A Bloody Religion - Thabiti Anyabwile

Here's a re-post of a wonderful perspective we ought not to forget. Amen and Amen. Enjoy



¹And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, ²“Speak to the people of Israel, saying, If anyone sins unintentionally in any of the LORD’s commandments about things not to be done, and does any one of them, ³if it is the anointed priest who sins, thus bringing guilt on the people, then he shall offer for the sin that he has committed a bull from the herd without blemish to the LORD for a sin offering. ⁴He shall bring the bull to the entrance of the tent of meeting before the LORD and lay his hand on the head of the bull and kill the bull before the LORD. ⁵And the anointed priest shall take some of the blood of the bull and bring it into the tent of meeting, ⁶and the priest shall dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle part of the blood seven times before the LORD in front of the veil of the sanctuary. ⁷And the priest shall put some of the blood on the horns of the altar of fragrant incense before the LORD that is in the tent of meeting, and all the rest of the blood of the bull he shall pour out at the base of the altar of burnt offering that is at the entrance of the tent of meeting. ⁸And all the fat of the bull of the sin offering he shall remove from it, the fat that covers the entrails and all the fat that is on the entrails ⁹ and the two kidneys with the fat that is on them at the loins and the long lobe of the liver that he shall remove with the kidneys ¹⁰(just as these are taken from the ox of the sacrifice of the peace offerings); and the priest shall burn them on the altar of burnt offering. ¹¹But the skin of the bull and all its flesh, with its head, its legs, its entrails, and its dung—¹²all the rest of the bull—he shall carry outside the camp to a clean place, to the ash heap, and shall burn it up on a fire of wood. On the ash heap it shall be burned up. (Lev. 4:1-9)

Try to imagine the scene.  Day after day.  Week after week.  Sinner after sinner.  Progresses before the altar to offer bulls, goats, lambs, pigeons to God as an atonement for sin.  The prescription for slaughter is precise.  Instruction for removal of organs and fat detailed.  With your hands.  All day long.  Breaking open animal bodies.  Removing organs.  Separating fat.  Awash in blood.  Sprinkling blood on the altar.  Rubbing it on the horns of the altar.  Watching it drain into the basin of the altar.  All the while, the constant smell of burning flesh, charred to ashes.

That’s the Old Testament sacrificial system.  It’s bloody.

But do we imagine Christianity to be an less bloody?  Do we imagine the fulfillment of those patterns and prophesies to bring a more sanitary, sterile, cleaner religion?  If we do, we’ve lost sight of significant realities.

Is not our salvation purchased with blood?  The blood of the Son of God still flows.  It flows to the chief of sinners.  It still washes and cleanses.  It doesn’t drain into a basin, but reaches the nations.  And without the shedding of His blood, there is no remission of sins.

What about you Christian?  Are not our lives living sacrifices?  All day long, are you not counted as sheep for the slaughter?  Our gathering is not a country club, but a slaughter house.  Your life is not dry and clean; it must be bloody.

What about you, pastor?  Does not our continuing ministry require blood?  Do your daily ministrations involve less blood than the blood Old Testament priests once put their hands in?  If so, you’re doing it wrong.  Are our people any less broken by sin?  Do they need repentance less?  Can they leave off confession and forget to seek a good conscience?  Certainly not.  But how will they be comforted?  How will they be assured of their forgiveness?  What will they do with their guilt?  Do we not return them to that precious fountain filled with blood drawn from Immanuel’s veins?  Do we not stand awash in blood and with our hands of counsel rub blood–not on an altar–but on our people?  And are they not cleansed of all unrighteousness when they’re taught to confess, repent, and return to a faithful and just God who is pleased at the sight of His Son’s blood?  We remind them that atonement has been made, which is to remind them of blood–Jesus’ blood.

Ours is a bloody religion.

Our Declaration

He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on OUR behalf, SO THAT we might become the righteousness of God IN HIM!

Therefore there is now NO, NONE, ZERO condemnation for those who are IN CHRIST JESUS.

Who are protected BY the power of GOD THROUGH faith.

IN THIS your greatly rejoice. Amen



He Drank It

Is Christ Worthy Enough...All The Time?

Is - it - enough?

Is it enough to sit around with loved ones and talk about how we are doing?

Is it enough to sit around with loved ones and talk about our relationships?

Is it enough to sit around with loved ones and talk about what has been going on in our life?

Is it enough to sit around with loved ones and talk about school, work, business?

Is it enough to sit around with loved ones and talk about the latest news in the world?

Is it enough to sit around with loved ones and talk about how we have been wronged, been hurt, misused?

Is it enough to sit around with loved ones and talk about theology?

Is it enough to sit around with loved ones and talk about what's coming up?

Is it enough to sit around with loved ones and talk about our problems?

Is it enough to sit around with loved ones and talk about things that make us laugh?

Guess what...

It - just- is - not- enough!

Let us be reminded of something; God, being so rich in mercy, because he loved us with such a great love, demonstrates this in that Christ died.

For who? His enemies.

Who were they? You.

Why? Because he loves you.

Why is it not enough to fill our time with anything other than reminding each other DAILY of the helplessness we were in; yoked in an unbreakable chain of slavery, defeated by the ultimate giant, rotting in the death of our worship to these golden calf's - miraculously having a Hero come in to save the day, painting His blood on the doorway of our hearts, firing the Rock directly at the giant conquering it in one hit, and coming down from the highest mountain to deliver to us the true and comforting words to be His people for eternity?

Why is it not enough we still ask? Nothing fulfills the way the true story of how God through Jesus Christ came and redeemed a people not wanting to be redeemed, a people lost, helpless, dead (cf. John 1:10) does then the things that consume our mind so quickly from the false story this world tells us. The very fact that it is so easy for us to get together and talk about anything and everything other than Jesus Christ and what He has done for us shows us how forgetful we are and how desperately we are in need of being reminded of the story we are a part of. Hebrews tells us:

Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God. But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called "Today," so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have become partakers of of Christ, if we hold fast...(3:12-14a)

Again Deuteronomy tells us:

When your son asks you in time to come, saying, 'What do the testimonies and the statutes and the judgments mean which the Lord our God commanded you?' then you shall say to your son, 'We were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt, and the Lord brought us from Egypt with a mighty hand. Moreover, the Lord showed great and distressing signs and wonders before our eyes against Egypt, Pharaoh and all his household; He brought us our from there in order to bring us in, to give us the land which He had sworn to our fathers.' So the Lord commanded us to observe all these statutes, to fear the Lord our God for our good always and for our survival, as it is today. (6:20-24)

In Christ, the true story of God is manifested - our story of a filthy bride loved, captured, and made beautiful by One who gave everything to give us everything! No longer run to the false story of this world; the empty claims and fleeting materials and ideas, but run to hear and tell and live for the story and the things which God gives us for our good and survival, ALWAYS. Jesus Christ loves sinners!

Be encouraged fam.

The Chop Block - Discipleship

Here are a couple of saints in Christ chopping it up together about the mandate and beauty of Biblical Discipleship - Jason Watson "Json", brothers Michael and Anthony of "Hazakim", and Darrell Bell Jr. "Stephen the Levite". Enjoy!
http://vimeo.com/18959378

Tis' So Sweet Thy Comforts Of Thee

God the Father, God the Son, God the Spirit - God three and yet one. The doctrine of the Trinity has troubled and will trouble Christians and their understanding of the existence of the Triune God-Head. How is God One yet Three distinctly different 'Persons'? I have heard it often taught within the greater institutional Church as the God-Head being such as the three distinct forms of H2O; ice, water and water vapor. Yet, this comes far short of comparison and often can be associated as heresy because while God is manifested in the Son, so not does the Father and Spirit take leave of being ever present.

Troublesome. Be patient with me.

Let us not be troubled by our lack of understanding in His identity. He does make us known by His Spirit. According to the Scriptures, I found that it is best displayed in the way we read the Scriptures and interpret what God has put forth in His word. Let's take for example the apocalyptic literature found in the Bible. What is apocalyptic literature? It is defined as a revealing of 'end-time' events. Most notably, the books of Daniel and Revelation concern their teaching with eschatological, or 'end-time', prophesies and revelations; hence the name of the book, Revelation.

Within these books, it has sadly scared away many Christians because of all the visions that the writers of these books see and quite frankly, these books have also been avoided because of all the confusion often associated with these visions. Can you relate? Have you ever been disturbed about people teaching of end-time happenings and found heavy burdens laid upon you because of your lack of understanding into what the writers are trying to convey to the listeners? I know I have.

Because Daniel, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Zechariah and John (Revelation) all have these "visions" of what they see and hear, a ton of symbolism takes place into interpreting what these visions are. For instance, listen to how some of these writers tell of their visions. Read aloud:

• Daniel 7:2-4, 15: Daniel said, "I was looking in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea. And four great beasts were coming up from the sea, different from one another. The first was like a lion and had the wings of an eagle. I kept looking until its wings were plucked, and it was lifted up from the ground and make to stand on two feet like a man; a human mind also was given to it...As for me, Daniel, my spirit was distressed within me, and the visions in my mind kept alarming me."
• Jeremiah 1:11-13: The word of the Lord came to me saying, "What do you see, Jeremiah?" And I said, "I see a rod of an almond tree." Then the Lord said to me, "You have seen well, for I am watching over My word to perform it." The word of the Lord came to me a second time saying, "What do you see?" And I said, "I see a boiling pot, facing away from the north."
• Ezekiel 1:4-6: As I looked, behold, a storm wind was coming from the north, a great cloud with fire flashing forth continually and a bright light around it, and in its midst something like glowing metal in the midst of the fire. Within it there were figures resembling four living beings. And this was their appearance: they had human form. Each of them had four faces and four wings.
• Zechariah 1:8, 9: I saw at night, and behold, a man was riding on a red horse, and he was standing among the myrtle trees which were in the ravine, with red, sorrel and white horses behind him. Then I said, "My lord, what are these?" And the angel who was speaking with me said to me, "I will show you what these are."
• Revelation 19:11, 12, 19: And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war. His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems; and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself...And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies assembled to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army.

John makes it clear that in the midst of these visions that he is hearing and seeing he is "in the Spirit" (cf. Rev 1:10, 4:2, 17:3, 21:10). Just as these visions were seen and interpreted to him by the Spirit of God, so it is for us when we see and hear the Scriptures. In our hermeneutical working of understanding, interpreting and applying the Scriptures to our lives it is:

1. God the Father who speaks the Word
2. God the Son who is the Word
3. God the Spirit who interprets that Word

How sweet is it that Jesus Christ has not left us as orphans! "I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you". "I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever". "But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you  into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. (cf. John 14; 16:13, 14). So to many times we tend to hear people pray, or even ourselves have this understanding, that the Spirit of God leaves us. We may ask for the Spirit to come into this place or to come fill us but the truth is, He will "never leave us or forsake us". Rather let us pray that the Spirit may fill us with His Word and disclose the truth of Him to us.

It is Jesus, God manifested by His Spirit, who dwells in us - comforting us and disclosing to us the truth of the Scriptures. How sweet the comforts of the Triune God who loves His children.

Be encouraged Fam!

"On my own..but not really on my own"

I know this is Ol' School but I had to rock it again for you! Enjoy the psalm of these two Godly Saints.

"My soul thirsts for you O'God...I NEED MORE"

With this, I long and call for you to please bow before our Lord in prayer and lift up our Sister Trudianne to Him. She just graduated from High School and the Lord has called her to go spread a pleasing aroma of Him half way around the world - alone! What faith the Lord has graced her with. She will be staying with a missionary family in the Sawa Jungle with the Elsing Tribe until May.

You can follow what the Lord does through her here at her blog, check it out:
http://trudimdalton.blogspot.com/

May we too see the beauty of what our Lord is doing to build up His Kingdom of Royal Priests. Matthew 28:18-20 reads:
And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and  make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."
Often times we may read this Great Commission without the eyes of the Holy Spirit. We see only the command of what we must do and neglect the identity of our being in the identity and beauty of His doing. We try and make this passage about us and in so doing we try and make evangelism about us as well! Oh that we may see the ailing spirit in this understanding. This is the missing link of the command to go "fill and subdue" the earth given to Adam in Genesis 1:28. Jesus here tells us that we are sent into the world to subdue it and bring it under the rule of the Sovereign Lord. As the apostles did then, and as we do today, we are filling the earth with those who own Jesus as Savior and Lord. But as we go in the obedience to this call, we see the beauty of Christ displayed - the Second Adam (Rom 5:14), goes with us (v.20). It is He who ultimately is filling and subduing for the glory of His name. How the love and patience and heroic stature of Christ greatly supasses our failures and inadequacies. See the richness of His grace, of His mercy.

"My soul thirsts for you O'God...I NEED MORE"

Stay encouraged Fam!

Christ Excels Joseph - Jesus OVERCAME suffering

The heart of Christ towards sinners - emaculate yet movingly personal. Not to long ago I peeped out a sermon on 'Suffering and God's Sovereignty' specifically in the life of Joseph. And one thing this brother specifically said caught my attention for the better. Joseph, truly a remarkable man with a legacy worth approving, a model for us to look back on in history to see how to respond in the midst of unfortunate trials.

Continuing off this little theme I have going on of seeing how all these hero's of the Bible point to the Hero of the Bible, these saints' stories given by God are for us to see Jesus the Messiah fulfilling, pointing too, and how He excels all the more. Christ excels that of Joseph!

First thing I want to show in connecting the dots of Joseph's response to suffering and Jesus' response, is the Egyptian theme Moses gives in the book of Genesis. We have to understand that first, this book, Genesis, was written during the Israelites wanderings after God's liberating acts from the oppressing Egyptians. Egypt was fresh in the front of the minds of the covenant nation both for the bad and as we see later on in the years of their wanderings in the wilderness, the good (Num 11:1-9). It makes sense then that God used Moses to thread together a thematic element crucial to the faithfulness in God the Redeemer for the first generation audience of Genesis.

Egypt, as we see beginning with Abraham's story up until Joseph's deportation into slavery in their very hands, was a national outlet away from trusting in God's promise for the inherited land. It was to say, a false assurance of prosperity, abundance, protection and rest. This quiet echo of a theme is seen in Abraham and Lot's dealings of their homeland, Lot's comfort next to Sodom, Ishmael's mockery of the child of promise and his result of marrying an Egyptian women after material blessing and so on.

[I do urge you to examine this theme on your own throughout the second half of Genesis to reap God's rich exhortation full of relentless grace.]

And this stirred my thoughts. What in my life do I see as Egypt? Seemingly offering me comfort, joy, and prosperity. Tempting me to run and camp there rather than trusting in the God of promises who is faithful, even in this chasm between reality and those promises. Where is your Egypt? Are you like the Israelites wandering, seeing no hope in the present circumstances but turning around and seeing the lusciousness of Egypt's abundance; complaining and longing to just head back, home?

Significantly, this Egyptian theme takes the story to the point of Joseph being forced to abide there. Now we begin to see a connection. Joseph's brothers hated him for being the favored son of Jacob. And after Joseph's dream in which he told these brothers of his that he was truly superior to all, being the one who was in charge, who was rebuked even by his father Jacob. But this was the last straw for the other brothers. Plotting to scheme a murder against Joseph, they agreed to arrange Joseph to be sold, rather, into Egyptian slavery - for what? Shekels of silver. Where else do we see this same instance occur? Was it not Jesus himself, being sold by Judas Iscariot for some shekels of silver!? What makes this more, is that just as Joseph was betrayed by his brothers, so was Jesus, calling upon all those who had followed him and do the will of the Father, his brothers (Mt 12:49).

After suffering much agony and despair, Genesis 45:4 tells us this, "Then Joseph said to his brothers, 'Please come closer to me.' And they came closer. And he said, ' I am your brother Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt." But how is Christ better. Note his response after suffering in John 20:17. This verse echos Joseph's words of compassion towards his brethren in height of advancement (note that this verse in John is also in height of Christ's advancement). But Joseph immediately added their sin when telling his brothers who he was. Not so Christ! He reminds poor sinners not a word of what they've done to Him.

Family, our thoughts of our sins need not be any more when we see Christ's face, for He remembers no more. Nor does He remind them of what He has done. No, He remembers not His sufferings, why? He finished the work and now hastens to do another for them, eagerly in heaven. How lovingly He says He goes to OUR Father (cf. Heb 2:11).

Stay encouraged family!