Showing posts with label Priest. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Priest. Show all posts

Wednesday, May 10, 2017

Stay within your calling.



"And they withstood Uzziah the king, and said unto him, It appertaineth not unto thee, Uzziah, to burn incense unto the Lord, but to the priests the sons of Aaron, that are consecrated to burn incense: go out of the sanctuary; for thou hast trespassed; neither shall it be for thine honour from the Lord God.
 Then Uzziah was wroth, and had a censer in his hand to burn incense: and while he was wroth with the priests, the leprosy even rose up in his forehead before the priests in the house of the Lord, from beside the incense altar.
And Azariah the chief priest, and all the priests, looked upon him, and, behold, he was leprous in his forehead, and they thrust him out from thence; yea, himself hasted also to go out, because the Lord had smitten him."
                                     (2 Chronicles 26:18-20)

                        The word for today is find your calling and stay in it. We, all, have a calling and assignment in our lives. As we study 2 Chronicles 26:18-20, we see an example of entering into the wrong calling. King Uzziah was a great king who was used of God in a mighty way. His calling was to be a King and use his leadership skills to bless Israel but something happened along the way. He, got sidetracked. I, personally, believe that he, probably, observed the Aaronic priesthood and their ways of worship. 
                             This, most likely, fascinated him. He, probably, felt like he should bring the censer to burn incense unto the Lord. His intentions might have been good but he forgot that this privilege was given to the descendents of Aaron, who were called to the priesthood. After a while, he took upon himself the duties of the priesthood. The priests, observing this, stood in his way. They tried to prevent the King from making the greatest mistake of his life.  Seeing this, pride rose up in King Uzziah's heart and he become angry. Suddenly, something happened---leprosy started to form in his forehead. 
                            How does that applies to us? Brethren, if you feel a calling for ministry, do not, just, jump in and do it. Our feelings can trick us much like King Uzziah. Our soul (Mind, will and emotions) need to fall in line with the word. (Heb 4:12) Hebrews 4:12 clearly tells us that God's word is like a sword and it separates soul and spirit. In other words, it is the final authority. 
                                 Next, confirm your calling with the church leadership. Finding a good church and Pastor is important because it keeps us from error. The word says that in the multitude of counsellors, there is safety. Do not take it upon yourself to start a ministry without taking the time to wait and confirming your calling. Take heed of what happened to King Uzziah. 
                                 Another way to confirm your calling is through the gifts that God has given you. Whether it be natural,spiritual or both, you have been endowed with special gifts,talents and skills to fulfill your calling. Once you enter into your calling and domain, you cannot help but excel.  Some people are like a fish out of water. They think because they have a desire to sing, they should sing in the choir but upon hearing them, it is plain that they do not have the gift to sing. Where he leads, he provides. 
                            God wants us to offer the best that we have in us to him. So, in this day, if you do not know your calling and assignment, find out. If you do know your calling but you feel led to enter another field of ministry, take heed. Talk to God about it and avoid a costly mistake. 

Bible reference provided by www.biblegateway.com

Thursday, August 25, 2016

Pastor's notes--A look at the priesthood of God.



And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. (Rev 1:6)(1)


                                Greetings. I want to share with you about the priesthood and it's importance. While much can be said about Rev 1:6, I want to focus on two words---Kings and Priests. The word "King" denotes power and authority and we have been exposed to multitudes of teachings regarding this subject but not much on the "Priest" aspect. 

                       To understand the priesthood, let's look at the Old testament and the following verse below--

                 And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.  (Exo 19:6)

                         If you read the Old testament accounts of Israel, they forsook their calling and God had to come up with Plan B--Raise up a priesthood out of the seed of Aaron. (Numbers 3:1-3) Sad state of affairs but what happened to Israel that disqualified them from being a nation of priests? Upon a careful study of the word priest, we find the answer.

 The Hebrew word for priest is Cohen. The root word means to draw nigh to serve. Please bear this in mind because when Israel had a choice to draw near to God, they drew back. They preferred Moses to speak to them (Exo 20:19) This little incident caused Israel to lose their calling and privilege of hearing God face to face. In return, God had to go to Plan B and raise up Aaron and his seed. Upon further study, the failure of Israel not drawing nigh to God caused them to get further away from him and get deeper into sin. 

Beloved, exercise your priesthood by drawing nigh to God. Serve him with praise and worship. Make it a point to hear from God and follow through with his instructions. You have the privilege of hearing from God and experiencing his presence. As you practice this, do not be surprised if you get addicted to his presence. It can be a life-altering experience that will bless you and your seed to come. God bless. 


(1) Verses courtesy of www.biblegateway.com
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