REV. LYNN’S BLOG

Posts Tagged ‘ministry’

When we talk about ordination in relation to the Royal Priesthood, it is important that we remember that we are not talking about “ministry” in the sense of an exclusive group within the Church, but of the whole Body of Christ. We are all “ordained” to be priests of God.

In the Old Testament the ordination ceremony consisted of four elements: washing, clothing, anointing and consecration.

First, the priestly candidates were to be brought to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting and washed with water. (Exodus 29:4Exodus 29:4
English: World English Bible - WEB
4 You shall bring Aaron and his sons to the door of the tent of meeting, and shall wash them with water.

WP-Bible plugin) This indicated to the whole congregation (and also reminded the priests themselves) that they, like everyone else, needed to be cleansed before they could approach the Throne of God. Unlike false religions, which elevated their priests as holy men, and sometimes even as semi-gods, God wanted it clearly understood that these were ordinary men, sinners in need of God’s mercy and forgiveness, and that they held their position not because of any merit of their own but because of God’s grace which had caused them to be born into the priestly line.

We also need to remember that God’s gracious choice of us does not make us better than those in the world. Like them, we needed – and continue to need – God’s forgiveness and mercy. When I was a child there was a saying which was applied regularly on seeing someone in worse circumstances than ourselves: “There, but for the grace of God, go I.” It is a truth we would do well to remember as we reach out even to those we consider the worst of sinners, lest we fall into the trap (of which unbelievers so often accuse us) of thinking ourselves better than those to whom we minister.

Secondly, the priests were clothed in the priestly garments. This spoke both of their “setting apart” for the priesthood, and the fact that they were clothed with an authority which was not their own. Exodus 28:40Exodus 28:40
English: World English Bible - WEB
40 “You shall make coats for Aaron’s sons, and you shall make sashes for them and headbands shall you make for them, for glory and for beauty.

WP-Bible plugin says that the garments were “to give them dignity and honour.” Even though they were ordinary men, they were called to an extraordinary function, and were given the authority for that function. They were to be respected, not because of who they were in themselves, but because of the office in which they stood.

Although we, too, are ordinary people, we have also been called to a high office. As priests unto our God we are His ambassadors (2 Cor 5:202 Cor 5:20
English: World English Bible - WEB
20 We are therefore ambassadors on behalf of Christ, as though God were entreating by us. We beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.

WP-Bible plugin), and as such we have an authority which is not our own, but is a part of the office to which we are called. We are called to walk in humility, but not to be “doormats”. We need to stand tall in the dignity and honour with which God has clothed us, and not be afraid to walk in that authority.

Next, the priest was anointed by pouring oil on his head. (Exodus 29:7Exodus 29:7
English: World English Bible - WEB
7 Then you shall take the anointing oil, and pour it on his head, and anoint him.

WP-Bible plugin) The oil spoke of God’s favour and blessing (Ps 23:5Ps 23:5
English: World English Bible - WEB
5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil. My cup runs over.

WP-Bible plugin). Since oil is used for lubrication, it also spoke of God’s enabling, equipping the priest for his service; and since oil was also used for burning, it spoke of God’s empowering.

We also need God’s favour and blessing, His enabling and equipping, and His empowering. We receive it in our “personal Pentecost”, when the Holy Spirit comes upon us in power not to bring us into the Kingdom of God, but to release us as God’s priests, as His witnesses. When we consider that even Jesus, who was God in the flesh, did not begin His earthly ministry until He had received that power outpouring from the Spirit at His baptism, how much more do we need it! The Baptism in the Holy Spirit was never meant to be just a nice spiritual experience – it is meant to equip us for all that God has called us to be.

Finally, the priests were consecrated. One ram was used to consecrate the altar and the sacred objects. Then the priests laid their hands on the second ram, identifying with it ( Exodus 29:19Exodus 29:19
English: World English Bible - WEB
19 “You shall take the other ram; and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on the head of the ram.

WP-Bible plugin), after which it was slaughtered. No-one could possibly mistake the significance that this consecration was a consecration unto death! The moment the future priest laid his hands on that ram, he became a dead man. His life was no longer his own. Self no longer had any place. Then, just to emphasise it even further, the first place the blood was daubed was on his right ear. This was a reminder of the law which allowed a slave who was due for release to bind himself permanently to his master. If the slave indicated that he did not want to leave his master, the master was to take him before the judges, stand him beside a doorpost and pierce his earlobe with an awl (Exodus 21:6Exodus 21:6
English: World English Bible - WEB
6 then his master shall bring him to God, and shall bring him to the door or to the door-post, and his master shall bore his ear through with an awl, and he shall serve him for ever.

WP-Bible plugin), after which the slave was bound to his master for life. Thus the priest was bound to the Lord for a lifetime of service. The blood was then daubed on the thumb of his right hand and the big toe of his right foot, indicating that the priest no longer had right of control over what he did in service for the Lord, or where he went.

Our sacrificial Lamb was slain for us at Calvary. We were happy to identify with Him in His death on our behalf, bearing away our sins. But have we really come to understand that identifying with Him means identifying with His death? That we, like the priests of old, have been consecrated unto death? That death to self is not an optional extra of our Christian walk, but the very heart and essence of it? That we no longer have rights over our lives, or to choose our form or place of service?

When we came to Jesus, we were ordained into the Royal Priesthood, and priests have to be every bit as dead as the sacrifice they offer.

This blog is © copyright Lynn Fowler.

There is one God, and one mediator between God and people, the man Christ Jesus (1 Timothy 2:51 Timothy 2:5
English: World English Bible - WEB
5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,

WP-Bible plugin)in Whom all the fullness of the Godhead dwells in bodily form (Colossians 2:9Colossians 2:9
English: World English Bible - WEB
9 For in him all the fullness of the Godhead dwells bodily,

WP-Bible plugin)and Whom God the Father has exalted to the highest place, giving Him the Name which is above every name, that at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:9-11Philippians 2:9-11
English: World English Bible - WEB
9 Therefore God also highly exalted him, and gave to him the name which is above every name; ¹⁰ that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, those on earth, and those under the earth, ¹¹ and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

WP-Bible plugin)

Today we are looking at the second thing which a priesthood has in common, and that is their place of service.

When the Old Testament priesthood was first formed under Moses, the place of service was the Tabernacle, the tent which accompanied the Israelites in their travels. At the centre of the Tabernacle was the Holy of Holies, where the Ark of the Covenant was placed, and where God “dwelt” in the midst of His people. The entire service of the priesthood was carried out within the confines of the Tabernacle, in the place of God’s presence.

When the Temple was built under Solomon, it had the same basic layout as the Tabernacle: the outer court, which was open to the people, the Holy Place, where only the priests could go, and the Holy of Holies, where the Ark of the Covenant was kept, and which could be entered only by the High Priest, and then only once a year and with special restrictions. God chose to manifest His presence, the Shekinah, in the Temple. Again, the whole of the priestly service was carried out within the Temple. God made it very clear that He would not accept sacrifices which were offered anywhere other than at the Temple in Jerusalem.

After the death of Solomon, God divided the nation, giving the northern half to Jeroboam. (1 Kings

11:31) He accompanied this with an awesome promise: “as for you, I will take you, and you will rule over all that your heart desires; you will be king over Israel. If you do whatever I command you and walk in my ways and do what is right in my eyes by keeping my statutes and commands, as David my servant did, I will be with you. I will build you a dynasty as enduring as the one I built for David and will give Israel to you.” (1 Kings 11:381 Kings 11:38
English: World English Bible - WEB
38 It shall be, if you will listen to all that I command you, and will walk in my ways, and do that which is right in my eyes, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as David my servant did; that I will be with you, and will build you a sure house, as I built for David, and will give Israel to you.

WP-Bible plugin) Jeroboam’s kingship was guaranteed by God, as long as Jeroboam obeyed God. That obedience included the priesthood serving God in the Temple at Jerusalem.

However, Jeroboam obviously did not believe God’s promise. He decided that if the people continued to go to the Temple in Jerusalem to worship, they would return to serving Rehoboam, the King of Judah, and that his own life could be in danger as a result. To counteract this possibility he established new worship centres at Dan and Bethel, made golden calves as the “gods” who reigned from them, and set up a priesthood of his own choosing for their worship. (1 Kings 12:25-331 Kings 12:25-33
English: World English Bible - WEB
25 Then Jeroboam built Shechem in the hill-country of Ephraim, and lived therein; and he went out from there, and built Penuel. ²⁶ Jeroboam said in his heart, Now will the kingdom return to the house of David: ²⁷ if this people go up to offer sacrifices in the house of Yahweh at Jerusalem, then will the heart of this people turn again to their lord, even to Rehoboam king of Judah; and they will kill me, and return to Rehoboam king of Judah. ²⁸ Whereupon the king took counsel, and made two calves of gold; and he said to them, It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem: see your gods, Israel, which brought you up out of the land of Egypt. ²⁹ He set the one in Bethel, and the other put he in Dan. ³⁰ This thing became a sin; for the people went to worship before the one, even to Dan. ³¹ He made houses of high places, and made priests from among all the people, who were not of the sons of Levi. ³² Jeroboam ordained a feast in the eighth month, on the fifteenth day of the month, like the feast that is in Judah, and he went up to the altar; so did he in Bethel, sacrificing to the calves that he had made: and he placed in Bethel the priests of the high places that he had made. ³³ He went up to the altar which he had made in Bethel on the fifteenth day in the eighth month, even in the month which he had devised of his own heart: and he ordained a feast for the children of Israel, and went up to the altar, to burn incense.

WP-Bible plugin)

Notice that Jeroboam’s idolatry began with his refusal to accept the Temple at Jerusalem as the only legitimate place of service to God.

So how does all this relate to us as the New Testament priesthood? Firstly, we know that for us the place of service is not physical. We have a bad habit of referring to buildings as “churches”, but the building is not the church, it is merely the place where the church meets. The word refers to us both corporately and individually as God’s Temple. However, the principle which carries through from the Old Testament is that the Temple was the place of God’s presence. Just as the whole of the Old Testament priests’ service was carried out in the place of God’s presence, so our service as New Testament priests can only be carried out in the place of His presence.

The minute we try to move out from God’s presence to carry out our service to Him, we fall into the error of Jeroboam. If we will not serve God in the place of His choosing, then it is not God we are serving but a god of our own creation. Moving out of God’s presence inevitably and invariably leads to idolatry.

In the Temple the Holy of Holies contained the Ark of the Covenant. The covenant is the absolutely binding relationship between the Lord and us. When we move away from His presence, we move away from that relationship, and all the strength and benefits that that relationship brings.

The Ark of the Covenant contained the tablets of the Law, which spoke of God’s righteousness. As New Covenant priests we don’t have an external law written on tablets of stone. Rather, God has given us His righteousness and written His law on our hearts by the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. If we move away from the place of His presence, we move away from His righteousness. Without His righteousness, we are left to stand in our own righteousness, which is no righteousness at all.

The Ark also contained the pot of Manna, speaking of God’s provision. God’s provision, both spiritual and material, cannot be separated from His person. Much as some would try, it is not possible to take the gift without the giver. Thus, when we separate ourselves from the place of God’s presence, we are also separating ourselves from the place of His provision.

Finally the Ark held Aaron’s rod that budded, speaking of God’s power. The only way to move in God’s power is to be connected to the power supply. When we remove ourselves from the place of His presence, we remove ourselves from that supply.

When we look at the two distinctives of priesthood, it is obvious that they can only be exercised in the presence of God. Firstly, priesthood is about access to God. It should be obvious that we only have access to God by coming to Him, yet so many try to access Him by reading about Him or listening to sermons about Him, or through the prayers of others. Don’t get me wrong. Books are great (I’m a writer, I have to say that!). Sermons are great (I’m a preacher, I have to say that too!). Intercession is great (and yes, I’m an intercessor so I have to say that too!). But all those things can only give you a second hand relationship with God. A priest has access. To have access, you have to personally enter into His presence.

Secondly, priesthood is about representation – representing God to the world, and the world to God. Again, it should be obvious that this can only be done from the presence of God. It is not enough for us to take the God whom we know only on a second hand basis and try to present Him to a desperately needy world on a third hand basis. Nor can we hope to bring the needs of that world before God unless we actually personally come before Him.

In the Old Testament there was no legitimate place of priestly service other than the Tabernacle and later the Temple. In the New Covenant there is no possible place of priestly service other than the place of God’s presence. Are you serving in and from His presence, or are you trying to serve somewhere else?

This blog is © copyright Lynn Fowler.

There is one God, and one mediator between God and people, the man Christ Jesus (1 Timothy 2:51 Timothy 2:5
English: World English Bible - WEB
5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,

WP-Bible plugin)in Whom all the fullness of the Godhead dwells in bodily form (Colossians 2:9Colossians 2:9
English: World English Bible - WEB
9 For in him all the fullness of the Godhead dwells bodily,

WP-Bible plugin)and Whom God the Father has exalted to the highest place, giving Him the Name which is above every name, that at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:9-11Philippians 2:9-11
English: World English Bible - WEB
9 Therefore God also highly exalted him, and gave to him the name which is above every name; ¹⁰ that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, those on earth, and those under the earth, ¹¹ and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

WP-Bible plugin)

Some time ago I wrote this series about the Royal Priesthood. I thought I should post it here over the next few weeks.

 Recently I had an internet dialogue with an elderly lady who is looking at converting into the Roman Catholic Church. One of the points that she kept coming back to was that of the priesthood, and the fact that she saw the RC priesthood as the only legitimate one. So, I thought it would be good to look at priesthood and what it means for us as New Testament believers.

Firstly, we need to understand that there is a difference between priesthood and ministry. The word “ministry” simply means service, and can legitimately be applied to any area of service within the Body of Christ. “Priesthood” is a particular kind of service. Primarily, priesthood is about two things: access and representation. Wherever a priesthood exists, it means that only the priests have access to God. Because the general population does not have that access, the priests must represent God to the people, and the people to God.

Secondly, we need to understand God’s purposes for priesthood. To do this we need to go right back to the creation of the world. God created the whole material realm, then finally He created mankind in the “image and likeness” of God. The rest of the material creation did not have direct access to God, but man did. Man was created to be like God, so that he would represent God to the material creation. He was to tend and nurture it, just as God would, releasing the life of God into the world around him. The creation should have been able to look at mankind and see what God was like.

Instead of taking up this high calling, however, man listened to the devil’s lie that he could become a god for himself, not needing any input or control from the God of the universe. Instead of representing God to the creation, he handed control of creation over to the devil, who was only interested in representing himself.

God, however, had not given up on His purposes to be truly represented in the world. Eventually He picked a man, Abraham, through whom the whole world would be blessed (Gen 12:3Gen 12:3
English: World English Bible - WEB
3 I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you. In you will all of the families of the earth be blessed.”

WP-Bible plugin). Ultimately, this refers to the coming of the Messiah, but it also speaks of the raising up of a people who would faithfully represent God to the nations.

Over four hundred years later, after He brought the descendants of Abraham out of Egypt under the leadership of Moses, God said to them, “Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests” (Exodus 19:5-6Exodus 19:5-6
English: World English Bible - WEB
5 Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice, and keep my covenant, then you shall be my own possession from among all peoples; for all the earth is mine; ⁶ and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation.’ These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel.”

WP-Bible plugin). God’s intention for Israel was that they would have access to Him, and that they would represent Him to the world. He wanted a nation of people at whom the world could look and say, “Now we know what God is really like. We have seen it in His people.” At the same time, Israel was to represent the world before God, making intercession and calling forth His mercy and grace. Notice that the intention was not for there to be a separate, exclusive priesthood which did these things, but that the whole nation would be “a kingdom of priests”.

Like our first parents, however, Israel rejected God’s offer of a face-to-face relationship out of which they would minister to the world. Instead, they were happy to pass the responsibility to Moses. “When the people saw the thunder and lightning and heard the trumpet and saw the mountain in smoke, they trembled with fear. They stayed at a distance and said to Moses, “Speak to us yourself and we will listen. But do not have God speak to us or we will die.” (Exodus 20:18-19Exodus 20:18-19
English: World English Bible - WEB
18 All the people perceived the thunderings, the lightnings, the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking. When the people saw it, they trembled, and stayed at a distance. ¹⁹ They said to Moses, “Speak with us yourself, and we will listen; but don’t let God speak with us, lest we die.”

WP-Bible plugin.) Afraid of what a face-to-face relationship might cost, they chose to let someone else represent them. The result was the establishment of the priesthood, an exclusive group with sole access to the presence of God, and then only under carefully limited circumstances, who would from then on represent God to the people and the people to God.

This was never God’s intended purpose. So He waited. Waited until the Son came and by His death tore open the veil separating the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies. Once again the ordinary believers were to be given free access to God’s presence. They could now “approach the throne of grace with confidence” (Heb 4:16Heb 4:16
English: World English Bible - WEB
16 Let us therefore draw near with boldness to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy, and may find grace for help in time of need.

WP-Bible plugin). They did not need anyone else to represent them because Christ was their High Priest and the “one mediator between God and men” 1 Timothy 2:51 Timothy 2:5
English: World English Bible - WEB
5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,

WP-Bible plugin.

Once again God made that wonderful statement, “you are a royal priesthood” (I Peter 2:9). He repeats it in slightly different form in Revelation 1:6Revelation 1:6
English: World English Bible - WEB
6 and he made us to be a Kingdom, priests to his God and Father; to him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

WP-Bible plugin and 5:10. As was His original intention for Israel, His intention for the Church was not that it HAVE a priesthood, but that it BE a priesthood. God has given us free access to His throne. We can come before Him any time we want. We don’t have to bring the blood of bulls and goats, because the blood of Jesus has been shed once and for all. In fact, the Holy Spirit, who is God, dwells within every born again believer, and wants to communicate with us on a regular basis. More than that, God intends that we should represent Him to the world around us. The world should be able to look at us and say, “Ah, now we know what God is like!” God also intends that we represent the people to Him. There are probably many people you know who do not know God. For many of those, you may be the only Christian they know. Do you lift them regularly before the throne of Grace? Do you represent them and their needs, particularly their need of salvation, faithfully before God?

Unfortunately there are many Christians who still want to have a priesthood rather than being a priesthood. They want someone else to pray for them (I am not talking about asking someone to stand in agreement, which is legitimate, but about asking someone else to take the responsibility of taking their needs before the Father). They want someone else to prophesy over them, or to hear the word of God on their behalf. They want to go to church on Sunday and be spoon fed. And in it all, they are missing God’s call to priesthood – a call that applies not to an exclusive group within the Church, but to the whole Body of Christ.

This blog is © copyright Lynn Fowler.

There is one God, and one mediator between God and people, the man Christ Jesus (1 Timothy 2:51 Timothy 2:5
English: World English Bible - WEB
5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,

WP-Bible plugin)in Whom all the fullness of the Godhead dwells in bodily form (Colossians 2:9Colossians 2:9
English: World English Bible - WEB
9 For in him all the fullness of the Godhead dwells bodily,

WP-Bible plugin)and Whom God the Father has exalted to the highest place, giving Him the Name which is above every name, that at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:9-11Philippians 2:9-11
English: World English Bible - WEB
9 Therefore God also highly exalted him, and gave to him the name which is above every name; ¹⁰ that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, those on earth, and those under the earth, ¹¹ and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

WP-Bible plugin)

The other day, on one of the Christian forums I visit on the ‘net, someone suggested that I was something special because I do mission work. It set me thinking a bit – not that I’m special, but that my call is an awesome privilege. I don’t always remember this – sometimes I get so caught up in the challenges that I lose sight of it. I was grateful to my brother for causing me to refocus. Maybe some of you also lose sight of the wonder of your call from time to time. I’m sharing my reply to him below, as a reminder to all of us:

I don’t see myself as anything special. I’m just a very ordinary woman upon whom, for reasons best known to Himself and totally incomprehensible to me, God has chosen to put His finger. My calling is as much “by grace” as my salvation – it has nothing to do with my worthiness, my ability or my effort; and God could just as easily have called me to be a janitor.

I think the call to ministry in any form is the most wonderful honor any person can receive. My primary call is to preach – to stand before people with the word of the Lord. In nearly 34 years as a preacher, I don’t think I’ve ever stood before a congregation without the sense of “this is that for which I was created.” How many people get to say that? My secondary call is as an intercessor – to come before God bringing the needs of people. To me, those two things – to stand before man on behalf of God and to stand before God on behalf of man – are the most incredible privileges in the world, and I get to do both of them. How awesome is that?!

Sure, missions has its challenges (fortunately, God in His wisdom created me with the kind of personality that thrives on challenge, and with a totally warped sense of humor that can usually wring a laugh out of the most bizarre situations.) But the blessings infinitely outweigh them. I get to go places most people only dream of; and in those places I get to do and experience things that the average visitor never will, because I’m living with the people not in a hotel. I get to minister to people who have truly hungry hearts for the things of God. How many preachers in the west can say they’ve had a whole congregation – or, on occasion, a whole village – respond to an altar call? (And not a call to “come and get the goodies”, but one to a real, costly commitment to the service of the King?) I get to go into situations where I’m forced into dependence upon the Holy Spirit, because I’m operating way beyond the level of my own ability. I get to sow into the lives of men and women who will be greater than I ever will, some of whom will turn their nations around for Christ.

After nearly 34 years, in spite of the challenges, the frustrations, the hurts, and the sheer hard work, there are still times when I want to pinch myself and ask “Why me? Why would God give me this honor?”

This blog is © copyright Lynn Fowler.

There is one God, and one mediator between God and people, the man Christ Jesus (1 Timothy 2:51 Timothy 2:5
English: World English Bible - WEB
5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,

WP-Bible plugin)in Whom all the fullness of the Godhead dwells in bodily form (Colossians 2:9Colossians 2:9
English: World English Bible - WEB
9 For in him all the fullness of the Godhead dwells bodily,

WP-Bible plugin)and Whom God the Father has exalted to the highest place, giving Him the Name which is above every name, that at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:9-11Philippians 2:9-11
English: World English Bible - WEB
9 Therefore God also highly exalted him, and gave to him the name which is above every name; ¹⁰ that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, those on earth, and those under the earth, ¹¹ and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

WP-Bible plugin)