Royal priesthood

P 3360 Keep looking at Jesus.

/ DVH

“We look at this Son and see the God who cannot be seen. We look at this Son and see God’s original purpose in everything created. For everything, absolutely everything, above and below, visible and invisible, rank after rank after rank of angels—everything got started in Him and finds its purpose in Him. He was there before any of it came into existence and holds it all together right up to this moment. And when it comes to the church, He organises and holds it together, like a head does a body.                                                                                                      He was supreme in the beginning and—leading the resurrection parade—He is supreme in the end. From beginning to end He’s there, towering far above everything, everyone. So spacious is He, so expansive, that everything of God finds its proper place in Him without crowding. Not only that, but all the broken and dislocated pieces of the universe—people and things, animals and atoms—get properly fixed and fit together in vibrant harmonies, all because of His death, His blood that poured down from the cross.”                                 You yourselves are a case study of what He does. At one time you all had your backs turned to God, thinking rebellious thoughts of Him, giving Him trouble every chance you got. But now, by giving Himself completely at the Cross, actually dying for you, Christ brought you over to God’s side and put your lives together, whole and holy in His Presence. You don’t walk away from a gift like that! You stay grounded and steady in that bond of trust, constantly tuned in to the Message, careful not to be distracted or diverted. There is no other Message—just this one. Every creature under heaven gets this same Message. I, Paul, am a messenger of this Message.” Colossians 1:15-23 MSG.

When we look at Jesus Christ we see God’s original purpose for mankind … minus sin and its effects. Sin couldn’t make Christ do anything because His love and devotion for His Father was greater than anything else. Instead He set us a perfect example. Our sin has a habit of colouring in everything around it. So when we focus on our sin, or their sin, or the government’s sin, we cannot effectively keep our eyes on the Lord!

Personally I think that judgment is a terrible stumbling block for everyone, but the Lord Jesus died to remove that and all other stumbling blocks way… once and for all! We can find our place in this broken world when we drag our gaze away from other people’s sin and look steadily at the One Who gave us His place. Looking at sin skews our focus.

This is a great passage of scripture above, because it encapsulates the things that Jesus has willingly done for us. People rattle on and on about recycling, and saving the planet, but one day everything broken and dislocated will come together in Christ! His greatest achievement is the total restoration of mankind with its Creator— not just to where Adam and Eve were—we have been restored to be like Him in this world, and that starts right here, right now.

Boy if that doesn’t make anyone happy then I don’t know what will!! We don’t have to be qualified to live this way, we simply need to yield to Him no matter what is going on around us. The good, the bad and the … oh! my goodness! Our first step is total surrender – the next is to choose to live under His guidance, His Way. Don’t hold anything back, whatever we hold back can still be influenced by sin … that’s why we must give it all to Him. He is the Restorer, the Redeemer of everything. 

Jesus has already taken us out of the kingdom of darkness that surrounds us and we are now a part of the kingdom of His marvellous light. “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a consecrated nation, a [special] people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies [the wonderful deeds and virtues and perfections] of Him Who called you out of darkness into His marvellous light.” 1 Peter 2:9. I don’t care what you do for a living, this is our real job now. To live in, and reflect the light He died to give us into this world around us. The darker it gets, the brighter that light shines.

Our dedication to living in His light (described in the book) causes darkness to run away … This is the real Good News – not some other form of religion! Religion has rules and regulations, but our Saviour’s Good News just helps us to live this life, with all its positive and negative experiences, well. And the source of our happiness never changes, because Jesus never changes! 

As Christians we cannot afford to focus on what this world thinks, we need our focus to be singular, on what He said. Day by day we get to know Perfect Love in an ever increasing measure. Jesus demonstrated His perfect love by what He did. We demonstrate our love for Him and others by what we do and say. However, perfect love is hardly ever a feeling. Perfect Love is a series of ongoing chosen actions that will cost us something to participate in them. God hasn’t taken away our freedom to choose – instead He has given us something better, something worth choosing! 

We can’t afford to rely upon feelings, because they will slowly sink our little lives into the mire that surrounds us. Instead we need to make what happens to us less important than what Jesus Christ did for us. Our focus is not on some pie in the sky when we die theology – because Jesus already did everything for us. It’s done! He said it way better than I ever could: “IT. IS. FINISHED.” Done and dusted. The Lord Jesus Himself purchased our freedom,- He paid with His own blood. It cost Him His life. Now we have been given the freedom to choose to live His Way. Don’t misuse the freedom He gave you. Meanwhile, there is no need for us to work hard for something that is already paid for. 

We choose to live with His pure focus in this life – right here, right now. Let’s shift our focus off the immediate stuff around us and lift our focus up to the eternal. Then we will progressively exchange every bit of the darkness that assails us, for what He has already given us. This new life is a life of forgiveness and love. Right now… right here … we are learning to cherish His light. Every single day. I urge us all to keep looking at Jesus, He started our faith and He will finish it. Bye. 👋

P 2467 A walking, talking, breathing TEMPLE.

/ DVH

“This means that God is transforming each one of you into the Holy of Holies, His dwelling place, through the power of the Holy Spirit living in you!”Ephesians 2:22 TPT. That’s you… and I.. whether we feel like it or not, we are becoming His temple! Christianity has nothing to do with feelings, and absolutely everything to do with FAITH. So, where is your temple off to, today? Mine is sitting here praying for you, at the same time I am writing this blog. Today, whether you are rich or poor, safe or in danger – I know that the Lord will take care of you, His precious temple – “May He keep you sheltered and safe in His arms.” Amen. 

Here is something the Holy Spirit pointed out to me about the building of the first temple in the wilderness. Exodus chapters 25-38. The amount of detail the Lord God Almighty put into this temple is staggering. “God chose Bezalel of Judah to be the chief artisan. He was filled with the Spirit of God, a designer, engraver,  and carver of metals, stone and wood, with ability and intelligence,  knowledge and craftsmanship, skilful in embroidering and weaving, inspired to teach.” Well that’s a pretty cool resume!! This man, Bezalel, represents what the Spirit of the living God did inside your mum and mine when He made us. Look at this …

“For You created my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful I know that full well.” Psalm 139:13-14  and Job 31:15: “Did not He who made me in the womb make them? Did not the same one form us both within our mothers?” Plus Ephesians 2:10: “We are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus…” Lastly: Genesis 1:27: “…wherein “God created man in His own image. . .” 

I don’t care where this world says you came from – we know you came from Him! You are a gift, a present, to this world and the people around you. A present that is hopefully stuffed to the top full of HIS love and acceptance, joy and hope! Before you freak out and remember your flat feet, or bad temper, or other odd family genetic traits … remember this … you aren’t done yet.  It says: ‘God IS transforming each one of us into His temple.’ Please note we have a part to play in cleansing ourselves, as we co-operate with the Holy Spirit’s loving help!

For those of us that use English as our primary language that’s called a present ongoing tense … in other words, you and I are in a process. A process is not the finished article. It is simply the means to get to the finished article. So let yourself off the hook, like I said, you are not done yet! However, at the same time we can’t let ourselves off the hook to the extent that we can just do whatever we like and live however we like! We need to continually remember our purpose is to be His temple – His walking, talking, breathing temple – a place where people can encounter the Living God! And that started the minute we were born again. 

“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of Him Who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light.” 1 Peter 2:9. As God’s special possession, we have responsibilities. That is what this blog is all about, those responsibilities and the way you and I discern them and work on them with His help.

Many times in the past the church has tried to diminish the individuality of people who are part of His body and it seems that we are all supposed to think the same and believe the same theology. I think that is a mistake. I only have to put the two oppositional halves of my face together to see that even the left side of my face is not the same as the right side of it – very very few people have perfectly symmetrical faces! We are all incredibly unique. People in the same family, coming from the same parents are entirely different from each other, in personality and looks. Each human being, I firmly believe, brings a unique aspect of God’s glorious character and Presence as they are transformed into Christ’s likeness. 

Remember it’s His power working in us … not our effort … that power is activated by obedience to His word. And this transformation will benefit everyone else around us. As we renew our minds to think like He does, we facilitate what the Lord Himself is doing. Our obedience to what He says in the bible, and to us personally, ushers in a particular aspect of His kingdom visibly. We’ve been re-designed to be His temple or containers, of the Holy Spirit. He is so precious, He does not despise our weaknesses, or growing points. Instead, in love, He transforms each of us with a light loving caring touch.

And we don’t have to look like each other either – instead He wants us to look like Jesus and obey like Christ would if He were still visibly here! The Holy Spirit is transforming us into Father God’s walking, talking, breathing temple. He wants us to undergo this transformation so we can express a unique part of Father God’s Ways and His nature to others. 👋🏻