“This change has been made very clear since a different priest, who is like Melchizedek, has appeared. Jesus became a priest, not by meeting the physical requirement of belonging to the tribe of Levi, but by the power of a life that cannot be destroyed.” (Hebrews 7:15-16 NLT)
Jesus fulfilled the law for us, and disconnected us from the Levitical priesthood, by the fact he was not even a Levite himself, but the instrument of a huge change God was making, and connecting us to a different priesthood after the order of the mystery priest, Melchizedek. The schoolmaster of the law having now done its work, we were ready to graduate to a New Covenant of much greater promises in our High Priest, Christ Jesus.
As I have shared, I have not had to face these questions before, concerning what is required to set a proper table for God to show up in a New Testament Church service. I’ve always been just a helper, an assistant, an assistant whose opinion was not usually taken very seriously by those having a Bible College degree hanging on their wall.
Now I have this tipi, and God wants to show up there. I don’t know who he will bring in, but there are already some interested. Suddenly, I’ve got to read our New Covenant for myself and see what “God has said”. Some of it troubles me because our modern Church has ignored these things. So do I ignore them too? I’m beginning to understand my struggle with our modern church.
It is not my plan to ignore anything. Not if I want to set a proper table. I am praying hard for the wisdom of finding the balance of these things, because I believe Adam was just as wrong to tell Eve she could not “touch” the tree, as he would have been had he not warned her at all. Scripture is very plain we should not “add” or “take away from” what God has said.
So the first person I started showing these scriptures to was my wife. At first she did not see why I thought these old scriptures were so important. “Why are you taking these thing so seriously when no one else does?” she asked, obviously annoyed.
However, that was the question needing to be asked! ARE WE SERIOUS ABOUT THE THINGS OF GOD? ARE WE SERIOUS?
If you invited God to show up at your home for supper, would you do your very best to set a proper table for such an important guest?
If you’re starting a Church and going to be a shepherd of people’s soul, a huge influence on their eternity, should we casually ignore, or change anything God has said? And what of all those Pastors out there who are doing that very thing today, in a day scripture says people would heap to themselves teachers having itching ears, and unwilling to hear sound doctrine?
In Revelation chapter two, Jesus himself warns two different Churches about the fact they have allowed sinful people to remain in their fellowship. Starting in verse 14 there are some following in the way of Balaam, who showed Balak how to trip up the Children of Israel. He taught them to sin by way of idols and sexual sins. They were also tolerating Nicolaitans among them, who follow the same teaching. Jesus called their toleration: Sin! And called them to repent! Or suffer consequences. Do we ignore such warnings today?
In verse 20 he warns the Church in Thyatira. “You are permitting that woman – that Jezebel who calls herself a prophet – to lead my servants astray.” These are people in two different Churches Jesus was saying if they won’t repent, throw them out! And yet I look around at the worldliness in our modern Churches and I know too much toothpaste is out of the tube! (And the church of Laodecea probably deserves an entire article of its own!)
A personal peeve of mine is Christmas. For my family and I, Christmas has always been about the birth of Christ, but I wish my Church would have educated me on the true history of this materialistic holiday originally being a heathen holiday, mostly worshipping the sun god, but the church interjected the birth of Christ into it to cover up for Christians being involved! Now we struggle to keep Christ in something he was never in to begin with! The paste is already out of the tube! It’s a perfect picture of the Church being swayed by the world even way back then.
I’ve heard of Pastors who completely left large Churches in order to start over with a different understanding of what Church was meant to be. They knew there was no way to change what had already been created. The only answer was a complete start-over.
That question, “Why are you taking this so seriously”, started a conversation between my wife and I that was eye-opening. The question should not be “why”, but “ARE WE” taking God’s written Word seriously? The Word of God is God’s will put in writing. Isn’t that what we pay a Pastor to do, take the Word very seriously, and teach us correctly? Lead us correctly?
There are things our New Covenant in Christ does not say, and yet we are being taught it does. Such things as “kings and priest” rather than “a kingdom of priest”. This is not a small difference. Such things as tithing still being a law, when the truth is Christ saved us from the law and moved us to a “heart / Spirit” relationship. The priesthood has changed! We have a circumcision of the heart! God’s laws written in our hearts, so we are led of the Spirit in our heart, or we are not his at all! The laws are written for those who are “not” his.
Then there are other dangers; dangers actually stated in our new Covenant we are not being told about. These things are contributing to out-of-control lust in God’s church and a divorce rate as high as the heathens! But it’s not serious, right? We want God to show up to our table of plastic silverware, dirty plates, torn table clothes, spilled drinks, and burnt food. Is he really showing up? Or we just enjoying “good feelings”? Emotional manipulation? Positive preaching and success motivation? If your Church is setting a proper table, then I know God is showing up.
I’m sorry if you think I’m being insensitive or unkind in my words. But are we serious? Or just hoping to slide by? God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him. I want my tipi to be such a place. Whether it is visited by only a few, or by many, my desire is to set the table for God, not man. If God does not show up, then no one else should either. If no one else shows up, but God does? Hhmmm, now there’s a thought for ya.
Path Without End 