The Prophet

Last Sunday in church, our pastor asked a similar question to “when you hear the name of Jesus, what do you think?” My mind, like a Rolodex, when straight to prophet, priest and king. In the Old Testament, the nation of Israel was tired of being attacked and thought that if they had a monarchy system it would help lessen the attacks. God, however, wanted the Hebrew people to be a theocratic government. Meaning, God would lead his people as he had done before. (Think Exodus…by a pillar of fire and cloud). The nation of Israel, however, had a different idea. They persisted on having a monarchy system, hoping that would solve their problems. In fact, the solution to their problem was not a physical king, but the solution would have been being obedient to God’s plan, not their own. Nevertheless, God appointed a king to rule over the nation. In part of this monarchy system, God put in place a prophet for the king. The prophet was one who spoke on behalf of God. The prophet was the mouthpiece that would take God’s commands to the king. Ultimately, the king could listen to the prophet and obey God’s commands or the king could choose otherwise. John 8:26 tells us that Jesus came on behalf of God to instruct the Hebrew people about who God is and the course of actions they needed to take. The same goes for us in current day. Jesus is our prophet that tell us the direction God wants us to go. Jesus is also the prophet that declares that he is coming back for his bride (the church).

The Priest

The priest had the task of being the people’s representative with God. Again, in the Old Testament, there were multiple roles and functions of the priest. We are maybe familiar with the High Priest and the Day of Atonement. The High Priest would enter into the Holy of Holy’s and receive a word from God to take to the nation of Israel. When Jesus died on the cross, the veil was torn signifying we all now have one on one access to God. Jesus is our representative, our High Priest. We are all extremely thankful for that. But what about the everyday activities the priest was responsible for? The service, the sacrifices, the scrolls, the tabernacle itself, all of these duties were daily, not just once a year. The question quickly becomes, am I letting Jesus have his way in the minutia of my daily tasks? Such as in how I act, in my speech, in my physical appearance, and in my thought life. In all those things, I have a priest in Jesus that wants to represent me before his Father. The priest would also take the animal and make the blood offering for the forgiveness of sin. Instead of an animal, Jesus covers us with his own blood that was shed on the cross. Not to mention Jesus, as the priest, sacrificed himself on my behalf, for my sin. It’s a tough way of life to live, in the in-between; either I can let him be my High Priest, or not.We might be more like the Hebrew people then we are willing to admit.

The King

“Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name,¹⁰ that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,¹¹ and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:9-11) “For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, ¹⁰ and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority.” (Colossians 2:9-10) Scripture makes it pretty clear the position that Jesus has been given. He is the King of Kings. Revelation tells us that Jesus will return to defeat Satan and reign as King. I am overwhelmed by the magnitude of that statement, maybe because I know I have someone that rules with compassion and grace when that is not what I deserve or humanity deserves. Part of the role of a King is to watch over the civilization of people in his kingdom, to care for and keep their best interest at heart. Not only has Jesus defeated Satan, but he has also given freedom to escape the bondage of sin. Jesus has met the requirements I could not meet. He traded his life for mine (and yours). He is a loving king that provides, protects and promises eternal hope. 

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If Words matter, then where do they come from?

Have you ever had that moment where you speak words into existence and immediately wish you could get them back? Words are very powerful. Have you ever thought “Where did those words come from?” Before long, we begin to realize that’s just it…it’s our thoughts, that turn into those words that we wish we could somehow shove back into our mouths. James would argue that if we are in a relationship with Jesus we have been called to be ambassadors or witnesses. Certainly our actions are on display, but the words we speak have the power to bring life or death. James would push forward that we cannot overlook the responsibility of preaching the Gospel (James 3). Are we, as disciples, truly living and speaking in a manner that brings honor and glory to Christ? Both James and Paul should establish that believing in Jesus would determine the course of actions we take in our lives. Paul would press further into the idea that we have to take every thought captive (2 Cor. 10:5). Does heart regeneration happen on its own? My philosophy is that once a person comes to a cognitive level of understanding that Jesus sacrificed his life for their sin, then that will lead them to heart regeneration. Paul tells us that true transformation happens with the renewing of your mind (Romans 12:2).

Fruit Trees?

James uses an illustration of fruit to further his point about the importance and impact of our words (James 3). When I was growing up, I loved playing in the backyard. Along the fence line we had apple trees and almost in the center of the yard we had two plum trees. It brings back fond memories of snacking on fruit while I played in the backyard. But here’s the deal, I never went to the apple tree and expected to get a plum. I never went to the plum tree expecting an apple. I believe James is challenging us to be consistent in our words and actions. If we claim to be Christ followers, then our words need to match our actions. So in every situation I have to ask myself, “What kind of fruit am I producing?” Jesus would say that a good tree cannot produce bad fruit and a bad tree cannot produce good fruit (Matt. 7:17-20).

Words Lived Out?

I am a habitual self-evaluator. As an ambassador of Christ, I believe it is important that we ask ourselves two questions on a ritualistic basis. First, what’s going into my mind? Second, what are others saying about the fruit (words) I am speaking?

I know we have all heard the cliché, “Garbage in garbage out,” but it happens to be a philosophy that is very applicable. If we adhere to Paul’s teaching, it is imperative to be spending time in the word of God. We cannot expect to display the qualities of Christ if we do not know what those qualities are. Galatians 5:22-23 explains love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control are those qualities. Christ displayed these qualities and as an ambassador we too must display those same qualities. I think these fruits make an appearance or lack of an appearance in our everyday lives in the way we talk and live life.

Second, ask friends to give you honest feedback about the words you use and the life you are leading. Hopefully, you have a supporting cast that wants to help you grow and challenges you to be more like Christ. I know, for me, I have true friends and mentors I turn to that can give me an honest evaluation if I am being an example of Christ. Being vulnerable to take helpful criticism is extremely difficult and possibly not what our current culture is teaching us. But again, are we going to listen to culture or are we  willing to hold true to the scripture that has been communicated to us?

 

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Don’t Judge the Book by the Cover

As I read in the book of James, James presented the fact that God does not have favorites. James gives us an incredible example of how Jesus calls us to respond as believers. Now, based on the example in James, he points out that we are quick to make judgments based off of physical appearances. The rich, wealthy, and well dressed man is given the royal treatment and is escorted to the front pew for what would be considered the best seat. And the poor tattered dressed man is told to stand in the back, where no one could see him, or he could sit by the attendants feet. James would address the issue of partiality/favoritism that was prevalent in their culture.  (I would hate to tell James that not much has changed in our current culture.) So, let me share an example. I have multiple bibles I use for my faith journey. First, I have a bible that is navy blue leather bound. It was the bible I started my faith journey with many years ago. It has several blemishes on the cover and doesn’t look so new any more. Second, I have a black leather bound bible that I used in seminary. It is covered in notes and is falling apart. Romans to Revelation is no longer bound to the spine like the rest of the book. Third, I have a tan leather bible that I use daily. The leather cover over the spine is gone. The edges are almost non-existent and the pages are covered with my thoughts and notes from my  daily pursuit of Jesus. Now, based on my story and details, most people might say that I have a favorite bible. Well, maybe, but each bible tells a story about me and each had/has its use. I would argue I do not have a favorite bible.

Everyone has a Story to Tell

Each bible tells the story of where I was or am currently in my faith journey.  People are like those bibles. Everyone is on a journey and they have a story to tell. Part of the journey is to listen and encourage people on their journey. God is not a cookie cutter God. We are his creation. Look around, all the plants and animals are not the same, so why should we be the same? I have a faith journey and God has blessed me with gifts, talents and abilities. If God has done that for me, then I have to know that He has done that for other people as well. God sees no distinction in humanity because of His Son’s blood. God doesn’t see through the lens of rich or poor, black or white, but I believe God sees lost or saved. God extends grace and mercy to all people. Scripture says that before the creation of the world God chose us to be his sons and daughters. That is the only qualification we need to receive grace and mercy. Hopefully we begin to see the picture that God’s unconditional love, that he showed through the person of Jesus, is also the example we should follow as believers.

Demonstrating God’s Love 

Luke, in his gospel account, shares the words of Jesus with Theophilus. Luke explains a story Jesus shared with his disciples about how to treat people. There was a man who was robbed and left for dead in a ditch. A priest walking down the street and notices the man and his condition. Upon a closer look, he moves to the other side of the street and walks past the man in need. As the Levite notices the man, he too, moves to the other side of the street and leaves the man is his deathly condition. Now enters the Samaritan into the story. This guy was someone that is not supposed to be liked and if we think our current day race issues are overwhelming we should study the racism between the Jews and Samaritans. So, after some investigation, the Samaritan puts the badly beaten man on his donkey and heads into town. He buys a night’s stay at the local motel and begins to care for the victim he found on the roadside. He cleans his wounds, pays for an extra night’s stay and tells the inn keeper if there is any other expenditures he would be back to pay them. Who is this guy and what an example? Jesus challenges his disciple to see people how He sees people. Humanity would see all sorts of excuses, but  I think we can begin to see that loving Jesus means that we are going to have to love others.

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