Is an individual both or one or the other?
Recently, I heard it conveyed separating the two. Though this was a new perspective for me, I certainly understood it. The Priest is the individual whose full-time occupation is ministry. This person’s livelihood is in the churchhouse. Versus the King being the believer who makes his living in the secular world.
The point of making this distinction was to imply that one is no more spiritually relevant than the other. While a certain admiration and respect is given to the Priest for being God’s conduit in ministry, it is the King who delivers the Priest's words to the world because of his/her interactions there.
Do I agree? To an extent. My perspective had always been that any believer is both King and Priest, a royal priesthood, no less.
It’s ironic to me that very few if any peoplegroups to exist throughout the history of the world have been led by a monarch or head of state of any kind who was also a priest or religious leader at the same time. It wasn’t even true in Israel. I haven’t studied enough world history to say for certain, but I can’t think of any king-priests save two: Melchizedek and Jesus.
Hebrews 5 tells us that Jesus is the great high priest of the New Testament believer after or under Melchizedek's priestly order. Indeed, the purpose of mentioning this relationship between Jesus and Melchizedek is to demonstrate that they both were kings in the earth who also ministered: Jesus, being the Son of God, the Most High King, and preaching and teaching in the temple; and Melchizedek, who is identified as a king in Genesis 5 but also in that passage, as the high priest, receives the tithe from Abram.
My take on it, the king-priest was God’s intent all along. He made us in this His image and likeness and gave us a domain over which to rule. And even now, given our acceptance of Christ and thereby being likewise born of God, would it not be fair to say that we are king-priests even as He?
To answer the question that entitles this lesson, I say both beliefs are true. Only the perspective separates these beliefs. In the natural realm, we are either king or priest. From the spiritual perspective, we are both.
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Monday, August 2, 2010
Tuning Your Heart to Revelation Knowledge
When sin occurred, God understood that Man, now being separated from his only source of information, the Holy Spirit, would begin to learn via his natural senses. God, making all things work together for the good, decided to take advantage of this unintended means of education by inspiring those who have relationship with Him to write His Word. His logic was simple: with all the evil that Man will learn via his natural senses in this world now corrupted by sin, why not use this as a means to teach Man about Himself as well.
God had always intended on speaking directly to Man. In fact, He is never not speaking. He is, in essence, like a radio antenna as He transmits 24/7. Even better, this particular radio antenna allows for full duplex connectivity as He both transmits and receives. And His line-of-sight is the entire natural realm.
His concern, however, is whether or not Man is in-tune with His revelation knowledge transmission. But here's where Bible study comes in. Reading the written Word of God, Man soon begins to recognize God's Word when he hears it. Bible study is, in essence, like working the hand tuner on a radio. Back-and-forth; left-then-right you turn the knob until the transmission is perfectly clear. In this case, the transmission receiver is your heart.
The Bible study works as filter as well. Because you know the Word and thereby the voice so well, you know when you are hearing false teaching. Thereby you become God's sheep, and the voice a stranger, you shall not follow.
With any subject matter you study, your study fosters meditation. That's all God needs really; for you to create a moment of meditation-and I stress you have to create this moment; it does not occur automatically.
Your meditation is like flipping on the power to the radio, and given your relationship with God is not impeded by your sin, your heart will begin to receive the revelation knowledge transmission.
Though I've made this lesson primarily about Bible study, it is not the only way to create the moment of meditation. Teaching CD's and DVD's, books written by other believers as well serve to in-tune your heart. Keep in mind that though the Holy Bible is the Word of God, the Word of God is not limited to the Holy Bible.
Herein lies the purpose of the Word as read or heard. Be it the Holy Bible or some other naturally-tangible form, it is a corrective measure God put in the earth to help establish and solidify His relationship with you. It is always incumbent upon you to reach out to Him to establish said relationship. Indeed, your ingestion of His Word is how you accomplish this.
God had always intended on speaking directly to Man. In fact, He is never not speaking. He is, in essence, like a radio antenna as He transmits 24/7. Even better, this particular radio antenna allows for full duplex connectivity as He both transmits and receives. And His line-of-sight is the entire natural realm.
His concern, however, is whether or not Man is in-tune with His revelation knowledge transmission. But here's where Bible study comes in. Reading the written Word of God, Man soon begins to recognize God's Word when he hears it. Bible study is, in essence, like working the hand tuner on a radio. Back-and-forth; left-then-right you turn the knob until the transmission is perfectly clear. In this case, the transmission receiver is your heart.
The Bible study works as filter as well. Because you know the Word and thereby the voice so well, you know when you are hearing false teaching. Thereby you become God's sheep, and the voice a stranger, you shall not follow.
With any subject matter you study, your study fosters meditation. That's all God needs really; for you to create a moment of meditation-and I stress you have to create this moment; it does not occur automatically.
Your meditation is like flipping on the power to the radio, and given your relationship with God is not impeded by your sin, your heart will begin to receive the revelation knowledge transmission.
Though I've made this lesson primarily about Bible study, it is not the only way to create the moment of meditation. Teaching CD's and DVD's, books written by other believers as well serve to in-tune your heart. Keep in mind that though the Holy Bible is the Word of God, the Word of God is not limited to the Holy Bible.
Herein lies the purpose of the Word as read or heard. Be it the Holy Bible or some other naturally-tangible form, it is a corrective measure God put in the earth to help establish and solidify His relationship with you. It is always incumbent upon you to reach out to Him to establish said relationship. Indeed, your ingestion of His Word is how you accomplish this.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)