HIM or THEM
In (Ezek 44:9-16) we see a passage of scripture that should put the "fear of God" into the heart of every true believer. Here we see a clear distinction between members of the tribe of Levi, who were set apart by God to be priests. Because of their behavior, some were only allowed to minister to the people (them), while others were allowed to minister to "Him". Some people will say "oh that's OT, and doesn't apply to us in the NT", but I believe like Paul in (1 Cor 10:11) that these OT scriptures were recorded for our benefit, that we might realize how important our behavior is to God!
In (1 Peter 2:9-12) we are told that we are "royal priests", a similar position to the Levites in the OT. But just like the Levites mentioned in Ezek 44, we can fall into two distinct classes. One class can have the privilege and honor of ministering to "Him", and the other class can only minister to "them". They were all members of the family of Levi, but because of their behavior of "Idolatry", some were not allowed to come before God in the Holy Place. I'm sure they didn't realize the seriousness of what they were doing, and didn't count the cost of the consequences that would follow, but the truth is there for us to read and consider well. We reap what we sow, and there are always eternal consequences to our actions. (Gal 6:7-10)
This should be a warning to us in the body of Christ today, that our behavior determines our eternal position. We have an inheritance that is being reserved in heaven for us declares Peter in (1 Peter 1:4), this is our place in the Kingdom of God. But we can lose this because of our sinful behavior. Read carefully the following scriptures, which all declare that those who do such things will not inherit the Kingdom of God, (1 Cor 6:9-12, Gal 5:9-11, Eph 5:3-9). Remember these scriptures are not talking about losing our salvation, which is a gift from God (Eph 2:8), but about our inheritance, which is our place in God's Eternal Kingdom!
This is a very serious matter in my opinion, and deserves our prayerful consideration. Remember we are not talking about "Religion" but about our "Relationship" with our Creator God throughout eternity!
Sincerely submitted
Gramp
3 comments:
Hey gramp,
While I agree that there are consequences for our actions, and that we always need to be on guard against idolatry, I would be weary of separating "ministering to God" and "ministering to men". We see very clearly in Matthews 25:40 Jesus saying "whatever you did to the least of these, you did to me".
So where I see that that was a form of punishment to certain levites because of idolatry, in John 13:34 Jesus says "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another."
So I guess I'm just trying to warn against creating a dichotomy that puts "ministering to God" above "ministering to men", when Jesus seams to be saying it's one and the same.
Cheers.
I appreciated your articles.
God bless you as you serve Him and seek to bring souls to know Him.
Your servant in Christ's service,
Lance Ketchum
www.disciplemakerministries.org
Hi Ben
Your point is well taken, and I have no intention of causing a dichotomy in the body of Christ, but the scriptures clearly state that the body has many members and not all have the same function. Some are over-comers, for example, but not all. Although all born again people are members of God's family, Right?
Gramp
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