"For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Hiself as a ransom for all, the testimony given at the proper time." -1 Timothy 2:5-6
"For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin." -Hebrews 4:15
I've been reading in Hebrews lately, and there is a MAJOR concept that the book presents that I feel is so timeless and crucial. It has to do with priests.
One of Hebrews' arguments is that Christ is of the order of Melchizedek (which we will NOT get into today) and that this order is higher than the order of Aaron. In a nutshell, Mel came during the time of Abraham and represents a pre-law "better" way of doing things.
The tendency of man is to present for himself priests. When the primal instincts take over and cultic rituals begin to develop in a heathen culture, certain leaders among them seem to always become priests. These men lead in sacrifices and demonic rituals. They represent a sort of mediator between the spirit world and the physical. In some cases we even call them "mediums."
This tendency is not limited to uncivilized or ancient cultures. Even among the world's most long-enduring religions, we find priests at the center. Men are looking for those among them who will speak to god or the gods and bring forth his/their messages.
It reminds me of the attitude of the people of Israel in Exodus 20 when they heard God speak to all of them. They couldn't handle it. They said to Moses, "Speak to us yourself and we will listen; but let not God speak to us, or we will die."
Now it is not my place to speculate, but could it be that God's BEST for Israel was this direct, personal communication? Perhaps in Exodus 20 we are getting a beautiful glimpse into what God's heart desired: The giving of the 10 Commandments in an audible voice in such a way that each man was accountable directly to God Himself. I guess the question is irrelevant since God knew that the people would reject His direct, personal communication. And so began the creation of a priesthood that was (according to Hebrews) inferior from the start.
I guess my point today is that we, in a church where tongues of fire (the Spirit) have fallen on each individual (see Acts 2), still struggle with trying to set up priests for ourselves. We tend to think that the youth pastor or pastor or Sunday School teacher or famous speaker or band has a corner on God that is special. It's like they are naturally closer to Him or something. Like they can hear and see things that us "regular folks" can't.
Forunately, 1 Timothy makes is clear that now things are undeniably different. There is now only ONE MEDIATOR between God and man, Jesus Christ, who is both fully God and fully man. No other man will or may act in the place of priest for us. We all have a direct line to God Himself through the blood of Christ. But there is no need to fear, for our mediator has suffered in every way that we have, yet without sin, making Him the perfectly acceptable sacrifice, as well as the priest who offers it, all at the same time. This is gospel. God now dwells in the hearts of men through His Holy Spirit, and we can all bodly approach the throne of grace with confidence.
In Christ,
Andy
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Laboring in Prayer ... for Others
"Epaphras, who is one of your number, a bondslave of Jesus Christ, sends you his greetings, always laboring earnestly for you in his prayers, that you may stand perfect and fully assured in all the will of God."
-Colossians 4:12 (NASB)
How often do we LABOR in prayer?
In our current entertainment-driven, microwave-everything society, we expect prayer to, at least, be something said before dinner or bed and, at most, an instant emotional/spiritual gratification for our soul. We expect to be rewarded immediately for simply giving God our time, as if He owed us that much.
But this verse recounts the story of a man, Epaphras, who is constantly in prayer for his brethren in Christ. Notice that Epaphras' type of prayer is a LABOR. It is not easy. It is not comfortable or probably even (initially) very fulfilling. Think of how we usually experience toil: I think of the image of a farmer. There is the difficult work of preparing the ground, the difficult work of planting the seed, and the difficult work of maintaining the integrity of the crop through watering and weeding. And all of this takes MONTHS to bring forth fruit. I know many a parent who has labored for YEARS on behalf of a child. I have sewn seeds of prayer for lost friends that still remain dormant years later. I believe that these seeds will one day bring forth fruit in due season.
Paul says that the purpose of this labor is that his fellow believers would "stand perfect" and be "fully assured in all the will of God." Epaphras wants his brothers to stand unwavering, not shaken by the world around them. Essentially, he is asking the Father for a part of sanctification ON BEHALF of another person. How wonderful is the work of redemption and salvation even through others on our behalf. This reminds me of the verse in 1 John that states: "If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask and God will for him give life to those who commit sin not leading to death" (16). We don't have time to explore what exactly he means by "sin not leading to death," but suffice it to say that God does call us to a very active part even in the sanctification of other believers through prayer.
Epaphras also desires that they know ALL of the will of God. It is interesting the way that Paul states that last piece of information. It is almost as if believers could possibly know (and be assured in) PART of the will of God while still missing some of it. Epaphras' labor in prayer is the work of an intercessor. He is pleading with the Father that these people not miss ANY of His perfect will for their lives, the church, and the gospel.
It is not often that I could claim to have labored in prayer. And, of the few times that I could make such a statment, the labors have been mostly for myself, my problems, my future, and my struggles. But Epaphras is laboring for the sake of OTHERS. What a beautiful picture. I hope we can all be encourged by his example. And more than that, I hope that we can all learn to follow his example by taking the time and effort to LABOR in prayer... for others.
-Colossians 4:12 (NASB)
How often do we LABOR in prayer?
In our current entertainment-driven, microwave-everything society, we expect prayer to, at least, be something said before dinner or bed and, at most, an instant emotional/spiritual gratification for our soul. We expect to be rewarded immediately for simply giving God our time, as if He owed us that much.
But this verse recounts the story of a man, Epaphras, who is constantly in prayer for his brethren in Christ. Notice that Epaphras' type of prayer is a LABOR. It is not easy. It is not comfortable or probably even (initially) very fulfilling. Think of how we usually experience toil: I think of the image of a farmer. There is the difficult work of preparing the ground, the difficult work of planting the seed, and the difficult work of maintaining the integrity of the crop through watering and weeding. And all of this takes MONTHS to bring forth fruit. I know many a parent who has labored for YEARS on behalf of a child. I have sewn seeds of prayer for lost friends that still remain dormant years later. I believe that these seeds will one day bring forth fruit in due season.
Paul says that the purpose of this labor is that his fellow believers would "stand perfect" and be "fully assured in all the will of God." Epaphras wants his brothers to stand unwavering, not shaken by the world around them. Essentially, he is asking the Father for a part of sanctification ON BEHALF of another person. How wonderful is the work of redemption and salvation even through others on our behalf. This reminds me of the verse in 1 John that states: "If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask and God will for him give life to those who commit sin not leading to death" (16). We don't have time to explore what exactly he means by "sin not leading to death," but suffice it to say that God does call us to a very active part even in the sanctification of other believers through prayer.
Epaphras also desires that they know ALL of the will of God. It is interesting the way that Paul states that last piece of information. It is almost as if believers could possibly know (and be assured in) PART of the will of God while still missing some of it. Epaphras' labor in prayer is the work of an intercessor. He is pleading with the Father that these people not miss ANY of His perfect will for their lives, the church, and the gospel.
It is not often that I could claim to have labored in prayer. And, of the few times that I could make such a statment, the labors have been mostly for myself, my problems, my future, and my struggles. But Epaphras is laboring for the sake of OTHERS. What a beautiful picture. I hope we can all be encourged by his example. And more than that, I hope that we can all learn to follow his example by taking the time and effort to LABOR in prayer... for others.
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