A KINGDOM OF PRIESTS

A KINGDOM OF PRIESTS

                One of the jobs of the priests in the tabernacle of Moses was to keep the fires lit perpetually. They were never to let the fire go out. It had been lit supernaturally by God and it was their job to protect the fire of God and to make sure that it never went out.

                In the visions of the book of Revelation, John sees Yeshua as our High Priest walking among the lamp stands. First He speaks to the church at Ephesus. He commends them for their toil and           “…and He has made us to be a kingdom, priests to His God and Father; to Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.”  Revelation 1:6

                In Yeshua’s message to the church in Ephesus He commends them for their perseverance. He commends them for not allowing false apostles to bring strange fire into their midst and then He says: “But I have this against you, that you have left your first love.”

                Our first love is that which is kindled in us by God. In the throes of our first love, we are consumed with His presence and on fire for Him.  We are enamored with “Him who loves us and released us from our sins by His blood.” Rev. 1:5b. Our hearts bubble over with gratitude.

                But as time goes by, our first love begins to fade. We have gotten so busy, even in our service to Him that the original fire lit by God begins to wane and so we try to manufacture a fire of our own to replace that which once burned brightly in our lives. God calls this “strange fire.” It is manufactured by us instead of by Him and it is a poor substitute for the real thing.

                So what is our Lord’s prescription for a loss of first love? He says: “Remember therefore from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first; or else I am coming to you and will remove your lampstand out of its place unless you repent. “ Rev. 2:5

                In this context we can see that repenting is not just a confession of sin and a return to obedience.  Perhaps what Yeshua is calling for here can best be understood within the context of marriage. What happens to a marriage when the fires of our first love begin to fade?

                Some guys never want to settle down. They are forever seeking that feeling of first love… first sex… first romance… first impressions. But these are the illusions of love and not real love. Romance that is built upon first impressions is short-lived and many people flee the scene when first impressions begin to fade. They have a made up façade that works initially but never stands the test of time… so they run from one relationship to another, forever seeking that first fire… that first passion, usually based upon lust rather than love.

                If we know God at all, then we know that He is not asking us to restore the facades of the flesh. He is asking us to return to the deeds that we did at the first, when our love for Him caused us to be selfless and consumed with His presence.

                Like a fading marriage, we have let the fire go out. And all of those things that once endeared us to each other we now can’t stand. We say to each other, “You always do this” or “you never do that.” First impressions aren’t working anymore and we can either run to a new lover, or we can dig in and discover what true love really is. True love continues to build a fire long after first impressions have given way to reality.

                We as Christians know that we need to maintain the fire that was lit by God when He joined our two spirits together and made us one. And really, that is exactly what Yeshua wants as well. He is not interested in the strange fire we produce, of worked up emotions, or rituals or manmade religion. He is ever searching our hearts for that which He has planted in us. He is looking for those who live by the spirit rather than by the flesh.

                This is what Romans 8 is all about. We can mechanically keep the Law as it is on stone and yet allow our first love to die away because it is based upon the works of the flesh. It is therefore not first impressions that He is calling us to, but life by His Spirit. Not strange fire… not religion… but life by His Spirit… the fire that He planted in us.

                How many marriages have we seen where love has died. That which was once vibrant and beautiful and alive has devolved into two lonely people sharing a common house. They no longer find fulfillment in each other. First impressions have long ago died and they don’t know how to build from there. They know each other too well now. They can no longer fool each other with a bouquet of flowers  and a new piece of jewelry will not make up for the neglect, or the pursuits that have long since replaced romance.

                Returning to first love then is not a return to first impressions…rather it is a return to the Spirit that made you one. It is a return to commitment, to building true love, based upon love and grace, forgiveness and understanding. In true love we cover each other with our blood. In other words we have relinquished our selfishness and our selfish expectations and we begin to love one another in spite of our faults and imperfections. Each of us sheds our blood on behalf of the other. We will now serve one another rather than expecting service. We will now build fires based upon truth rather than illusion.

                We may think that this is a side issue when compared to our relationship with God, but in this we delude ourselves. It is His desire that we love each other even as He has loved us. The fruit of the Spirit is manifested in how we love and treat each other. It is not what we do at church when our faces are turned upward to Him, but rather what we do when we are facing each other.

                Both in our marriages and in our relationships with others, the fruit that we bear must be love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness and self- control. Forgiveness is also a key upon which relationships are built for Jesus said, “Forgive us our debts (trespasses) as we forgive   the debts of others.” Apparently we can’t have one without the other. We can’t rightly say that we love God if we do not love our neighbor. We can’t rightly come before God and express our love for Him even as our marriage dies for lack of love.

                So God is just as interested in our marriages returning to their first love and our love for others being expressed as the fruit of the Spirit as He is interested in our relationship with Him. He is just that unselfish. Furthermore, He understands that the only way to become like Him is for us to love each other even as He first loved us.

                “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 13:34, 35.

                So, whether it be in marriage or in our relationships with fellow believers, our love for each other is the barometer by which our Christian experience is being gauged. And this love is borne of the fruit of the Spirit. It is not borne of strange fire, but of the Spirit of God who indwells us. It is time for God’s Remnant people to return to their first love in all of its aspects.

                As a kingdom of priests unto our God then, it is up to us to keep the fires of love burning brightly, never letting them go out.