M A Y 2 0 0 6

THOSE OTHER NEWTESTAMENTPRINCIPLESShawn Abigail

THE LORD’SPRAYER

Mark Kolchin

SIOUX FALLSUPDATES

www.uplook.org

A s s e s s t h e N e e d • C a t c h t h e V i s i o n • T a k e t h e C h a l l e n g e

What’s a Priestwithout a

SACRIFICE?

UPLOOK

Agnus Dei - Francisco de Zurbarán (1598-166 4)

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ne cannot read the Old Testament without recognizing the crucial role of the priesthood.The Lord provided its inception, guidelines, upkeep, sustenance, and workplace. Butthere was one thing that the Lord asked Israel to provide: the sacrifices. Without these

offerings, the priest would be no true priest. The altars would be empty; the tabernacle vacant.For what’s a priest without a sacrifice? Without a sacrifice, the priest could not minister toman, for there would be no means of making atonement. And without a sacrifice, the priestcould not minister to God, for there would be nothing to offer up to Him—“Command the chil-dren of Israel, and say unto them, My offering, and My bread for My sacrifices made by fire, for asweet savour unto Me, shall ye observe to offer unto Me in their due season” (Num. 28:2). A priestwithout a sacrifice is no priest at all.

Although we aren’t Levitical priests, that principle holds true today. Sacrifices are an essentialpart of our priesthood: “Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, tooffer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ” (1 Pet. 2:5). Every believer has the priest-ly privilege and duty to offer up spiritual sacrifices. And what are these spiritual sacrifices?

• Service (Php. 2:17). Many of us know what it is to sacrifice for our houses and our hobbies,but how many of us are pouring our time and energy and resources into the Lord’s work?• Giving (Php. 4:18). Do we, like the Philippians, sacrifice more than a token of our physicalblessings to help the Lord’s people and service?• Praise (Heb. 13:15). How much time do we spend praising the Lord and giving Him thanks?• Doing good works and sharing (Heb. 13:16). This isn’t always easy or convenient. It does-n’t always fit with our schedule. In fact, it can require a sacrifice! • Our bodies (Rom. 12:1). We’re to glorify God in our bodies. Everything the body does, everyplace it goes, every object that passes through its hands, every word on its lips, every moment itis granted—all of these belong to the Lord and should be offered up to Him.

In the Old Testament, very little was more odious than priests who kept for themselves thatwhich should have been offered up to God. It is no different today. Are we faithfully exercising ourpriestly duties and offering up our spiritual sacrifices? Sacrifices were mandatory for the Old Testa-ment priesthood; and they are an essential part of the New Testament priesthood.

But, of course, that’s not the real point. The real point is that a sacrifice was the key to the great-est priesthood of all. The Lord Jesus Christ is our great High Priest. It was as the Scriptures say,“necessary” for Him to have something to offer (Heb. 8:3). He had to have a sacrifice. And what asacrifice it was! “And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices,which can never take away sins: But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat downon the right hand of God” (Heb. 10:11f ).

The Levitical priests offered countless sacrifices, day after day—all of them useless in funda-mentally and permanently dealing with sin. But Christ offered “one sacrifice for sins for ever,” andit was enough. More than enough. “But now once in the end of the world hath He appeared to put awaysin by the sacrifice of Himself” (Heb. 9:26).

The priesthood that surpasses every other is founded on the greatest sacrifice of all.

"For every high priest

taken from among

men is ordained for

men in things

pertaining to God,

that he may offer both

gifts and sacrifices for

sins" (Hebrews 5:1)

FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK by James Martin

What’s a Priest without a Sacrifice?The offering speaks for itself.

UPLOOK / M A Y 2 0 0 6

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Vo l u m e 7 3 • N u m b e r 4

F E A T U R E SOFFERING UP; GOING FORTH Eric Kalmbach 7

THE PRIESTHOOD OF ALL BELIEVERS David Dunlap 10

WHAT IS TRUE WORSHIP? John Scarsbrook 17

MELCHIZEDEK Keith R. Keyser 19

INTRODUCTION TO THE LEVITICAL OFFERINGS Willie Burnett 21

THE LORD’S PRAYER Mark Kolchin 25

THOSE OTHER NEW TESTAMENT PRINCIPLES Shawn Abigail 27

WHAT IS HE DOING NOW? J. Boyd Nicholson Back Cover

C O L U M N SEDITORIAL What’s a Priest without a Sacrifice? 2NEW LIFE IN HIM One Rainy Day 4FRONT LINES 5SCIENCE & YOU Small May be Big but it isn’t New 9FOR PREACHERS Peter’s First Epistle 13TRUE STORY Sioux Falls Calls 15ELDER HELPS New Testament Pastoral Care 24LOOK AT BOOKS “And Some…Evangelists” 29FINALLY, BRETHREN “By All Means” 30

MAY 2 0 0 6

UPLOOK / M A Y 2 0 0 64

young lady had been visiting a small assembly ofabout 60 believers. She appreciated the teachingand the warm fellowship of the Christians there.

Her particular concern, however, was the practice ofthe head covering worn by the women at the weeklymeetings. She and her husband had spent most of theirChristian lives in a large denominational church ofaround 1,000 people. The concept of the head coveringwas totally foreign to them. Then one day a rainydownpour changed her thinking. It opened her eyes tothe teaching of 1 Corinthians 11 on this subject. (Moreon the rain later.)

Glory and coverings1 Corinthians 11 weaves the subject of biblical headshiptogether with the glory of God. There are three gloriesmentioned in the chapter: the glory of the man (v. 7), theglory of the woman (v. 15), and the glory of God (v. 7).Biblical instruction on the women’s veil should not beconfused with cultural fads. It is based on non-culturalprinciples associated with headship (v. 3), creation (vv. 7-9), nature (v. 14), and angels (v. 10).

Veils or coverings are used symbolically in many dif-ferent ways throughout Scripture (e.g. Gen. 3:7; 24:65;Ex. 3:25; 25:20; Isa. 6:2; Ezek. 28:14). In 1 Corinthians11, however, the veil is used as a means to give God theglory in the meetings of the assembly. We read that theman’s glory (the woman) is symbolically concealed witha natural covering, the long hair of the woman (v. 15).The woman’s glory (her hair) is then concealed with asecond, removable covering (vv. 5-6). The end result isthe uncovered head of the man which represents God’sglory as stated in 1 Corinthians 11:7, “For a man indeedought not to cover his head, forasmuch as he is the image andglory of God…” It is not that man’s glory is to be seen andwoman’s glory is to be veiled; God’s desire is that boththe man’s and the woman’s glory be veiled so that only

the glory of God is evident in the church gathering.

HeadshipMan’s position as “head” is not by merit but by appoint-ment. Biblically, men are delegated leadership roles asGod’s representatives—or “image”—in the assembly ofbelievers (1 Cor. 11:7; 14:33-35). While some feel thistruth denigrates women, few consider the soberingweight of responsibility associated with this position(Jas. 3:1; Heb. 13:17). Bible teachers are subject to cor-rection and judgment (1 Cor. 11:29, 32; 14:29), and theoverseers cannot be “lords” over God’s people (1 Pet. 5:1-3). Biblical headship is not an issue of equality any morethan is the relationship that exists between God theFather and God the Son. 1 Corinthians 11:3 reminds usthat “the head of Christ is God,” yet surely there is noinequality between God the Son and God the Father.

When it comes to equality between the sexes, God’sperspective is this: “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there isneither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for yeare all one in Christ Jesus.” Therefore, the concept of head-ship does not suggest a gender inequality, but rather thatGod desires order among His people (1 Cor. 14:40).

The young lady who wrestled with the teaching of 1 Corinthians 11 changed her thinking during the unex-pected downpour of rain. Fuming over her thoroughlysoaked hair, she recalled a section from verse 15 that shehad steadfastly resisted: “if a woman have long hair it is aglory to her.” Her anger now became a testimony againsther. At that particular moment her hair meant every-thing—it truly had been her glory! She was now con-vinced that God was to receive all the glory—not a man,not a woman, only God. The following Sunday she hap-pily covered her head as a symbolic testimony that Godmust have the pre-eminence in the assembly. This was afirst step in acknowledging God’s truth regarding head-ship and the glory of God. —R A N D Y H O R N

One Rainy DayThe head covering—what’s the point?

NEW LIFE IN HIM From seed planting to fruit growing

A

TURKEY HILL RANCH BIBLE CAMPVarious week-long camps are plannedfor ages 8-17 during Jun and Jul atTurkey Hill Ranch, Vienna, MO.Those 15 or older are encouraged toprayerfully consider serving the Lordon staff. The Labor Day Family campis scheduled for Sep 1-4. Speakers:Keith Trevolt (adults) & Buddy Hugh-es (children). Visit www.turkeyhill-ranch.com for schedule and applica-tions. Contact: 573-744-9293 email: thrbc@turkeyhillranch.com

LIVING WATERS BIBLE CAMPLiving Waters Bible Camp, Westby,WI, has a full slate of camps scheduledfor the summer:Jun 11-17 • Work Week Jun 17-Jul 1 • Foundation Camp Jun 18-24 • 3rd–5th Grade Camp Jun 25-Jul 1 • 7th & 8th Grade Girls Jul 2-8 • Family Jul 9-15 • 9th & 10th Grade Jul 16-22 • 4th–6th Grade Jul 16-22 • Girls Out-Trip Jul 23-29 • 11th & 12th Grade Jul 30-Aug 5 • 7th–9th Grade Boys

Aug 6-12 • 3rd–6th Grade Aug 6-12 • Young Adult Out-TripRegistration for these camps or infor-mation can be found at www.lwbc.org Contact: 608-634-4373email: lwbc@lwbc.org

IOWA BIBLE CAMP 50THThe 50th anniversary of the foundingof Iowa Bible Camp will be celebratedat Twin Lakes Christian Center, Man-son, IA, Jun 23. All who have hadsome part in the camp are urged tocome. For more info, visitwww.iowabiblecamp.org. Contact: Tom Baird 515-276-1309email tomyrna57@aol.com

CAMP JUBILEE, NCCamp Jubilee, a five-day residentcamp for young people with specialneeds, is preparing for the second yearof ministry. This Christ-centered pro-gram includes chapel time, crafts,recreation and other activities.Camper age begins at 10 years, withdisabilities in the mild to moderaterange. Experienced Christian Bible

teachers and counselors provide anexciting week for campers. Camp willbe held at Camp Good News inFairview, NC, Jun 26-30. The maxi-mum number of campers is 25.Camper-counselor ratio is no morethan 2 to 1. Campers and supportstaff are needed. Our greatest need isprayer for this challenging opportuni-ty. Camp Jubilee is an outreach min-istry of Parkway Chapel in Winston-Salem, NC. Contact:Janice Bishop 336-764-9169 email: parkwaychapel@juno.comwww.parkwaychapel.us – follow the linkfor Camp Jubilee.

CAMP LI-LO-LILocated in southwest New York State,near Randolph. Quality Christian vol-unteer staff are wanted for this great“missions” opportunity. Campers arewelcome to attend Family Camps atthe start and end of the summer (Jul1-8, Sep 1-4) or one of our children’scamps in between. Sessions for Pre-Teens (age 8 1/2 -13) or Teens (age 13-17) are available where Bible stories

UPLOOK / M A Y 2 0 0 6 5

FRONT LINES Pray around the world; praise around the clock

ince last fall the Everyday Publications’ print shop has been engaged in a major printing project for thebelievers in the war-torn country of D.R. Congo. A 20-foot container was purchased and loaded withapproximately 70,000 books in French and Swahili, as well as blankets, baby clothes, a number of special-

ly marked vests for deaf people, tarpaulins, and a wheelbarrow. The container will be shipped from Canada toMombasa, Kenya. From there it will be directed overland by missionaries to Kampala, Uganda, and then to itsfinal destination in the D.R. Congo. This journey is expected to take up to three months.

The project was made possible by the generous help of the Lord’s people in Canada and the U.S. for believ-ers in this ravaged part of the world. Prayer is requested that the container will travel safely without incidentor delay, and that the contents may prove to be a blessing and encouragement to the Lord’s dear people there.Many are slowly returning from refugee camps and places of hiding where they were spared from bloodshedand are now attempting to re-establish homes, livelihoods and Christian communities. www.everyday.on.ca

SInvest in the D.R. CongoPray for delivery of books and supplies in a war-torn land!

How beautifulare the feet ofthem that preachthe gospel ofpeace, and bringglad tidings ofgood things!

How beautifulare the feet ofthem that preachthe gospel ofpeace, and bringglad tidings ofgood things!

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are brought to life and camp activitiesare enjoyed! Swimming, boating,crafts, horses, sports, and much more! Visit our website : campLi-Lo-Li.comor call 1-877-518-1704 to request a complete brochure.

UPWARD BOUNDUpward Bound will hold its summerconference at Wilfrid Laurier Universi-ty in Waterloo, ON. The first week willbe a series of in-depth seminars onbiblical subjects. There are manyopportunities for Christian growththrough fellowship and times of funwith other believers. Speakers include:Dr. David Gooding (Belfast, UK),Brian Russell (Eastbourne, UK), Den-nis Leblanc (NB), and Sandy McEach-ern (NS). For those able, a secondweek of canoeing and camping inAlgonquin Park will be a part of theprogram. Aug 13-20 for Week Oneand Aug 20-25 for Week Two. Contact: Sandy McEachern 902-830-1305 email: sandymceachern@hotmail.com

KANSAS CONFERENCEWestside Bible Chapel, 12050 W. Cen-tral, Wichita, KS is hosting a confer-ence for young adults Aug 18-20. Lordwilling, Mike Attwood (GA) will min-ister the Word. Contact:Darold Peters 316-943-3334Vern Skiles 316-269-0517

IOWA BIBLE CONFERENCEThe annual Atlantic, Iowa Bible Con-ference is planned for Sep 15-17 Lordwilling. Scheduled speakers are JonGlock (TN) and Keith Trevolt (KS).For more info. or accommodations,contact Dennis Oathoudt 712-243-6303 email: koathoudt@hotmail.com

CREATION CONFERENCELiving Waters Bible Camp, Westby,WI, is hosting Creation Conferences atthe camp. Conferences are planned forAug 14-18 with Mike Riddle and Nov10-11 with Bodie Hodge, both with“Answers in Genesis.” Registrationinformation can be found atwww.lwbc.org Contact: 608-634-4373

MISSION SPRINGS CONFERENCEThe annual Pacific Coast ChristianConference will be held Oct 2-6. Pleasenote new location, Mission Springs(75 miles s. of San Francisco, CA inthe Santa Cruz Mountains). The con-ference begins Monday with dinner at6:00 PM and ends Friday after lunch.Speakers: David Reid (RI) and BobFoutz (MI). Contact:Max Krieger 323-256-1992e-mail: maxnbethk@sbcglobal.net

SHEPHERD CHRISTIAN COMMUNITYLocated in Frostproof, FL (1 hr and 15min. south of Orlando) is ShepherdChristian Community, an assemblyretirement community started in1976. Facilities include 22 pre-manu-factured houses installed on 1/3rdacre plots. Each house has two or threebedrooms, two full baths, kitchen, liv-ing room, carport. Some have a fullycovered and air-conditioned porch.Some of these houses are owned byindividuals; some are available for pur-chase. Also, 1/3rd acre developedplots are available to build on.There are also 8 houses and 3 one-bed-room apartments for rent. An RV parkis also planned for completion by theyear end. Also on the property is anAssembly Hall (seating 120), a Fellow-ship Hall (seating 100) with attachedkitchen, access to Lake Reedy, picnic

areas, fishing dock and boat rides. Formore details, Contact:Main Office: 863-635-5414 email: shepherdoffice@juno.com

NEW NY FELLOWSHIPThere is a new assembly planted inOrange County, NY on the property ofPine Bush Bible Camp, 76 Bible CampRoad, Bloomingburg, NY. Contact:Richie Benetiz 845-477-0764 email: RoyalPriest4Him@yahoo.com

COMMENDATIONSKen and Joyce HardistyBranford (CT) Bible Chapel com-mends Ken and Joyce Hardisty to fulltime missionary work in the Philip-pines. After being commended towork with the assembly at BranfordBible Chapel for the past five years,they feel that the Lord is calling themback to the work to which they werefirst commended in 1987. The eldersask you to join in prayer that theLord would enable and direct theHardistys in their service for Him.

Tom and Melissa DowellThe elders of the assembly at Park ofthe Palms, Keystone Heights, FL, havecommended Tom and Melissa Dowellto the work of the Lord at Park of thePalms Retirement Community in Key-stone Heights, where they have bothfaithfully served the Lord for eighteenmonths. Their loving devotion attend-ing the health and spiritual needs ofthe elderly in the Independent LivingCommunity and in the Assisted LivingFacility has been a source of blessingto all who live there. Both of themhave radiated the love of Christ toeveryone. The elders heartily com-mend them to this ministry. Ý

FRONT LINES continued

don’t know about you, but at the time Ihad no idea. I remember walking outsideinto the night shortly after receiving Christ

as my Saviour and looking up into the starrysky, thrilled to be a child of the God who cre-ated it all. Rejoicing in this new relationship, Ihad no idea of the scope and magnitude of

God’s grace. The wonder of having mysins forgiven and being granted eternallife initially dominated my thinking. Butas I read the Scriptures, I began to dis-cover the extent of who I am in Christ.

Our new relationship with God isdescribed in various ways, each express-ing an aspect of the multifaceted graceof God. “Children of God,” “joint heirswith Christ,” “beloved brethren” are just afew of these. The Holy Spirit directedPeter to reveal a crucial aspect of ourrelationship with God—our priesthood.The fact that each believer has been

called into a holy priesthood, qualified and fit-ted to offer acceptable spiritual sacrifices, maybe new to us. Peter presented this precioustruth to suffering believers—pilgrims of theDispersion—in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia,Asia, and Bithynia. Knowing and believing thetruth of their calling by God would give theseChristians a proper perspective on life, enablethem to endure trials, and instruct them inChristian service. To the extent that we under-stand the tremendous truth of our priesthoodand accompanying privileges, our lives willgain greater spiritual meaning.

Here is a basic outline of 1 Peter chs. 1–2:• Our great salvation (1:3-12)• Our new way of life (1:13-25)• Our priestly calling (2:1-10)Peter encourages his readers to accomplish

the plan and purpose God has for each one.He begins this topic in chapter 2 by using fourdifferent pictures to describe the Christianlife: taking off old habits like removing soiledclothes, growing like newborn babies, beingbuilt up like a spiritual house, and serving aspriests. The focus changes from the individualbeliever in the first two comparisons to a cor-porate view in the last two, culminating withthe priesthood of the believer—our position,privilege, and responsibilities.

A holy priesthood: As holy priests we areasked to offer up spiritual sacrifices. Earlier (1 Pet. 1:15-16) Peter referred to Leviticus11:44,45 where God commanded His people,“You shall be holy because I am holy.” Holiness isa chief characteristic of God and it is to be adistinguishing feature of His people. Godintended that all Israel be a kingdom ofpriests: “And you shall be to Me a kingdom ofpriests and a holy nation” (Ex. 19:6). However,the golden calf debacle caused God to with-draw this national blessing. This grievous sin,this spiritual adultery, meant that they nolonger qualified to function as holy priests toGod. Aaron and the faithful tribe of Levi weresubsequently chosen by God to serve Him inthe tabernacle and later the temple, doingpriestly work on behalf of the nation of Israel.Interestingly, the most common surnameamong European Jews today is Cohen or somevariation of it. The name usually indicates afamily claiming descent from Aaron, the firsthigh priest (Hebrew, kohen).

As a redeemed people Israel was to be dif-ferent from the nations around her, unique inher knowledge and worship of the one trueGod. She was to be a shining light in themidst of spiritual darkness. Those without

I

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Entering withinthe veil, a privilege nowgiven to former sinners of theGentiles, wasbeyond the firstCentury Jew’swildest imaginings.

1PETER 2:4-10 by Eric Kalmbach

Offering Up; Going ForthDiscovering our true identity in Christ.

UPLOOK / M A Y 2 0 0 68

would see and be drawn to the light of the knowledge ofGod. The Queen of Sheba and Naaman were twonotable cases of those drawn to inquire about the Godof Israel. However, Israel’s desire to be like the nationsaround her (1 Sam. 8:5) led to the loss of her specialcharacter and function. On the whole Israel failed toachieve the purpose God had for her. In a future day,Israel will fulfill her purpose but at present all believersin Christ are called to function as priests, offering upacceptable sacrifices and proclaiming the praises of Himwho called us out of darkness into His marvelous light.

Who are the priests? The nature of the church and theresponsibility of Christians are explained in this pas-sage. Interestingly, the pictures Peter uses to describethe church originally referred to Israel. Although theLord Jesus was rejected by His own nation racially, Godcreated a new kingdom of priests—the church—toaccomplish His purposes. The world will yet be blessedthrough Israel (Rom. 11). But here Peter is describing alltrue believers in Christ as belonging to a holy and royalpriesthood. Whereas in the OT only Aaron and the tribeof Levi were chosen for priestly service before the Lord,in the NT every believer in is a priest unto God.

Thus the Spirit clearly dispels the notion that spiritu-al worship and service are the exclusive functions of anelite professional group known as priests or clergy.According to this scripture every believer is a holy priestand called to exercise his or her priestly function. Nolevel of academic achievement, religious ordination, orspecial training is required prior to functioning as apriest before God. New Testament priests are both maleand female, come in all ages and levels of maturity, andrepresent every ethnic group on earth.

A shortage of priests? Some denominations arebemoaning the fact that fewer and fewer men are pursu-ing the “priesthood” according to their tradition. Wemay dismiss their concern since it is based on a misun-derstanding of what constitutes a true priest. On theother hand, should we not be concerned that true NTpriests are not functioning as God intended? The issue isnot so much a shortage of priests as it is priests notunderstanding their function.

Believers who fail to comprehend their role as priestsweaken the temple of God as a whole. Firstly, God isrobbed of the worship due Him. If we do not offer up

the spiritual sacrifice of our bodies, the praise of ourlips, or our possessions, we are withholding somethingprecious from our Lord. Remember the devotion ofMary as she poured out her fragrant gift on the LordJesus. His appreciation of her sacrifice was clear. Alsorecall the cold, pragmatic response of those whoopposed her actions. We despise them as we read thestory, but do our sacrifices overflow with generouspraise and worship? To the extent that we worship, offersacrifices, and proclaim the excellencies of the Saviour,we function as intended. Our priestly activities are a24/7 occupation, not a Sunday-morning-only exercise.

What are these sacrifices? Peter tells us that as holypriests we are to offer up spiritual sacrifices which Godwill appreciate and find acceptable through Jesus Christ,our Great High Priest. So, what are some of these sacri-fices? William MacDonald summarizes this nicely:

As holy priests we offer up spiritual sacrifices to Godby Jesus Christ (v. 5). These include: the sacrifice of ourbodies (Rom. 12:2-3); the sacrifice of our praise (Heb.13:15); the sacrifice of our possessions (Heb. 13:16).

As royal priests we show forth the excellencies of Himwho has called us out of darkness into His marvelouslight (1 Pet. 2:9). Every believer is expected to witnessfor Christ, both by life and by the spoken word.

As holy priests we go into the sanctuary to worship.As royal priests we go out into the world to testify.

Only through the power of the Spirit (Eph. 3:7, 20;Php. 4:13; Col. 1:29) can we offer these sacrifices proper-ly. His mighty energy works in us, enabling us to serveGod acceptably. How do we appropriate the power ofthe Spirit? By faith! When we rely without reservationon God, His power is made available for us to live holylives of sacrifice and service as royal priests before God.

Conclusion: If we appreciate our true identity in Christas holy priests—called and qualified to offer sacrificesthrough Jesus Christ—our lives will change. The God ofheaven is currently seeking worshippers on earth, who,empowered by the indwelling Holy Spirit, are able tooffer acceptable sacrifices. In response, God will receiveand appreciate our sacrifices because of the merit of theLord Jesus. We are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, aholy nation, a people for God’s own possession calledout of darkness into His marvelous light: we are a royalpriesthood. Let’s believe it. Let’s enjoy it. Let’s live it. Ý

OFFERING UP; GOING FORTH continued

mall is big. Nanotechnology is the new marketingbuzzword, with the Apple iPod Nano a case inpoint1. Going small is big business and has many

potential applications, including targeting and treatingcancer cells. Others see the poten-tial to create smaller, more pow-erful computer chips2 or evenhuman/machine hybrids. In hisnew book, Nano-Hype, David Beu-rube comments that nanotech-nology is not really new but is thesame old science on a smallerscale3. I agree but would go a stepfurther and say God was intonanotechnology from the verybeginning and that life was pur-posefully built on a series of bio-mechanical “nano-machines.”

One essential nano-machine isthe water molecule. Water is com-posed of three atoms, two ofhydrogen and one of oxygen,joined in the sequence H-O-H.Two sets of unpaired electrons onthe oxygen atom force the molecule to bend to an obtuseangle of about 105 degrees. Bent in this way, one watermolecule spans about three tenths of one nanometer inwidth. One nanometer is one billionth of a meter. Thisbending gives water a slight negative electrical charge onthe oxygen end and a slight positive charge on the hydro-gen end. It is this tiny separation between electric chargeswhich makes life possible.

Your body is 60% water by weight and almost all thespace inside your cells not occupied by biological mole-cules (DNA, fats, and proteins) is filled with water. Wateris the master electrical manager in living cells. The posi-tive and negative ends of the water molecule give it theability to form attachments with other water moleculesand to cover charged parts of biological molecules with a

water shell. The positively charged ends of fat moleculesattract the negative ends of water molecules and the long,electrically neutral carbon chains in fat molecules repelwater, preferring instead to group together. It is these

forces of attraction and repulsionbetween water and fat that createthe double-layered cell membraneof each of our 60 trillion cellsand, without this membrane,there is no life.

The nano-technology of wateris also essential to our senses oftaste and smell. To be tasted orsmelled a substance must first bedissolved by water. Only then canit touch a receiving site on theolfactory cells of the nose or gus-tatory cells of the tongue. Thistiny interaction outside the celltriggers a cascade, or series, ofother nano-events inside the cell,causing a nerve impulse along thecell membrane. The impulseeventually reaches the brain

which interprets it as sour, bitter, sweet, or salty. Water is but one example of a biomechanical nano-

machine. Many, many others exist within us and the vari-ous plants and animals on earth. Each machine is finelytuned, organized, and integrated with multiple othermachines to form a functional whole. This is a scale ofminiaturization and purposeful, balanced complexity thatcould only come from the mind and hand of the Creator.Small may be big, but it is not new.

—MICHAEL G. WINDHEUSER, PH.D.

1 L Langdon, “Small Science,” World (Mar. 4, 2006): pp. 32-34.2 PJ Kuekes et al., “Crossbar Nanocomputers,” Scientific Ameri-can 293, no. 5 (Nov. 2005): pp. 72-80.3 DM Beube, Nano-Hype (Prometheus Books, 2005).

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Small May be Big, but it Isn’t NewThe God of the infinite is the God of the infinitesimal.

SCIENCE & YOU Visible creation showing the invisible God

SNanotechnology worker inspects a silicon waferin a clean room within a semiconductor facility

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n March 1, 1546, a scaffold was erectedbefore the Castle of Saint Andrew in Scot-land and bundles of dried wood were

piled around it. When all was ready, twodeathsmen brought George Wishart from hisprison. He knelt down and prayed before thepile; he then exhorted the people to love theWord of God and to suffer patiently. As he wastied to the stake he announced, “For the truegospel which was given to me by the grace ofGod, I suffer this day by men, not sorrowfully,but with a glad heart and mind.”1

Devout men of the past were not character-ized by the doctrinal indifference that oftenplagues the present generation. These menwere willing to suffer greatly, in fact even to diefor the truths of the Word of God. The convic-tion and cry of their hearts concerning biblicaltruth was: “For this will I die.”

One of the doctrines for which great men ofGod died was the doctrine of the priesthood ofevery believer. This set forth the truth thatevery believer, by virtue of the death of Christ,has access into the holy presence of God tooffer up spiritual sacrifices of worship to God.

This doctrine was a foundationaltruth of the Reformation, standingside-by-side with solo fide (salva-tion by faith alone), solo scriptura(Scripture alone), and solo gratis(salvation through grace alone).The Reformers spoke loudly andboldly concerning this truth. Mar-tin Luther (1483-1543), that intre-pid warrior, was one who out-shone other Reformers in theproclamation and the defense ofthis important doctrine. In a timewhen the majority of Christendom

opposed the priesthood of all believers, Martin Luther stood as an impregnable

fortress. When his very life and livelihood werethreatened for the truth of God’s Word, heremained steadfast. When the scholars of theday argued that only a trained class of ordainedclergy were permitted to serve God as priests,he stood unmoved on the bedrock of Scripture.He declared that the Scriptures stated, “AllChristians are altogether priests, and let it beanathema to assert there is any other priestthan he who is Christian; for it will be assertedwithout the Word of God, on no authority butthe sayings of men, or the antiquity of custom,or the multitude of those that think so.”2

Ready weapons in their defense of truthwere the words of the apostle Peter and otherNew Testament writers.

The divine plan of priesthoodThe apostle Peter was uniquely chosen by Godto set forth the NT charter for the priesthood ofthe believer. He explained, “You...as living stones,are being built up as a spiritual house for a holypriesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices accept-able to God through Jesus Christ”; and later, “Yeare a chosen generation, a royal priesthood...thatyou should show forth the praises of Him whocalled you out of darkness into His marvelous light”(1 Pet. 2:5, 9). In the NT, every believer, regard-less of scriptural knowledge or area of service,stands as a priest, divinely appointed, to offerspiritual sacrifices to God. Every believer hasthe privilege of access into the presence of Godby virtue of the death of Christ.

However, to better understand the New Tes-tament’s teaching on the believer priesthood,we must go back to the OT where God’s planfor a spiritual priesthood began with Israel.

OThe exercise ofpriesthood in corporate worship isa treasure that hascost the Churchdearly through thecenturies. Now inmany places it sitsneglected on theshelf.

ENTER IN by David Dunlap

The Priesthood of All BelieversThe birthright and duty of every Christian.

In the beginning, Israel was formed by God tobe a priestly nation; the entire nation was called a“kingdom of priests” at Sinai (Ex. 19:6). But becauseof her spiritual failure, God set aside her nationalpriesthood and raised up a special limited numberof priests that would represent the nation beforeHim. The Aaronic priesthood continued to fulfillpriestly duties for generations until the death ofChrist, who offered Himself as the fulfillment ofall Levitical sacrifices. But during this present age,the Aaronic priesthood has been set aside and theChurch has been appointed to function as God’spriests. In a future day, Israel will once again func-tion as a priestly nation (Isa. 61:6; 66:21).

The priesthood defined Despite the fact that the word “priest” is the mostfrequently used title today to refer to religiousleaders, much confusion still remains concerningthe role of the priest. What is a biblical priest?

The basic term for priest in the Old Testamentis the Hebrew word kohen. The root meaning ofthis word is “to stand”; and, therefore, this wordindicates that a priest is one who stands beforeGod and serves. The Greek word for priest in theNew Testament is hiereus. This word means “onewho offers sacrifice.” So included in both the Oldand New Testament words for priest is the ideathat a priest is one who stands before God to offersacrifices and to serve. In the OT, the sacrificesconsisted of the ritual offering of animals to coverthe guilt of sin; but in the NT, believers offer thespiritual sacrifices of praise, worship, and service.

W.E. Vine, the respected Greek languageauthority, writes: “Hierateuma denotes a priest-hood, a body of priests, consisting of all believers,the whole church, called ‘a holy priesthood’; thisterm is associated with offering spiritual sacrifices.The ‘royal priesthood’ speaks of the royal dignityof showing forth the Lord’s excellencies.’”3

However, associated with a detailed and doctri-nal understanding of the “priesthood” comes spir-itual responsibility. Therefore, Christians have theholy charge to take up the duties and privileges ofNew Testament priesthood with great seriousness.

The responsibilities of believer priestsGod’s high and holy plan that each believer wouldalso be a priest to God was never fully realized inthe Old Testament. It would have to wait until thedays of the New Testament dispensation to bemore fully set forth and enjoyed by believers. Butwithin a very short period of time, ritualism andclerisy had so dominated the teaching of thechurch that the truth and practice of the believer’spriesthood had all but disap-peared. Ignatius of Antioch(AD 110) and other earlychurch leaders vigorouslytaught that the authority of asingle bishop was paramount.The early leaders’ love forpower was so great that evena baptism or agape mealcould not be conducted with-out their presence andauthority. Thus the joyouspraise and contagious wor-ship of the believer priestswas soon quieted.

This theological error cast a thick, dark fogover true biblical worship. Sadly, this silence incollective worship continued for hundreds ofyears, until the light of truth began to shine againfirst in Germany, and then in greater Europe.However, even then the truth of the believer’spriesthood was still not fully revealed. Yes, believ-ers had learned that they did not need a priest as amediator between God and man (1 Tim. 2:5). Yes,Reformation Christians were taught that everybeliever was a believer priest unto God. They werealso taught that, contained in the “royal” priestlyduties, was service to the world in the proclama-tion of the gospel. But still, the truth of collectiveworship as believer priests was suppressed.Church leaders still maintained that only a specialclass of priests could publicly offer worship. Thechurch was still silenced before God. Unfortunate-ly, this is not at all what God had originallyintended. New Testament priestly worship is notonly individual and personal, but also public and

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Christiansshould not takelightly the preciousness ofthis doctrine tothe heart ofGod, nor itsgreat personalcost to Christiansthroughout history.

THE PRIESTHOOD OF ALL BELIEVERS

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THE PRIESTHOOD OF ALL BELIEVERS continued

collective in the life of the gathered church. William MacDonald writes: “This sacrifice of

praise should be both individual and collective.The latter—-collective worship—in which believ-ers are at liberty to take part in public praise, hasbeen practically eliminated by the stereotyped,controlled services of our day. The result is a gen-eration of dumb (nonfunctioning) priests—a stateof affairs nowhere contemplated in Scripture.”4

Christians should not take lightly the precious-ness of this doctrine to the heart of God, nor itsgreat personal cost to Christians throughout histo-ry. Unfortunately, many well-meaning churchesstill suppress the liberty and heartfelt worship ofmultitudes of believer priests. It is still a small,special class that lead in worship and prayer whilelarge numbers of believer priests sit silently. Nev-ertheless the simple beauty of priestly worship isstill practiced, often by small groups of Christiansin far-flung corners of the world.

Simplicity of the believer’s priesthoodThe priestly worship of ancient Israel was charac-terized by elaborate ritual, dress, and ceremony.The Jewish priests were obligated to wear desig-nated headdress, outer garments, and undergar-ments. There were special days for worship, therewere ritual laws for worship, and there was a des-ignated place for worship.

How different and how simple is the worship ofbeliever priests in the New Testament! There areno vestments, no holy days, no one central geo-graphic place for worship, no ritual laws, no spe-cial class of priests. However, this worship is noless beautiful and no less affecting to the heart ofGod. From the earliest days of the first believers inthe book of Acts to the present day, believers haveenjoyed collective worship in utmost simplicity.

T. E. Wilson (1902-1996), drawing from hisexperiences as a missionary in central Africa,describes the simple beauty of New Testamentbeliever priesthood. He labored eight years in theChitutu region of Angola before he saw the first-fruits of his gospel labor: three Chokwe youngmen came to a saving knowledge of Christ and

were baptized.Immediately afterthe baptism of theseyoung men, it wasthe desire of thosewho were gatheredfor the baptism toremember the Lordin the breaking ofthe bread. The winefor the occasion waspurchased from a Portuguese trader in a settle-ment about five miles away; the bread was bakedin a hole in the earth lined with hot ashes. Themeeting room was a simple open-air wooden shedwith a grass roof and a bare dirt floor. At the firstbreaking of bread, seven gathered together toremember the Lord: four white missionaries andthree Africans. At this simple service, the newlysaved and veteran believer priests offered theirpraise and prayers of worship in both the Chokweand Songo languages. Despite these inconve-niences, in those early times of remembering theLord in the breaking of the bread, the Lord’s pres-ence was very real and most precious.5

May we resist the conventions of popularChristianity and stand for the truth of believerpriesthood which was framed in the eternal coun-sels of God and purchased through our Lord’sdeath on the cross. May a new generation ofChristians rise up who will join with Luther andthe early Chokwe Christians in saying: “Upon thistruth will I stand as an immovable rock.” Ý

Endnotes1 Andrew Miller, Miller’s Church History (London: Pick-ering and Inglis, 1986), p. 998.2 William Hoste, Bishops, Priests, and Deacons (Scot-land: John Ritchie, 1988), p. 67. 3 W. E. Vine, Dictionary of New Testament Words (OldTappan, NJ: Revell, 1980), p. 212.4 William MacDonald, Christ Loved the Church (KansasCity, KS: Walterick, 1956), p. 58. 5 T. E. Wilson, Angola Beloved (Neptune, NJ: LoizeauxBrothers, 1967), p. 157.

May we resistthe conventionsof popular Christianity andstand for thetruth of believerpriesthood.

reaching through First Peter has been one of themost enjoyable book studies I have had the privilegeof doing. Practical, pastoral, deeply challenging, and

full of hope, this book is a favorite for many and one that Iwould heartily recommend putting high on the list of ourexpositional priorities.

Peter was a man who knew failure. He had looked intothe eyes of the lovely One of heaven after denying Himthree times. Having returned from this shame, he wasinstructed to strengthen the brethren,and, knowing the temptations and trialsthese believers would be facing, hesought to build them up so they wouldnot share his failure.

I have found every portion of thisbook to be greatly helpful, both person-ally and corporately.

Peter tells us why he wrote this epis-tle in 5:12, “By Silvanus, our faithfulbrother as I consider him, I have written toyou briefly, exhorting and testifying thatthis is the true grace of God in which youstand.” He wanted them to recognize and follow after the“true grace” in the midst of times of trial and testing.

Concerning the importance of this epistle, one com-mentator writes, “This epistle is both timely and relevantto the present-day believer. We need this letter in a daywhen many seem to have lost sight of the unfading inheri-tance and are diverted by the glitter of gold and tinsel.Others are suffering deeply and can find no immediateanswer to their sorrow. These need a glimpse of the gloryand of the consummation of their faith to lift up theirhearts and spur them on.”

Theme of the book: suffering and gloryThe believers were currently in the midst of “various” tri-als and at the time of writing were headed into “fiery” tri-als. Peter explains these trials from the Lord’s perspectiveand, using the example of Christ, shows the way to suffer

and the glory that follows these trials when respondingaccording to His will.

OUTLINE OF THE BOOKThe salvation of the believer (1:1–2:12)This salvation is not just the receiving of life in Christ, butwalking in that life until we enter into the fullness of oursalvation when the believer is united with his inheritancein heaven. In light of this inheritance, the believer is to

have hope and be holy while exercisingboth his holy and royal priesthood.

The submission of the believer (2:13–3:12)Followers of the Lord Jesus are to besubmissive, obedient people. Thebelievers are told to show themselvesunder authority as citizens to govern-ment, servants to earthly masters, wivesto husbands, husbands to their rolesand responsibilities, and all to theblessed and abundant life the Lord hasfor us. You’ll note that in each of these

categories the believer is to “do good” and hence to glorifythe Saviour (2:15; 2:20; 3:6; 3:11). We certainly do notbelieve that we need good works before salvation, but wejust as certainly see they are expected after!

The suffering of the believer (3:13–5:14)We are called to suffering. How does the follower of Christrespond to potentially devastating circumstances? Bysanctifying the Lord God in our hearts (3:15), by notspending any more time in the will of the Gentiles (4:3),by having a fervent love for one another (4:8), by rejoicing(4:13), by shepherding (5:2), and by humbling ourselves(4:6)—just to name a few. Christ’s suffering and the result-ing glory are held up as our example and hope. Anyonewho has lived very long has either suffered greatly or wit-nessed it in others, and the hope of glory to follow doesmuch to strengthen the hands of those currently in the

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Peter’s First EpistleThe sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow.

FOR PREACHERS by Scott DeGroff

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Peter Denies Christ by Rembrandt

midst of “fiery trials.” First Peter also shows a model ofhow we might biblically love those who are suffering.Peter, by the Spirit of God, is counseling these dear saints.We would do well to copy the counsel of the Word of Godas we seek to love and build up the Lord’s people.

Helpful commentaries Within the following works are extensive bibliographieswith numerous helpful reference materials for further anddeeper study. • What the Bible Teaches, First Peter by J. Boyd Nicholson, published by John Ritchie. • Expositions of Holy Scripture by Alexander Maclaren,published by various publishers and also available online. • Talk Thru the Bible by Wilkinson and Boa, published byNelson Reference.

Be sure to make the most of word studies while study-ing the book. The simple Greek tools (designed for non-Greek students) are very helpful, as the original meaningsadd beautiful depth to the text.

Difficulties in interpretation While studying 1 Peter, consider the following:

• When and how did Christ preach to the spirits in

prison (3:19)? William Kelly has a whole book onthis passage.

• What does it mean that baptism saves us (3:21)?• In what sense has the believer “ceased from sin” and

what is the application (4:1)?• How was the gospel “preached also to those who are

dead” (4:6)?These are not impossible passages to address but willrequire careful study and forethought by the expositionalteacher if they are to be handled accurately and profitably.

Doctrinal implicationsMany core doctrines are set forth by Peter as a help forthese suffering believers. The doctrines of God, Christ, theHoly Spirit, the Scriptures, the church, and the end timesare all discussed at some level.

ApplicationWe live in a church that is largely satisfied and consumedwith the world around us. Preaching on holiness (beingset apart from sin and unto the Lord), keeping our focuson eternal things, turning from sin, submitting to authori-ty for the Lord’s sake, suffering for godliness, and the

hope of glory to follow,are as relevant and nec-essary today as they haveever been. Let us preach on thisbook for the building upof the body, in order thatthe Lamb that was slainmay receive the rewardof His suffering. Ý

Endnote1 J.Boyd Nicholson, What the Bible Teaches, First Peter (Kilmarnock, Scotland: John Ritchie Ltd.,1987) p. 4.

PETER’S FIRST EPISTLE continued

The Sifting of Peter by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

In St. Luke’s Gospel we are toldHow Peter in the days of old was sifted;And now, though ages intervene,Sin is the same, while time and scene are shifted.

Satan desires us, great and small,As wheat to sift us, and we all are tempted;Not one, however rich or great,Is by his station or estate exempted.

No house so safely guarded isBut he, by some device of his, can enter;No heart hath armor so completeBut he can pierce with arrows fleet its center.

For all at last the cock will crow,Who hear the warning voice, but go unheeding,

Till thrice and more they have deniedThe Man of Sorrows, crucified and bleeding.

One look of that pale suffering faceWill make us feel the deep disgrace of weakness;We shall be sifted till the strengthOf self-conceit be changed at length to meekness.

Wounds of the soul, though healed will ache;The reddening scars remain, and make confession;Lost innocence returns no more;We are not what we were before transgression.

But noble souls, through dust and heat,Rise from disaster and defeat the stronger,And conscious still of the divineWithin them, lie on earth supine no longer.

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hen I consider my life as a Christian, allscripture has been important, but the Lordused a few passages in particular to effect

significant change in my life. These verses areRomans 3:20; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; and John 17:3.

Romans 3:20 says, “Therefore by the deeds of the lawthere shall no flesh be justified in His sight: for by the lawis the knowledge of sin.” After my freshman year of col-lege I shared an apartment with Bob Towne, theleader for Young Life. Sharing an apartment withBob was contingent upon one thing—I had to readthree books: Basic Christianity by John Stott; MereChristianity by C.S. Lewis; and The Lost Art of DiscipleMaking by Leroy Eims. In late July of 1980, Bob leftfor a two-week camp in British Columbia. Beforedeparting, he reminded me that I had promised toread these books.

Over a week later, I began reading Basic Christiani-ty. As I read the chapters explaining the law and theconsequence of sin, God used them to open my eyesto the knowledge of sin. God revealed my sinfulness,the awful consequences of sin, and the eternal judg-ment that awaited me in the Lake of Fire. In tears, at2:00 AM on August 9, I cried to God, asking for for-giveness and deliverance from sin. As I grieved overmy sinfulness, God brought verses to my mind whichI had heard over the previous year. These versesspoke of the death of Christ for sins, the love of Godfor the world, and the free gift of eternal life throughJesus Christ our Lord. My tears of grief turned totears of joy and thankfulness as I considered whatthese verses meant and the gift God offered me. Withthankfulness I trusted in Christ for my salvation.

Second Timothy 3:16-17 says, “All scripture is givenby inspiration of God, and profitable for doctrine, forreproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished

unto all good works.” About a week after my salvation,Young Life had a weekly Bible study in Moorhead,ND. My car was broken down so I walked to theBible study. The topic of the study was 2 Timothy3:16-17. I absorbed these verses like a sponge, beingespecially affected by the last portion, “that the manof God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all goodworks.” The following week, our study topic was theLordship of Christ, which I also readily absorbed.After the second Bible study, the leaders asked me ifanything happened in my life recently. Steve Kapaunsaid that the Larry Sax he had known would not walkacross town to a Bible study. I explained how Godgraciously revealed my need for salvation and of thesacrifice of His Son to die for my sins.

The following week, our study topic was the per-son and work of the Holy Spirit. These three studiesestablished a good foundation for my life as a believ-er. There were still issues in my life which God need-ed to address, but the course was established. Read-ing the Scriptures daily, I looked for God’s instruc-tions that would prepare me to walk in the goodworks for which He had created me.

I was impressed by Titus 2:14 where it says, “Whogave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all

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Sioux Falls CallsThe heart exercise of a man on a mission

TRUESTORYby Larry Sax

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Larry & Natalie Sax and their children (oldest to youngest) Judah, Jesharelah, Timothy, Jonathan, Daniel, Jeshanah, and Arianna.

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iniquity, and purify unto Himself a people, zealous ofgood works.” My desire grew to walk in good works forHis glory.

I noticed God included in His Word instructionsto individual believers and how they should live forHis glory. I also noticed God provided instructions tothe church and how it should function. I observedthat the local church I was attending did not followthese truths. The next spring a co-worker, MarkLabor, asked me to attend Sunday meetings withhim. After the meetings he asked me what I thoughtabout my visit. I responded that I had seen truths inpractice that morning which I had seen in the Scrip-tures. Starting that Sunday, I began meeting with thisgroup of believers which continue to meet at Meadow Ridge Bible Chapel in West Fargo, ND.

John 17:3 says, “This is life eternal, that they mayknow Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whomThou has sent.” The elders at Meadow Ridge encour-aged the believers to read through the Bible eachyear. This thorough reading of God’s Word, in addi-tion to my devotional time with the Lord, proved tohave a significant impact in my life.

The Lord drew my attention to John 17:3, impress-ing in my mind the importance of knowing God.This became a central part of my Bible study as Inoticed other verses such as 2 Peter 1:2-10 and Psalm46:10. God caused me to see how important it was tonot only look to His Word for instruction aboutwalking in good works, but also to search His Wordto learn about God, His character, and His ways.

What God taught me about Himself has proven tobe extremely beneficial. Many times I did not imme-diately understand a certain truth of Scripture orwhy I was enduring trials in my life. However, I knewwho my heavenly Father was, and learned to trustHim based on His character and His ways.

What God revealed to me about Himself helpedme to avoid error. If a teaching did not fit with Hischaracter, how could it be His truth? At other times,the knowledge of God the Father and His Son JesusChrist proved a great comfort and encouragement

when I encountered various trials. These verses continue to have an impact in my life

and the life of my family. In following these truths Icame to know my wife while serving at Story BookLodge Christian Camp. It is because of these versesthat we are living in Sioux Falls, SD. More than any-thing, we want others to come to the saving knowl-edge of the Lord Jesus and grow in their knowledge ofthe Lord. May He be glorified in all our lives as wegrow in our knowledge of Him and walk in the goodworks for which we are created in Christ Jesus. Ý

Contact Larry Sax at: Phone: 605-759-5781e-mail: larssax@alliancecom.netweb: www.siouxfallsbible.com

SIOUX FALLS CALLS continued

The Big Sioux River at Falls Park, Sioux Falls, SD

© Rich Murphy, City of Sioux Falls

“My tears of grief turned totears of joy and thankfulnessas I considered what theseverses meant and the gift Godoffered me.”

orship is a word which is never reallydefined in Scripture. It is a word we arefamiliar with, which we use regularly,

even loosely, but whose true significance we per-haps fail to grasp. Some refer to singing as wor-ship; others consider that praying is worship;while there are those who believe that only theRemembrance meeting is truly worship. In factworship can be part, or all, of these things andmore, but we need to look further to under-stand its true meaning—the way it is used inScripture.

Our English word is a shortened version ofthe old English expression “worth-ship.” Itemphasizes and sets a value upon the person orobject under consideration. In the Old Testa-ment, the primary word translated “worship”simply means to bow down or prostrate oneself,usually in acknowledgement of a superior, onehigher in rank or dignity (Ps. 95:6). It is alsoused to describe the worship of idols, in whichcase the worth of the object worshiped is only inthe deluded mind of the worshipper.

The first mention of our English word “wor-ship” in the Scriptures is found in Genesis 22:5.Abraham instructs his young men, “Abide ye herewith the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder andworship, and come again to you.” The act of wor-ship about to be undertaken involved obedi-ence, faith, and sacrifice. It was certainly notsomething done casually, half-heartedly, orlightly.

True worship is an expression of our aware-ness of the greatness and majesty of God. Itemanates from a heart subjected to His will, andis a measure of our obedience to His word. Inoffering up Isaac, the great man of faith, Abra-

ham, demonstrated his appreciation of what itmeans to worship.

Some of the most precious expressions ofworship come from the heart of David asrecorded in the Psalms. Often these were bornout of adversity, trial, and suffering (e.g., Psalms57, 63, 102). Again, as with Abraham, there wasnothing superficial or frivolous associated withDavid’s worship!

The woman at the wellPerhaps the most fundamental definition ofworship is found in John chapter 4, in the dis-course between the Lord and the woman ofSamaria. The conversation began with a discus-sion about water. The Lord, seeking to probeher conscience, introduced first a spiritualdimension, “living water,” closely followed by amoral element in the matter of her “husband.”Perhaps in an effort to avoid this subject, thewoman introduced a “theological” aspect with astatement concerning the relative merits ofMount Gerizim and Jerusalem as the appropri-ate place to worship.

The Lord takes up this line of discussion and,through it, draws the dear woman to a realiza-tion of her need and an acknowledgement ofHimself as “the Christ,” first to her own heartand then in witness to others. What then can welearn from these verses in our attempt to under-stand just a little of this important subject?

We notice that the Lord deals with the placeof worship, the people who worship, and thepattern of worship, all of which have lessons forus. In the mind of the Samaritan woman, theplace was all-important. Her background hadled her to believe that God could only be wor-shiped in a specific place, to the exclusion of allothers. Most people today would agree with

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IN SPIRIT AND IN TRUTH by John Scarsbrook

What is True Worship?The priest’s heavenly privilege.

“Give unto theLord the glorydue unto Hisname: bring anoffering, andcome before Him:worship the Lordin the beauty of holiness”1 Chronicles 16:29

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that idea, if they bothered to think about it at all, andwould refer to a church building as a “place of worship.”

There is no doubt that in Old Testament times, first thetabernacle in the wilderness, then the temple in Jerusalem,were established by God as specific centers for meetingwith His people. True worship, however, is not now, andnever has been, confined to a building. Note the examplesalready given of Abraham and David, to which could beadded Job, Moses, and many others.

Now, however, in John 4:21, the Lord indicates that afundamental change is about to take place. Consequentupon His death and resurrection, the presence of God withHis people would no longer be restricted to a particularbuilding or place. It is true that God would make provisionfor His people to meet together and detailed instructionswould be given, in order that such gatherings conformedto the divine mind. Yet there would be a freedom for theindividual to approach God and to worship without therestrictions of a legal framework. Many today still holdtenaciously to what they term a consecrated, hallowed, orsacred building, while denying themselves and others theliberty that comes through faith in the Lord Jesus.

In verse 22, the Lord makes a statement concerningthose who worship. For the Samaritans, worship wasfounded upon ignorance, “Ye worship ye know not what.”They had no real knowledge of the God they presumed toworship; just like many today who pay token allegiance toa Deity whom they “ignorantly worship” (Acts 17:23). Unre-generate souls cannot worship God. There is nothing theycan bring to Him until first they come with “repentancetoward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ” (20:21).

The Lord then assured the woman that the Jews had anintelligent knowledge of God, which, if rightly appreciated,would lead them to the One in whom is salvation. All thosewho have a saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus are quali-fied, and indeed, have a desire to worship.

In spirit and in truthHow then should we worship God? The Lord Jesus sets outjust two principles in the pattern for worship in verse 23:“in spirit and in truth.” It is the Holy Spirit who is instru-mental in teaching the believer those verities concerningthe character of God and the person of the Lord Jesuswhich enable us to worship intelligently (Jn. 16:13-15). TheSpirit “bears witness” with our spirit, making it possible for

us to offer worship which is spiritual in character. There isno room for the activity of the flesh in worship. Movingoratory, choral music, stately architecture, stained glassand incense, all designed to appeal to the aesthetic senses,do not constitute worship, however they are presented.Worship is a spiritual occupation in which we give to Godfrom our hearts the adulation and praise due to Him. Ithas no part in the activities sometimes loosely referred toas “worship,” which are really occasions designed to gratifythe senses of the hearers.

Worship must also be “in truth.” It must bear the stampof reality, for God hates hypocrisy. We cannot offer wor-ship that is outside or beyond our own experience of God.If we try, it is no more than words. And it is good toremember that worship is not dependent on gift. The new-born believer can worship every bit as acceptably as theold saint with years of experience. The phraseology maydiffer, as may the time spent in audible worship, yet a lov-ing God reads the heart and knows its veracity.

It is worth noting that this instruction by the Lord Jesuson the profound subject of worship was not directed toNicodemus, “a teacher in Israel,” but to a Samaritan womangoing about her daily routine. We must never underesti-mate the valuable contribution in worship made by the sisters in the assembly. There are times when the brethrenhave come with very little to offer. Barren silences follow.How often on these occasions has the inaudible worship ofthe sisters lifted the meeting and brought pleasure toGod’s heart?

Finally, it is very precious to notice the effect that thismeeting with the Saviour had on the woman. Her heartwas so filled with Christ that she even “left her waterpot,”the very reason for which she came to the well. Her wordsto the men of the city constituted a lovely, simple invita-tion to worship: “Come, see a Man…” Ý

WHAT IS TRUE WORSHIP? continued

Worship is a spiritual occupationin which we give to God fromour hearts the adulation and praise due to Him.

he need for priests originated in the firstbook of the Bible. The fall of mankindcaused a serious change in man’s relation-

ship with his Maker. Instead of enjoying fellow-ship with God during walks in “the cool of theday,” Adam and Eve suddenly hid in shamefrom their Creator. This distressing state ofaffairs was remedied by the divine provision ofa covering for the guilty pair, permitting par-don and ongoing relations with the Holy One.

Thereafter in Genesis, heads of families suchas Noah and Abraham built altars and wor-shiped the Lord, as well as making supplica-tions, intercession, and prayers (e.g., Gen. 8:20;12:7-8). In ch. 14, Melchizedek, an independentpriest, is introduced—one closely linked in theScriptures with the Lord Jesus Christ.

Of battlefields and benedictionsThe mysterious “King of Salem” appears on thescene at a strange time. Where has this manbeen? At first glance, he seems to have little todo with the other events of the passage. Lot’slife had steadily intertwined itself with the poli-tics and affairs of Sodom. Consequently, whenone of that wicked city-state’s battles wentawry, he was taken hostage in the military routby King Chedorlaomer and his allies.

However, Abraham “the Hebrew” 1 engineereda daring rescue of his captive nephew, simulta-neously recovering the other prisoners andmaterial spoils. Afterwards, the king of Sodomapproached Abraham with a tempting offer.Thankfully, he was first met by Melchizedek,who exercised what turns out to be an important ministry.

Before encountering the subtle wiles of thepotentate of Sodom, Abraham was fortified bythis spiritual king-priest. The text identifies

Melchizedek as a “priest of the Most High God”(El Elyon in Hebrew, Gen. 14:18). This name ofGod occurs in this passage for the first time inScripture. He went on to bless Abraham in thismighty name. In this fitting benediction,Melchizedek reminded the patriarch that theLord is “the possessor of heaven and earth,” there-by emphasizing the sovereignty of theAlmighty. He also gave full credit to God for theimpressive military victory.

Lastly, he thoughtfully brought bread andwine to strengthen and cheer Abraham physi-cally. How good it is that our God remembersour weak frames (Ps. 103:14). When our bodiesare feeble, the Lord cares for us. Just as He pro-vided a meal for the depressed Elijah under thebroom tree, so He ministers to the physical andspiritual needs of His downcast saints (1 Ki.19:1-8). Bread and wine cannot help butremind us of the wonderful symbols of provi-sion and fellowship that God has given us inthe NT (1 Cor. 11:20-34).

Armed with this knowledge of the characterof God, Abraham was prepared to meet theking of wicked Sodom. The king’s offer wasalluring, but the Hebrew chieftain rejected itwithout a second thought. The proffered spoilswere spurned with these words of conviction: “I have lift up mine hand unto the Lord, the mosthigh God, the possessor of heaven and earth, that Iwill not take from a thread even to a shoelatchet,and that I will not take any thing that is thine, lest thou shouldest say, ‘I have made Abram rich’”(Gen. 14:22-23).

Since God Most High had blessed Abrahamand given him the victory, there was nothing oflasting value that an earthly king could offerhim. What is more, Abraham wanted God toget all of the glory for enriching him.

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Tea vendor in Israel

He appears inthree books ofthe Bible, and in each case it is a biblicalbombshell.

KING OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, KING OF PEACE by Keith R. Keyser

MelchizedekConsider how great this man was!

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Christ’s preventative ministryLike Melchizedek, the Lord Jesus exercises a strengtheningministry on behalf of His own. For example, before Hisbetrayal He forewarned His disciples of their impendingdesertion. He especially cautioned Peter of the dreadful test-ing that was about to overtake him: “Simon, Simon, behold,Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat:But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thouart converted, strengthen thy brethren” (Lk. 22:31-32). Not onlydid Christ predict the denial, He also assured Peter of hiseventual restoration and subsequent helpful ministry.

After his key role in preparing Abraham to meet thetemptation of the king of Sodom, Melchizedek disappearsfrom the biblical record for a millennium, and resurfaces inanother seemingly strange context. Psalm 110 looksprophetically at the future triumph of God’s Messiah. In themidst of detailing His martial victory, David interjects thisstatement: “The Lord hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou arta priest forever after the order of Melchizedek” (Ps. 110:4). Justas Abraham’s battlefield triumph was accompanied by aking-priest from the Most High God, so Christ’s future exal-tation will see Him acting as prophet, priest, and king.

New Testament comparison of the two king-priestsAnother thousand years elapses before Melchizedek reap-pears in Hebrews 5-7. In many ways, first century Judaismappeared to have the advantage over Christianity. TheJews had a visible system of worship, which included theTemple, the Mosaic covenant, and the Aaronic priest-hood. Nevertheless, the Holy Spirit points out that Chris-tians have a heavenly Temple, a New Covenant with betterpromises, and an infinitely superior high priest—the LordJesus Christ Himself.

Christ’s priesthood is not according to the Levitical sys-tem. He was a Judahite rather than a Levite, a fact whichsome might pounce on in an effort to invalidate Hispriesthood. Hebrews assures us, however, that His priest-hood has an even more ancient precedent in Scripture.The Lord Jesus is a priest after the order of Melchizedek(Ps. 110:4), thus connecting Him with a form of mediationthat supersedes the old priesthood. The Genesis 14 pas-sage holds the key to this superiority. Firstly, even thegreat patriarch Abraham gave tithes to this king-priest. Byextension, Levi—who, at that time, was in the loins ofAbraham—participated in this payment (Heb. 7:4-5). Sec-

ondly, superiors bless inferi-ors, and Melchizedekblessed the patriarch, there-by blessing Levi and all ofhis other descendants. Thirdly, his names indicate thetype of fruit that his ministry produces, for he is called“king of righteousness” and “king of peace” (Heb. 7:2). TheLord Jesus’ priestly ministry brings peace with God in arighteous manner (Rom. 3:21-26; 5:1).

In addition to it’s superiority being revealed by Abra-ham’s behavior, the Melchizedek priesthood is demon-strated to be superior by God’s attitude toward it. He pro-claims with an oath the Lord Jesus to be a priest after theorder of Melchizedek (Heb. 7:21). By contrast, the Leviti-cal priesthood could point to no oath establishing them-selves as priests.

Finally, Christ’s priesthood is like Melchizedek’s in thatit is not limited by age or death. Many priests had comeand gone since Aaron, and this presented a weakness inthe old system. Under the new covenant, however, thehigh priest serves “after the power of an endless life” (Heb.7:16) and therefore “ever lives to make intercession” (Heb.7:25) for His people. Having entrusted one’s representa-tion before God to the Lord Jesus, they never need fearthat their case will be neglected or fall through the cracks.Whereas the old covenant perfected nothing, the newcovenant presents the believer in a living relationship withthe Creator through the glorious redemptive and interces-sory work of Christ.

The presence of Melchizedek in the Bible reaffirms thetruth that “all Scripture is given by inspiration of God…” (2Tim. 3:16). What at first glance seems like a strange intru-sion in the text, turns out to be the legal and spiritualbasis for the great high priestly work of the Son of GodHimself. How thankful the Christian should be for havingsuch a high priest “who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separatefrom sinners, and made higher than the heavens” (Heb. 7:26).Having undertaken this work Christ will faithfully per-form it forever, praise be to His name. Ý

Endnote1 Some scholars believe that “Hebrew” stems from the phrase“one from beyond the river,” thus making this a reference to his“pilgrim and stranger” status, and not just a comment on hisethnicity.

MELCHIZEDEK continued Just as Abraham’s battlefieldtriumph was accompanied by aking-priest from the Most HighGod, so Christ’s future exaltationwill see Him acting as prophet,priest, and king.

he book of Leviticus was the handbook ofthe Aaronic priest in OT times, givinginstruction about how he should approach

God with various physical offerings anddescribing their accompanying ceremonies.Thankfully, in our day, the sacrifice of Christhas done away with this complex, arduous,yet God-given system of animal sacrifices. Weread “But this man [Christ], after He had offeredone sacrifice for sin forever, sat down at theright hand of God” (Heb. 9:11).

Now, although the Levitical system hasbeen superseded, nevertheless the principlescontained in it regarding priesthood and itsfunction are invaluable to the NT priesthoodin the offering of spiritual sacrifices. This arti-cle is intended to stimulate renewed interestin this important book and to promote intelli-gent worship among the Lord’s people.

Overall CommentsThe book opens by describing to us five offer-ings, some of which were mandatory, and oth-ers which were voluntary. These are:· • The voluntary (or gift) offerings: the

burnt, peace, and meal offerings· • The mandatory (or guilt) offerings: the sin

and trespass offerings.It should be observed that when God

begins to describe how man can approachHim, He begins with the burnt offering whichwas wholly for Himself, and the offerings pro-ceed downwards, until we reach the pointwhere sin and trespass are being dealt with. Inthis order, we see God reaching out to man.

In our experience the order is reversed.Our first appreciation of Christ is that He diedfor our sins, as seen in the trespass offering,and that He died to put away sin, as seen in

the sin offering. But as we mature spiritually,we begin to appreciate something of whatChrist and Calvary meant to God, altogetherapart from ourselves and our needs. We beginto appreciate what is spoken of in the peace,meal, and burnt offerings.

It must also be noted that, without excep-tion, all the animal offerings are specified byGod to be “without blemish.” Since these offer-ings prefigured Christ, God was careful to pre-serve the thought of His sinless impeccabili-ty—even in type—because, apart from this,the sacrifice of Christ would have been mean-ingless. Thank God He was “holy, harmless andundefiled, separate from sinners”: a fit sacrificefor sin.

THE VOLUNTARY (GIFT) OFFERINGSThe Burnt Offering (Lev. 1; 6:9-13)The burnt offering was the highest grade ofoffering that one could offer. The animals hadto be males of the first year and without blem-ish. A turtle dove was another possibility. Inthis offering all was for God, with nothing forman, except that the priest got the skin. Herewe have the highest appreciation thathumankind can ever arrive at in worship—where all is seen from God’s viewpoint with-out any thought of man. The poet capturedthis thought when he wrote

“Blessed Lord, our hearts would treasureAll the Father’s thoughts of Thee.”The Gospel of John most vividly displays

Christ at the burnt offering. There we learnwhat Christ meant to God, and the delightthat the Son gave to the Father. We read, “for Ido always those things that please Him” (Jn.8:29). And “Glorify Thy Son, that Thy Son mayalso glorify Thee” (Jn. 17:1).

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This introductorystudy of the OTofferings presents a goodframework tohelp us in adeeper appreciation ofthe Lord and Hismighty work.

WORSHIP PRIMER by Willie Burnett

Introduction to the Levitical OfferingsTimeless truths from ancient sacrifices.

Illustration: New Tribes Mission, Inc.

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The Meal Offering (Lev. 2; 6:14-23)The meal offering was not a blood offering. Its basicconstituents were fine flour, oil, frankincense, and salt,with the prohibition of honey or leaven. As such, it pre-figures the perfect sinless life of the Lord Jesus. The fineflour portrayed His perfect humanity; the oil signifiedthe activity of the Holy Spirit in connection with Christ,from His incarnation (fine flour mingled with oil; Lk.1:35) to His public annunciation when the Spirit restedon Him at His baptism (wafers anointed with oil; 3:22).

Then we have His sufferings portrayed in the prepa-ration of the meal offering:

·• baked in a flat pan—sufferings that were open forall to see

·• baked in a pan with sides—sufferings where manwas only able to see the surface, without appreci-ating the depths

·• baked in an oven—sufferings that were complete-ly hidden from view; the hidden sufferings thatthe Lord Jesus endured alone such as in thewilderness of Judea, in Gethsemane, and in thedarkness of the cross; sufferings which man cannever appreciate.

It is also noteworthy that the meal offering does notappear to have been offered by itself but always as anaccompanying offering to the animal sacrifices. This isparticularly seen in the book of Numbers. This tells usthat, while the perfect life of Christ did not atone for sin,it was an essential accompaniment to the effectivenessof His sacrifice at Calvary.

The Peace Offering (Lev. 3; 7:9, 11, 29-34)In this case the offerer could offer from the herd, or alamb, or a goat, male or female. This offering is the firstwhere the priest had a portion of the animal sacrificeonce God’s altar had been satisfied. The priest was giventhe heave shoulder and the wave breast for food. Thisoffering prefigures our peace with God and the resultingfellowship we enjoy with Him, through the death ofChrist (cf. Rom. 5:1; Col. 1:20; Eph. 2:13). It also intro-duces us to the fact that we must daily feed on the per-fections of Christ in order to sustain our priestly activity.The breast indicates His affections, and the shoulder,His sustaining strength. How critical it is for saints to beoccupied with these things.

THE MANDATORY (GUILT) OFFERINGSThe Sin Offering (Lev. 4; 6:25-30) The regulations for the sin offering were the most com-plex and rigorous of all the offerings. Referring to thechart (p. 23), it will be seen that the required sacrificediffered depending on who committed the sin. A differ-ent procedure had to be followed for a priest, the con-gregation, a ruler, and the common people. We learnthat the greater the office occupied, the greater the consequences.

So also in our day, the sin of a person holding a pub-lic place in the assembly has farther-reaching effectsthan the sin of other saints. We learn that an increase inprivilege brings a corresponding increase in accountabil-ity and responsibility.

Note that after blood was brought into the holy placeand the altar had been satisfied (in the case of the priestor congregation that sinned), the remainder was takenoutside the camp and burned. So we read, “WhereforeJesus also, that He might sanctify the people with His ownblood, suffered without the gate” (Heb. 13:12). This offer-ing prefigures the death of Christ as related to the prin-ciple of sin rather than its fruit, sins. In cases where theblood was not taken into the holy place, the priest couldhave the remainder for food, provided it was eaten inthe holy place.

The Trespass Offering (Lev. 5:1-6:7; 7:1-7)In the sin offering, no specific sins are identified, but thetrespass offering is much more definitive and deals withparticular sins. This is the earliest appreciation that thesinner has of Christ and the cross—that it had to dowith his sins. We read, “Christ died for our sins accordingto the Scriptures” (1 Cor. 15:3). Note the variety of possi-ble offerings to accommodate the poorest of people. Weread twice over: “If he be not able to bring…” (Lev. 9:7, 11)and are then given alternates that he could afford. Whata picture of the mercy and grace of God, reaching out tous in all our sinful bankruptcy, and yet making His greatsalvation available to us through Christ.

Space does not allow us to deal with this great subjectexhaustively, as there are so many other hidden truthsto help us understand the person of Christ and His Sac-rifice, but these thoughts should hopefully stimulate thedesire to follow-up on this great topic. Ý

INTRODUCTION TO THE LEVITICAL OFFERINGS continued

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e believe that the principles and practices ofthe early churches outlined in the New Testa-ment provide guidelines for churches today.

This means that we should constantly be measuringourselves by the New Testament and not by whatmay currently be going on around us.

The work of an elder in the early years of churchhistory was, in some ways, much simpler than iscommon among churches today. For nearly 300 yearsafter the Lord’s ascension, believers had no buildingsof their own, and mostly met in homes. Consequent-ly they knew nothing of the Family Bible Hour, Sun-day School, AWANA, or similar activities. Of necessi-ty the elders’ focus was on God’s people, rather thanon buildings and programs.

Commenting on assembly life today, William Trewobserves that the reverse has become true. He writes,“Overseers in the assembly are not a board of con-trol, nor do they constitute a board of management...[rather] it is their ministry to the saints to maintainthe authority of the Lord in a practical way, in orderto develop the spiritual and moral condition of theassembly for His glory who dwells in their midst.”1

Shepherds are distracted from fulfilling the man-date Christ gave them when programs become a priority or the means by which they measure theirchurch’s progress. An unbiased reading of John21:15-17, Acts 20:28-32, and 1 Peter 5:1-4, as well asthose passages in Timothy and Titus which spell outan elder’s duties and qualifications, prove this. Noth-ing is said in those passages or elsewhere in Scriptureabout elders overseeing efforts to reach the commu-nity. Instead, their concern should be the spiritualhealth of those who are saved.

When elders are asked a question such as, “Doyou know how the new assembly at Progress Hill isdoing?” most frequently the reply goes something

like this: “That work is doingvery well. New people arecoming to the F.B.H. everyweek, and there is a lot ofinterest in AWANA and otheractivities. Everyone is busy.”

In the example above, theassembly is referred to as a“work.” It does indeed soundlike a lot of work is going onat Progress Hill, and no doubtgood work at that. But note,nothing has been said aboutthe assembly’s obedience toGod’s Word, nor about wor-ship, or prayer, or the Breaking of Bread. Yet thesefeatures, not activities or programs, were the hall-mark of the early church (Acts 2:42).

In His messages to the seven churches, the Lordacknowledges the works done by His people, butthen strongly rebukes them for their mixed priorities.He brooks no substitute for leaving their first love.He warns that He will “remove their lampstand,” “comeupon them as a thief,” or execute similar judgments ifthey do not repent.

Nearly everywhere, even among evangelicals, themeasure of church life is its relevance to society. Nev-ertheless, shepherds and those they pastor ought toadhere to the priorities the Lord has ordained, andnot take their cue from the religious world. Ý

For further reading we recommend Revival by David Boyd Long,published by John Ritchie Ltd. Available in North America fromGospel Folio Press.1 William Trew, ‘The Little Flock’, in John Heading and CyrilHocking (eds.), Church Doctrine and Practice, (West Glamorgan,UK: Precious Seed Publications, 1970).

New Testament Pastoral CareEveryone wants to tell elders what to do—but what does the Bible say?

ELDER HELPS To feed, to take heed, and to lead

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ohn 13-17 is arguably one of the most sub-lime sections in the entire New Testament.It is that portion of Scripture that contains

the Upper Room discourse of the Lord Jesus—adiscourse found in no other Gospel account. Itis the tender farewell of a loving Saviour as Heprepares to return to His Father in heaven.Directed toward His eleven disciples, it revealsa growing intimacy to those He now calls“friends” (15:15) as He unfolds many of thegreat truths of the Christian faith later devel-oped in the epistles. The scene marks the con-clusion of His earthly ministry culminating thefollowing day when He would lay down His lifeas a sacrifice for sin, validated by His resurrec-tion three days later. Truly, having loved Hisown that were in the world, He would lovethem to the fullest extent—unto the end (13:1).

The Upper Room DiscourseThe farewell ministry of the Saviour com-mences in John 13. There He exemplifies thepattern that should characterize all believerswhen He humbly kneels and washes His disci-ple’s feet. Then, in chapter 14, He highlightswhat He would also do for us—prepare a place(v. 3), answer prayer (v. 14), and send a Para-clete—the Holy Spirit (v. 16)—to comfort andguide us during His absence. In chapter 15, Heunderscores what we should do for Him, name-ly to be a witness in the world and to bearfruit—much fruit—so that the Father is glori-fied (v. 8). Chapter 16 enlarges on the ministryof the Holy Spirit, in particular His worktoward the world (vv. 7-11) and toward His own(vv. 12-15).

His teaching has become a deepening andwidening channel of truth. But nowhere are thedepths of these truths more keenly sensed than

with the words contained in chapter 17, com-monly known as our Lord’s high priestly prayer.

The intercession of our Great High PriestUndoubtedly, John 17 is the apogee of theLord’s personal ministry to His own on thenight before His crucifixion. On this uniqueoccasion, they had the inestimable privilege ofhearing Him passionately pray to the Father ontheir behalf. Embodied in that prayer are someof the richest themes in the New Testament—themes such as election, sanctification, and glo-rification. Typically, this chapter depicts thefinal step in the order of approach to God asportrayed in the service of the OT tabernacle.

Having had His death pictured through Hisanointing in John 12, and having washed Hisdisciple’s feet in John 13, the Lord theninstructs them on a number of profound truthsin John 14-16. Respectively, these actions repre-sent the bronze altar, the laver, and the holyplace in the order of their placement in thetabernacle. Now, in John 17, He takes His disci-ples figuratively into the holiest of all: the verypresence of God where as our great High Priestintercedes for the heirs of salvation.

The requests of our Great High PriestIn His prayer, the Lord made seven petitions ofthe Father: two for Himself (vv. 1-5), two for thedisciples (vv. 6-19), and three for those whowould afterwards believe on His name (vv. 20-26). His initial request was for the Father to glo-rify Him so that He would consequently glorifythe Father (v. 1). Indeed that is what transpiredat Calvary when He went submissively with theFather to the place of sacrifice, just as Isaac didwith his father in Genesis 22. His work on thecross brought glory to the Father and an imme-

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The author presents asplendid outlineof John 17showing therequests and thebequests of ourGreat HighPriest.

LISTENING IN by Mark Kolchin

The Lord’s PrayerDraw near carefully as we hear the Son speak with His Father.

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diate answer to His first request. The secondrequest, that the Father would restore Him to Hispre-incarnate glory (v. 5), was also answered quick-ly, first by His resurrection, and then just over fortydays later when He ascended from Mount Olivet(Acts 1). These two requests—for His glorificationat the cross and for His restoration to His pre-exis-tent glory—were both answered in short order!

The next two requests dealt with the disciples’preservation (v. 11) and sanctification (v. 17).Repeatedly, the Lord referred to all believers ashaving been given to Him (vv. 6, 9, 11, 12, 24).Each believer is a gift from the Father to the Son.In verse 11, He prayed: “Keep through Thine ownname those whom Thou hast given Me.” Whatgreater assurance could any of us have than toknow that the security of our salvation does notdepend upon our own ability to “keep the faith,”but rather on our being kept as the object of boththe Lord’s prayer and the Father’s power (1 Pet.1:5)? Further, knowing the deceptive and destruc-tive wiles of the devil, the Lord added to our assur-ance by praying for our spiritual protection fromthe evil one (v. 15). In the same way that Heprayed for Peter, we know that He prays that ourfaith fail not (Lk. 22:32).

He also prayed for their sanctification. His peti-tion is: “Sanctify them through Thy truth, Thy Wordis Truth” (v. 17). This speaks of both the substanceand source of their walk with Him—separationfrom the world and direction from the Word. Itcomes about as we diligently study the Scripturesand apply them practically in our daily lives.

Positionally, these two requests will always beanswered since every believer is sanctified by Godand preserved in Jesus Christ (Jude 1). Practically,we sense the reality of these truths as we walk withthe Lord in the light of His Word.

The final set of petitions is recorded in verses20-26. These focus upon our unification (v. 21),evangelization (v. 22), and consummation (v. 24).His prayer is that we would be one, just as theFather and the Son are One. Congregations andindividual Christians everywhere need to bereminded of this significant request of our Sav-

iour! Doctrinal integrity is a must, but so is theputting away of petty disagreements and personal-ity differences if unity is to occur. The apostolicChurch was known both for their steadfastness inthe truth and their love for each other. There was acohesion then that desperately needs to be exhib-ited today. When that occurs, we can be sure thedifficult task of world evangelization will behelped in some measure.

The Lord beautifully concludes this master-piece of prayer by stating His ultimate desire thatthey would be with Him where He is, so that theywould behold His glory (v. 24)—a prayer that isanswered every time a believer in Christ leavesthis scene and is called Home to heaven.

The bequests of our Great High PriestNot only does this chapter contain the requests ofour great High Priest, but it also cites a number ofHis bequests—those things that He has left us aspart of our spiritual inheritance.

Eternal life based on the proper understandingof the true God and His Son is the first item iden-tified as a gift of the Saviour to us (v. 3). Anotheris the manifestation of the Father’s name (vv. 6,26). This is the clear conception of the true Godwhich He transmitted to us through His ministryon earth (2 Cor. 4:6). Just before this He had stat-ed to Philip, “He that hath seen Me hath seen theFather” (Jn. 14:9). Furthermore, He has given usthe words of the Father (vv. 8, 14), conveying eter-nal truths from the throne room of heaven, whichcontradict the doctrines of men. And lastly fromthis passage, He has bequeathed to us His joy (v.13) and His glory (v. 22); the joy of fellowship withthe Father and the glory of Christ that radiatesthrough us when we abide in Him.

The high priestly prayer of our Lord Jesus is aspiritual treasure trove of incalculable worth. Tomediate on these glorious requests of our lovingSaviour and what He has provided for us throughHis intercessory work will not only lift our heartsin grateful adoration, but strengthen our resolveto live whole-heartedly for the One who loved usand gave Himself for us. Ý

To meditate onthese gloriousrequests of ourloving Saviourwill strengthenour resolve to live wholeheartedlyfor Him.

THE LORD’S PRAYER continued

number of biblical teachings have cometo be known as New Testament churchprinciples. A weekly remembrance of the

Lord Jesus Christ, ministry by gifted brothers,leadership by a plurality of elders, distinctiveroles for men and women, and the priesthoodof all believers: these principles should be asprecious to us today as they were when theapostles were planting the first churches. Andindeed, some churches do appreciate the joys ofmeeting in New Testament simplicity.

One would think obedience to these princi-ples would bring great blessing, and truly wehave been blessed. Yet we must acknowledgeour weaknesses, too. Why is it that manychurches which cling to New Testament church

principles are struggling to keepthe doors open? New Testamentchurch principles cannot be toblame. God has spoken and weare to obey. But perhaps the prob-lem is the opposite: not the NewTestament principles we hold, butthose which we have ignored.

You may be able to think ofother principles your church hasignored, but here are four charac-teristics of the early church thatare sadly missing from manychurches today.

ForbearanceThe fruit of the Spirit includes “longsuffering”(Gal. 5:22). However, Romans 14 takes the prin-ciple of longsuffering and forbearance to a newlevel. Paul had made it clear that there is noneed to keep the OT dietary law. But in thischapter he speaks of people who, though theyweren’t trying to keep the law as a means of sal-

vation, still thought the dietary law was bind-ing. In this case, Paul’s message is “accept thosewho are weak in faith” (v. 1) and “Do not teardown the work of God for the sake of food” (v. 20).

The implications are quite stunning. Therecan actually be cases where a person is mistak-en, yet we are to bear with that person ratherthan tearing down the whole church. It is cer-tainly true that we cannot bear with heresy;nobody is suggesting that false teaching or sinbe tolerated. But on issues where neither courseof action is sinful, we must accept one another.

Let’s be honest: any diversity of opinionscares us. We prefer absolute uniformity ofthought even if the cost is a lack of forbearance.But the same scripture that says false teachersmust be silenced also tells us there are issuesabout which we must show tolerance. We can-not be willing to split the church over everyissue. Forbearance characterized the NTchurch, but it is all too often ignored today.

HumilityThe Lord Jesus had a lot to say about humility.And Paul tells us in Philippians 2:3, “Do nothingfrom selfishness or empty conceit, but with humilityof mind let each of you regard one another as moreimportant than himself.” Humility should defineeach Christian. Hopefully it is something westrive for in our own lives. But is it somethingwe see in our churches? Having been entrustedwith wonderful truths about the purpose andorder of the New Testament church, there canbe a temptation towards arrogance. We mightlook down on those who have less light in thisarea. In the process, we not only despise ourbrothers and sisters, but we ensure they willwant no part of the truths we hold dear. Afterall, if those who hold to New Testament church

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This straighttalking buthighly encouragingarticle needs to be ponderedover, prayedthrough andthen lived out.

MISSING PIECES by Shawn Abigail

Those Other New Testament PrinciplesCrucial elements of New Testament church life.

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principles are arrogant, why would a spiritually sensitiveChristian want any part with them?

Humility recognizes that God’s plan for the churchreally does work best, but that we are no better than ourfellow Christians. We don’t have to downplay the impor-tance of NT church principles, but we do have to demon-strate love for our fellow believers. While we hold firmlyto the truths of the New Testament church, let’s also holdfirmly to the principle of New Testament humility.

HospitalityThe Epistle to the Romans may be the deepest theology inthe Bible, but also teaches valuable lessons on hospitality.Romans 12:13 gives the blunt command that we are to be“practicing hospitality.” Gaius was commended for showinghospitality to the whole church (Rom. 16:23). Also inRomans we read that Rufus’ mother was a mother to Paul.Can we doubt that hospitality was a part of her service?

Hospitality is important. Not only do traveling workersand their families have a right to accommodations, buthospitality can enhance the ties of fellowship between thebelievers in a church. By having a single meal together wemay get to know each other better than in a year of Sun-day mornings. Since hospitality has become a rarity intoday’s world, having someone over for a meal can be aneffective aid in evangelism. Students and single people tes-tify of the special encouragement provided by hospitality.

A meal doesn’t need to be fancy and the house doesn’tneed a spring cleaning. Simple food accompanied by goodconversation is all that’s necessary. And it is necessary!The early church practiced hospitality and if we want tobe a NT church we must be characterized by it too.

DiscipleshipDiscipleship is at the core of the Great Commission.While the Paul-Timothy relationship provides perhaps thebest example of discipleship in the Bible, there are others:Apollos was instructed by Priscilla and Aquila, Elisha wasassociated with Elijah. In each case an older or more expe-rienced believer took a newer believer under the wing.

The advantages of discipleship are obvious. A newbeliever may grow in an unbalanced or unrooted manner.He may see one truth in the Bible but fail to see the bal-anced teaching provided elsewhere in the Word. He maydevelop unhealthy obsessions. Biblical discipleship pro-

vides an answer to each of these problems.Many churches are developing small group ministries.

Instead of meetings of the full church, small groups areintended to provide warm fellowship where people canget to know each other and build each other up. But isn’tthis what personal discipleship should be doing? SomeChristians, including this author, have concerns about theway small groups can end up replacing actual meetings ofthe church. But in an assembly where real discipleship isoccurring, there is no hole to be filled by small groups.

What would our churches be like if we took the princi-ple of discipleship as seriously as Paul did? What wouldhappen if young men showing evidence of a teaching giftwere instructed in homiletics by an experienced brother?What would happen if the young mothers had an olderwoman who could come alongside and help them to lovetheir husbands and children (Titus 2:4)? What wouldhappen if the zealous young evangelist had someone toshow him the ropes? What would happen if a mature butenergetic Christian couple opened up their home to theyouth and spent time with them? What we would seewould be nothing less than a transformation within thelocal church! Discipleship may be hard, but it is a NTchurch principle we need to embrace.

Hard ChoicesIf we have neglected the principles above, we are left withthree choices. The first is to continue with the status quo—to continue to embrace some biblical principles whileignoring others. Maybe change is too difficult. Maybe ourcurrent practice is comfortable. But the status quo meansthat the church will continue to struggle.

The second choice is to give up on NT church princi-ples. To make this choice is to close the doors and attend adenominational church, or to accept unbiblical practicesin an effort to increase our numbers. In either case thischoice means we are content to pretend the Bible saysnothing about church order and practice.

The third choice is the only one which is really satisfac-tory. Let’s continue to hold to biblical church principles.But let us also acknowledge we aren’t what we could orshould be. Let us humbly return to the Scriptures and seeif there are truths that we are neglecting. If we really wantto be New Testament churches we must embrace all theprinciples of the New Testament. Ý

THOSE OTHER NEW TESTAMENT PRINCIPLES continued

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And Some… Evangelistsby Roger Carswell, published by Christian Focus in 2000.

LOOK AT BOOKS Review by Michael Attwood

ased on Ephesians 4:11, this book is an appeal, by an evangelist, to not neglect theuse of the evangelist in our churches. Roger Carswell is a British itinerant evangelistfrom my home town of Leeds. My wife and I had the privilege of working with Roger

in tent meetings back in 1984 in the beautiful Yorkshire Dales in Northern England. Forthe last quarter of a century brother Carswell has traveled extensively throughout theBritish Isles, and further afield, seeking to share the good news in tent meetings, universitycampuses, coffee mornings in homes, beach missions, or simply on street corners. Roger, a married man and father offour, has been blessed with his children sharing in their father’s love for the gospel. He has been much used by theLord in reaching souls for Christ and throughout this book his passion for communicating the gospel shines throughinfectiously. In a day when the work of the evangelist is largely neglected among assemblies, this book will challengeus to seek to encourage these passionate men to make full use of their gift received from the risen and glorified Christ.

The book is filled with pithy sayings and quotable quotes, as well as much practical wisdom for any believer inChrist, not just the evangelist. It should aid to stir us up personally to do the work of an evangelist, whether that isour area of gift or not. The chapter on using the gospel tract as a tool is valuable to any Christian. Other chaptersinclude the temptations of the evangelist, a look at evangelists throughout the Scriptures, and the great cloud of wit-nesses throughout church history. Controversial issues such as the evangelistic appeal, the use of music in evangelism,and itinerancy versus residency in the work of the evangelist are dealt with in a helpful and balanced manner.

Although our readers may not be in agreement with all that is written in this book (the author is from a back-ground where the one-pastor system is normal and accepted), it is a book that all will find helpful and challenging.My immediate thought, upon reading it, was to purchase extra copies and send it to evangelists who are my friendsand who would greatly benefit from the encouragement found in the pages of this book. It also burned in me a desireto order fresh tracts and rededicate myself to sharing the gospel at every opportunity. It is so easy to get out of thediscipline of doing this. My prayer is that this book will enjoy wide readership and will cause us to pray, “Lord, giveme a heart of compassion like Your compassionate heart for the lost world.”

To whet your appetite for “And Some ... Evangelists,” here are a couple of choice quotations from the book:

Lord Beaverbrook, the founder of the British newspaper, THE DAILY EXPRESS, wrote: “The evangelist is the man who hasthe greatest capacity for doing good and, therefore, if I were in a position to influence the life of a sincere young man today, Iwould say to him, ‘Rather choose to be an evangelist than a cabinet minister, or a millionaire.’ When I was a young man Ipitied my father for being a poor man and a preacher of the Word. Now that I am older, I envy him, his life, and his career.”

And Albert Knudson said: “There are two classes of preachers: the good preachers who have something to say, and the poorpreachers who have to say something. But there is yet another and higher class. It consists of those who have something to sayand have to say it.”

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FINALLY, BRETHREN by Jabe Nicholson

If you’ve been discouraged frombeing involved inevangelism,maybe you’vebeen trying to do someoneelse’s part. Try your own onfor size.

hen the Lord Jesus told His followers to go into all the world and preach the gospel toall people, He gave no detailed directions as to means or method. I assume He intend-ed that disciples in every culture and in every age would find appropriate and effective

ways to do it. Of course those ways should be both relevant to the unbelievers to be reachedand consistent with the character of God and the dignity of the message we bear.The apostle Paul was, to put it mildly, both an incisive thinker and an effective communicator.But he did not assume that his oratory alone was sufficient to win souls. Nor did he think—and this is crucial—that, if the Spirit was willing to work, methods didn’t matter. Instead hewrote: “that I might by all means save some” (1 Cor. 9:22). A fisherman uses different bait for dif-ferent fish, and Paul preached very different messages to the polytheistic philosophers inAthens than to the monotheistic religionists in Jerusalem.

I have recently been impressed, however, not only with the different message styles of theearly believers; I have also noted the diverse methods influenced by the varied personalitieswhich we meet in the New Testament. Do you see yourself somewhere in the picture?

1. The confrontational approach of Peter (Acts 2): This style is not for everyone. It demandscourage, boldness of speech, and an ability to “think on your feet.” Of all methods, it is themost likely to stir up animosity, but also has the potential advantage of reaching large numbersall at once. Such plainness of speech can bring both clarity and conviction by the Spirit to peo-ple we might otherwise never meet. It did so at Pentecost and has throughout Church history.

2. The apologetic approach of Paul (Acts 17; Romans): Here the flamboyant emotion-laden appealgives way to the deliberate, carefully-reasoned argument. Negatively, it can gender “words to noprofit” (2 Tim. 2:14), but positively it is able both to bolster the faith of believers and demolishthe strongholds of the enemy, setting free his captives. So it was at Mars Hill.Some object to this method, saying that Paul’s intellectual style is akin to “enticing words ofman’s wisdom.” As proof, they say there was no assembly formed in Athens, as far as we know.The argument is specious. It was Paul, after all, who instructed us not to preach with merehuman wisdom; he obviously did not consider what he was doing to be in that category.As far as results (not always the defining factor—recall the righteous preaching of Noah), Ithink I would be very happy to see what Paul saw at Athens. Imagine arriving at Harvard orYale one morning, preaching one message in the open air, and having a professor, a high soci-ety grande dame, and several others trust the Lord that afternoon! Hardly a bad day’s work!

3. The testimonial approach of the man born blind (Jn. 9:25): This way of preaching has theadvantage of the evangelist knowing his subject matter—since he was there when it happened.“I was blind; now I see.” It is, or should be, convincing and almost impossible to refute. It is thefavorite of those dramatically rescued from sin’s clutches, and the least likely to be used bythose saved at an early age. Those who use this method would be wise to follow Paul’s example:

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By All MeansEvangelism: a role for everyone

“I have planted…

Apolloswatered,

…but God gavethe increase.”(1 Cor. 3:6)

…but God gavethe increase.”(1 Cor. 3:6)

each time he told his testimony there was less abouthimself, and the light kept shining brighter.

Some testimonies spend too much time on the BC(before Christ) part and too little on the change Christproduces in the life. Still, it can be one of the most con-vincing methods in the evangelist’s arsenal. Let’s getback to using testimonies; it may result in new ones.

4. The invitational approach of Andrew and the woman ofSamaria (Jn. 1:40-41; 6:8-9; 12:22; 4:28-30): Perhapsfeeling ill-equipped to carefully explain the gospel,nonetheless such strategic servants have a deep con-cern for lost souls. Thank God for the bringers. Theone disadvantage of this approach is the lack of controlover what the ones brought will hear. How many havelabored long and carefully to bring someone to anevangelistic gathering only to have the speaker unnec-essarily offend the one brought by a careless remark oran unwise criticism of the person’s religion. How care-ful we ought to be who dare to speak as the “oracles ofGod.” I’ve had to learn this the hard way, sad to say.Thankfully, Jesus can reattach ears removed by a care-less use of the sword!

5. The hospitable approach of Matthew (Lk. 5:29): Manyunbelievers who will not venture into a church build-ing would come to your home for a meal. So thoughtMatthew, who knew his workmates from the tax officewould be persona non grata at the local synagogue.Then why not have them into the less-threatening envi-ronment of the dining room? And it worked.

In my judgment, some of the most effective out-reaches in North America today involve an open homeand an open Bible. It is the winning combination ofloving people and telling them the truth. We havenever had such nice houses and well-stocked freezers,yet how much do we use them as birthplaces for souls?Jesus thought dinner time was an ideal venue forgospel witness, too (Mt. 9:10; 26:7; and many more).The relaxed atmosphere is ideal for this.

6. The good works approach of Dorcas (Acts 9): How oftenwe are reminded of the strategic role of good works inthe life of the believer. “Let your light so shine before men,that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father

which is in heaven” (Mt. 5:16), said the Saviour. “And letours also,” wrote Paul to Titus, “learn to maintain goodworks for necessary uses, that they be not unfruitful”(3:14). Observe the link in Paul’s mind between lack ofgood works and unfruitfulness. Selah!

There does seem to be a link between the obviousevidence that Dorcas was “full of good works and alms-deeds which she did” and the “many” who “believed inthe Lord.” Would a return to being “full” of goodworks also lead to many believing? Sounds like a won-derful experiment!

7. The lifestyle approach of the healed demoniac ofGadara (Mk. 5:19; Lk. 8:39): These two accounts of thestory give two slightly differing instructions from theLord to the man. Interestingly, Luke records the Lordas telling him to “show” the great things done for himby the Lord. It is Mark, the author of the Gospel of theServant, that quotes the Lord as saying he should “tell”others of the Lord’s doings in his life. Yes, it’s “showand tell time” for us. Little use, telling without show-ing. Like the priestly garments, we need bells andpomegranates—both testimony and fruitfulness.

8. The supportive approach of many in New Testamentdays: Paul wrote: “Help those women which labored withme in the gospel…” (Php. 4:3). He spoke of Aquila andPriscilla as “my helpers in Christ Jesus: who have for mylife laid down their own necks,” and Phebe, “a servant ofthe church,” of Tryphena and Tryphosa “who labor in theLord,” and Mary of Rome, “who bestowed much labor onus” (Rom. 16). There are many others as well.

They prayed, and spoke encouraging words, andgave of their funds, and showed up to share thereproach. They may have prepared meals for the Lord’sservants and washed their clothes. They helped withmanual labor, assisting Paul in his tent-making busi-ness. They helped in preparing manuscripts and trans-ported them from place to place. Many were unknownand no doubt many gave their lives for the cause. Weshall meet them some day and thank them for thefoundation they laid in beginning the process thateventually brought the gospel to our doors.

But all these rest from their labors. Now it is ourturn. Let us “by all means” do it. Ý

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BY ALL MEANS

UPLOOKIf the outlook is dark, try the uplook.

hat does Christ’s High Priestlyministry mean to believerstoday? How do we benefitfrom it and so enjoy the privi-

leges of the priestly family?He makes RECONCILIATION for the sins

of the people (Heb. 2:17). He providesCONSOLATION because He Himself hassuffered, being tempted, and so is able tosuccor those that are tempted (2:18). Heengages in continuing INTERCESSION forHis own (7:25). He provides an accept-able REPRESENTATION in the presence ofGod (9:24). He provides ACCEPTATION inthe presence of a holy God by virtue ofHis precious blood (10:19). He gives toHis own a glorious ANTICIPATION found-ed on His unfailing promise (11:40).Then for the daily on-going race, so that His people might finish well, He Himselfbecomes their Goal, the INSPIRATION, the glorious Exemplar who Himself finished welland is now glorified (12:2-3).

In the light of all this revelation of glory and beauty, let us urgently obey theadmonition of Scripture: “Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling,consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus…” (Heb. 3:1).

—J. BOYD NICHOLSON

WWHAT IS HE DOING NOW?