Listening to the Word

Leviticus 20-22; Acts 20   “’Now I know that none of you among whom I have gone about preaching the kingdom will ever see me again. Therefore, I declare to you today that I am innocent of the blood of all men. For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God.’” Acts 20:25-27 When ministry is primarily a job, we may hesitate to proclaim the whole will of God because we might offend someone and put our job at risk. Paul’s freedom came from his burning inner sense of call from the Lord, his self-funded tent-making approach to ministry, and his awareness that if he failed to preach repentance and the whole will of God as related to his kingdom, he would be held accountable for lives the of his listeners. This is why Paul instructed Timothy to “correct, rebuke, and encourage – with great patience and careful instruction” because the lives and eternal destinies of people were at stake (2 Timothy 4:12). Do we love people, and particularly those in the family of faith, eno...

Leviticus 18-19; Psalms 13; Acts 19   “’Do not defile yourselves in any of these ways, because this is how the nations that I am going to drive out before you became defiled. Even the land was defiled; I punished it for its sin, and the land vomited out its inhabitants.’” Leviticus 18:24, 25 In 2 Chronicles 7:14 God promised Solomon that he would listen to his people, forgive their sin, and heal their land. However, his people first needed to humble themselves, pray, seek the Lord’s face, and turn from their wicked ways. This promise to heal their land was connected to the defilement of the land through their sin and idolatry. The gospel of the kingdom of heaven that Jesus came to bring includes reconciliation with God, with our neighbor, and with creation. This last dimension of renewed and restored relationship with creation breaks the defiling curse of sin and the worship of created things rather than the Creator. In what ways are we living this good news of restoration and rene...

Leviticus 15-17; Acts 18   “But when the Jews opposed Paul and became abusive, he shook out his clothes in protest and said to them, ‘Your blood be on your own heads! I am clear of my responsibility. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.’” Acts 18:6 Paul was an evangelist. He knew the prophetic writings of Ezekiel and that accountability was needed when carrying a word from the Lord. The Lord had spoken to Ezekiel, saying that he was a watchman for the people of Israel. When he saw the sword coming, he was to blow the trumpet to warn the people. If the watchman didn’t warn the people, he would be held accountable for their blood (Ezekiel 33:6). Paul’s gospel witness to the Jews in each city he went to was as a spiritual watchman who desired more than anything for his people to be saved from their sins. There are many spiritual watch-people today who have responsibility before the Lord to pray, witness to, and warn their people about the consequences of sin. Are we aware of the ete...

Leviticus 13,14; Acts 17   “’From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. For in him we live and move and have our being.’” Acts 17:26-28 God’s creative design of us goes beyond our bodies and includes our ‘ethnos’, or national ethnicity. God’s hand has guided where and when nations have lived, their appointed times (kairos) in his story and the boundaries of their lands. Why does the Lord care at this detailed level for each nation and ethnic group? His desire is that each nation would seek him and find him in relationship. God’s mission is to make disciples, or apprentices, of Jesus from all nations. His mission is to baptize these disciples into the new identity of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, even while they retain the unique ...

Leviticus 10-12; Acts 16 “…’You and your sons are not to drink wine or other fermented drink whenever you go into the Tent of Meeting, or you will die. This is a lasting ordinance for the generations to come. You must distinguish between the holy and the common, between the unclean and the clean, and you must teach the Israelites all the decrees the Lord has given them through Moses.” Leviticus 10:8-11 Fermented drink offerings were a daily part of worship sacrifices at the tabernacle and temple. However, the death of Aaron’s sons, Nadab and Abihu, who were intoxicated when they offered unauthorized fire/incense in the Tabernacle, was a ‘sober’ statement to the succeeding generations of priests that they could not be casual about their duties in the presence of the Lord. The priests were given the leftover drink offerings. However, when they were in the tabernacle, teaching the people or offering discernment on the application of the law, fermented drink was forbidden. As the people of...

Leviticus 7-9; Acts 15 “Moses said to Aaron, ‘Come to the altar and sacrifice your sin offering and your burnt offering and make atonement for yourself and the people; Moses and Aaron then went into the Tent of Meeting. When they came out, they blessed the people… Fire came out from the presence of the Lord and consumed the burnt offering and the fat portions on the altar. And when all the people saw it, they shouted for joy and fell face down.” Leviticus 9:7, 23, 24 For seven days, Aaron and his sons offered sin-sacrifices for themselves and the people. They consecrated themselves to the Lord. On the eighth day, the glory of the Lord appeared, and fire came out from the presence of the Lord and consumed the burnt offering. Consecration precedes revelation. Jesus, the sinless Lamb of God, made atonement for us so we could approach the throne of grace boldly. However, we must appropriate/apply that sacrifice by faith, repent of our sin, and offer ourselves to God if we, too, desire to e...