God care?” But when the Church shows it authority by healing the sick, raising the dead, and delivering people from demons in Jesus’ name, God’s sovereign power, His kingdom rule, is obvious to all.
The inspired apostle Paul writes that the kingdom of God is not only righteousness, and peace, but also joy in the Holy Spirit. (Romans 14:17) Joy is a mark of the kingdom in our midst. But with all their rejoicing in the Spirit how many believers today look forward to inheriting the kingdom in its fullest expression here on earth, following the Resurrection? Do we expect our prayer, “Your kingdom come” to be answered in a coming event, or do we see the coming of the kingdom as a present process? In the Bible it’s both.
Most believers would expect their future experience of Heaven to far exceed their present kingdom experience. But Jesus said that the meek would inherit the earth. God promised Abraham that he would be “heir of the world” (Romans 4:13). It is a promise that extends to all who share Abraham’s faith in God.
There are times when God’s sovereign rule through Christ’s authority is accentuated by human weakness. The apostle Paul was “caught up” (same Greek word as is used for the Resurrection) to “the third heaven” (2 Corinthians 12:2). But when the Lord allowed “a messenger of Satan” to knock him about, Paul asked Jesus three times to remove this “thorn in the flesh.”
Jesus replied, “My grace is sufficient for you: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.” Paul’s response to this was that he would “most gladly glory in my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest on me (literally, come upon me like a tent). So I take pleasure in weaknesses, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Corinthians 12:9,10)
God’s sovereign rule through Christ’s absolute authority “in heaven and in earth” is recognized when we do the works that Jesus did—in spite of our visible human weaknesses and failings. Paul came to that realization. “Take Mark, and bring him with you: for he is profitable to me for the ministry.” (2 Timothy 4:11)
Down-to-earth words from a man who had been to the highest heaven!
CHURCH AND KINGDOM
Whenever the kingdom of Israel loses its vision and behaves badly it is referred to in the Bible as Jacob. “I am the LORD, I never change; that is why you sons of Jacob are not destroyed.” (Malachi 3:6) This distinction between the names Jacob and Israel is repeated often—especially by the prophet Isaiah.
Similarly, Psalm 114:2 makes a subtle but important difference between Judah, God’s sanctuary, and Israel, His dominion. “When Israel went out of Egypt, the house of Jacob from a people of strange language, Judah became His sanctuary, and Israel His dominion.” (Psalm 114:1-2)
Judah’s main city was Jerusalem, and it was there that King Solomon built and dedicated the Temple of God – the “sanctuary” referred to in the psalm.
But God’s dominion extended far beyond Jerusalem and the boundaries of Judah: He ruled over the entire nation of Israel. For the tribe of Judah, the fact that His sanctuary was located in Jerusalem was a great honour. Every male aged 30 years and over was required to go up to the temple three times a year, to celebrate Israel’s three most important feasts. As pilgrims, they journeyed to the city, to worship at the sanctuary on Mt. Zion—singing Psalms 120 to 134, the Psalms of Degrees, as they climbed.
Although the Lord Most High is “a great king over all the earth” (Psalm 47:2), He ruled over the nation of Israel in particular. Those who dwelt within Israel had to obey God’s laws, whereas those outside the nation’s boundaries were not under the Covenant. God intended that Israel would be “a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” (Exodus 19:6) The 12 tribes were to be an Elim-like oasis to the 70 nations on earth – blessed so that they would be a blessing! (Genesis 12:2,3; Exodus 15:27; Genesis 10:1-32)
No Israelite would have limited God’s dominion to Judah, even knowing that His earthly throne (1 Chronicles 29:23) and His holy temple were both located in Jerusalem. All knew that His kingdom extended beyond the sacred city. In other words, although God’s presence in the sanctuary was unique, His rule took in the entire nation, and influenced nations far beyond Israel’s boundaries.
Just as the scope of King Solomon’s kingdom took in Judah but was not limited to that tribe and the city of Jerusalem, even so it’s scope is not limited today to the Church! The Church is central to the kingdom of God, but the kingdom itself extends far beyond the limits of the Church. I say limits, because the Church (Greek: ekklesia), is an exclusive term. It describes a body of people called out for a particular purpose. (The word is translated “assembly” three times in Acts 19, twice in reference to an unruly mob.)
But although the Church is exclusive, the kingdom, by definition (Greek: basileia) is inclusive, which means that Christ’s rule extends beyond the sacred into the secular. It follows then, that a church gathering may meet the needs of believers on a Sunday, but it cannot do so on every other day. Judah was in the kingdom, but there was more to Israel than Judah. The failure to grasp this wider concept of the kingdom frustrates those Christians who separate the sacred from the secular, and confine divine service to church meetings on Sundays.
After Solomon’s death, the northern 10 tribes split from Judah, and called themselves Israel. When the Assyrians captured Israel, and deported its population, the kingdom was reduced to Judah. Although the people of Judah themselves were exiled to Babylon, they returned, 70 years later, and rebuilt the temple and the city’s walls.
By the time of Jesus, the people of Judah had become known as Jews. The New Testament focus on the Jews and their temple at Jerusalem is understandable, because greater Israel, the nation, had disappeared hundreds of years before. Since that time, a ‘remnant’ attitude had ruled. The great hope of the Jews was that the Son of David, Messiah, would come and restore the kingdom to Israel.
“Save now!”, many cried out to Jesus, as He rode the donkey into Jerusalem. “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed be the kingdom of our father David that comes in the name of the Lord: Hosanna in the highest!” (Mark 11:9-10) To them, the ministry of Jesus meant national salvation, and restoration of the greater Kingdom of Israel!
When Christ rose from the dead and appeared to the disciples, they soon questioned Him as to whether He would immediately restore the Kingdom to Israel. (Acts 1:6) After the Jews rejected the witness of the apostles, the kingdom was taken from the Jews (Matthew 21:43). The Jerusalem Council saw the promise of the restored kingdom fulfilled in the expansion of the Church and its witness to the world. (Acts 15:13-17; Amos 9:11-12) To them, the duty of the Church was to preach the kingdom. In the 19th Century, believing that the kingdom had been postponed until Christ’s return, church leaders focused on ecclesiastical matters, and the vision of a restored kingdom was lost. It was a Jewish matter, many said, and so was irrelevant to the Church.
But God’s promise to Abraham that all the nations of the earth would be blessed was not fulfilled in the Jews but in Jesus Christ. All who believe in Jesus are children of Abraham. Heirs together of the promises, they are the Israel of God. (Galatians 6:16) As God’s “holy nation”, the Church now possesses the kingdom that was taken from the Jews. (1 Peter 2:5, 9) But preoccupied with its spiritual blessings, the Church has lost sight of the wider kingdom—God at work extramuros: outside the walls. The wider world has yet to see the full authority and power of His kingdom rule.
In seeking to become relevant to the world, the Church has tried to be inclusive—opening its doors, and putting up ALL WELCOME signs. No longer exclusive, its meetings attract many who despise spiritual gifts such as tongues and prophecy. Church gatherings are for Christians, exclusively! Why should the Church change its New Testament culture in an effort to attract non-Christians—and, in the process, lose its identity as the glorious, multi-gifted body of Christ?
In marked contrast to the Church, the kingdom is inclusive: a dragnet that pulls in all kinds of fish; a field in which tares grow among the wheat. (Matthew 13:24-30 & 47-50) It’s great to teach God’s Word in the Church. It’s also great to preach the gospel of the kingdom in the world! It’s wonderful to experience God in church on Sunday. It’s also wonderful to see that His Kingdom is equally as powerful throughout the rest of the week!
One Christian from our fellowship spoke powerfully to 1000 fellow union members, and his words prevented them from taking strike action that threatened their jobs. He was as anointed in that role as he later was when testifying about it in church! How powerful is the authority that Christ gave to His Church for extending his kingdom rule? So powerful that being at work on Monday is every bit as exciting as being in Church on Sunday!
There are an increasing number of Christians who have forsaken the Church for the Kingdom, seeing the former as narrow and confining, and the latter as unrestricted and free. Israelites without a Jerusalem, they are likely to set up substitutes, just as breakaway Israel did. (1 Kings 12:26-31) We need sacred times in our secular world, and nothing can replace fellowship in a local church!
Having said that, let me say to those who think that church meetings are the beginning and end of being an effective believer—there’s a great big kingdom out there! Weekly church fellowship enriches you spiritually but daily Kingdom Living adds a whole new dimension to the Christian life!
SOVEREIGNTY AND RESPONSIBILITY
God’s sovereignty—His right to do as He pleases—is usually regarded as being in tension with our responsibility. In other words, while some things are up to God, other things are up to us.
For example, we pray with all our hearts that a national spiritual awakening will happen in our time, knowing all the while that it can take place only in God’s time. We may do all that is required for it to happen—repentance, prayer, fasting—but we cannot make it happen. On the other hand, small-scale awakenings can and often do result from fervent prayer and concentrated effort.. Jesus himself demonstrated that opportunities abound for those who are astute enough to perceive them. (John 4:35)
I believe that God’s sovereignty and our responsibility can work together in harmony. An over-emphasis on God’s sovereignty results in paralysis. If it’s all up to God, what point is there in our doing anything? Yet too much emphasis on our responsibility can result in presumption. No wonder believers are torn two ways. So we relax the tension by saying things like: “Pray as though everything depends on God, and work as though everything depends on you.”
George Muller of Bristol was criticized for maintaining that God answered all his prayers. What about God’s sovereignty, some questioned—His right to do as He pleases? To answer some prayers and not others? But how could God not answer prayers that were based on His promises? Of course He provided for the hungry orphans cared for by George Muller! God did as He pleased when Muller prayed and believed that he would receive.
For hundreds of years, the Church has been secure in God’s sovereignty. Great hymns have proclaimed it. Lines such as “God works in mysterious ways, His wonders to perform” (Cowper) emphasized His fathomless workings. But for a century or so, evangelists, with their calls for personal commitment, have shifted the emphasis, from sovereignty to responsibility. The “altar call” is a visible expression of an individual’s “personal decision” for Christ.
Today’s fast-moving church has shifted from the passive to the active, from asking God to heal the sick to healing the sick in the name of Jesus, from set-piece sermons to “rhema” revelations, from the cerebral to the intuitive, from the static to the dynamic, from structures to networks. And, in the process, the emphasis on God’s sovereignty has moved to our responsibility. For if certain things remain God’s prerogative—if He chooses to do as He pleases, in His time—then shouldn’t we get on with what we can do? Isn’t that our responsibility?
Thank God for Jesus, His answer to all our questions! In the earthly ministry of Jesus, sovereignty and responsibility worked together in harmony. Speaking of His relationship with His Father, Jesus said, “I do always those things that please Him.” Because of the willingness of Jesus to please His Father, His Father did as He pleased through Him. Heaven and earth were in harmony!
“Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you.” (Romans 8:9)
As we walk in the Spirit we please God, and, because we do the things that are pleasing to Him, He answers our prayers.
“And whatever we ask, we receive from Him, because we do those things that are pleasing in His sight.” (1 John 3:22) A close fellowship develops. The Father’s continuing presence is assured.
“And He who sent me is with me. The Father has not left me alone, for I do always those things that please Him.” (John 8:29)
Here’s how, in Jesus, sovereignty and responsibility worked in harmony (from The Amplified Bible):
Firstly,Jesus worked with His Father relationally. “My Father has worked (even) until now. [He has never ceased working; He is still working] and I, too, must be at [divine] work.” (John 5:17)
Secondly, Jesus worked with His father responsively. “I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, the Son is able to do nothing of Himself (of His own accord); but He is able to do only what He sees the Father doing, for whatever the Father does is what the Son does in the same way [in His turn].” (Verse 19) The Williams Translation puts it this way: “Whatever the Father is in the habit of doing the Son also persists in doing.”
Thirdly, Jesus worked with His Father knowingly. Not blindly or mindlessly. “The Father dearly loves the Son and discloses to (shows) Him everything that He himself does. And He will disclose to Him (let Him see) greater things yet than these, so that you may marvel and be full of wonder and astonishment.” (Verse 20)
Finally, Jesus worked with the Father willingly. “I am able to do nothing from myself [independently, of My own accord – but only as I am taught by God and as I get His orders]. Even as I hear, I judge [I decide as I am bidden to decide. As the voice comes to me, so I give a decision], and my judgement is right (just, righteous) because I do not seek or consult My own will [I have no desire to do what is pleasing to Myself, My own aim, My own purpose] but only the will and pleasure of the Father who sent Me.” (Verse 30)
Jesus was “the first-born of many brethren”—so as we please God, He will do as He pleases through us, as well. God’s sovereignty and our responsibility will flow together in beautiful harmony. The Greek word translated “please” means “behavior that results from relationship”— intentional, deliberate, continuous conduct that pleases God our Father.
Rather than a horizontal tension between two opposing forces – sovereignty and responsibility—this indicates a vertical compatibility between two combining persons—God and the believer! As we do the things that please the Father, the Father does as He pleases, through us! Nothing is impossible to us because nothing is impossible to Him in us!
Those who emphasize sovereignty say: “It’s up to God.” Those who emphasize responsibility say: “It’s up to us.” The truth is: God does as He pleases—as we do the things that please Him—through us.
Check yourself out. Are you working relationally, as the Son did, in fellowship with His Father? There will be no tension, if pleasing the Father is your intention. You are God’s child, not His slave.
Are you working responsively, as Jesus did—are you doing what you see the Father doing? If you are, you’ll be proactive rather than reactive— ministering to people’s real needs, not just their felt needs.
Are you working knowingly, as Jesus did, because the Father loves you, and shows you what He wants to do? Abraham had that kind of relationship. (Genesis 18:17-19) It’s a two-way relationship, allowing for intercession, as well as instruction.
Finally, are you working willingly, in that the Father’s will and yours have become one? If so, your judgements will be fair, because they’ll be impartial. “Not My will but Thy will be done.” Where there’s a will, there’s a way for God to work in this world! Unhindered by the prejudices you once held, you are willing to do God’s will in all things.
Not quite there yet? Here’s a word of encouragement for you: “It is God who works in you both to will and to do His good pleasure.” (Philippians 2:13) What a release from tension! No more being torn between what seemed two irreconcilable opposites: God’s sovereignty and your responsibility. God has worked in you to will His good pleasure, and now He is doing His good pleasure through you! God is doing as He pleases because what you are doing pleases Him!
GOOD STEWARDS OF GOD’S GRACE
There was a time when the word Dispensation was something of a sensation. In the late 19th century an extreme futuristic view of Bible prophecy arose in Great Britain and swept around the world. In a time of waning zeal and rising intellectualism evangelicals marveled at the new and very graphic phenomenon.
I use the word graphic, because gifted Christian draftsmen of the day drew unbelievably intricate, prophetic charts which showed everything in its place. With extended commentary these soon became popular books. All prophecy buffs needed to do to trace future events was follow well-drawn lines and arrows to the right boxes.
Dispensationalism had arrived.
The ancient Greek word translated dispensation, oikonomia, refers to “the rule of a house”. It has been transliterated into the English language as “economy”. Although oikonomia is a noun, the word also includes the many and varied dynamics of a household’s running economy.
The King James Version of the Bible (KJV) translates oikonomia as “dispensation”. The New King James Version (NKJV) renders it more descriptively as “stewardship”.
“Let a man so consider us as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.” (1 Corinthians 4:1)
“I have been entrusted with a stewardship.” (1 Corinthians 9:17)
“If indeed you have heard of the stewardship of the grace of God which was given me for you.” (Ephesians 3:2)
“I became a minister according to the stewardship from God which was given me for you” (Colossians 1:25)
From the last two texts above we see that a steward’s duty is to pass on to others what has been given to him — in Paul’s case, God’s grace to the Gentiles. These examples clearly identify a dispensation as an active distribution rather than an organizational concept. A chart that was drawn to illustrate a dynamic became an object of intellectual curiosity. The problem with Dispensationalism was the pre-eminence of these flow-charts rather than the prophetic events to which they pointed.
God appointed the apostles as stewards of His spiritual secrets. The main requirement for a steward is that he be faithful in the distribution of the goods he holds in trust. (1 Corinthians 4:1-2) The unfaithful steward reserves for his own enjoyment the goods that have been entrusted to him for the benefit of others—an abuse of his master’s trust.
“And the Lord said, Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his master will make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of food in due season? Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. Truly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all that he has.” (Luke 12:42-44)
The parable of the Unjust Steward reveals the amount of discretion a steward had over his master’s goods. When accusation was made that a rich man’s steward was squandering his goods, the accused steward called on those indebted for goods unpaid and discounted their debts dramatically. (Luke 16:1-8)
From this we see that the immediate discretion allowed a steward in regard to his master’s goods was balanced by the ultimate accounting his master would require him to make. This is a key principle of Christian stewardship.
Before I make the spiritual application, may I refer you to the informative Old Testament account of a trusted steward’s discretionary power, as recorded in Genesis, chapter 24.
The aged Abraham asked his chief steward “who ruled over all that he had” to journey to Syria in search of a bride for his son Isaac. The trusted servant’s discretion in the selection of the bride was sealed with an oath that he would seek a bride only from his master’s family, and not from the Canaanites, among whom Abraham dwelt.
The bride was to be brought to Isaac, not Isaac to the bride. God’s angel, Abraham assured him, would go before the servant. Only if the chosen bride refused to come would the servant be free from the oath.
“Then the servant took ten of his master’s camels and departed, for all his master’s goods were in his hand.” (Genesis 24:10) Note that the steward selected the number of camels and the men to accompany him. The camels were loaded with gold and silver jewellery and quality garments for the bride and with precious presents for her family.
Note that the steward remains nameless throughout the narrative, being described only as “the servant” or “the man”. He even prays to “the LORD God of my master Abraham”, and he identifies himself to the chosen bride and her family as “Abraham’s servant”. The steward’s identity is inseparable from that of his master!
We have read the Apostle Paul’s description of his ministry as a “dispensation” or stewardship to the Gentiles. God had many such stewards. Peter’s stewardship was to the Jews. (Galatians 2:8)
Note the following verse: “And when James, Cephas and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that had been given to me, they gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised.”
Here Paul clearly associates his stewardship as “the grace that had been given to me”—his message to the non-Jewish peoples of God’s undeserved kindness.
Was Paul a faithful steward?
“The ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.” (Acts 20:24)
“I kept back nothing that was helpful, but proclaimed it to you.” (Acts 20:20)
“I have not shunned to declare unto you the whole counsel of God.” (Acts 20:27)
“The grace given to me by God, that I might be a minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles.” (Romans 15:15-16)
“So that from Jerusalem and round about to Illyricum I have fully preached the gospel of Christ.” (Romans 15:19)
Every believer in Jesus Christ is a steward: one of spiritual gifts, another of ministry, another of teaching, and still others of encouragement, generosity, leadership and mercy. (Romans 12:6-8) And, like the stewards in Bible times, our stewardship has been given to us for the benefit of others. Think of how well the economy of God’s House, the Church, would run if every believer ministered the grace of God to other believers!
“As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold (multi-faceted) grace of God. (1 Peter 4:10)
Don’t think overmuch about your accountability to the Lord for the His gifts but rather think of the discretion you have as a steward in ministering them. Who around you lacks the gifts that you have in abundance? Dispense them now and account for them later!
We’ve all been given grace-gifts for others—let’s prove ourselves as good stewards of God’s grace by ministering them freely and generously!
HOW WELL DO YOU KNOW JESUS?
Who is Jesus Christ? We know that he is not the perpetually mournful person portrayed by the Old Masters, and he is certainly not the Caucasian Hollywood Jesus. But is is he, really?
When first saved we see him as a democrat. “Whosoever will may come…” “Whosoever” believes in him shall not perish but shall have everlasting life. (John 3:16) Mark 11:23 encourages us to believe that the “whosoever” can have the “whatsoever”! It was when Peter used the word “whosoever” that the Holy Spirit fell on the household of Cornelius. (Acts 10:44) “Whosoever” is inclusive! “He who comes to me I will in no way cast out.”
The word democrat comes from the ancient Greek word demos, which means, “people.” A democracy is “the rule of the people,” for in a democracy every vote has equal value. In this sense, we are all democratically guilty as sinners—“for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) Sin had our personal vote.
“There is none righteous, no, not one.” (Romans 3:10) God loved the world so much He gave His only Son to redeem it. All who believe in Jesus Christ are equally pardoned—their sins not just covered but washed away, forever, by the blood shed by Christ on the cross. “Whosoever will may take the water of life freely.” (Revelation 22:17)
We then come to know Jesus as an autocrat. The word autocrat comes from the ancient Greek word autos, which means, “self.” Although all have equal access to the Saviour of the world, those who would follow the Master soon find that they must submit their will to his. For the true servant of Jesus, autonomy—doing your own thing—is no more! If Jesus is not Master of all he is not Master at all. Jesus the democrat saved you, and now Jesus the autocrat calls you to walk in his steps and share in his sufferings.
“Go your way, sell whatsoever you have, and give to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow me.” (Mark 10:21) When called to do so, the “whosoever” forsake their “whatsoever” and follow their Master “wherever”!
“And he who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.” (Matthew 10:38) Or, as “The Message” pointedly puts it, “If you don’t go all the way with me, through thick and thin, you don’t deserve me.”
“Very truly I say to you, ‘When you were young, you girded yourself and walked wherever you would. But when you are old, you shall stretch forth your hands, and another shall gird you, and carry you where you would not.’ This spoke Jesus, signifying the death by which Peter would glorify God. And when he had said this he said, ‘Follow me.’” (John 21:18, 19)
In time we come to se that Jesus is an aristocrat. He is “the prince of the kings of the earth”—the Paramount Prince. The word “aristocrat” comes from the ancient Greek word aristos, which means, “best.” An aristocracy is “the rule of the best.” An aristocrat is one who is born to rule.
“Pilate asked, ‘Are you a king, then?’ Jesus answered, ‘You say that I am a king. To this end I was born…’” (John 18:37) Jesus had the dignity of a king. Pilate was astonished at Christ’s calm demeanour. “Do you refuse to speak to me? Do you not know that I have the power to crucify you and the power to release you?” Jesus, with quiet composure, replied, “You could have no power at all against me, unless it were given you from above…”(John 19:10,11)
Those who observed the miracles performed by Jesus said of him, “He has done all things well.” (Mark 7:37) “We’ve never seen it in this fashion!” they exclaimed, (Mark 2:12) Jesus didn’t just change water into wine: he made the best wine at the wedding. Jesus wore a seamless robe, which typified his seamless nature—there were no weaknesses in his humanity. (John 19:23)
Jesus Christ is “Lord of all”—not only of those who have willingly bowed their knees to him already, but also of those who have not. (Acts 10:36) Nobody can ‘make’ Jesus Lord—God has already made him Lord! But every knee shall bow to him and every tongue shall confess that he is Lord—the Aristocrat of aristocrats!
“God also has highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name; that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow…and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the father.” (Philippians 2:9-11)
You may know Jesus as the Savior of the world, and indeed he is. You may know him as your Lord, the Master of your life. You may even know him as the aristocrat, the best of all rulers—“the Ruler of the kings of the earth.” (Revelation 1:5) His full title is “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS”! (Revelation 19:16)
In time, when Christ’s authority on earth is complete, his rule will end. “And when all things shall be subdued to him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto Him that put all things under him, so that God may be all in all.” (1 Corinthians 15:28)
God introduced a theocracy—the rule of God—to Israel, but they chose a human king instead. So God gave them the epitome of their desire—a great kingdom in the form of a big man. (Saul was literally head and shoulders above every man in Israel.) But King Saul was a dismal flop. Even King David, a man after God’s own heart, twice failed the people. But Jesus did always those things that pleased his Father, and is the acclaimed “KING OF KINGS.”
Moreover, the personal indwelling of the Holy Spirit in the believer means that God can rule His creation from within, for He has established His throne in our hearts. Once Jesus has conquered “the last enemy”—death—he will be subject to God his Father, who will then be “all in all.”
In God, all of humanity “lives and moves” and has its being. (Acts 17:28) Nothing can exist without the Creator—even sinful human beings. But the time will come when God’s spiritual people will “see His face”—see Him as he is—and become like Him. We will know God in the most personal way.
A Japanese pastor once told me that in greeting late visitors at the door of his church he would brush away their apologies with, “That is alright, we are so pleased to have you with us!” To late-running members he would look at his watch, frown, and say, “You are late!” But to long-term members who should know better than to come late, he would say, “Why are you late—it is inexcusable!”
I thought it a bit three-faced at the time, but I came to see that there are increasing levels of responsibility. That pastor expected more from those who knew better—and he was right.
Democrat, Autocrat, Aristocrat—getting to know Jesus is a progressive experience that will keep your eyes keen, your mind alert, and your heart pumping!
THE UNSHAKEABLE KINGDOM
News flashes of failed banks and lending institutions around the world fill our TV screens. Shares plummet to all-time lows, taking with them the hopes and dreams of millions of working families. Governments have acted quickly to reassure the people of the underlying strength of their economies, and will reform the institutions that have let people down so badly.
It’s not just financial markets that are shaky: the constant threat of terrorism also adds to worldwide instability. Where will terrorists strike next? Unpredictable rises and falls in the price of crude oil, continuing problems in the Middle East. Then there’s the question of the extreme weather conditions that point to Climate Change. There’s increasing pollution and land degradation problems. You name it. No wonder people are jittery.
These are all fear factors—but is there a faith factor? Yes, there is, and it is not new. In fact it has been around for 2000 years—since the first Christians, who were Jews, were warned by Jesus Christ of coming upheavals that would rock their society and reduce their temple to rubble. Some people wrap the prophecies of Jesus together and present them as a single package of apocalyptic events, leading up to the End of the World.
They miss the point, which is that Jesus was speaking about the end of that particular era—not the end of the world. Every era comes to an end, The era of the
Great Depression ended prior to the Second World War (but those who had been through it never ever forgot it). Nowadays we speak of eras as generations: the Baby Boomers, Generations X and Y—none of which were apocalyptic, despite dire warnings.
In the mid-1990s I stood on a mountain ridge on the island of Luzon that ran from Mt Pinatubo down to the South China Sea. The eruption of the volcano—the most powerful of the 20th century—had not long ended, and smoke still rose from deep within the mountain. The ridges were covered in light grey ash, and the valleys were filling with hot lahar from the still unpredictable volcano. The 6m-high concrete bridge on which I stood had been torn apart by the hot surge and within weeks would be covered.
Nothing anywhere near as destructive has happened since that that eruption—which resulted in the withdrawal of the US military after Clark Air Force Base at Angeles City was ruined. It was not the end of the world for Filipinos—just the end of things as they had known them.
What was the “end of the world” event that Jesus warned his followers about? It was the Roman siege of Jerusalem that began in mid-66 AD and ended with the destruction of the temple in 70 AD. “Not one stone shall be left upon another.” Jesus had prophesied. For the first Christians the 40-year period between the crucifixion of Christ and the destruction of the temple would be “the last days” of the world they had known.
That’s why the writers of the New Testament refer to “the end of the age” as having come upon them, and “the judge” being “at the door.” They warn of the Lord being “at hand”, of “the day approaching” and refer to their time as “these last days.” Those first Christians had mixed feelings: as much as they rejoiced in the spread of the Good News of Christ’s Resurrection, they knew that the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple would mean the end of the world as they had known it.
What has that to do with the world as we know it? Just that every era, good and bad, eventually comes to an end. The world continues, albeit in never quite the same way. Our world was never the same after the Great War and the World War II, and the Vietnam War changed a whole generation. Your children and mine are likely to face threats and challenges of the kind we cannot imagine.
There’s one New Testament text in particular that sums up the approach of the first generation of Christians to impending events. They spoke of God as a “consuming fire” in view of His coming judgement on those who not only had rejected His Son but also refused His repeated offers of forgiveness through the preaching of the apostles. The text is Hebrews chapter 12, verse 28:
“Since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and worship God acceptably, with reverence and awe.”
An “unshakeable kingdom?” you might say—”I’d like to see that!”
Imagine a world without war, without terrorism, without pollution, without crime, without immorality. Many think that Christ’s rule on earth is purely spiritual because Jesus said, “My kingdom is not [at this time] of this world.” But Jesus was simply saying that his kingdom did not have its origin in the world but in heaven.
Since then Christ has ruled his church from heaven, but when he returns to earth his reign will be as real and as powerful as that of other kings—more so in fact, because Jesus will rule over the whole earth. The kingdoms of this world will become the kingdom of our God and of His Christ. Until then we are “receiving” that kingdom in present possession as an ongoing act of faith.
The skeptic will ask, “How could that happen?” Well, who less than a century ago would have believed that the whole of mankind’s knowledge would be accessible through a device that would sit in the palm of one hand? Or that man would land on the moon, or that flight around the globe would be as common as a train ride once was to the Big City? Who would say that God cannot do far more than we can—things as yet undreamed of?
An unshakeable kingdom on earth, ruled by the Lord
Jesus Christ is what our Savior promised. Would you believe a man who promised that he would rise from the tomb after being crucified—and did? Would you trust his assurance that he would one day—no one knows when—return in the same way he left, in a tangible but immortal body?
An earthquake is one of the most unsettling experiences anyone can have—perhaps because we think that whatever else happens in life, at least we’ll be safe on solid ground. But an earthquake changes that.
The unshakeable kingdom is still a future one, but we who are “receiving” it are unshakeable in our beliefs. Royal Priests are moved by the things God reveals to them as they wait on Him, not by what is happening in the world around them.
A Necessary Breakthrough
An obstruction presents an opportunity for those imaginative enough to go around it and get a break through. When a paralysed man’s four friends carried him to a house where Jesus was staying, they couldn’t get him to the door – much less through the door. Jesus was teaching at the time and “the power of the Lord was present to heal” (Luke 5:17).
Those who filled the house were teachers of the Law from towns all around. They were there to question Jesus and to find fault. Since then little has changed: helpless people still need God’s healing power and obstructions still prevent them from getting through to their healing. But take heart: what those four men did for their helpless friend we too can do – by finding a way around the obstruction and breaking through into the presence of the Lord.
Let’s look at the four factors involved in the gospel accounts – all of them involving people. The first factor was Jesus, who at the time was teaching “the word”. What that word (message) was, we don’t know. But since the power of the Lord was present to heal, it would have been along the lines of Luke 4:18: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has anointed me to preach the good news to the poor, he has sent me to heal the broken hearted; to announce release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind; to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s acceptance.”
If this or something similar was Jesus’ text, no wonder “the power of the Lord was present to heal”! Yet there is no mention of any of those present being healed, which brings us to the second factor: the full house of religious lawyers. In those days the civil and religious laws were one and the same. Words like pedantic and nit-picking come to mind. The many places from which these learned men had come would account for the house being jam-packed.
I preached against religious legalism one night in the UK to a gathering of conservative Christians. I would much rather have preached something more acceptable but the Lord gave me Matthew 23. I told them “a sign of good mental health was a willingness to accept and live with imperfection,” and their faces turned to stone. If I said they showed not the slightest response to my message that would be a major understatement.
But when I prayed for the sick the power of the Lord was present to heal, just like it was with Jesus. I left the hall knowing it was unlikely I would be invited back. But a visiting couple whose lives were changed that evening later became dear friends. All present were Christians, but their focus (like those who filled the house where Jesus was teaching) was more on being correct than on the power of God healing people.
The third factor was the paralysed man. As we see elsewhere in the New Testament (notably with Lazarus), he was incapable of helping himself. Who knows how many suffer because they are out of sight and sound of religious gatherings? The chronically ill who care nothing for theological complexities but whose hopeless conditions need the message of hope that Jesus preached then, and that we preach now.
The fourth factor was the paralyzed man’s four friends, who tried to get him through the crowd to Jesus. Unable to do so, they carried him up the external stairs, removed some roof tiles, and lowered him to where the power of the Lord was present to heal.
There is more to this miracle, of course (for example, the authority on earth of Jesus to forgive sins) but let’s shift our thinking away from Christ’s physical presence on earth 2000 years ago and consider these four factors in the context of his spiritual presence in our hearts today. Since the kingdom of God is not meat and drink, but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Romans 14:17) we need to bring forward the manifestation of the kingdom rather than delaying it until Christ’s return. We don’t need to wait for the Lord’s return to “taste” the powers of the coming age.
The Apostle Paul’s prayer for the believers at Ephesus was that they would be strengthened with all might by God’s Spirit in their innermost being, and that Christ would dwell in their hearts by faith (Ephesians 3:16, 17). How well we grasp this is an indication whether we think of the Lord’s presence as an internal reality or as external, as it was when Jesus was on earth.
Since Christ dwells in our heart by faith, and since our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, Jesus is “in the house” (so to speak) and “the power of the Lord is present” in us to heal the sick. The question is: what ‘crowds the house’ and prevents the sick from accessing God’s healing power in us? More often than not it is the theological complexities that preoccupy us.
Now, you might query: “Isn’t this concept of ‘accessing Christ in us’ a bit New Age?” Well, it would be, were I foolish enough to teach that it was the anointing that came upon Jesus at his baptism that made him ‘the Christ’ (one of the false teachings of the Gnostics). But the title Christ does not refer to the anointing but to the Anointed (the Messiah). Those who know their Bible understand that the early church’s experience of the Spirit of God was of an inner spiritual reality, one that superseded the outward trappings of ritualistic religion.
Those who still think of a church as a building (when in fact it is the believers who meet in it), and robes, incense and ritual as being necessary to the practice of the Christian faith, have not moved on from the gospels to the epistles. The revelation that Jesus is the Christ is in the gospel of Matthew; the revelation of Christ in us is in the epistles of Paul. It must have been wonderful to have been alongside Jesus as he ministered. But isn’t it even more wonderful to have him inside you and ministering through you?
It is possible to live a Christian life in the western world without being aware of those among us who are ill or injured. Like the paralysed man, they are helplessly dependent. Meanwhile, theological issues take up much of the time. We know the difference between Premillennial and Postmillennial, and Futurist and Dispensationalist. We are careful about biblical doctrine, and scrutinize our church’s Statement of Faith as carefully as company directors do a balance sheet. Yet somewhere out of sight, desperate for healing, the helpless wait for someone to help them.
I remember visiting a Bible College located in the cool air of the mountains of an Asian country. We lunched with the hospitable and gracious teaching staff, one of whom told me about the institution’s course on Cross-Cultural Evangelism. It was important, he said, to be able to relate to cultures other than our own. I couldn’t help wondering how that differed from what we were doing in a village down on the hot plains a mile below in altitude. We had been sleeping on blow-up plastic mattresses, bathing under a hand-pump, using a squat toilet, and eating the same basic rice dishes as the family in whose thatched hut we were staying.
When the four friends of the paralysed man could not get him in through the door, they carried him up the stairs and on to the roof. Then they took off the tiles and lowered him through the hole to where Jesus was teaching. Were they “over the top”? Sure, literally. But human need has a way of breaking through and disrupting theological discussion! Henry Thoreau was right when he said: “Most men live lives of quiet desperation.” But it is also true that “Desperate men do desperate things.”
The faith of the four men was seen in their act of desperation. That desperate faith would surprise Jesus again and again. When Jesus “saw their faith” he told the paralysed man that his sins were forgiven: a pronouncement that caused uproar in the crowded house!
This is what happens when an unusual act of faith opens the way to an unexpected miracle. When the man came through the roof, doctrinal discussions went out the window! From experience, I can assure you that most Christians would much rather that God answer their prayers for healing without disrupting their “If it be Thy will” approach to Divine Healing! But the four men had the faith to get their friend to where the power of God was present, and after all — wasn’t that what mattered most?
I knew a man who went to a Pacific island as a missionary teacher. He was religious but unsaved. Then a native pastor led him to Jesus Christ, and when the power of God fell on the school, 180 teachers and students were baptized in the Holy Spirit. God couldn’t get in through his head so He broke through into his heart.
If you are one of those Christians who love doctrinal discussions but despise all things charismatic – better look up! If your mind is focused on biblical correctness rather than on the human needs of the helpless, don’t be surprised if – when – God sends someone to break through your mindset and upset your theology – just like Jesus did when he told the paralyzed man his sins were forgiven.
Kingdom versus Empire
“The whole world has now become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign forever and ever.” (Revelation 11:15) New Living Translation
The Bible makes it very clear that this world’s kingdoms are to become one kingdom, under the sole rule of Jesus the Christ, or Messiah.
When Jesus stood in Pontius Pilate’s judgement hall, the Roman asked him, “Are you a king, then?” Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world…” Pilate represented the Roman Empire and Jesus represented the kingdom of God – the issue was Kingdom versus Empire. In the almost 2000 years since that quiet exchange, God’s Kingdom versus Man’s Empire has always been the issue – but never as much as it is likely to be in the days that lie ahead of us.
For Empire read this world’s nations, and for Kingdom read the present heavenly rule of Christ through his church, and his future earthly rule over the nations, when he returns in power and glory. The kingdom that Jesus said to Pilate was “not now” – “not at this time” – seems likely to come sooner than most people think. Global political and religious developments now have gathered such momentum that a military attack on the nation of Israel appears inevitable.
The historical backdrop to the “problem” of present-day Israel is that the ancient kingdom of Israel was admired by kingdoms near and far. But the breaking away of ten of its twelve tribes after Solomon’s death reduced it to a tiny mountain kingdom. The breakaway northern kingdom was soon after conquered by invading Assyrians, who populated the land with pagan peoples they had conquered by the Assyrians.
Alliances with pagan kingdoms by the kings of Judah were repeatedly condemned by the prophets as desperate measures by monarchs who placed no trust in the Lord’s ability to defend the boundaries of the kingdom. Yet in Judah and in Jerusalem a small number remained faithful to the God of Abraham.
The Babylonians destroyed the Temple in Jerusalem six centuries before Christ, and took most of the Jews into captivity. It was in Babylon that God gave Daniel the interpretation of a significant dream by King Nebuchadnezzar. The inspired interpretation gave Daniel great status in Babylon.
The dream took the form of a giant statue, with Babylon symbolized as its golden head, Medo-Persia its silver upper torso and arms, Greece its brass lower torso and thighs, and Rome its iron legs and iron and clay feet. This increasingly unstable succession of empires would finally collapse when the statue’s clay feet were smashed by a stone “cut without human hands”. The stone (which represented the kingdom of the coming messiah) would then become a great mountain and would fill the whole earth.
The king’s dramatic dream portrayed the fall of the successive empires of the ancient world, their image crushed to dust by the sudden arrival of the everlasting kingdom of God and Christ.
Later, in a night vision, Daniel was shown the cruel, destructive nature of these kingdoms. His prophetic view had as its focus the Holy Land and its people. Only those world empires that would affect the people of promise, and Jerusalem in particular, had prophetic relevance. Post-biblical empires would dwarf those of Daniel’s dream, but their relevance to the Holy Land would be limited to political and military decisions of the kind that eventually would restore the land to its original owners, the Jews.
Throughout the centuries that followed, the cruel Spanish empire plundered South America, the fierce Ottoman Empire subjected Arabia and the Middle East to its despotic rule, the proud English empire (on which it was said “the sun never set”) would rule over huge areas of Africa, the sub-continent of India, numerous far-flung colonies, including Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and islands in the South Pacific. In 20th century Europe, the ruthless communist empire imprisoned its satellite nations behind an Iron Curtain, and the strong economic empire of the United States of America swayed influenced the cultures of nations globally.
In 1917 Ottoman forces surrendered the Holy City of Jerusalem to General Allenby’s victorious British army. In 1948 the nation of Israel was established. In 1967 Jerusalem was recaptured by its original owners, the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Since then, Israel’s role in world politics has been disproportionate to its size. Now, as always, the friendship or animosity of nations towards Israel defines their attitude towards the God of the Jews, and determines their ultimate blessing or punishment by Him.
The final struggle between Kingdom and Empire will end only when “the kingdoms of this world” gather to destroy the nation of Israel. In the meantime, those who worship the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob pray that the “lost” sons and daughters of Abraham will come to place their trust in Jesus their Messiah. Jew and Gentile believers together now form “the Israel of God”, a people comprised of all who believe in Jesus — regardless of ethnic origin or religion.
To win the struggle, those who believe must rediscover the biblical identity of the one true God and of Jesus His Son. The successive kingdoms that comprised the statue in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream absorbed the customs of those they had conquered. It’s undeniable that the Roman Empire absorbed the philosophy of the Greek Empire, even renaming its many capricious gods with their own names (e.g. Zeus became Jupiter, and Hermes became Mercury). The restoration of Christ’s church will come after it restores the Apostles’ Doctrine to the Church.
Secular scholarly books on the life of the Roman Emperor Constantine throw doubt on his Christian experience, and view his adoption of Christianity as a pragmatic means of strengthening his empire. The final struggle may be difficult for some, since it will require a critical evaluation of creeds long set in stone, and of church traditions as untouchable today as were those held by the Pharisees in the time of Christ. There will be opposition.
But our need to study the first century church in the light of the New Testament will not require that we dress in Jewish garments, learn Jewish customs, spend time in a kibbutz, dance to the tune of “Hava Nagila”, or learn to speak Hebrew. (On the island of Borneo and in the Republic of the Philippines our use of the name “Jesus” in local dialects healed the sick just as effectively.)
The final struggle will end outside Jerusalem. The dénouement will see armies gathered under the aegis of a world empire. The struggle between Kingdom and Empire that began thousands of years ago will climax in Christ’s triumphant return and his following worldwide rule.
Just as the Assyrian flood swept toward Jerusalem, overwhelming all other cities and leaving the Holy City described by the prophet Isaiah as “up to its neck” in floodwater, so also will aggressive armies surround a helpless Jerusalem, long isolated by a hostile media and roundly condemned by world opinion.
The outcome of this soon-coming final struggle was long ago prophesied in the Bible. The issue always has been, is now, and always will be, the Kingdom of God versus the Empire of Man. It is imperative that we redouble our efforts to preach the Gospel of the Kingdom to the nations of the world — while we can.
The reign of Jesus Christ on earth will give us “all the time in the world” to make this world a better one – but that will be too late for those for whom time has run out.
OUR CHAMPION
David’s victory over the Goliath is an unforgettable story of a young man’s triumph over aggression. David’s iconic victory strengthens the schoolchild’s determination to face lunchtime bullying, and encourages the immigrant to overcome racial discrimination. Essentially, it is the victory of the little person – that of the underdog facing and defeating the overlord.
In fact so well known is the Bible account of the Israel shepherd boy’s victory over the Philistine champion that the real significance of the encounter is often overlooked. For David’s victory over Goliath is a prophetic portrayal of the victories Israel were to win over their enemies and – more particularly – the triumph of Jesus, David’s descendant, over Satan. Included in the victory is the Church’s triumph in every age over satanic powers bent on destroying it or on replacing it with a religious substitute.
Today, in a scenario that Goliath might envy, a resurgent Islam is challenging a fragmented and self-centred Western Church – and an increasingly worried world is beginning to fear the possibility that it just might win. The name Palestine is derived from the name Philistine, which made the ancient Philistine confrontation with Israel an ancient preliminary to today’s threats by Palestinians against the nation of Israel.
“Bring out your champion!” Islam challenges, and mocks a faith that seems unable to produce one. This is not true of the Christian Church in the Developing World, where it is likely that the 21st century will witness Christianity’s greatest expansion ever, as tens of millions respond to the Gospel of Jesus Christ in Africa, Asia and South America. If Europe and the USA were to fall to Islam, the southern continents of the globe and the Asian Pacific island nations would be recognized as the new heartlands of the Christian faith.
The giant Goliath appeared twice daily for 40 days – his every appearance a belittling experience for the unnerved Israelites. The three-metre tall warrior dwarfed even King Saul, who in height was head and shoulders above every other man in Israel.
We should remember that the confrontation was actually between two armies. Goliath merely represented the Philistine people. He offered a “winner takes all” challenge, certain that the Israelites would be unable to respond. Indeed, Goliath’s mocking words – his threat to feed David’s body to the birds – are not unlike those found in today’s manuals on psychological warfare.
An army’s maneuver is essentially a test of its enemy’s will to fight. On that basis, Israel’s face-off with its most persistent enemy failed on the first day, when it allowed Goliath to “mouth off” and walk away. Israel’s humiliation was reinforced twice daily for the next 40 days – until David arrived at the battlefield with food for his older brothers.
King David is no King Arthur-like figure, shrouded in mythology. The Bible not only records his story in great detail but also lists his genealogy; it marks his birthplace and along with his victories includes his human weaknesses. Before facing Goliath, David had been a champion-in-waiting: the teenage shepherd boy had already slain a lion and a bear that threatened his father’s flock.
Never having known defeat, David eyed Goliath with something akin to unbelief – not because he saw the giant as unbeatable, but because Goliath’s defiant challenge had not been answered by a champion of Israel.
Historically speaking, Christendom (the term defines Christ’s kingdom as an ecclesiastical empire) has faced many Goliaths, and has produced spiritual, political and military champions who were the equals of Islam’s best.
In terms of religious zeal and personal bravery, the greatest was Richard the Lionheart, the English king who fought the Moslem general Salah-al-Din (Saladin) in the Holy Land. In warfare, however, the two were equals and the conflict between the Crusader and the Saracen remained unresolved. In 1192 AD they agreed on a peace that left neither openly victorious.
Another champion was Charles Martel – “The Hammer” – who saved France from the Muslim army at the Battle of Tours, in AD 732. Although far outnumbered by Muslim cavalry, Martel’s infantry held their ground and won the battle decisively. Martel is credited with having saved Europe from Islamic rule. In the battle he captured and later slew the famed Moslem general Abd-er Rahman. Those Muslim soldiers who survived retreated over the Pyrenees into Spain, never to return.
The American Revolution and the establishment of the United States as a Constitutional Republic invalidated the long-held authority of the Christian kingdom with the separation of Church and State. This separation is clearly marked in the American Constitution.
Three years later the French Revolution delivered a deadly blow to the Catholic Church. Yet in its overseas empire the Republic of France accommodated the major established religions, including (in North Africa) that of Islam.
In Eastern Europe, a weakened Ottoman Empire no longer threatened the Continent, and Islam’s dream of a theocratic caliphate – a worldwide religious empire ruled over by Mohammed’s successors – was no longer likely.
In Western Europe, German rationalism, Social Darwinism and Higher Criticism savaged the previously inviolate truths of the Bible. But in Britain a renewed Christian zeal found an outlet in its expanding Empire. Meanwhile, in the spiritually fertile USA, Christian movements spread westward, evangelizing the booming frontiers.
With most social reforms such as the Abolition of Slavery firmly in place in Great Britain and the USA toward the end of the 19th century, the new emphasis was Foreign Missions. The Gideons and The British and Foreign Bible Society – and its American counterpart – distributed millions of bibles tirelessly around the globe.
While all this was taking place, Islam languished. When British forces occupied Palestine in 1917, the days of the Ottoman Empire were numbered, and with the later rise of Turkey as a secular nation under the great Ataturk, it seemed that the once raging fires of Islam had died everywhere but in Arabia. Where were the challenging Goliaths the Religion of the Sword had once inspired?
After World War II the demand for oil by the West’s fast-growing industrial nations enriched those Middle Eastern kingdoms that were able to guarantee its supply. Sultans, emirs and sheiks became rich beyond belief. Seeing its opportunity, Saudi Arabia’s fundamentalist Wahabi sect, funded by petro-dollars, began building mosques and schools in Western nations – including the USA.
The giant was stirring.
When fully awake it threatened the new nation of Israel with swift extinction, and the USA, Israel’s champion, with eventual downfall. In terming the USA “the Great Satan” Moslems identified it as their greatest enemy.
Conquest, the aim of Christendom since the emperor Constantine – who embraced the faith for politically expedient reasons – was challenged by Islam’s founder Mohamed from AD 612 onward. Those Moslems who despise evangelical Christians as “crusaders” tend to forget that Mohamed was the most successful crusader of them all.
Islamic victory was gleefully proclaimed by many Moslems worldwide, following the destruction of New York City’s Twin Towers. Moslems viewed the 9-11 attack as Allah’s retribution upon an arrogant and decadent protector of the Jews as a race, and Israel as a nation.
Moslems view the USA as a Christian nation in the same way the West views most Middle Eastern nations as Islamic. However there are nominal Moslems just as there are nominal Christians. Yet few Christians in the West could be incited by their priests or pastors to an equivalent extreme. This is due to the sharp contrast between Christ’s commandment to “love those who hate you” and Mohamed’s exhortation to “kill the unbeliever”. (Of course, neither do many so-called Christians practice Christ’s Sermon on the Mount.)
The historical confrontation between Islam and Christianity will never be resolved by military power, for Islam is a spiritual adversary, and as such cannot be subdued by secular means. The non-Moslem world needs a spiritual champion. But there seems no likelihood of a modern-day champion in the mould of David taking the field against an Islamic Goliath in the form of an increasingly belligerent Iran.
Yet the promise of a returning champion who lived and died almost 600 years before Mohamed’s birth is powerful. It is also unique, since Jesus Christ is the only person ever to have risen from the dead – a fact witnessed by 500 of his followers at the time, and experienced by the hundreds of millions who have encountered him since then. This Champion – the descendant of the one who slew the giant Goliath – conquered death itself. In so doing he defeated the spiritual Goliath, Satan. Jesus Christ crushed Satan underfoot and subjected him to his divinely-granted authority.
Since Christ’s death and resurrection the conquered but still desperate enemy of the human soul has provoked both Moslem and non-Moslem alike to shed blood. Now, in the 21st century, he energizes the murderous suicide bomber, inspires the wholesale slaughter of innocents, and drives the Islamic terrorist’s unholy desire for worldwide jihad. This provokes retaliation from Israel and the USA, in which many civilians are killed and their homes are destroyed.
Christendom corrupted the Christian faith by cloaking the politics of power in a false religious zeal. It rendered unto Caesar, Kaiser and Czar – all variations of the same title – the things that belong to God. It elevated emperors and kings who were Christian in name but unchristian in nature.
Armies should defend the sovereignty of their nations and not act as instruments of a politicized Church. The Crusaders should have gone forth to meet Saladin with the message of a loving God who sent His Son to save lost humanity by dying for the sins of the world. They too should have chosen to die for their faith, if necessary, as have many Christian martyrs – not with sword in hand but the Gospel on their lips. They should have met the threat of Saladin’s sword with the promise of everlasting life through Jesus Christ. They should have spread the good news of the defeat of Satan, the enemy of all mankind. They should have preached that through his death Jesus broke down dividing walls between peoples to bring peace and to give the Spirit of God to all who believe in him: people of every race, everywhere
The Crusaders’ zeal was misplaced. In the New Testament book of Revelation a New Jerusalem descends from heaven to replace the ancient, earthly city. The Church’s true Champion is the risen Christ, to whom God has given “all authority in heaven and in earth.” How many have fought and died over the old city of Jerusalem – not knowing that it has been replaced by a New Jerusalem, which is a work in progress.
We are not going to a battle – we are coming from one. We do not fight Satan – Jesus fought and defeated him almost 2000 years ago. Our war is against the demons in men and women that move their sinful hearts to challenge Christ’s spiritual rule over this earth. We teach God’s word, which has the power to dismantle destructive mindsets built in defiance of God’s truth and to paralyze the actions of those who incite religious fanatics to kill in the cause of world dominion.
We Christians don’t need another hero. Our Hero is Jesus Christ, who is the Son of God by conception, the Son of Man by birth, and the Son of David by royal lineage. Goliath left time and became history the day he met David. Those who imitate that defiant giant by challenging the Son of David will come to an equally ignominious end.
Jesus Christ is Lord of all – including those who don’t yet know it.
THE VALUES OF THE KINGDOM
The motive behind our service to God in ministering to His people in the role of Royal Priests should be based on a willingness to serve people spiritually. Otherwise it might become a form of religious humanism. We need a biblically-based set of spiritual values that determines our responses to the challenges we will face as working priests. We need to respond in the way that our master did. Again, I wish to make it clear that the Royal Priesthood is not an elite group within the Church, but rather one in which every believer has a role.
The historical Jesus was a Jew who was born just before the beginning of the first century. He is known in the New Testament as “Jesus of Nazareth” (a hill village in the region of Galilee). Christians refer to him as “the Lord Jesus Christ.” I begin this final chapter by defining these three words.
The term “Lord” means Master. “Jesus” (Joshua or, more correctly, Yeshua) is his given name. “Christ” (Messiah or Anointed) refers to his divinely-appointed role on earth. So as to refresh our knowledge of his identity, I will use these valid terms by referring to Jesus as “the Master” and as “the Anointed One” (except when using quotations from the New Testament). These terms belong to the authentic New Age, which began with the descent of the Holy Spirit, as recorded in “The Acts of the Apostles.”
A monarch has not only a regal name and title and a kingdom over which he rules, but also a royal charter which spells out in detail the “manner” of the kingdom: the rules that govern his realm. (1 Samuel 10:25)
The Sermon on the Mount, recorded in the Gospel of Matthew, chapters five to seven, is the greatest sermon ever preached. Yet it is far more than a sermon: it is a proclamation of the charter of the kingdom by the Anointed One, the present and future Monarch of the kingdom. It is the New Testament counterpart of the commandments God gave to Moses on Mount Sinai; but instead of beginning with commandments, it begins with blessings.
There is an obvious contrast between commandments chiseled in stone on a fiery mountain and blessings pronounced over a crowd gathered on a mountain one fine morning. In his gospel Luke records that before Jesus preached “the whole crowd sought to touch him, for power went out of him and healed them all.” (Luke 6:19)
Parts of the Sermon on the Mount are recorded by Luke as taught on a plain one morning after Jesus had spent all night on a mountain in inspired prayer. (Luke 6:20-49) Some scholars think that Jesus taught the message twice. (He wouldn’t be the first preacher to do that.) The main difference between the two accounts, apart from length (Luke’s account is much shorter) is that Matthew’s account is more deeply spiritual, in that it adds “in spirit” to the Beatitudes, and so addresses the motives behind spiritual service. Matthew’s account was written for Jewish readers, and so is more comprehensive.
The word Beatitude, “a declaration of blessedness”, is translated from the ancient Greek word makarios, which refers to an individual blessing. Nine such blessings are listed in Matthew 5:3-11, each of them meaning, “supremely happy.” Together they describe a supremely happy state or condition of “blessedness.” (The Greek word makarismos is also found in Romans 4:6-9 and Galatians 4:15) In his account Luke records four of the “blessings” (Luke 6:20-22) along with four contrasting “woes” (Luke 6:24-26).
In Matthew’s account, the word “blessed” is applied to a believer who is:
1) Poor
2) Mourning
3) Meek
4) Hungry and thirsty
5) Merciful
6) Pure in heart
7) Peaceable
8) Persecuted
9) Falsely accused
However, where Luke dwells on the outward condition – he simply calls the person “blessed” and pronounces “woes” on those in the opposite conditions – Matthew probes deeper, into the inward state of the person. He or she is not only poor but “poor in spirit;” It is “righteousness” that the hungry and thirsty long for. It is the pure “in heart” who shall see God. It is “for righteousness” sake and “for my sake” that many are persecuted.
But although these are future rewards, the supreme happiness is enjoyed as a present experience, despite the heartaches and the losses. We should always remember that in the New Testament the kingdom of God is both present and future. It is not just spoken of in what bible scholars call the Prophetic Perfect, in which future events are anticipated (John 17:11-12), but as a current, powerful (albeit unseen) spiritual kingdom which is to be fully revealed at the return to earth of Jesus the Anointed One.
The word kingdom (Greek: basileia) indicates a territory or a people ruled over by a sovereign. At times the words kingdom and sovereign seem interchangeable. This is because God’s sovereignty is demonstrated in our Master’s kingdom authority.
Sovereignty touched earth in the authority of Jesus, and when it did, the abstract concept of God’s kingdom – His sovereign rule over His creation – became a concrete reality. Jesus began his ministry by preaching the Good News that God’s kingdom was close at hand, but through the miracles that Jesus did the kingdom actually touched people and changed their lives.
In a Los Angeles church some years ago I ministered on Matthew 12:28 – “But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come to you.” As I concluded, the minister of the church challenged my message by saying to everyone present: “We’ve heard about this kingdom, now let’s see the power of it!” After praying for a young man at his request, I turned to a young woman standing nearby, and caught a glimpse of something in her eyes. “May I pray for you?” I asked. “Yes,” she replied, very slowly. There was a note in her voice that indicated to me that her problem was a spiritual one.
No sooner had my hand gently touched her forehead than she was thrown through the air and landed between seats on the other side of the aisle. As I ministered to her, a voice screamed at me through her. I rebuked the evil spirit, and when I did she was set free. I later learned she had suffered from bulimia, an eating disorder, but was instantly healed when the evil spirit left her.
Months later I heard that she was still thanking God for her healing. The kingdom of God – His authoritative rule – had come upon her! (It was the impact of the Holy Spirit’s power on the evil spirit that had caused her to be thrown across the aisle.) My point is that the kingdom of God is not merely a concept or an ideal – it is a powerful reality!
Some Christians have erred in postponing the kingdom of God until the return of Jesus. In stripping their theology of his present-day authority and power, and in postponing spiritual gifts until the future arrival of the kingdom, they have clouded the world’s perception of God’s sovereignty over this earth.
The inspired apostle Paul writes of the kingdom of God not only as righteousness and peace, but also as joy in the Holy Spirit. (Romans 14:17) Joy is a sign of the kingdom in our midst. But although we now rejoice in the Holy Spirit, how many of us look forward to inheriting the kingdom in its complete expression here on earth, at our Master’s return? On the other hand, do we expect our prayer, “Your kingdom come!” to be answered only in a future event? In the Bible the kingdom is a present experience, as well as a promised inheritance.
God’s sovereign rule through our Master’s absolute authority “in heaven and in earth” (Matthew 28:19) is acknowledged by observers when we do the wonderful works that Jesus did – despite our human weaknesses and shortcomings.
The values contained in the Beatitudes are essential to the well-being of those who are submissive to the rule of their Master, because the practice of these values governs their conduct throughout the trials they endure in this life. Moreover, the values are spiritual benchmarks against which rewards will be assessed when our ruling Master in heaven becomes the reigning King over the whole world. God’s blessings rest upon those who exhibit these values.
Blessing Number One: “Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:3}
How to define “poor in spirit”? It is the dark cloud that blots out the warm sun on a bitterly cold day. It is the high tide of discouragement that threatens to overwhelm us when we are at our lowest point. The Hebrew and Greek words for “spirit” are also translated “breath.” The phrase “poor in spirit” refers to a person who is disheartened, one who is at a very low point in life. To those who are disheartened the news that God’s kingdom is theirs seems almost beyond belief. “Theirs is” indicates that the kingdom belongs to the poor in spirit now (or Jesus would have said, “The kingdom will be theirs”).
On Borneo and in the Philippines I have found the “poor in spirit” to be rich in the blessings of God. Their contentment in God and absolute faith in Jesus the Anointed One is their most precious possession. Filipinos depend on cooperative family relationships to help them during rice harvests. It’s then that the aged grandmother minds the small children and prepares and cooks food for the family. Individualism arises only when Western values intrude, and cooperation in the community then suffers accordingly.
Filipinos seem to cultivate their values more than other people. It’s not that they are content to regard poverty as a virtue and not have a desire to raise their standard of living; it’s just that they are not prepared to adopt the Western lifestyle at the expense of their strongly-held values (although many city-dwellers are, and sadly do). In the more rural provinces, relationships are important, and villagers respect and co-operate with one another. Christians in the Western world would do well to adopt the Filipino values system as their model for local church fellowship, because it’s very biblically based.
The Apostle Paul experienced poverty, but nowhere do we read of him being disheartened. He describes himself as “poor, yet making many rich.” Paul supported himself and his co-workers by his skill in tent-making. Yet his knowledge of the scriptures and close walk with God enriched the lives of those around him. We tend to forget that the spiritual riches we enjoy in the epistles of Ephesians, Philippians and Colossians were mined from God’s revelations to Paul during his years of imprisonment in Rome.
Instead of dismaying him, the state in which he found himself caused him to become increasingly dependent on God for support. (Philippians 4:13) We may think of Paul as focused and very intense: the characteristics of a choleric. But from the moment of his vision of Jesus on the road to Damascus he was dependent of his Master for support and protection.
Blinded by the light, he was led by the hand to the house in Damascus, where he was welcomed as “Brother Saul” by a disciple of Jesus named Ananias. When a plot to murder him was overheard, he was lowered down the wall of the city in a wicker basket. Years later, he was brought from Tarsus to Jerusalem by Barnabas, who introduced to the skeptical apostles. From the very beginning, dependency was the word that best described Paul’s ministry lifestyle.
Paul writes of himself as “unknown, and yet well known…” There had been a time when as Saul of Tarsus he was well known. As a descendant of Benjamin, as a Hebrew scholar, and as a strict Pharisee, his name and reputation would have been well known. But when he forsook his Hebrew name Saul and his status among the Jews, adopted the Latin name Paul, and began ministering to the Greeks, he lost all that he had held dear in life, Jewish leaders despised him for teaching that Jesus was the Anointed One. But because of his apostolic leadership and his letters to churches, the name Paul (by which he was known from the time of his appointment as an apostle in Antioch) soon became known worldwide.
Paul writes that for Jesus, he had “suffered the loss of all things” (Philippians 3:8); The Greek word for “possessing” implies holding firmly in possession. Through their faith, believers hold both present and future things in firm possession. (1 Corinthians 3:21-22) These things are ours by faith now, and will become ours by inheritance when Jesus returns.
In Mark 10:29-30 these things are listed, and to them is added the promise of a worldwide spiritual family.
“Very truly I say to you: there is no man who has left house, or brothers, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake and the gospel’s sake, that shall not receive a hundredfold now, in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life.”
This is kingdom language! (In the parallel texts of Matthew 19:29 and Luke 18:29, the words, “for my sake,” “for my name’s sake,” and “for the Kingdom of God’s sake,” are synonymous.) These texts impart measureless meaning to the word “blessed”! During our travels around the world my wife and I have enjoyed the rich fellowship of believers who have opened their hearts and their homes to us. On one occasion we left for three weeks of ministry in the UK with just $130 dollars. A “brother” who came to the airport to see us off gave us another $50 dollars.
After ministering for three weeks in the UK we changed our pounds sterling into Australian dollars at Heathrow Airport, and found that it amounted to $180. The same “brother” met us on our arrival at Brisbane International Airport, and we gave him back his $50. Three weeks in the UK for $180 would beat the budget of any backpacker – and we had stayed in lovely homes with wonderful people and had enjoyed delicious meals!
I remember reading Mark 10:29-30 to a group of believers gathered in a house in Somerset. When I said, “This house and everything in it belongs to me,” those present sucked in their collective breath and held it until I added, “But only if you believe that that I am God’s servant, and only for as long you believe that he would have me stay here.”
We should not see our new spiritual family as merely a substitute for the family we were been born into, but rather as one that will continue beyond this life into “the world to come.” Of course, we should urge members of the family we were born into to turn to God, accept the Master’s rule, and join us in our new spiritual family. We should pray that they will do so very soon, while there is yet time.
We see then that “the poor in spirit” hold the kingdom of heaven as both a future and present possession. (“Theirs is” indicates possession.) At present we receive “a hundredfold” more in the wider, spiritual family than what we had in the family we lost. (Mark 10:30). Hebrews 12:28 tells us that we are “receiving” a kingdom that cannot be shaken. (The word “receiving” is translated from the Greek word paralambano, which describes the act of reaching out and receiving a gift from someone.) We are not passively waiting for the kingdom to come to us, but are actively receiving and possessing it by faith, every day. Meantime, God is shaking “all things” so that, in the end, only His kingdom will remain intact.
The poor have the gospel preached to them (Matthew 11:5), and this makes them spiritually rich. I should mention that more members of our spiritualfamily live in thatched huts in Asia than thatched homes in England. But whether seated with crossed legs on the floor of a hut in Borneo or seated in style in the finest restaurant in Europe, we have found the quality of fellowship equally enjoyable.
We haven’t yet experienced the “with persecutions” bit included by Mark, but on our return it is always the precious fellowship of our overseas family that we most remember. No doubt we will feel the same about our fellowship with our family’s persecuted members, when we get to meet them.
These nine beatitudes – we’ll call them “double blessings” (a link toPsalm 1:1, where the Hebrew word “blessed” is plural) prove that the inward state of those who are spiritual has nothing at all to do with their outward circumstances. Happiness may be found in the midst of strange and even hostile situations.
Those who are doubly happy say, “Why should I allow my external condition to affect my internal state? The kingdom is mine. Not only am I rich spiritually but I also possess the kingdom, which means that all things are mine.”
The fact that they are ours as believers does not, of course, mean that we should continue to be influenced by the sinful nature that governed us before we were converted. (2 Corinthians 5:17) Nor can we abuse our spiritual family’s possessions (“I’ll borrow your car today!”) or trade on our spiritual relationships in an effort to evade work. (“How can you say we are “brothers” when you won’t lend me money?”)
Blessing Number Two: “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” (Matthew 5:4)
The second doubly happy group is comprised of those who mourn. “They shall be comforted,” Jesus promised. Again, we encounter what has been called “the now and the not yet” aspects of God’s kingdom. It is present in the spiritual dimension but is yet to appear in the fullest sense.
An important lesson we learn from this beatitude is that comfort comes only when loss is experienced. (2 Corinthians 1:3-4)Mourning is usually associated with bereavement: the loss of a loved one. But it is also possible to mourn over a lost relationship. Divorcees experience a kind of mourning after the “death” of the marriage relationship. We mourn, in fact, over many things: chances we never had; opportunities we had but never took; rock-solid friendships that crumbled under pressure; businesses that were destroyed by bad debt; happy times that we thought would last forever, but didn’t.
“You are doubly happy,” promised Jesus, “for you shall be comforted.”He said; “I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.” (John 14:18) The Greek word translated “comfortless” is one from which the word “orphans” is derived, and it means “left in the dark.” Jesus promised his disciples that he would not leave them out beyond the light in the darkness of the night. To us “left in the dark” is a familiar figure of speech for not being told something, but to mourners it is the fear of being left alone. The promise of Jesus is that we will be sought out and brought into the light of God’s family.
The Holy Spirit is “the Comforter” which was sent to take the place of Jesus in the lives of believers. In 2 Corinthians 1:3 the Apostle Paul writes of “the God of all comfort”; and from the following verses we learn that God’s Spirit comforts us to the point that we are able to comfort others. Comfort cannot come until loss is experienced, and when it is, a ministry of comfort may result.
The doubly happy person says, “I lost someone who meant a lot to me, but God came to me in my time of loss. He did not leave me in the dark. And now I am doing for others what He did for me. I am now a light in their darkness.God has turned my personal loss into their profit.” This is authentic New Age living!
Of course, the time will come when God will “wipe away all tears” from our eyes; but until then we have the comfort of this precious beatitude to help us through our times of loss.
Blessing Number Three: “Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.” (Matthew 5:5)
This beatitude is clearly a future promise: whenever the kingdom of God is spoken of as an “inheritance” it is a promise that can only be fulfilled at our Master’s return.Yet meekness is a strong, if little understood, virtue in a believer.It is a pity that simply because the two words rhyme, “meekness” is all too often associated with “weakness.” (Strangely no one equates “mild” with “wild.”) The fact is that meekness is not just despised because it rhymes with weakness, but because people rightly suspect that meekness really does mean weakness.
A meek man is a gentle man. But although meekness is seen as a desirable character trait in women, men seem to despise it in other men. They view a meek man with suspicion. (Underneath it all, is he really a coward?)
Most men would see this third beatitude or “double blessing” as a potential threat to their masculinity. A man doesn’t easily accept a promise of an earthly inheritance that relies upon a virtue which is totally foreign to him. Even spiritual men tend to explain meekness to other men in a way that will make it more acceptable. They prefer to define it as “bridled strength.”
This redefined “meekness” is often portrayed as the Quiet Hero type. Sure pilgrim, he’s meek, he’s real meek. But when pushed too far he explodes in violence! Of course, we knew that would happen, didn’t we? In fact we were waiting for the real man to emerge! Shucks, he’s meek, and many think he’s weak, but we know differently! But didn’t the hero in the white hat come good in the end?
Well, no; because the tall, silent stranger who rode into town wasn’t meek at all. Although outwardly mild, he was inwardly wild. It was just that he controlled his anger until he could do so no longer. Men who are really meek don’t blast into oblivion those who push them too far.
So let’s be honest, and call meekness what it really is: weakness in the eyes of men but strength in the eyes of God.
“The man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.” (Numbers 12:3) A study of the context reveals that Moses was “under fire” from his brother and his sister because of his marriage to a foreigner. Being “family” they claimed equal decision-making authority with Moses.
Moses did not react; he did not defend himself. He didn’t have to defend his leadership – God looked after that! (Numbers 12:4-9) And when, as the result of her rebelliousness, Miriam became leprous, her meek brother Moses interceded to God on her behalf. Now that’s meekness!
The meek remain happy even when they are misunderstood. They know that they have been promised the earth, so they can afford to give ground.
The meek are blessed with a double portion of happiness, because they are free from the need to prove anything to anyone. Their meekness is not of itself a virtue: it is just that when they areweak they are strong because God’s strength is made perfect in their weakness. (2 Corinthians 12:9) God’s anointing on them is at its strongest when they are at their weakest. If you are accustomed to doing things in your own strength you might find this hard to accept, but it’s the truth. You and I can glory in our weaknesses, because when we are weak the power of the Anointed One rests upon us. We can’t all be caught up to the Third heaven, as Paul was, but when we dwell under the canopy of his power we live in the Paradise of his presence.
This enables us to be free from the desire to have a macho image (and from the manipulative advertising that exploits that desire). We don’t have to prove a thing. It is God, not our desire for self-fulfillment, who is behind all that we do, and we should not allow anyone to pressure us to perform. We approach “difficult” people in love, and in a spirit of meekness, but when necessary we use words of authority to correct them. (1 Corinthians 4:21)
How does this relate to New Age values? Well, just as the poor in spirit possess the kingdom and the mourners make comfort their ministry, in the same way the meek have God as their Justifier, Defender and Avenger. Because they don’t have to prove anything, they are free to do whatis right in every situation –whether others approve or not.
Are they misunderstood? Of course they are! But they are so “blessed” that their promised inheritance – “the earth” – will be simply an extension of their present rule. After all, if you can rule yourself, you can rule anything.
Are you beginning to “see” the kingdom? Yes, it will be Future in the full sense when Jesus returns; but it is Present in his rule over our lives. Yes, we shall be rewarded then; and, yes, we are blessed now!
(Further study: Psalm 22:26; 25:9; 37:11; 76:9; 147:6; 149:4; Isaiah 11:4; 29:19; 61:1; Zephaniah 2:3; Matthew 11:29; 21:5 2 Corinthians 10:1; Galatians 5:23; 6:1; Ephesians 4:2; Colossians 3:12; 1 Timothy 6:11; 2 Timothy 2:25; Titus 3:2; James 1:21; 3:13; 1 Peter 3:4,15)
Blessing Number Four: “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.” (Matthew 5:6)
This beatitude ought to dismiss any doubts we may have entertained as to whether the kingdom is future only, for if it were then righteousness could not be ours in this life.
But “God made him who knew no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might be made the righteousness of God.” (2 Corinthians 5:21) Grace reigns through righteousness. (Romans 5:21) The members of our body – arms, legs, tongue – are “instruments of righteousness.” (Romans 6:13)
The New Testament texts which state the fact of our present good standing in Jesus are too numerous to list here.Paul lists them in his letterto theRomans. In 2 Corinthians 9:10, he states that our righteousness bears fruit in this life.
As to the future fulfillment of this beatitude: one can only wonder. Jeremiah prophesied that God would one day be known as “The LORD Our Righteousness.” (Jeremiah 23:6) Paul wrote of the believers at Philippi being “filled with the fruits of righteousness,” which, he said, were “by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.” (Philippians 1:11) “Filled with the fruit of righteousness”? It goes without saying that to have the fullness of the fruit of righteousness they must first have had the righteousness that produced it.
Of course, there’s also the opposite: “Being filled with all unrighteousness…” (Romans 1:29) In the following verses, Paul lists the sins which the human race is full of (verses 30-32).Being “filled with the fruits of righteousness” is the very opposite of being “filled will all unrighteousness.” Filled” means, “no part left empty.”
The “righteousness” we received through Justification, produces fruit as a result of Sanctification – the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Without doubt, the greatest enemy of God’s righteousness is self-righteousness: to be filled with one it is necessary that we be emptied of the other.
Many do not “hunger and thirst” after righteousness because they are quite satisfied with their own righteousness. So what’s it to be: self-righteousness and a degree of satisfaction, or God’s righteousness and the complete satisfaction that results? “He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty.” (Luke 1:53) We can be blessed by God to the full, or we can live a semi-satisfied life – the choice is ours.
That there is a present, spiritual aspect to the Kingdom of God is very clear. That the Kingdom is yet to come in the fullest sense at the return of Jesus is equally clear.
There are some verses that apply to us now (and any honest bible teacher must include them), and there are some verses – perhaps the majority – that can only apply to us in the future (and these must also be included).Those verses that apply now include John 3:3,6; 1 Corinthians 4:30; Romans 14:17 and Colossians 1:13.
Jesus said to Pontius Pilate: “My kingdom is not of this world.” (John 18:36) The word “of” refers to origin. Jesus was not saying that his kingdom would never be an earthly one. He was simply saying that “this world” was not its origin. “But now [at this time] my kingdom is not from here.”
Jesus was saying that his kingdom was from heaven; its source, its origin, was “not of this world [order].” The inclusion of the word “now” is very important. The Greek word translated “now” means, “at this time” (as in Romans 3:26). Although Jesus stated that at that time his kingdom was not an earthly one, the qualifying word “now” indicated that a day would come when it would be.
The conflict at the time was between the spiritual kingdoms of God and Satan. Jesus the Anointed One faced and won the spiritual battle alone. The field of battle was the Garden of Gethsemane, where he prayed while his disciples slept; Pilate’s judgement hall, where he testified while Peter denied him and the others fled; and the hill of Calvary, where passers-by mocked him as he bled and died.
The final conflict after our Master’s return to earth will be decisive. Jesus now rules his church from heaven, but he will then rule as “King of kings and Lord of lords”!
Blessing Number Five: “Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.” (Matthew 5:7)
In the Apostle Paul’s letters to Timothy and Titus, and in the Apostle John’s second letter, “mercy” is placed between grace and peace in the opening greeting. This is because mercy cannot be experienced until grace is obtained, and peace results from the experience of mercy.
Christians approach the throne of grace confidently so as to obtain mercy. (Hebrews 4:16) Because of the sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross, and his role as our High Priest since sitting down at God’s right hand, God’s throne is a throne of grace. (1 Timothy 2:5)
“After the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us…that being justified by His grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” (Titus 3:4-7)
But mercy must not stop where it is received: the person who has received mercy must in turn be merciful. Who better to show mercy than one who has received it? This is the point of the fifthbeatitude.
The Dead Sea is so named because water flows into it and there it stops. The life that flows into it cannot flow through it and beyond it, so it dies. Although rich in chemicals, the water of the Dead Sea is unfit for drinking or irrigation. It is the lowest point on earth below sea level.
So it is also with the merciless: those who, obtain mercy but refuse to show mercy to others. But the merciful will obtain mercy, not only at the return of Christ (2 Timothy 1:16:18) but also in this present life.
“For there will be no mercy to those who have shown no mercy. But if you have been merciful, then God’s mercy toward you will win out over His judgement against you.” (James 2:13 – The Living Bible)
King David sinned greatly in the matter of Uriah, not only in that he committed adultery with Uriah’s wife, but also in that he committed premeditated murder in arranging the loyal soldier’s death. But David repented greatly. The depth of his repentance is seen in Psalm 51, which records David’s desperate plea for mercy.
David’s cry was heard and he was forgiven. The child born of his adultery died, but the fact that the next child was not only permitted to live but also to inherit David’s throne, speaks volumes of God’s grace and mercy. The “sure mercies of David” are unfailing.
Psalm 136 is more than a history of Israel: it is a recital of the history of God’s mercy and loving care for His people, verse by verse, followed by their grateful responses. We should read it often and respond to it likewise. God’s mercy cannot be obtained as a result of religious effort or self-humiliation. Nor can it be earned, for mercy, by definition, is compassion shown to one in trouble, even if that trouble results from one’s own foolishness.
The Jewish religious leaders in the time of Jesus were preoccupied with sacrifices and ritual. But Jesus directed them to what God really wanted: “mercy, not sacrifice.” (Hosea 6:6) Mercy deals with the heart of the giver as well as the need of the receiver.
That’s why Paul linked cheerfulness to showing mercy. (Romans 12:8) It is impossible to truly minister mercy while at the same time begrudging it. Cheerfulness indicates acceptance rather than judgement of the person, despite his or her mistake.
Jesus likened sinners to “those who are sick” and in need of a physician. (Matthew 9:12) They may be sinners but your love of mercy must triumph over your inclination to judge them. Are their family problems directly related to money shortages attributable to gambling or heavy drinking? Perhaps so, but instead of judging them, show mercy on them by helping them! When you do, you may find them more willing to listen to you.
Authentic (by which I mean scriptural) New Age values deal with internalsmore than externals. The moment we judge a person as unworthy, we withhold mercy from that person and place ourselves under God’s judgement. We will reap what we sow, and the judgement we receive may be that others repay us in kind.
But if we show mercy cheerfully, then mercy may open the way for them to join us in the kingdom. Of course, they must first be “reborn” spiritually to see the kingdom; but whereas judgement would have repelled them, mercy will attract them.
“If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink,” the Apostle Paul wrote; “for in so doing you shall heap coals of fire upon his head.” (Romans 12:20) The “coals of fire” are not your judgements but the person’s own sense of shame. He may have been able to resist your vengeance, but he will be unable to resist your mercy.
The alternative to our showing mercy is not promising. In Matthew 18:23-35, in a “kingdom of heaven” parable, Jesus plainly links any unwillingness to forgiveto futurepunishment. (The words “compassion” and “pity” in verse 33 of the King James Version are elsewhere translated “mercy.”)
Mercy is not only tomorrow’s reward but also today’s blessing! “Have mercy on us!” is the cry of millions of people, worldwide. The difference between judgement and mercy is that judgement reacts and punishes, whereas mercy responds and forgives.
Blessing Number Six: “Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.” (Matthew 5:8)
The search for personal purity is a long, and, at times, agonizing one. We live in a spiritually and morally unclean world. A great number of people have become familiar with Ouija boards and other occult practices. Television flashes evil images into our homes, and pornography can be found on computers and handheld devices with a click. Glossy magazines promote the decadent lifestyles of the ungodly as glamorous. The temptation to lower our standards is presented as a reasonable alternative to “narrow-minded thinking.”
The Master’s statement that the pure in heart shall see God clearly implies that the impure shall not. The question, then, is how in the world can you and I become that pure?
Three Greek words are translated “pure” in the King James Version. According to W E Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words (Zondervan), they are hagnos – “pure from defilement”; eilikrines – “pure, as being tested (and found unmixed)”; and katharos – “pure, as being cleansed.”
The word hagnos has its root in the word hagios – “holy” – and is related to modesty and innocence. In 2 Corinthians 7:11 it is translated “clear”; in 2 Corinthians 11:2, Titus 2:5 and 1 Peter 3:2 it is translated “chaste”; and in Philippians 4:8, 1 Timothy 5:22 and James 3:17 it is translated “pure.”
“And every man that has this hope in him purifies himself, even as He is pure.” (1 John 3:3) This refers to the hope of being “like” God and seeing Him “as He is” in the Resurrection. This kind of purity has holiness as its source.
The word eilikrines, which is translated “pure” in 2 Peter 3:1, is elsewhere translated “sincere” and means “tested by sunlight.” It is associated with the ancient practice of placing sculpted works in the heat of the sun, so that any cracks or defects filled with wax would become apparent when the wax melted.
The word katharos is translated “pure” in this sixth beatitude: “Blessed are the pure in heart.” Now that we know that it refers to a purity that comes from cleansing, we can relate it to John 15:3 – “You are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.” It is also found in John 13:10-11; Acts 18:6; Acts 20:26; Romans 14:20; Titus 1:15; Hebrews 10:22-23; and in 18 other New Testament texts.
The English word “catharsis,” which describes a purging, is derived from this Greek word. The ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle believed that artistic performance which caused “highs” and “lows” in an audience were useful in relieving people of their unhealthy, bottled-up emotions. We now call this kind of performance a Tear-jerker or Soap Opera. A confession of one’s sins or crimes is known as “a cathartic revelation”: a cleansing of the soul. Luke 11:41, and Titus 1:15, both deal with thebeliever’sfreedom from external Jewish ceremonial washings. It’s clear that being clean on the inside is what matters most.
The first miracle that Jesus did was to change common washing water into fine wine. Through this miracle Jesus introduced the change from ritualism to enjoyment that he would bring. When he contrasted the careful washing of hands before eating with the unclean thoughts of the heart, Jesus was not dismissing the need for basic hygiene but was pointing out the need of a cleansing that would be more than superficial. (Matthew 15:1-20)
So the “pure in heart” are those who have been cleansed; and since their sincere hope is to see God in the Resurrection and to be changed into His image, they take care to keep themselves clean. (1 John 3:3)
But by what kingdom principle are those who are “pure in heart” certain to be “blessed” in this life – a principle that brings an increase in personal purity that will enable believers to “see His face”? (Revelation 22:4)
The principle is that our actions towards God determine His actions toward us. This principle works both positively and negatively: for our benefit or to our disadvantage. It works not only in regard to personal purity but in regard to other aspects of our character.
Psalm 18 is also found, with minor changes, in 2 Samuel 22. In verses 24-26 of the Psalm are words which may well have been the basis of the Master’s beatitudes.
“Therefore has the LORD repaid me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanliness of my hands in His sight. With the merciful you will show yourself merciful; with an upright man you will show yourself upright. With the pure you will show yourself pure; and with the crooked you will show yourself subtle.”
Before being renamed Israel by the Almighty, Jacob was seriously “twisted”! The name Jacob means “usurper” – “One who seizes power or position without right.” (Webster’s Dictionary) He was a human corkscrew!
How did God change Jacob the unprincipled into Israel the prince? He simply allowed him to go into business with Laban his uncle, who was more crooked than Jacob. Laban was so crooked that he switched his nephew’s wife on his wedding night! Over the nexttwenty years, he changedJacob’swages ten times. God alone enabled Jacob to extricate himself from financial and familial bondage!
Finally, God wrestled with Jacob at Jabbok. The word translated “froward” in the King James Version of Psalm 18:26 is translated “wrestle” in a marginal reference. “With the crooked (twisted, distorted) you will wrestle.” Jacob’s actions towards God determined God’s actions towards Jacob.
The same goes for mercy, righteousness, and pureness of heart. “Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.” Our attitude towards God determines His attitude toward us.
Every Christian is “pure in heart” in that every one of us has been cleansed. “Pure in heart” means pure in attitude, in integrity. The pure see purity where the impure see only filth.
Personal purity enables us to see God in His people, who are “new creations” in the Anointed One. (2 Corinthians 5:17) We see the Father in the Son. (John 14:7, 9) We see purity because we purify ourselves: our desires, our minds, our social and personal relationships.
Blessing Number Seven: “Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.” (Matthew 5:9)
The Greek word translated “peacemaker” (eirenopoios) is an adjective that signifies peace-making. Its verb form is used in Colossians 1:20 – “And having made peace through the blood of his cross…”
The aim of the peacemaker is reconciliation. In spiritual terms, reconciliation was expressed very well in the bumper sticker of a few years ago that read: “IF YOU’RE NOT CLOSE TO GOD, GUESS WHO MOVED?” God did not need to be reconciled to us – we needed to be reconciled to Him! The blood of Jesus made this possible. God wanted His enemies to take hold of His strength: to come to Him for refuge, and to make peace with Him. (Isaiah 27:5) Reconciliation is at the heart of all God’s actions – including His judgements. (Amos 4)
Peace-making is risky business! The peacemaker is usually the “meat in the sandwich” – compressed between two opposites. For this reason, and because peacemakers are often viewed as meddling do-gooders, even those who are spiritual shy away from their role as God’s peacemakers.
Again we see that the world’s perception of what is essentially a God-given (and therefore life-giving) principle has moulded our thinking. Why are peacemakers so often regarded as meddlers? For much the same reason that the meek are usually viewed as weak – misinformation! Jesus set ouragenda,the world changed it, and we accepted the change.
Sam Colt’s “Peacemaker” pistol was an example of the thinking of his day. It didn’t bring people together but blew them apart! “How terrible,” you say. But it was just an early example of today’s “quick fix – peace at the price of one of the two parties. Peace by elimination! Many of the world’s problems are still “solved” this way.It’s not the Master’s way. The ability to shoot straight (in the literal sense) was never a New Age Christian value.
There is a difference between being children of God and being called or identified as the children of God. We are children of God by the new birth. But children are known by their relationship to their parents. Thus, people observe that so-and-so is “just like his father!” The child’s behaviour is a pointer to his parentage.
The peacemakers are called “the children of God” because their actions point people to God. These actions are remarkable. They differ from the actions of the ungodly. Their ways are in sharp contrast to the accepted ways of the world.
“But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you, that you may be the children of your Father, which is in heaven…” (Matthew 5:44,45)
What makes our divine parentage apparent is the fact that our behaviour is the opposite of what most people expect.
“He makes His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you receive? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? If you are friendly only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even the heathen do that. So be perfect, as your Father in heaven is perfect.” (Matthew 5:45-48)
Reactive, negative behaviour is sinful. It shows clearly that the person who is reacting is imperfect, and so is not responding as God would. There is nothing about the reactive person that would lead onlookers to remark on his godly nature.In the previous beatitude, we learned the principle of “action and reaction”: that God behaves toward us as we behave toward Him. But in this beatitude we see a principle of non-reaction! We do not act toward others as they act toward us. We do not react negatively but respond positively!
Luke puts the same message this way: “But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and you shall be called the children of the Highest: for He is kind to the unthankful and to the evil. (Luke 6:35)
Note that Luke does not say (as Matthew does): “Be perfect, therefore as your Father in heaven is perfect.” He says, “Be merciful, therefore, as your Father also is merciful.” (Luke 6:36)
Why the difference? No difference, really, because God’s perfection is seen in His mercy. And our parentage is seen in the mercy we show others, even if they have shown us none.
Jesus said to the Jews who sought to kill Him: “I speak that which I have seen with my Father: and you do that which you have seen with your father.” (John 8:38)
Proof of parentage! Jesus said: “You do the deeds of your father.” (Satan) “Then they said to him: “We are not born of fornication; we have one Father: God.”
Jesus replied: “If God were your Father, you would love me…you are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father you will do. He was a murderer from the beginning…he is a liar, and the father of it (the lie).” (John 8:44)
“For he is our peace…and came and preached peace…” (Ephesians 2:14, 17)Since Jesus is “the firstborn of many brethren,” peacemaking must run in the family Astound the world! Confound the warmongers! Be known as a peacemaker, a child of God!
Blessing Number Eight: “Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:10)
Let’s understand what persecution is not. It’s not your workmates getting under your skin because you recently become a Christian. Nor is it the cutting remarks of a family member or friend who thinks you’ve “got religion” and wants you back “the way you were.”
The Greek word “dioko” – translated “persecuted” – has its root in “dio” – “to flee.” W E Vine says that “dioko” means, (a) “to put to flight, drive away”; and (b) “to pursue, whence the meaning to persecute.” This word is used 44 times in the New Testament. It is translated “follow after,” six times, mostly in a positive sense, as in Romans 14:19 and 1 Corinthians 14:1.
The spiritual believer who was persecuted more than any other – in the First Century, anyway – was the Apostle Paul. Paul was persecuted “from city to city” – exactly as Jesus had said would happen to his followers. (Matthew 23:34)
Paul himself had been the church’s chief persecutor. “I persecuted (pursued) this way unto the death,” he wrote years later. “I persecuted [those who believed in Jesus] even unto foreign cities” – cities that were outside his nation. (Acts 26:11) While face down in the dust of the Damascus Road, he was informed that he was really persecuting Jesus. (Acts 9:4-5)
The man who had pursued so many Christians was himself then pursued – with a vengeance!
It goes without saying that persecution which follows unwise behaviour on the believer’s part will go unrewarded. “For righteousness’ sake” is the qualification. Present blessings and promised future rewards are for the faithful, not for the foolish or the fanatical.
“Theirs is” (indicating possession) is used in this verse, as it was in the first beatitude. “Theirs is” – what? “The Kingdom of Heaven”— that’s what! Only the “poor in spirit” and the “persecuted” are spoken of as possessing the kingdom. This is not just a future promise–it’s a present fact. It explains why so many Christian martyrs have died so well. When the Apostle Paul spoke of dying daily he did not mean “dying to self” he meant that he lived with the likelihood of being killed because of his confession. The first Christian martyr, Stephen –whose name means, “a wreath” (as won by Greek athletes) may barely have felt the stones that bruised and battered his body – the kingdom was his already!
It becomes apparent that at this moment in his sermon, the heart of Jesus is touched as a result of his prophetic insight. These disciples who sit before him are to be hunted and hounded the world over— “hated by all men for my name’s sake.” (Matthew 10:22)
Until this point, Jesus has spoken of his followers in reference to their qualities: “the poor in spirit,” “the meek,” “the merciful,” and so on. But in verse 11, he uses the personal pronoun.
Blessing Number Nine: “Blessed are you, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall tell all manner of lies against you, for my sake. Rejoice and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets that were before you.” (Matthew 5:11-12)
It seems that Jesus saw his first disciples as the expression of all the virtues he had been speaking about. The meek, the merciful, and so on, would exhibit all these virtues. The blessings rest on the virtues in a similar way to which the Holy Spirit descended (“in the form of a dove”) and rested on Jesus at his baptism. There is compatibility between these virtues and these blessings. But in being the first to exhibit the virtues, the flesh and blood men Jesus had come to know so intimately, and who had left all to follow him, would pay a terrible price.
All who suffer persecution will be blessed; and these men, who were to become the foundation of the church (Ephesians 2:20), would all too soon need the reassurance that would come when they remembered their Master’s words.
False accusations would be leveled at the Apostles. The Romans, ignorant as to the true meaning of communion, would charge Christ’s followers with cannibalism. Because of their godly love for one another, Christian men would mistakenly be called homosexuals. False witnesses would charge them with treason against Rome, and they would be reviled, shunned and hunted because of their bold witness for Jesus.
What should their response be?
Firstly, they should know that the kingdom was theirs in present possession (verse 10). They would experience it as “righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 14:17)
Secondly, they should know that their future reward would far exceed whatever pain they might experience (verse 12).
Thirdly, they should identify themselves with the prophets, God’s true witnesses in Old Testament times (verse 12). They would be links in a long chain of faithful witnesses.
“Rejoice, and be exceeding glad,” Jesus instructed them. Luke, in his parallel account, writes: “Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy”! (Luke 6:23) The Greek word used for “leap for joy” (skirtao) means, to skip for joy, to frisk – like a young lamb does. The only other place it is used in the New Testament is in Luke, chapter one (verses 41 and 44) where we read that Elizabeth’s unborn baby “leaped for joy” when Mary, who was pregnant with Jesus, greeted her.
Why did the six-month-old John the Baptist “skip for joy”? He did so because was filled with the Holy Spirit from his mother’s womb! (Luke 1:15) After the apostles had been beaten by the Jewish religious leaders for witnessing of Jesus, they left “rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name.” (Acts 5:41)
Shame for the name of Jesus the Anointed One is something of a novelty in our society. Persecution brings those who love their Master Jesus out into the open, whereas acceptance by society tends to keep them quiet.
“The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.” (Tertullian) Persecution not only brings believers out into the open: it also brings to the surface the evil that is otherwise hidden in the unbelieving majority. An apathetic society will ignore Christians. A nation preoccupied with materialism will tolerate Christians. But when Christians confront their nation, their city, their neighbourhood, with the claims of their Master Jesus, the dormant antagonism and the latent evil nature of humans are aroused. (Acts 19)
The church deacon Stephen preached a long historical message to the Jewish leaders of his day, to which they paid quiet attention. Then he added a short rebuke which made them “gnash their teeth”! Stephen’s final sentence made them so mad they stoned him to death on the spot. (Acts 7:56) In that sentence he bore witness to the fact that the risen, ascended and glorified Jesus was now in an exalted position at his Father’s right hand.
Paul writes in Ephesians of Jesus as “seated” in that place of honour, but in Acts 7:56 we read that Stephen sees Jesus “standing” there. Did Jesus rise to his feet to acclaim Stephen’s bold witness? I can imagine him clapping the church’s first martyr, and I’m sure that you can, too.
In time, the witness and manner of Stephen’s dying resulted in the salvation of Saul, who would go on to become the great Apostle Paul. God used Paul to change the world, but the martyred Stephen was the man whom God used to change the man who changed the world!
So the Beatitudes, the “double blessings” of the Master’s Sermon on the Mount, are not merely ideals, as you might have thought. They are, in fact, powerful truths that are capable of turning our 21st Century world “upside down,”—we would say “right side up”—as they did the world of the first apostles, 2000 years ago.
In the late 1940’s, Mahatma Gandhi put some of the truths of the Sermon on the Mount into practice and forced Great Britain to grant India National Independence. In the 1960’s, “Passive Non-violence” changed the face of the USA. Like all true Christians, I believe in submitting to authorities – in “giving Caesar his due” (except in matters of conscience. In such matters we obey God rather than man, and accept the consequences).
The Beatitudes are spiritual blessings that rest upon those who practice the values introduced by Jesus 2000 years ago, as the New Age was about to begin. We should not only teach them but practice them. These values are as relevant today as they were at the time when Jesus introduced them.
“So teach us to number our days” prays the psalmist—count them and place a value on them—“so that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.” (Psalm 90:12) We should also ask God to teach us to number our blessings, not least these nine beatitudes, or ”double blessings”—benedictions, really—pronounced upon us by our Master as we serve him in the service of others.