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Priests
of God Today
By
RICK LIGGIN
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In
the book of Malachi, God voices several complaints against the nation
of Israel. All were dishonoring Him to some degree, but the Levite
priests were the chief offenders (Mal. 1:6 – 2:9). As Israel’s
spiritual leaders, they were the ones most responsible for this godless
irreverence among the people.
There were at least two major ways in which the priests had led the
people to dishonor God: 1) they had come to see the sacrificing of
animals as a “tiresome” task and were, therefore, defiling God’s altar
with inferior offerings (1:8-14); and 2) they were not living up to the
moral standard set for them by God and thereby had lost the respect of
those they taught (2:1-9).
In this second section, God tells them that “the lips of a priest
should preserve knowledge, and men should seek instruction from his
mouth; for he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts. But as for you,
you have turned aside from the way; you have caused many to stumble by
the instruction; you have corrupted the covenant of Levi…So I also have
made you despised and abased before all the people…” (2:7-9).
Notice that from God’s perspective, a priest is supposed to “preserve
knowledge” so that men will seek him out for the instruction he can
offer. To “preserve knowledge” is more than just keeping track of God’s
message and faithfully relating it to others. It includes one’s living
up to that message himself. The priest who does not
live up to the message of God is not really preserving
knowledge at all, even
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though
his verbal teaching may be exactly in keeping with what God has said!
It is only when a priest truly preserves knowledge that others will
seek him out to receive his instruction.
Some
Applications for Today
Now, I’m fully aware of the fact that under the new covenant we no
longer have priests from the tribe of Levi; but can’t we, at least in
principle, make some kind of application to us in this dispensation? I
believe we can! As a gospel preacher, I almost immediately see how this
principle applies to those of us who preach and teach God’s Word today.
We are obligated to live in such a way as to command the respect of
people so that they will want our instruction. People generally do not
respect or want to be taught by someone who is a hypocrite or whose own
life is inconsistent with what he teaches. If I want folks to respect
me enough to listen to what I teach, then I’d better give attention to
the message myself and make sure that “I practice what I preach.” I
feel certain that this is what Paul had in mind when he urged young
Timothy to “pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching…” (1
Tim. 4:16).
But this principle doesn’t just apply to the preachers and Bible class
teachers among us. The truth is that under the new covenant every
Christian is a priest! Together, we form a “holy” and “royal
priesthood” (1 Pet. 2:9) and, as such, each one of us is “able to offer
up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (1 Pet.
2:5). And since this is the case, the
point God made to the priests of
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Israel
is applicable to every one of us as priests today! We are under
obligation as priests to “preserve knowledge”—to live in such a way as
to command the respect of a lost world so that they will come to us for
teaching and instruction!
Some
Conclusions to Consider
You need to understand something. Now that you’re a Christian, you’re
not a “nobody” anymore! You are “somebody” now. You’re a priest! And
though this brings with it great blessings and benefits, it also brings
with it an obligation to be holy in all your ways! Why? Because some in
this lost world are looking! They are looking for someone to guide them
in the way that leads to life. And they will only listen to us as the
messengers of God if our lives reflect a holiness that is consistent
with what we teach as priests of God.
Don’t be like the priests of Old Testament Israel who dishonored God by
not living up to the moral standard He set for them. Rather, let’s be
sure to honor God by being holy in all our conduct and behavior (1 Pet.
1:15). Maybe then we can reach a lost and dying world with the saving
message of Christ. There is probably no time—in my lifetime,
anyway —when we as God’s people (in America, at least) have needed more
to hear this message and answer the call to true holiness as priests of
God. I fear we are losing our distinctiveness to a worldly culture that
is tempting us to conform to its standards. Please, brothers and
sisters, let’s all remember who we are!
_______________________________________
315 E. Almond Dr., Washington, IL 61571
e-mail:
rcliggin@gmail.com
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PATIENCE IN DISCIPLINE
By ANDY DIESTELKAMP
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As a
grandparent, it is interesting to watch my children discipline my
grandchildren. Indeed, there is always discomfort for all parties—the
disciplined, the discipliners, and the witnesses—whenever any kind of
corrective or punitive discipline is taking place. The author of
Hebrews wrote, “Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present,
but grievous; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of
righteousness by those who have been trained by it” (Heb.12:11).
It is with this perspective that we grandparents ought to encourage our
children to discipline our grandchildren. I am pleased to see my
children doing this because I know that it will produce good spiritual
fruit in the long run. The “long run” is one of the difficult parts of
discipline. One of the reasons we shy away from discipline in any realm
is because its effects are often not immediately obvious and the lag
time between the discipline and its fruits is often when the skeptics
and opponents of discipline will be critical. Yet, those who trust in
God and His wisdom and teaching still discipline in faith. This demands
patience, endurance, and diligence.
Of course, the purpose of discipline is to bring about a change of
heart and not merely a change of action. The immature behaviors of
children are understandable and sometimes even cute; but —without
discipline—what was cute at 18 months looks pretty pathetic if not
downright ugly at 18 years old. To form children into the image of God
requires parents to raise them in the training and admonition of the
Lord (Eph. 6:4). A failure to do this sets a child up for failure in
his relationship with his Creator.
As Christians we are obligated to discipline one another, and this
requires patience as well. However, let us not interpret patience to be
something passive. The reality is that, in any group of people, there
will be people ranging from strong to weak and at different levels of
growth and maturity in between. Paul wrote, “Now we exhort you
brethren, warn those who are unruly, comfort the fainthearted, uphold
the weak, be patient with all” (1 Thess. 5:14). Similarly, the Hebrews
author wrote, “Therefore, strengthen the hands which hang down, and the
feeble knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is
lame may not be dislocated, but rather be healed” (Heb. 12:12,13). Of
course, this kind of patient strengthening is not accomplished by
physical means but through a steady dose of spiritual nourishment in
the form of teaching, edification, and correction. These are only
accomplished through communication. It is for this reason that
communion and fellowship with one another is enjoined upon us who claim
to have a relationship with God. God is not mocked. He can see right
through the deception of claiming to have a relationship with Him while
not having a relationship with His people (cf. 1 Jn. 4:20).
When we avoid having relationships with one another, it is often
because we do not appreciate being challenged to grow closer to God. It
is the duty of Christians to hold one another accountable to the
confession we have made concerning Jesus Christ being our Lord and
Savior (cf. 1 Tim. 6:12,13; Heb. 4:14; 10:23). We have all been called
to work in the kingdom of our Lord; and if that work is being neglected
or avoided, then we are right to identify the problem and call one
another back to doing what we have been called to do.
Shepherds have the responsibility to watch out for the souls in the
flock. God gave this responsibility to men even though He knew that no
man would be perfect in the performance of this role. To the elders of
the
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church in Ephesus, Paul wrote, “I have not shunned to declare to
you the whole counsel of God” (Ac. 20:27) with the implication
that they were to do likewise. “Therefore take heed to yourselves and
to all the flock among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to
shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood” (vs.
28). He further admonished them, “Therefore watch” (vs. 31). The
apostle Peter admonished similarly (1 Pet. 5:2).
Many church-going people in the world do not appreciate, let alone
submit to, such spiritual shepherding, but this does not have any
bearing on what Jesus and His apostles and prophets taught. Truth is,
many call Jesus “Lord” but do not appreciate or submit to Him as Lord.
Each saint should desire spiritual shepherding, not only for leading
the congregation as a group, but for promoting individual growth in
Christ (Eph. 4:11-16). Note Hebrews 13:17. Do you want overseers being
watchful, instructive, challenging, and corrective, or not? The charge
given to elders is like unto what Ezekiel revealed (Ezek. 33:8-11). It
is not the prerogative of shepherds to watch sheep wander away from the
flock without making an effort to bring them back into the fold. So,
while we must exhibit love and patience, we must understand those words
to include all that is encompassed in the role of shepherding and hold
one another accountable to our common confession.
The “one another” texts in Scripture are numerous, and they call upon
us to motivate one another (Heb. 10:24), bear one another’s burdens
(Gal. 6:2), teach and admonish one another (Eph. 5:19), remember
Christ’s sacrifice with one another (1 Cor. 11:33), and confess our
sins to one another (Jas. 5:16). When brethren turn away from being a
part of these “one another” activities, they do so to their own harm
and the harm of those over whom they have influence. Inevitably they
become spiritually weaker and compound the negative effects of their
poor examples. The refusal to communicate in any meaningful way and/or
take spiritual counsel is detrimental and discouraging to all involved.
Thus, as patience must be exercised, patient application of spiritual
principles requires us to keep moving forward in all of our efforts,
and this includes in discipline.
Love and discipline are compatible, and to suggest that they are
incompatible is to have forgotten what Scripture teaches (Heb.
12:5-10). Jesus both loves and disciplines (Rev. 3:19), and He calls
upon parents and brethren to do the same. Christians should desire
discipline from one another. Indeed, Paul patiently persisted in his
discipline of brethren to the end of causing godly sorrow that leads to
repentance (2 Cor. 7:8-12). Thus all the discipline (instruction,
correction, warning, rebuking, and even withdrawing of fellowship) is
not (and must not be) motivated by any kind of hatred or meanness. It
is done out of sincere concern for the the one being disciplined in the
hopes that he/she may, even yet, repent and grow in the Lord (Rom. 2:4;
1 Cor. 5:5, 2 Pet. 3:9).
Are parents and elders perfect in their discipline? Not at all, but we
must not allow this to keep us from acting as God has called us to do.
The wonderful thing about all of this is that God is always ready to
forgive, and so should we be. Even when others are not faithful, God
remains faithful to Who He is and the promises that He has made (2 Tim.
2:13). We need to be like our Father in Heaven and remain faithful,
even to those who are unfaithful (cf. Matt. 5:45), and exercise patient
discipline in love.
_____________________________________________________________
323 E. Indiana Ave.,
Pontiac, Illinois
61764
e-mail:
andydiestelkamp@gmail.com
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| Ping
Pong: A Lesson of Life |
By MATT HENNECKE
I
used to think myself quite the ping pong player. My skill level was
sufficient to decimate most of my family members. My brother-in-law was
my only real compe- tition, and, though he would deny it, I won many
more of our battles than I lost.
My favorite opponent was my young nephew Andy. He was always ready to
play, and played with total, reckless abandon. His skills fell far
short of my own. I was a “spin” master. I could put such “English” on
the ball that, when it landed on Andy’s side of the table, it would
bounce crazily in an unanticipated direction. I took great glee in
running Andy into the half- filled cardboard boxes lining the basement
wall as he dove vainly to return one of my crazy, spinning shots. He’d
collapse into the boxes but always came up wanting more. Time and again
I laughed uproariously as his contorted body lay sprawled across the
boxes after I’d hit one of my spectacular shots.
When I went off to college, I enjoyed taking on new opponents and
showing them my “stuff.” I honed my skills and relished taking on new
opponents who’d never seen ping pong balls bounce at such weird and
awkward angles. I was good—no doubt about it. And I was full of myself.
When I was about twenty years old, a couple became members of our local
congregation. The young husband (we’ll call him Jay) was in his
thirties and pos- sessed many talents. He could play the piano
beautifully. He was a great Bible teacher, and he could make friends
easily because of his engaging social skills. As the summer progressed,
I came to know him better. I also learned he thought himself a pretty
good ping pong player. I still remember thinking, “Ah, fresh
meat,” but I purposefully kept my interest
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in
the game hidden, waiting for the perfect moment to “show”
him what a real ping pong player could do.
Judgment day presented itself one day in early August when Jay and I
and several other people from church happened to be at a member’s home
for a potluck. The homeowner had a ping pong table in the basement. I
remember thinking the time had come to reveal my skills and slay yet
another victim. “Hey, want to play some ping pong?” I not-so-innocently
asked as Jay and I found ourselves in the basement after eating. Those
who knew me from church realized I was circling my prey and watched
with amusement as Jay took the bait. “Sure, let’s play,” he replied.
Oh, somewhere in this
favored land
the sun is shining bright;
The band is playing
somewhere,
and somewhere hearts are light,
And somewhere men are
laughing,
and little children shout;
But there was no joy
for me that day—
I ingloriously lost the bout.
~Adapted from “Casey At the Bat,”
by Ernest Thayer
I lost 21 to 0. Yes, zero. I never scored a point. I never even came
close to scoring a point.
A life lesson took root and bloomed that day: the lesson of humility.
Of course I’d been humbled before, but never so profoundly and in the
presence of so many witnesses. That day I realized I had been naively
comparing my skills to others who were far less skilled than I. Clearly
there were others who far exceeded me in ping pong prowess. “Pride
goeth before a fall,” echoed the words of the Proverb writer
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(Prov.
16:18). That day I fell hard. Jay cleaned
my clock and, in so doing, taught me about pride: Pride made me cocky.
It made me feel invincible and self-reliant. But the lesson of humility
wasn’t yet over. Two weeks later, Jay—who had so soundly thrashed me
—entered a ping pong tournament in downtown Chicago and lost to a
seven- year-old boy. And he lost badly. Imagine how I felt. Not only
wasn’t I skilled, but I was light-years behind some nameless
seven-year-old.
Such are the lessons of life. They often come along and slap us upside
the head; and, if we let them, they shape us, mold us, and change
us—for the better. So it is when it comes to spiritual matters. Perhaps
because of that ping pong lesson I’m inclined to listen to Paul’s
spiritual advice when he says we shouldn’t “dare to classify or compare
ourselves with others” and that when others “measure themselves by one
another and compare themselves with one another, they are without
understanding” (2 Cor. 10:12). He also tells us “there is no one
righteous, not even one” (Rom. 3:10). The conclusion is pretty clear:
I’m imperfect; I’m a sinner; and I’d be doomed except for Jesus Christ.
I shouldn’t think myself better than anyone. Want a dose of humility?
Compare yourself to Christ.
Over the years I’ve learned I’m not very good at ping pong, and sadly
I’m not very good at righteousness. But He is: “God made Him who had no
sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness
of God” (2 Cor. 5:21). Without Him, I’m nothing. Only He is perfect.
Only He can save.
___________________________________
18410 Standwick Dr., Louisville, KY 40245
e-mail:
mjhennecke@gmail.com
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A TALK AT THE TABLE
Proclaiming The Lord's Death
By AL DIESTELKAMP
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Shortly
before His death on the cross, Jesus instituted the only ritual to be
observed in worship by His followers. The apostle Paul indicated that
by partaking of this memorial we would be proclaiming the Lord’s death
till He comes (1 Cor. 11:26).
Before we do this today, let’s notice some ways His death was
“proclaimed” during His crucifixion and immediately after His death:
• Pilate, after declaring Jesus “Not guilty,” turned him over to the
mob
but unwittingly lent his testimony by posting a sign saying,
“Jesus of
Nazareth King of the Jews” (noted by all four gospel writers).
• Luke is the only one who tells of a thief who, dying along with Jesus
on an adjacent cross, testified by asking to be remembered when
Jesus came into His kingdom.
• Mark and Luke relate that, as Jesus’ life was slipping away on the
cross, the sun which Jesus created refused to shine for three
hours.
• Matthew, Mark, and John tell how the veil of the temple was torn in
two.
One account indicated the tear was “from top to bottom.” The
barrier
that separated man from God was no more. By His death, man has
access to God through Jesus.
• An earthquake announced the Lord’s death, causing rocks to split and
graves to be opened. Lo and behold, bodies of dead saints were
raised
to life. They went into Jerusalem where they appeared to many.
• Three of the gospel writers record the words of the centurion who
declared, “Truly, this was the Son of God.”
As we partake of this memorial, we proclaim His death to the world:
“Truly, this IS
the Son of God!”
_____________________________________________________________
260 N. Aspen Dr., Cortland, IL 60112
e-mail:
aldiestel@gmail.com
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If
one stays in a certain locality most of the time, he may be somewhat
shielded from the harsh realities of divisiveness. But when one travels
much among brethren, he will become aware of many abrasive attitudes
and much bickering over matters of human judgment and personal opinion.
Consequently we see God’s people, who may indeed be agreed on the great
issues of our day, split ends splintered over the color of drapes in
front of the baptistry, the manner of ventilating the building, the
length of the preacher’s stay in a certain place, etc.
Bad attitudes cause most of the turmoil in congregations. Some seem to
have established themselves, in their own minds at least, as super-
critics, testing every word, every syllable—testing them, not by
Scriptures, but by their own warped sense of correctness based upon
tradition or contemporary concept.
An attitude of sincere humility and of wholehearted brotherly love
almost guarantees unity when it is accompanied by a truly discerning
love for truth. Conversely, peace is not assured by love for truth
alone. A dogmatic, unyielding attitude and/or a factious, bickering
spirit produces strife and division even among those who want to obey
God. Splinteritis is an infectious, soul destroying spiritual disease.
Each Christian must yield completely to the Great Physician lest the
affliction reach epidemic proportions and destroy the kingdom of Christ
on earth today.
It is not enough to know we follow truth in doctrinal matters and in
religious practices. We must also manifest the spirit of brotherly love
and an attitude of compassion and patience, both of which are also
absolute principles of divine truth.
_____________________________________________________________
This article was first published in
THINK, Vol. 2, No. 2, January, 1970
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PRICE: $10 available at www.lulu.com
[search “song leading”]
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New
Song Leading Training and Study Book Available
TOM SATER, an accomplished song leader and elder of
the church in Kenosha, Wisconsin, is the author of Effective Song
Leading, a collection of studies and training materials designed to
help individuals and congregations improve the musical aspects of their
worship to God. These lessons are perfect for personal study, men’s
training classes, and congregational studies.
Lessons cover:
—The Importance of Singing in the Lives of
—God’s,People
—Toward More Effective Congregational
—Singing
Additionally, four lessons focused specifically on song leadership:
—First Things First
—Music Fundamentals
—Effective Song Leading
—Practical Suggestions."
Appendices include a hymn cross-reference for
all hymns used throughout the book, a do-mi-sol reference chart for all
major chords, pitching and hand-conducting exercises, and song leader
resources.
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About Think's Editor -
Al Diestelkamp
CONTACT US
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2009 Think on
These Things
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