Listening to the Word

Numbers 8-9; Acts 28 “…From morning till evening he explained and declared to them the kingdom of God and tried to convince them about Jesus from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets.” Acts 28:23 Paul’s focus in witnessing at the close of his life and ministry was on the kingdom of God and Jesus the Messiah. Are we proclaiming only Jesus, and ignoring our witness of God’s kingdom? When we limit our witness to Jesus and not the broader topic of God’s kingdom, we can limit the gospel to personal salvation from sin and ignore the invitation to life-transformation through God’s kingdom. Jesus’ proclamation of the kingdom of God spoke to humility, right relationships, accountability for our resources, and God’s reconciling mission. Paul wrote that the kingdom of God was not about sacrifices of meat and drink, but about righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit (Romans 14:17). This gospel of the kingdom of heaven is good news in the midst of the political and cultural wars of our da...

Numbers 7; Psalms 23; Acts 27 “…So Paul warned them, ‘Men I can see that our voyage is going to be disastrous and bring great loss…Since the harbor was unsuitable to winter in, the majority decided that we should sail on…’” Acts 27:9, 10, 12 “The Lord is my shepherd…he guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me…” Psalm 23:1, 3, 4 Paul’s response to the storm at sea was dramatically different from the rest of the ship’s passengers. His warning about proceeding with the journey, and later, his prophetic promise that no lives would be lost, reflected that Paul was listening to his Shepherd. While the ship’s captain was influenced by the majority of the passengers, Paul was led by the Spirit. Even when we travel through the darkest valley, the presence of our Shepherd through his indwelling Spirit is with us. We need not fear. Who are we listening to in our storm or dark val...

Numbers 5-6; Psalms 22; Acts 26   “’The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.’ So they will put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.” Numbers 6:24-27 This priestly blessing of speaking the Lord’s name over the Israelites points to the day when the Lord’s presence will be in them, not just on them. Jesus Christ instructed his disciples to baptize the nations “in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19). The living presence of God himself now indwelt his disciples through the Spirit. “I in them and you in me. May they may be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me” John 17:23). It is the indwelling presence of Jesus through the Spirit which releases the glory, grace, and peace of God in our lives. Jesus, as our permanent high priest, has come to bless us with ...

Numbers 3-4; Acts 25 “The Lord also said to Moses, ‘I have taken the Levites from among the Israelites in place of the first male offspring of every Israelite woman. The Levites are mine, for all the firstborn are mine. When I struck down all the firstborn in Egypt, I set apart for myself every firstborn in Israel, whether man or animal. They are to be mine. I am the Lord.’” Numbers 3:11-13 The writer of Hebrews reminds us that the Israelite Tabernacle was an earthly copy of the reality in heaven. The assignment of the tribe of Levi as priests, in place of the firstborn of every Israelite woman, points us to the Church as the kingdom of priests, “a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God” (1 Peter 2:9). We are the “church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven” (Hebrews 12:23). To experience salvation from sin is to be set apart for service to God. Why, then, is the gospel so often presented as what God has done and will do for us? This is only half of t...

Numbers 1-2; Acts 24   “Several days later Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was Jewish. He sent for Paul and listened to him as he spoke about faith in Christ Jesus. As Paul discoursed on righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come, Felix was afraid and said, ‘That’s enough for now! You may leave. When I find it convenient I will send for you.’” Acts 24:24, 25 Paul’s life and beliefs were on trial in Caesarea; yet he did not avoid the convicting aspects of the gospel. Paul was not focused on defending himself; but rather, on representing Jesus Christ as his ambassador. After he heard Paul share the gospel, Felix became afraid because he came under the conviction of the Holy Spirit. Without this conviction and fear of the Lord, there is no repentance. Without repentance, there is no salvation. A gospel of faith in Christ and his gift of righteousness, without preaching repentance, self-control, and clarity on eternal judgment is incomplete. Without the complete pictu...

Leviticus 26-27; Acts 23   “’I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt so that you would no longer be slaves to the Egyptians; I broke the bars of your yoke and enabled you to walk with heads held high.’” Leviticus 26:13 God’s redemption of his people from slavery in Egypt inspired the American slaves to pray for their own freedom. God hears those cries for freedom from slavery of every kind, no matter where they issue from. Christ is our Redeemer, the salvation of all who call out to him for forgiveness and freedom from the slavery and penalty of sin. The evidence of our freedom is evident in how we walk and carry ourselves. Freedom from the yoke or bar of slavery enables us to walk with our heads held high. Our Redeemer is “our glory and the lifter of our heads” (Psalm 3:3). What enslavement are we crying out to be freed from?   Are we walking with our heads held high, or are we bowed down under a yoke? “Lord Jesus, you are my Redeemer and glory, the lifter of my ...

Leviticus 25; Psalms 25-26; Acts 22 “To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul; in you I trust…He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way…Who, then, is the man that fears the Lord? He will instruct him in the way chosen for him…My eyes are ever on the Lord, for only he will release my feet from the snare…May integrity and uprightness protect me, because my hope is in you.” Psalm 25:1, 9, 12, 15, 21 Our primary enemy is sin and the temptation of Satan to get us ensnared in a sin-stronghold. It is in humility that we learn how to live in God’s ways and avoid the snares of sin. The fear of the Lord positions us to obey him, listen to his Word, and value unbroken fellowship with him. When we fix our eyes on Jesus, we “throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles” (Hebrews 12:1). It is in pursuing Jesus as our primary focus each day, that integrity and uprightness will protect us. Jesus is our shield and defender. Our hope is in the Lord. “Lord Jesus, y...

Leviticus 23-24; Psalms 24; Acts 21   “…’When you enter the land I am going to give you and you reap its harvest, bring to the priest a sheaf of the first grain you harvest. He is to wave the sheaf before the Lord so it will be accepted on your behalf; the priest is to wave it on the day after the Sabbath. On the day you wave the sheaf you must sacrifice as a burnt offering to the Lord a lamb a year old without defect, together with its grain offering of two-tenths of an ephah of the fine flour mixed with olive oil – an offering made to the Lord…” Leviticus 23:9-13 The resurrection of Jesus the Messiah on the day after the Sabbath during the Passover Feast is the fulfillment of the firstfruits offering. Jesus was the firstfruit of the resurrection, with the spiritual harvest of the churches from every nation to follow. Jesus was the sacrificial lamb offered in atonement for our sin. The outpouring of the Holy Spirit is the oil offering which binds the grain flour of the Church toge...

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...

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 ...

Ex 39-40; Psalms 15; Acts 12   “The bells and pomegranates alternated around the hem of the robe to be worn for ministering, as the Lord commanded Moses.” Exodus 39:26 The smallest details of the clothing worn by the priests were followed “as the Lord commanded Moses”. The Lord had a detailed plan, or as the writer of Hebrews wrote, Moses’ Tabernacle was a “copy and shadow of what is in heaven” (Hebrews 7:5). These details were all significant and prepared God’s people for their fulfillment once the Messiah would come. More importantly, this pattern prepares God’s people for what he has prepared for us in heaven. The details and design of the elements and components of the Tabernacle are important because they reveal God’s ways to us. We discover the character of the Architect. God’s holiness, revelatory nature, forgiving nature, his order, and his desire for reconciled relationship, are all revealed in the Tabernacle. Pomegranates are the only fruit mentioned in the Tabernacle and...

Ex 37-38; Psalms 19; Acts 11 “But who can discern his errors? Forgive my hidden faults. Keep your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me. Then will I be blameless, innocent of great transgression. May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.” Psalm 19:12-14 David’s desire to walk in unbroken fellowship with the Lord meant that he invited the Holy Spirit to expose the sin in his life prevent further sin. David desired his words and actions as well as the hidden meditations of his heart to be pleasing to the Lord. Our primary responsibility, or work as disciples or apprentices of Christ, is to walk in unbroken fellowship with Jesus so he can live in and through us. Hidden meditations that grieve God become sin which eventually become actions that rule over us through habits. Our accountability to others in discipleship is helpful; but our primary accountability is to the indwelling Holy Spirit who ...

Exodus 35-36; Acts 10   “Then Peter began to speak: ‘I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right.’…The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on Gentiles. For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God.’” Acts 10:34, 35, 45, 46 It’s easy and understandable for anyone coming from many generations of God-fearing people to believe they have an exclusive relationship with God. If not exclusive, then very special and even favored. Do we believe that God accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right? What if their theology or practices are different from ours? Do we have a ‘centered set’ view of mission or a ‘bounded set’? A bounded set is one with very clear lines of who is ‘in’ or who is ‘out’; while a centered set views Jesus at the center and people at different stages or distances fr...

Exodus 33-34; Psalms 16; Acts 9   “Lord, you have assigned me my portion and my cup; you have made my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance.” Psalm 16:5, 6 “…’Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel. I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.’” Acts 9:15, 16 When the Lord is our inheritance, we lack no good thing. Not many find this inheritance and experience this rest of spirit and soul. The alternative is to make our own inheritance and worry about our security, health, and future. When we make the Lord our portion and our cup, he provides all we need. Saul became a chosen instrument in the hand of the Lord when he gave his life to the Lord. He realized he had been resisting the Creator, even as he persecuted the Church. When we, too, offer our lives to the Lord, he gives us assignments in his kingdom-mission that he has...