Listening to the Word

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...

Leviticus 4-6; Acts 14   “’Whatever touches any of the flesh will become holy…The clay pot the meat is cooked in must be broken…’” Leviticus 6:27, 28 Anything the sacrifices on the altar touched became holy. They could not be used later for common purposes. Clay pots or dishes used to eat the food offered on the altar during the Jewish feasts, had to be broken, even when that meant hundreds of thousands of dishes in a place like Shiloh. Halfway between Ramallah and Nablus, the historic site of Shiloh has been discovered. For hundreds of years, hundreds of thousands of people would gather at Shiloh, the place of the tabernacle to worship the Lord and offer sacrifices. This site was recently identified by the huge amount of broken clay dishes in the area. Paul described us as clay vessels when he wrote, “we have this treasure in jars of clay,” describing how our bodies contain the very presence and glory of God (2 Corinthians 4:7). We offer our bodies to the Lord as “living sacrifice...

Leviticus 1-3; Acts 13   “Therefore, my brothers, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. Through him everyone who believes is justified from everything you could not be justified from by the law of Moses.” Acts 13:38, 39 This closing statement in Paul’s sermon in Pisidian Antioch deeply impacted the listeners so that the following week “almost the whole city gathered to hear the Word of the Lord” (Acts 13:44). Under the anointing of the Holy Spirit it was the Lord speaking through Paul calling people to both forgiveness and freedom from the power of sin through Jesus Christ. Are we aware of and living the reality of the message that not only is forgiveness found in Jesus, but also freedom from the power of sinful habits and patterns in our life? This deliverance was not possible through the Mosaic Law and its animal sacrifices. How many Christians limit their experience of salvation to forgiveness, and never appropriate deliverance from ...